History

06 May 2023 11:14

There are numerous stages to the coronation, the first being the recognition and oath, in which those assembled formally recognise the monarch, who then performs his or her oath (pictured: Edward VII's oath, 1902).

History

05 May 2023 19:42

"The sacred oil which will be used to anoint King Charles at his coronation was consecrated at a ceremony in Jerusalem. It is based on the oil used for the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth 70 years ago."

Source: Reuters (https://reut.rs/3yxQzyJ).

History

02 May 2023 00:59

Soviet female athletes, a May Queen amongst them, at the Moscow May Day parade (5 May 1936). The May Queens were specially chosen female athletes and wore crowns, an apparent blending of the old traditions with the socialist element of the day. Such displays were encouraged after Stalin's 1935 declaration that 'life is now better, life is now gayer' (a dubious claim).

History

01 May 2023 02:00

https://blog.oup.com/2017/04/witches-walpurgis-night/

History

01 May 2023 02:00

It is Walpurgisnacht. This night celebrates Saint Walpurga. Born in Devon, England, Walpurga carried out missionary activities in Germany and was known for her strength against witches. Henceforth, the night often features witch and folklore-themed celebrations, which can vary by region. Many are drawn from old pagan beliefs.

History

29 April 2023 23:35

A series of Roman forts have recently been discovered in Saudi Arabia using satellite imagery on Google Earth. It seems likely they date from the 106 AD Roman invasion of the Nabataean Kingdom. The location of the forts indicates they were attempting to launch a surprise attack by coming from an unexpected direction, as opposed to previous theories that held that the transfer of power to Rome was peaceful after the death of King Rabbel II Soter.

History

27 April 2023 23:40

Käsebier and Ruyl were both progressive photographers who were active in the early 20th century. Ruyl was known for her photos of Zuni Pueblo Indians and mothers.

History

26 April 2023 23:33

Woman Reading a Book on a Sofa (Takehisa Yumeji, Japan, 1919)

History

22 April 2023 21:48

Earthrise (William Anders, Lunar orbit, 24 December 1968).

It is described as one of the most influential photographs ever taken, leading Anders to comment that "We set out to explore the moon and instead discovered the Earth." The photograph is often used to illustrate the uneasy reports by some astronauts of what became known as the "Overview Effect", whereby they experienced a transformative sense of awe in gazing back at the Earth in a way that was incomparable to anything ever experienced on the ground.
#Earthday

History

21 April 2023 21:19

Today is Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marking the end of fasting in the Muslim holy month of Ramadam.
(Image: Eid al-Fitr procession by Bahadur Shah II, Mughal emperor.)

History

21 April 2023 01:02

The original layout of Tenochtitlán (mostly razed by the Spanish) contrasted with the growth of Mexico City and the drainage of Lake Texcoco. Building upon the old site of the lake causes serious issues to this day, as well as the obvious ecological impact leading to creatures like the axolotl becoming endangered. A current project aims to reclaim some of the lake.

History

17 April 2023 23:58

A Soviet propaganda poster shop (Nina Sviridova and Dmitry Vozdvizhensky, USSR, 1986)
Source

History

16 April 2023 00:02

Dancing fox (Japanese, ivory, 18th century).

History

13 April 2023 16:51

Recent events have commemorated the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed 25 years ago on the 10th of April 1997. It saw an end to thirty years or so of conflict in Northern Ireland.
Under the agreement, the Republic of Ireland dropped their constitutional claim to the north of the island, and the territory was to remain part of the UK. However, citizens there could have Irish and British citizenship.
The paramilitaries that had claimed the lives of thousands of people were closed down, including the pro-Irish (republican/nationalist) IRA and the pro-British (loyalist) UVF. Most controversially, many people deemed terrorists and political prisoners were released.
Northern Ireland was given devolved powers which hinged on the participation of both the loyalist and nationalist communities.

History

10 April 2023 00:46

Easter Sunday has many odd traditions. In some countries it is customary to go egg-rolling which involves rolling an egg down a hill, usually as a race (as in the photo, although that custom is on a Monday). The custom is often seen at the White House.
In the UK, pace-egging encompasses a wide range of activities around pace eggs, which are eggs that have been decorated. A pace egg play is a form a medieval mystery play and normally involves St. George fighting a variety of stock characters and being annoyed by Toss Pot the fool. The actors are gifted pace eggs.
Image source

History

06 May 2023 11:14

May 6th sees the coronation of a new British monarch. It is historically significant as the ceremony can be traced back to 973, when English King Edgar was crowned alongside his wife Ælfryth, and may go back before that. Many elements have not changed in a thousand years.
The coronation has no administrative significance, but is rather an affirmation of the monarch's legitimacy and power. It was introduced in imitation of European trends, especially that of Charlemagne.

History

02 May 2023 00:59

Further posts on May Day: /channel/historicalchan/3465

History

02 May 2023 00:59

May Day in Moscow (Nikolay Malyshev, USSR, 1983)

History

01 May 2023 02:00

Top: a train takes witches and ghosts to Blocksberg, Germany, 1932.
Bottom: German postcard depicting witches celebrating in the Harz mountains.

History

29 April 2023 23:35

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-04-27-spectacular-new-find-roman-military-camps-desert-found-oxford-archaeologists-using

History

27 April 2023 23:40

https://thebabyhistorian.com/2019/12/09/beatrice-baxter-ruyl/

History

27 April 2023 23:28

Gertrude Käsebier
The Sketch (Beatrice Baxter Ruyl)
1902

History

24 April 2023 23:31

Tehran, Persia (c.1873). The street is now called Mirdamad. This is one of the oldest known photos of the city.

History

21 April 2023 21:19

It was first celebrated in 624 after the Prophet Muhammad journeyed from Mecca to Medinah.

History

21 April 2023 21:18

Eid ul-Fitr at the Great Mosque of Urmia (Iran, 1926/1344).

History

19 April 2023 00:54

An Interrupted Duel (Marcus Stone, UK, 1868).
The absence of guns puts this fictional scene likely before the 1770s, when pistols were quickly adopted by the English upper classes in their duels. To reject or back down from a duel was a cause of great shame, and many people who killed during duels were sentenced lightly if at all. Nonetheless duels were a constant issue until the middle part of the 19th century when they declined in response to widespread social pressure.

History

16 April 2023 00:03

https://www.nga.gov/features/life-of-animals-in-japanese-art.html

History

13 April 2023 16:55

The agreement was ratified by referendums in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. The loyalist DUP was the only major group to not participate.
Northern Ireland was given the opportunity to join the Republic if a majority of citizens consented. Since then, it has not decided to leave the UK, and there has been a softening and mixing of communities.

History

10 April 2023 00:51

Also, in Sweden and Finland children dress up as Easter witches (Sweden: påskkärring, Finland: trulli) commemorating the myth of witches flying to the legendary island of Blockula to visit the devil. This happens all throughout the Easter period up until Sunday, although it is normally on Easter Saturday that they go door-to-door distributing greetings and getting sweets and chocolates.
Image source

History

08 April 2023 02:20

Good Friday is the day commemorating the execution of Jesus. Jesus's execution on the cross is testified in several independent non-Christian sources.
He is believed to have survived on the cross for six hours and likely would have died of a heart attack. Had he lived longer he would have suffered the fate of the criminals on either side of him, who had their legs broken.

Image: The earliest crucifixion in an illuminated manuscript, from the Syriac Rabbula Gospels, 586 AD.