Category Archives: History

W. T. Stead: Investigative Journalist

Posted on March 28, 2019 by

Stead’s Victorian London was squalid and amoral. He used his editorship of the Pall Mall Gazette to attack moral evil. Prostitution was rampant in London. It was so blatant that there were guides to ‘specialised’ brothels, which were entirely legal.1 … Continue reading →

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Nazi Doctors, Sexism and Lung Cancer

Posted on March 14, 2019 by

In Hitler’s opinion women should have focused solely on Kinder, Kuche, Kirche1 . German sexism predated Hitler. This created a beneficial situation for Nazi doctors. Women provided a huge control group for their epidemiological studies into lung cancer.2 They knew … Continue reading →

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The partition of Poland- Autumn 1939

Posted on February 25, 2019 by

Chris

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Book Review: Isaac Babel ~ Odessa Stories (Translator Boris Dratyuk) (1910s and 20s)

Posted on February 4, 2019 by

Babel writes about Jewish life in Odessa at the beginning of the 20th century. Odessa’s a vibrant multi-cultural seaport with a very large Jewish population. Gangsters fascinate Babel and he creates wonderful pen portraits. He also writes about being an … Continue reading →

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Cicero: he knew a thing or two about treachery

Posted on January 28, 2019 by
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Lenin meets a gangster and loses his Rolls-Royce in 1919

Posted on January 24, 2019 by

Lenin himself was not immune to the lawlessness of the period. On 6 January 1919, he, his sister Mariya and his sole bodyguard, Ivan Chabanov, were being driven in his official Rolls-Royce when they were flagged down by men in … Continue reading →

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Refurbishing grade one listed buildings in Hackney

Posted on January 23, 2019 by

The first two years of my seven year apprenticeship was done at Sir Philip Magnus trade and academic school. Looking back at those two years I’m amazed at how much was covered. Our plumbing teacher was called Tom Freeman and … Continue reading →

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