Is this the Iceberg that Sank the Titanic?

A photograph taken of a peculiarly shaped iceberg two days before the Titanic sank has surfaced, and some experts believe that this may have been the iceberg that collided with the infamous ship. The unusual shape and its position in the Atlantic offer compelling evidence to suggest it might be...

On the 12 April 1912, Captain W.F Wood took this photograph, printed it, and recorded the coordinates of this huge iceberg. According to some survivors of the Titanic, the iceberg had an interesting elliptical shape, much like the one in the photograph. The size of the iceberg, and the fact that it was roughly ten miles from the Titanic's position have got many Titanic enthusiasts very excited.

The photograph is due to be auctioned next week, and is expected to reach between $8000-10,000.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/11/28/photo-may-show-iceberg-that-sank-titanic/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz2Ddy4EO7S

The Native American Headdress...What Does It Mean To You?

The fashion company Victoria Secret have issued an apology after dressing a model in a Native American headdress. Several tribes took offence to this exhibitionism, and have called the display rude and demeaning to their culture. For many tribes, the headdress is not only sacred, but personal - each one shows the bravery and honour that individual has achieved.

Many tribal leaders are disappointed with the show, claiming that it mocks the Native American way of life. Others think it is an overreaction. Last year, Urban Outfitters was criticised for its new range of "Navajo" clothing, so this debate is nothing new.

The headdress is effectively a religious object, and if the model wore a crucifix they would be facing the same kind of criticism (I'm sure this has been done in the fashion world at some point, since much is designed to shock). From this point of view it's easy to blame the people who made this decision, but the Native American headdress has become so integral to Western culture - through Halloween costumes or the age-old story of "Cowboys vs. Indians" - that people don't think twice about using it. Of course, it depends on the context - a public display such as a fashion show is more likely to invite criticism, but I would be interested to see how Native American tribes treat Halloween costumes or the numerous students who dress up as "Indians" for parties. Native Americans believe more education is needed about their culture, how it is treated and how it is perceived, something which I would welcome. But at the same time, if some tribes are trying to eradicate the use of the headdress as a meaningless symbol they are (unfortunately) facing an uphill battle.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/victorias-secret-apologizes-for-native-american-headdress-used-in-annual-fashion-show/2012/11/12/1981ea8e-2d26-11e2-b631-2aad9d9c73ac_story.html

WW1 and PTSD

An interesting but often overlooked episode during the First World War is the treatment of soldiers for 'shell shock', something that was not completely understood at the time. Some of these soldiers were sent to hospitals where, more often than not, 'treatment' consisted of electric shocks and what today we would call downright abuse. (Read Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy for more on this). 

Symptoms of 'shell shock' include shaking, nightmares, convulsions, fits, lack of speech and even loss of memory. Over 80,000 men were diagnosed with some form of 'shell shock', but of course these are only the recorded cases. The famous war poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen were admitted to the same hospital for a time.

Not all doctors used electric shocks however. In a hospital in Devon, Arthur Hurst used hypnotherapy, as well as encouraging soldiers to remember what happened to them, reconstructing battlefields to prevent any sense of denial. Through this, Hurst managed to help over 90% of his patients. Pathe have just released some disturbing footage of some of these patients from the hospital, follow the link below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229655/Disturbing-Pathe-footage-World-War-One-reveals-devastating-effects-shell-shock-soldiers-treated-pioneering-Devon-hospital.html

Britain's imperial past...

New research suggests that Britain has invaded nearly 90% of the countries on Earth.

The long list includes Vietnam, Iceland and even Cuba. Interestingly, the list (compiled by Stuart Laycock) is no means conclusive - indeed, Laycock believes there are more countries that could be added, and is encouraging others to come forward to present new research. Laycock, who has written books on Roman history, was sparked into this quest by his son who asked him how many countries Britain had invaded.

The countries that Britain haven't invaded are, to name a few - Andorra, Belarus, Guatemala, Paraguay, Sweden, Vatican City and Monaco.

And the country Britain has invaded the most? France takes first prize. Cue the old French related jokes of poor fighting ability. Ahem.

Anyway. watch out, Luxembourg, we're coming for you.

