Looking Back At History

 As someone who loves to research history it's pretty essential to have access to archives. However, as I'm currently in full time employment in a non-history related field and don't live in a large city, it can be difficult to access archives physically. Likewise, as researching history is currently a hobby it's not something I can afford to spend a great deal of money on, meaning online archives that are behind a paywall remain inaccessible to me.  For those in a similar situation to me, I thought it would be beneficial to compile a list of the best free online archives so that all us history bloggers can continue to make the most of our hobby and have access to invaluable historical resources and collections. The National Archives  - You can either peruse their online digital archive guides or simply search for the topic you're researching and select "Available for Download Only" in the filters as this shows you what is available online and sometimes f...

Sarah Biffin, Mrs E.M. Wright, 1784 - 1850. Artist (Self-portrait) - WikiCommons  Sarah Biffin (sometimes spelt Biffen ) was born in 1784 in a small village in Somerset, England into a poor farm labouring family. Sarah was born with a rare condition called Phocomelia , meaning her limbs did not grow.   Sarah taught herself how to sew, write and draw using her mouth by the age of 8. She showed a clear talent for sewing and drawing and contributed to her family income through dressmaking and needlework.  Sarah Biffin. Watercolour by Sarah Biffin.. Credit: Wellcome Collection . Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) As an early teen she met a man named Emmanuel Dukes, who ran a traveling show where he showed the strange and curious to a paying audience. She soon entered a contract with Dukes who exhibited her in his show, charging his audience up to two shillings to see her draw. Dukes taught Sarah how to paint and so she began painting miniatur...

Source: Amy Johnson Arts Trust  Amy Johnson was an aviation pioneer who broke a series of flight records throughout the 1930s but is most well known for being the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930.  A Growing Love for Aviation Born in 1903 in Kingston-Upon-Hull, England Amy had no obvious background in flight. Her father ran a fish import and export business and she studied Economics at Sheffield University. She moved to London and worked as a typist for a solicitors firm. In an attempt to rid herself of boredom, one day Amy hopped onto a bus to take a visit to the Stag Lane Aerodrome in North London. Captivated by watching the biplanes take of and land, Amy found herself spending more and more time there.   Johnson gained her Pilot's A licence and her Ground Engineer's C licence in 1929, becoming the first woman in the UK to gain the engineer's licence of this type. Johnson traded in her secretarial job for a full time engineering role at the...

Photographic Van & Marcus Marcus Sparling // RCIN 2500439 Royal Collection Trust / ©  The Crimean War (1853-1856) was the first war to be documented by a photographer, capturing the reality of the Victorian war zone and allowing the public to witness the front line for the very first time. The Crimean War saw Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire come head to head the Russian Empire in an attempt to curtail Russian expansion into Ottoman Territory and towards India, Britain's 'Jewel in the Crown'. British photographer, Roger Fenton travelled to the front line in a shabby horse-drawn van come darkroom to capture the first ever images of war but did they always depict the truth? Roger Fenton Self Portrait February 1852 / Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005 Roger Fenton, Lancashire Lad & Professional Photographer Fenton was born and raised in Rochdale, Lancashire and started his adult career as a painter before pu...

Welcome to the first instalment of my new 'Spotlight On' series where each post will look at the incredible life of a different historical figure. From the famous to the unknown, the subject of each post will range in notoriety. "Mariya Oktyabrskaya" in H. Sakaida,  Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45  (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003) First up is Mariya Oktyabrskaya. Mariya was born in 1905 in the Crimean region of the Ukraine. She was one of ten children in a peasant family and was considered a serf. As a result of her peasant status in life, she welcomed the October Revolution in 1917 and the subsequent Communist regime that followed. It was under Communism that Maria was able to free herself from serfdom and gain an education and a job,firstly in a cannery and later as a telephone operator. Key Word: serf -  an agricultural labourer bound by the feudal system who was tied to working on his lord's estate . In 1925, she married Ilya Oktyabrsk...

