Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 143 i All About History

We wanted to approach D-Day a little differently this issue to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Beach landings. In the past we’ve dealt with some of the key figures of the day, looked at the contributions made by different services, highlighted the roles of forgotten heroes and looked at the invasion from a German perspective. I recommend subscribers take advantage of their access to our digital back issues and give those a read (issues 78 and 79). For this issue we thought we would concentrate on Operation Neptune itself; the blow-by-blow account. How did the day play out? Where was progress made and where did the Allies stall? Was D-Day considered a success? We welcome Mark Simner as our guide, giving us our hour-by-hour account of the landings…

In March 1942, Adolf Hitler issued Führer Directive 40, calling for the building of an ‘Atlantic Wall’ to guard against an expected Allied seaborne invasion from England. Over the coming months, supplies of astronomical proportions of steel, concrete, and other materials were used to bolster the defences of German-occupied Scandinavia and Continental Europe. Many thousands of slave labourers and people from the occupied territories, as well as workers from the German Organisation Todt were drafted in to complete the ambitious project. A number of the troops manning these defences would similarly be men from occupied Europe who were pressed into service. Adolf Hitler’s fears were well founded and a little over a year later, the Allies began to plan just such an invasion. They had been under pressure from Soviet…

Roller coasters, spinning tea cups, swinging pirate ships and log flumes are the staples of the modern amusement park, but these often massive, dedicated entertainment spaces have a fascinating history. Their origins can be traced back to the ancient world with its pleasure gardens, all the way up through the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution, with each age building on the attractions that came before. Here we’ll chart the evolution of the amusement park, from its lavish natural parks to the mechanical wonders of the modern world. FAIRS & FESTIVALS The history of the fair, a gathering of people for a common purpose for a limited time, goes back to ancient history. A key visual of the fair to this day can trace its legacy back to religious festivals, where large crowds…

By the spring of 1863, the American Civil War in the eastern theatre of Northern Virginia was in stalemate. Both sides had been busy rebuilding their forces in winter quarters since the bloodletting at the Battle of Fredericksburg the previous December. Since the beginning of the war itself, President Abraham Lincoln had been searching for a general who could effectively lead the enormous resources Washington would place under his command in terms of men and materiel. The industrial north had the resources to conduct and win a strategic war against the weaker agricultural-based southern rebel states, but what it repeatedly failed to do was defeat Robert E Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 had been a bloody calamity for the north, with thousands needlessly…

An extremely popular dish in the Netherlands, this form of raw pickled herring has become a seasonal staple. But herring is also an important part of Dutch history and was integral to the country’s economy. In the 14th century, William Buckles invented gibbing, a process of preserving herring by placing them into salt barrels. This created a vast maritime industry and has even led some to claim that herring was partially responsible for the Golden Age. In fact, during this period the Dutch, according to the Marine Stewardship Council, were responsible for 80 per cent of the herring trade. As this recipe contains raw fish, please exercise caution when preparing soused herring. Ingredients 6 fresh herring fillets (filleted and trimmed)600ml white wine vinegar1 onion, chopped200g caster sugar1 red chilli, finely…

29 May 1953 HILLARY AND NORGAY REACH EVEREST’S SUMMIT Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand explorer Edmund Hillary became the first two people to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, at 11:30am on 29 May 1953. The pair were just two of a number of mountaineers who were part of the ninth expedition that attempted to be the first to scale Everest. The news of the summit reached the UK on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and the members of the Himalayan expedition were later awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. 17 May 1954 SCHOOL SEGREGATION OUTLAWED IN USA In a significant victory for the burgeoning civil rights movement, the US Supreme Court ruled that the racial segregation of children in schools…

It is rare in medieval history that a queen would overshadow her royal husband. However, this has long been the case for Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Both monarchs of their own respective regions, and together a united king and queen of Spain, Isabella and Ferdinand each brought their own strengths to rulership. Isabella was a fearsome, fiercely religious, determined and politically astute queen. But, Ferdinand was also a talented politician and a skilled military leader, and together the two rulers were an unstoppable force. But how did this partnership come about, and what did the married monarchs achieve throughout their reigns? A ROCKY START Before the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand in 1469, the land we now recognise as Spain was made up of a…