The Lifeboat Legacy

When the Titanic set sail from Southampton on the 10th April 1912, she had 20 lifeboats. This would have saved a third of the passengers and crew on board, something that may strike us as horrifying now but was perfectly natural at the time. Architects were confident in the use of watertight compartments in the design of the ship, believing them to be the epitome of safety. Thus, less lifeboats were needed. If a ship was not built with watertight compartments, more lifeboats were needed. Remarkably, the Titanic sailed with four more lifeboats than what was required by law at the time, and Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic actually requested there should be 64 lifeboats. But White Star Line, the company that owned the Titanic, shot this down as they believed too many lifeboats would clutter the deck space. It has since been calculated that 51 lifeboats would have been needed to save every person on board the ship.

Interestingly enough, the civil servant who inspected the Titanic before she sailed, Maurice Clarke, believed there should have been more lifeboats. In some handwritten notes he made on the day of inspection, Clarke clearly stated the ship was not as safe as it could be, but made no mention of this in his official report because his job was on the line - White Star Line was pressurising Clarke's employer for a squeaky clean report. Despite this, he acknowledged that it would have been impossible to increase the lifeboats because of lack of funds and manpower. Regardless, Clarke did not mention his misgivings at the inquiry into the disaster.

Poignantly, Clarke had written "a sufficiency of boats would allay a panic."

These handwritten notes are expected to reach £30,000.

Ice Tribute to Titanic

This is one the of most impressive memorials I have ever seen.

In Belfast, Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo sculpted 1,517 ice figures, representing every victim to the Titanic disaster. It was here that the Titanic was built, and this tribute was organised to coincide with the centenary of the sinking on 15 April 1912. The little figures were 15in high, and gradually, they melted, one after the other...

Check out the beautiful pictures here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20020498

First Native American saint to be canonised

This weekend, Kateri Tekakwitha, "Lily of the Mohawks" will be the first Native American to be canonised by the Catholic Church. Kateri was born in 1656, in the midst of power struggles between the English, Dutch and French (as well as between Native American tribes) all demanding territory and denomination over the other. Millions of Native Americans were decimated from smallpox and other European diseases - Kateri's parents and brother died from smallpox, and Kateri herself was left physically scarred. "Tekakwitha" is a Mohawk word that translates to "the one who walks groping her way."

The Mohawks blamed the Jesuits for this decimation from smallpox, and they massacred several priests in Kateri's village (three were later canonised.) However, shortly after Kateri was born, the French signed a peace treaty with the Mohawks, and one clause stated that Jesuits could work with the tribe.

On Easter Day pin 1676, Kateri was baptised, and the site is now a shrine visited by hundreds of people every year. Many tribes fused Christianity with their native culture in order to survive in this changing world, but Kateri's decision was not popular with the Mohawks. Her uncle was outraged at her baptism, particularly after she spurned the man he had chosen for her husband. Kateri travelled to a Jesuit village in Montreal, and devoted herself to Christianity, often torturing herself by walking barefoot on ice and hot coals, lying on a bed of thorns, and self-flagellation. Academics think she was influenced by the harsh rituals Mohawk men would undertake before a battle, but even contemporary Jesuits thought she was taking it too far.

Kateri died when she was 24, and ever since, Catholics have prayed to her and many have been convinced she has performed miracles. Immediately after she died, the scars from smallpox disappeared, and the Jesuits claimed they saw visions of her. As late as 2006, it was claimed that a small boy was healed in the US after touching a piece of Kateri's wrist bone. Others have apparently been cured of burns and even kidney disease.

However, some Mohawks today find it hard to identify with a chaste, self-flaggellating convert to Catholicism. She bore no children, and she can be interpreted as a symbol of the struggles between Europeans and the Mohawks...

Regardless, relics, including bits of cloth which have touched the bones of Kateri, are apparently selling fast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19996957#TWEET288677

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Echoes of 1066

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 is probably a date that 99% of the population know off by heart. But many would probably wonder what the significance of the battle is today.