          You may have heard of Josephine Baker. When you hear her name you probably imagine a seductive '20s flapper dancing in a banana skirt. Whilst this is true, Baker has an interesting historical role. I see her as a sort of Forest Gump figure. By this I don't mean she loved to run and was awesome at ping pong, I mean that she was often at the forefront of pivotal historical moments, including the East St Louis race riots, the Roaring '20s, the French resistance and Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech. The more you read about her, the more you can appreciate what an incredible and interesting life she led. A St Louis Girl Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1906 to a family of performers. However her parents struggled to find stable careers in performance and instead had to take alternative work. When she was 8, Josephine took odd jobs, such as scrubbing floors, to help the family income. To support her income, she a...

 ‘Stalin takes care of each of us from the Kremlin’, Viktor Govorkov, 1940, Iskusstvo (Moscow, Leningrad) via Australian National University  In today's post we're going to get close and personal with Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. Here are 10 weird yet wonderful facts you probably didn't know about Stalin. 1. Joseph Stalin was not his real name. He was actually called Josef Dzhugashvili, or Soso to his family. He first used his pseudonym 'Stalin' when writing for the St Petersburg based Bolshevik newspaper, Pravda, in 1912. Many historians believe that he took the name as it was similar to 'Lenin'. The meaning of 'Stalin' is steel or man of steel which I can never get out of my head when I think of the famous Superman movie, Man of Steel .  2. He came from a violent family. Given Stalin's violent nature, it probably wont surprise you that he was beaten by his father as a child.    However, his violent upbringing goes further than t...

 Edward Henry Stantley by Maull and Polybank August 1858 NPG Ax7308 © National Portrait Gallery, London Today we're going to have a look at an individual that you have most likely never heard of. When looking at 19th Century British politics and foreign policy, he certainly isn't the first person that you springs to mind but I personally find him to be an interesting figure. Today we are going to have a look at Edward Henry Stanley (1826 - 1893), the Fifteenth Earl of Derby. When researching Derby, you get the feeling that those around him thought that he was a bit of an odd character. Upon further inspection it appears that Derby acted in his own unique way during his decision, emphasising pragmatism over the prestige of the British Empire. So who is Derby? He was born to Edward Smith Stanley 14th Earl of Derby (of course), who served as a Conservative Prime Minister between 1866-1868 so it's safe to say that Derby was born into politics and foreign affairs. He ...

Winston Churchill © IWM (Q 34664) In 1917, the Tsar of Russia and his family were murdered and overthrown by the Bolsheviks. What followed was the Russian Civil War where various factions including the Bolsheviks (Reds) and anti-Bolsheviks (Whites) fought for power over their country. Fearful of the relatively new idea of Communism, the Allies (Britain, France and USA) generally supported a White victory. Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War, also followed this view favouring extensive intervention against the Bolsheviks. But where Churchill's views regarding the Civil War correct and the most beneficial for Britain? Key Terms : Bolsheviks (Red): Started the Revolution in 1917 and overthrew the Tsar, withdrew Russia from WW1. Anti-Bolsheviks (Whites): Largely ex-military and supporters of the Tsar who wanted to keep Russia in WW1.  What Were the British Aims During The Russian Civil War? Following the collapse of Tsarist Russia and consequential withdrawal from ...

Grigori Rasputin Colorized by Marina Amaral Grigori Rasputin is well known for his connections with Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra and their family. Overtime, he has gained the reputation of a being mad monk with healing powers and undeniable sexual allure. But is that true? Here's 5 facts about Rasputin that you didn't know before. 1. He was a mystic healer. Well, sort of. He was of the Orthodox Christian faith and was incredibly spiritual. He claimed to have had a religious experience and travelled the country teaching faith gaining him the reputation as a wandering mystic. He came into contact with Tsar Nicholas and tried to help heal his son, Alexei, of haemophilia and it seemed to work. There is dispute over whether this was down to his mystical powers, hypnosis or simply change of medication. The Russian Royal Family During the First World War © IWM (Q 69052) 2. He did not, as the cartoon Anastasia suggests, kill Tsar Nicholas and his family. Rasputin ...