Looking Back At History

Anton von Werner, The Proclamation of the German Empire (January 18, 1871) – Palace Version (1877) © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz  When we think of German history, we often think of the First and Second World Wars and its division after 1945. This is all for good reason as they are some of the most major events over the last 100 years but what was Germany like before the war? Today we're going to be looking at what was going on with Germany from 1800-1871. Please bear in mind that this is a brief history and if you are looking for more details, I'd recommend checking out the Further Reading section at the end of the post. The Final Moments of the Battle of Waterloo (La Belle Alliance) on June 18, 1815 (19th Century) © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz  Pre-Unification Before 1871 Germany wasn't much more than a collection of states who all spoke the same language. Each state had a different type of ruler, system of rule as well as differing cultures and c

© Amy-Lee Haynes Today is 176 years since the launch of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain . Brunel was an innovator and one of the best engineers of the 19th century. His work includes, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Great Western Railway, the Great Western and Great Eastern. However, today we are going to focus on the SS Great Britain. The ship has been referred to as one of the most important historic ships in the world so here's 10 awesome facts. © Amy-Lee Haynes 1. She Was the First. The SS Great Britain was the first propeller driven passenger ship to be made out of iron. People were very sceptical about this as ships were traditionally made from wood and many presumed that the ship would sink as iron is a heavy material. Brunel also decided against using conventional paddles and gave the ship a screw propeller instead as it was more efficient. 2. She Couldn't Fit Through the Locks! In 1844, the year after the ship's launch, the SS Great B

© IWM (A 35106) Welcome back! In Part 1 we spoke about the development of the British nuclear programme and the early nuclear weapons used. In this instalment of the series, we are going to focus on two British nuclear programmes: Polaris and Chevaline. Late 1950s In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik which was the world's first satellite. Naturally, this caused increased fear amongst the Western powers. As a result, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan pushed for Britain and the US to share technology and nuclear secrets. At this time, Britain was using the Blue Streak programme which was eventually withdrawn in 1960 for being too slow and inferior to Soviet missiles. Britain then favoured the American Skybolt until this was scrapped in 1962 because of test failures. © Crown copyright. IWM (A 35135) Polaris  In 1962 Macmillan and US President John F. Kennedy met in Nassau in the Bahamas for negotiations. Macmillan demanded that the US should supply their Pola