This battle and subsequent 'fusion' of the Anglo-Saxon and Franco-Latin languages created a wide and rich vocabulary - this is why we have different words for something that means pretty much the same thing (for example, fatherly and paternal). The 100 Years' War (1337-1453) may never have happened, and the relationship between France and England would have been completely different. Close ties between the Scottish Kings and the Normans continued for centuries, meaning that the present royal family would have been very different. Shakespeare's plays would probably have been closer to c16th Dutch or German than what it is today. And without the conquest, would there ever have been a United Kingdom?

Really interesting article in The Telegraph!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9606163/In-everything-we-say-there-is-an-echo-of-1066.html

WW1 Commemoration

The history of World War One has always fascinated me, even though my chosen period of study is c.19th America. My ancestors fought in the war, and visiting the battlefields 7 years ago was a wonderful and moving experience, one that I shall never forget. So I was pleased to hear that the government are pledging £50 million to mark the centenary of the war next year. The money will go towards national commemorations, museum exhibitions, and encouraging local communities to get involved in historic projects; the ultimate goal will be to honour those who served. Part of the money will also go to the Imperial War Museum and to schools across the country, who will get to travel to France and Belgium to see the cemeteries, museums and the famous Menin Gate.

"If I should die, think only this of me, that there's some corner of a foreign field, that is forever England."

Assassination Site will become tourist attraction

From 2013, tourists will be allowed to stand on the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated. Apparently, this didn't happen on the steps of the senate but in a theatre - which is fascinating in itself because most history documentaries I have seen, including the recent programme by Andrew Marr depict Caesar being repeatedly stabbed in the Senate.

Today, the area is called Torre Argentina Square and is in the very heart of Rome, but it's also known as the Stray Cat Colony because not many tourists go there. A fact archaeologists are hoping to change. (I'm sure Caesar would probably appreciate a move away from the 'Stray Cat Colony' too.)

Archaeologists report that every year, flowers are left by an unknown person on this ancient site every year on the anniversary of the assassination on March 15, 44BC.

The Resurrection of the Pony Express

Cruising along Route 66 this year, I stopped at a small town near the Petrified Forest - Holbrook, Arizona. After making friends with the gun-wielding cowboy who ran the visitor centre (he called me babe), he proceeded to tell me the fascinating history of the Hashknife Pony Express.

The original Pony Express (April 1860 - October 1861) was the mail service organised by William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell and was set up between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, a journey of nearly two thousand miles. Men would ride across the Plains, the Sierra, and the Rockies, stopping at particular relay stations to pick up fresh horses, food and even new riders. This incredible journey would take around ten days, but after the introduction of the telegraph, it was rendered irrelevant.

However, in Holbrook, the Pony Express rides again (ahem). The Hashknife Pony Express, organised in 1958, had its 50th anniversary in 2008. A group of dedicated riders form the "oldest, officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world." From Holbrook, riders travel 200 miles to Scottsdale over three days, delivering 20,000 first class post with the Pony Express stamp on each letter. Rain or shine.

Apparently, the same posse also search for lost tourists in the desert. And whatever the conditions, they don't come back until they find them...

http://www.hashknifeponyexpress.com/default.asp

America DOES have a history

Many people in Britain dismiss American history as 'very young' - I've written on this subject before but it can always be repeated...I've just returned from a three week holiday in Southwestern USA, and visited many sites that attest to America's incredible ancient history. The best site by far was Mesa Verde. There were several ruins of ancient pueblos and villages, remarkably preserved because that particular area of Colorado is very dry. Archaeologists think that the ancient peoples built these villages in the 1100's, but abandoned them three hundred years later  (probably due to lack of resources). There is little record of what happened to them, but the Hopi people tell of a legend that many ancient people joined their ancestors hundreds of years ago. Run by the National Park, Native American tribes including the Hopi and the Navajo regard Mesa Verde as a sacred place and many travel there every year to perform rituals or to recount stories of the ancient peoples. When you visit, rangers take you around several sites, including Cliff Palace (above) - once you climb down several hundred feet and ascend a few ladders you can actually walk among these ruins. At first this struck me as slightly damaging to preservation efforts but the rangers explained their preservation programme and they take great care in protecting the ruins from human harm. (Which was a good thing, as I really enjoyed climbing through a tiny tunnel at one point.) The best thing though, was the ranger pointing out 700 year old fingerprints. WOW. Tell that to anyone who thinks American history 'began' in 1776.