What drove the great migrations of the first millennium AD?
A curious thing occurred between 400-800 AD. In Europe and the far east, particularly China, a serious of mass population movements and incursions occurred. What historians are debating today is what caused these massive migrations.
Why do the Brits drink so much tea ?
Tea certainly isn’t native to the British Isles so how did this come about? It certainly is an interesting story involving a Portuguese princess who was a tea addict, smuggling and even revolution.
The Humble Potato – a History
The potato’s story begins about 8,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, in South America. In this article we look at how it became the one of most popular foodstuff in the world today.
How the Ancient Romans built the Railways of the World
How on earth can Ancient Romans have built our modern railway system ? We take a side-ways look at this claim.
The Magi – a new revelation ?
An ancient document found in the Vatican archives has cast new light on the story of the Nativity and the Three Wise Men. The document called “The Revelation of the Magi” is an 8th century copy of an earlier one dated to the 2nd or 3rd century AD
Jazz – A Short History
Did you know that jazz was born in the US? Did you know that the drum set was invented by jazz musicians? Did you know that the word “cool” and “hip” were originally jazz terms?
The Printing Press – Taking the written word to the masses
Ideas that changed the World : The invention of printing & the printing press like many innovations evolved over time but there was one seminal moment when the printing press exploded on the scene and changed society forever.
Some more historical myths debunked
Every nation has its favourite tales from the past, but how accurate are they? A lot of what we ‘know’ to be historically true can sometimes turn out to be no more than a : Who perpetuated historical myth. We look at a few here. Who really was the 1st US President? Did Mediaeval people really think the Earth was flat ?
Nursery Rhymes – Origin & History II
Behind every nursery rhyme is a history and story that’s every bit intriguing as the rhyme itself.
How was the order of our alphabet determined?
Is there any particular reason why A comes before B or that Z is the last letter of the alphabet? We delve here into the origins of this and the system of writing.
When there were two Guernseys
There was a time when Guernsey consisted of 2 separate islands. It was military expendiency that drove the effort to re-unite the 2 parts of ‘Sarnia’ again.
Some Historical Myths Debunked
Every nation has its favourite tales from the past, but how accurate are they? A lot of what we ‘know’ to be historically true can sometimes turn out to be no more than a perpetuated historical myth. We look at a few here. Did King Harold really die from an arrow in the eye? Did Slaves built the great pyramids in Eqypt ?
The Story of Chocolate
So where and when did the magic begin? Thousands of years ago is the answer, in the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations of Central America.
The Costa Rican Connection
On the other side of the World one of the sons of Guernsey is held in such high regard that he has appeared on bank notes and stamps, had statues raised to him and is credited with transforming that country from being the poorest to the wealthiest in Central America.
The S.S. Stella
The Steam Ship “Stella” has entered local history as a byword for tragedy when she was sadly wrecked in 1899 off of Alderney.
