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Bat-themed outfit for a fancy dress ball. Occasions like this enabled middle and upper class women of the era to dress in ways that were far more creative and less restrictive than normal.
(Moret, La mode illustrée, 1887
Trim cigarettes (1958-9), a brand of cigarettes marketed at helping women lose weight. These were some of the last cigarettes sold in the US that were explicitly marketed as having health benefits, whilst towards the second half of the 20th century most were simply advertised as being "less irritating" or having "no adverse effects".
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This crime was made easy by the fact that many of the items had not been properly catalogued despite being at the museum for over two hundred years.
It is not surprising that such a thing should happen in an institution where jobs are often founded on personal connection rather than competence.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/25/artefacts-stolen-from-british-museum-may-be-untraceable-due-to-poor-records
The Two Ways of Life (Oscar Gustave Rejlander, 1857).
This photograph is made up of around thirty negatives and took about six weeks to create. It shows the life of sin (left) or virtue. Rejlander is considered the father of art photography but died penniless.
The question about VJ Day is, why did the Japanese surrender? Was it the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the threat of Soviet invasion?
The answers are contested. The reality is probably both to some extent.
The Japanese had known the war was effectively lost, but sought a peace deal from the allies that ensured the survival of the emperor and ruling class, no occupation, and Japanese-held war crimes trials. This was firmly rejected. But nonetheless it seemed possible that a negotiated surrender could be achieved, and the Japanese government was prepared to fight to the end in the event of an invasion.
But the Soviet invasion of Manchuria led to total panic and the realisation that a negotiated peace was not possible. The more they prevaricated, the more Japanese territory would fall to the Soviets, which would mean a total end to the ruling establishment and Japanese traditions. The fact that at this point the Soviets were unable to launch a naval invasion was not known.
Many veterans of the far-eastern campaign are some of the last to return home. Subsequently, many felt left-out and, as popular culture generally focused on the war in Germany, they felt forgotten. This was especially affecting to them, as they had experienced enormous brutality; especially those who had been PoWs - many simply could not speak about their memories. Later efforts have sought to fix the Burmese front's reputation as the 'forgotten war'.
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Allied countries celebrate from India (pictured: Delhi Gate) to the US.
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440323001073?via%3Dihub
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Director William Friedkin (1935-2023) & actress Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist. The film's production was plagued by accidents and deaths of cast and family of crew members, but became known as one of the greatest horror films of all time.
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Amidst the destruction, many will start feeling another terrible affect of the bomb; radiation sickness - though they do not understand it.
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The heat is so intense that scores of people leap into the river to try to escape it; many drown. It is extremely difficult to coordinate any sort of disaster response, and many of the hospitals have been destroyed along with their doctors.
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https://vpostrel.com/blog/shopping-and-american-equality-amplifying-on-my-latest-essay
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https://victoriantradingco.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/the-lore-of-lammas-day/
https://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-little-history-of-lammas.html?m=1
Lammas is derived from the Anglo-Saxon meaning loaf-mass, and relates to the fact that at this point farmers would permit themselves to harvest wheat for the first time. It has various ceremonies and rituals involving bread, such as the cooking of bread into owl shapes and the scattering of it. It is likely derived from pre-Christian beliefs.
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https://tobacco.stanford.edu/cigarettes/for-your-health/medicinal-cigarettes/
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"University of Oxford researchers have contributed to the first successful extraction of ancient DNA from a 2,900 year-old clay brick. The analysis, published today, provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from different sites and time periods.
Currently housed at the National Museum of Denmark, the clay brick originates from the palace of Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, in the ancient city of Kalhu."
https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/article/researchers-extract-ancient-dna-from-a-2900-year-old-clay-brick-revealing-a-time-capsule-of
Nonetheless, the atomic bombings shook the Emperor also, and is what he cited in his reasons to surrender.
To be honest I could not find a good article on this question, and instead read this well-sourced discussion on /r/askhistorians.
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/jcggjg/i_heard_that_the_soviet_invasion_of_manchuria_was/g92ir0y/
Also, about that photo... (link is behind paywall, pdf below).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/hunt-find-vj-days-mystery-kissers-sparked-uncomfortable-debate/
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/11-photos-of-vj-day-celebrations
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Many people of Chinese descent around the world also celebrate (pictured: Chinatown, Montreal).
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14/15th August 1945: The war is finally over as a ceasefire is declared with Japan. Emperor Hirohito announces this in an unprecedented radio broadcast.
The mood in Japan is sombre; people lower their heads towards the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as they hear the news. This love for the emperor convinced the Allies to allow him to stay in order to prevent mass resistance. Many Japanese are simply glad to see peace.
Archaeologists have determined that a Bronze Age arrow head found near Mörigen on Lake Biel, Switzerland, was made from a meteorite.
At the time, humans were not actually known to be capable of making iron. Iron could only be obtained from meteorite impact sites. Meteoric iron artefacts have been found in various global sites, but only two up until now in Europe, both in Poland. It is thought that this iron came from a site in Kaalijarv, on the Estonian island of Saaremaa (pictured), and travelled along trade routes to Switzerland.
A selection of articles on Hiroshima:
Atlantic on the decision to target Hiroshima
NY Times on reporting the aftermath
National Geographic on the survivors
Reuters on the bombing and the wider implications
Survivors do the best they can, many with severe burns (pictured). There are few houses remaining for them to sleep in.
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August 6th 1945: At around 8:15, the American warplane drops the bomb Little Boy over Hiroshima. It detonates at about 1,900 feet above the city.
People directly below the blast are probably not even able to consciously process their death. Those further away see a blinding light ('pika') before an enormous explosion. The heat is enough to incinerate people where they stand.
Many survivors of the immediate explosion have terrible injuries from the heat and air pressure and die soon afterwards. About 60,000-80,000 are thought to have been killed instantly.
An early 1900s newspaper cutting decrying the plague of "mashers". Mashers were men who harassed women, but the label could be applied to a man for flirting or being annoying. In general the campaign against them became a moral panic and tended to see mob justice affecting accused men, and there could also be racial elements to it.
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Lughnasadh has similar connotations but has more pagan rituals associated with it. It likely derives from the pagan god Lug, associated with (amongst other things) harvests, and something meaning assembly.
One notable ritual is the Puck Fair (above), where a goat is crowned king and a girl crowned queen.
August 1st is Lammas in England, Lughnasadh in Gaelic-influenced countries, and Gŵyl Awst in Wales. It marks the beginning of the harvest season.
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