Following the Argentinian incursion into the Falklands, the move by Margaret Thatcher to deploy a military task force to retake the territory galvanised a nation. Britain seemed to be united in a patriotic fervour and single-minded belief that it had been deeply wronged and was taking action to show it was still a major player to be reckoned with on the world stage. Following the British victory, and a hero’s welcome for the task force, Thatcher would refer to the ‘Falklands Spirit’ for years to come. But with a British failure in the South Atlantic, the global respect afforded Margaret Thatcher might never have materialised, and there could have been serious repercussions for Britain, at home and around the world. What may have been the impact on global politics and…

Book Film TV Podcast Games Other THIS TOWN Steven Knight’s soulful Midlands memories deliver poignancy over power Cert: 18 Director: Paul Whittington Cast: Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Nicholas Pinnock Released: Out now With a series like Peaky Blinders having such success, creator Steven Knight was never going to stay away from his Midlands homeland for long. He returns there with This Town, a BBC mini-series set against the backdrop of the Handsworth Riots of 1981 and the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Here he draws up a ragtag group of young people on the Midlands council estates, and throws them into a world of alcohol, drugs, the IRA, and the need to make music to escape a life on society’s outskirts. The tribute Steven Knight and director Paul Whittington pay to…

Easily one of the most famous masterworks of the Dutch Golden Age, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch has an enigmatic and mysterious reputation, thanks in part to its bizarre and fascinating history. The painting was completed in 1642 and shows a group of civic guardsmen, also known as the Schutterij, a civilian force designed to protect a town from attack. The Rijksmuseum specifies that the painting was even commissioned for display in one of the Schutterij’s headquarters. The Night Watch depicts the commander, Captain Frans Banning Cocq, giving his company the order to move out. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (better known simply as Rembrandt) is remembered as one of the Golden Age’s key figures and, at the time, was one of the Netherlands’ most famous artists. Among his other noted works…

Despite centuries of research and interest in the Aztec people, they remain one of the more misunderstood and mysterious cultures to many of us. Thanks to a combination of Spanish records from the time painting them in a very particular light, and an understandable preference for some of the gorier details of public life in Central America at the time, what it was really like living in a city like Teotihuacan can be hard to imagine. Experts like Camilla Townsend have thankfully been working hard to demystify the Aztecs and highlight sources that give voice to the real people behind the legends. Her new book, The Aztec Myths, breaks down their real and evolving religious beliefs and we were delighted to catch up with her to learn more. How challenging…

The Roman legion has an enduring legacy as the elite army that helped to enforce the might of the Roman Empire across the world. Serving as the military, navy and police force, the legion as a whole stood for centuries as a symbol of the power of Rome. But, for the individual legionaries that made up the imperial army, life was often more domestic than we may imagine. A new exhibition at the British Museum in London aims to shine a spotlight on the lives of these ordinary men who were recruited to the legion, as well as those of their families. Legion: Life in the Roman Army draws together over 200 objects from the British Museum’s collection, and from 28 lenders around the world, to bring to life the…

LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME Director: Charles Vidor Starring: Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell Country: USA Year: 1955 An all-singing, all-dancing take on the life of singer Ruth Etting, but do the facts match the fiction? VERDICT: An entertaining musical that features two Hollywood legends, it fails to reach the high notes as far as fact is concerned. 01 Ruth Etting (Doris Day), is a popular singer during the 1920s/30s in a relationship with gangster, Martin “Moe the Gimp” Snyder (James Cagney). Snyder gives Etting her first performing job, but in reality they met when she was already a chorus girl. 02 Under Snyder, Etting’s career takes off. The film portrays her as somewhat complicit and at worst using Snyder. While it’s impossible to know if this is what…