Free online historical newspapers. A round up of links to free newspapers to help you with your genealogy research.
Writing your next book starts HERE
Trace your ancestry in Prussia, Bavaria and more with our guide to research in Germany’s historical regions
I teach on-line classes on medical history before 1840 and Georgian and Regency military medicine. As a result, I've read a number of books on medical history. Below are some books to help get you started on your historical medicine research for your historical fiction. The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History John M. Barry A Field Guide to Germs Wayne Biddle. This is a quick and dirty guide to diseases. Scurvy: How a Surgeon,A Mariner and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail Stephen R. Brown. AN interesting read with lots of insight into early theories of disease. Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis Thomas M Daniel. A scary read, especially in a time of rising drug resistant TB. The Worst of Evils: The Fight Against Pain Thomas Dormandy. A fascinating look into pain relief, a relatively modern invention that we take for granted. The Man Who Touched His Own Heart: True Tales of Science, Surgery and Mystery Rob Dunn. Gross and fascinating stories from the history of medicine. Doctors on Horesback: Pioneers of American Medicine James Thomas Flexner. A great look at the history of American medicine and the pioneers who helped develop it. Western Medicine: An Illustrated History Irvine Loudon. A good overview of medical history. Military Medicine:From Ancient Times to the 21st Century Jack Edward McCallum. A good overview of military medicine. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President Candice Millard. A lot of graphic details about what it was like to live and die with the medical limitations of the time, The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching and the Birth of Modern Surgery Wendy Moore. Excellent look into a time when medicine really began to change and the men who helped usher in those changes. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 Jim Murphy. Plagues, they aren't just for medieval Europe. Blood & Guts: A Short History of Medicine Roy Porter. Another excellent history of medicine. The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon’s Greatest Army Stephan Talty. More soldiers used to die of disease than enemy fire as this book details. Revolutionary Medicine 1700-1800 Keith C Wilbure M.D. A YA book that doesn't read like one. A very accessible text for anyone interested in historical medicine. If you enjoyed these books then check out mine because they have medical history in them.
Research has modelled in detail a historic and deadly tsunami. The most accurate computer models suggest it devastated landmasses.
In this post, novelist Pamela Binnings Ewen shares her thoughts on writing better historical fiction by writing in the shadows of history and historical research.
This detailed article looks at the British Census between 1801 and 1931; what genealogy information can be extracted and what's missing
Reading non-fiction books is a great way to research different time periods, careers or industries. However, nothing beats talking to an expert in order to really get the details of a specific industry or occupation correct. There are a wealth of people for contemporary writers to turn to in order to learn. Who should a historical novelist speak with in an effort to better understand or accurately portray their chosen time period? Interpretive guides at historical sights are a great resource for historical writers. Interpretive guides are well versed in their time periods and historical facts, and they love to share what they know. I had the chance to speak with two very well informed guides at Yorktown when I was there a few years ago. We discussed 18th century medicine and surgical techniques. At the time, I was writing a scene about removing a musket ball from a man's arm. One advantage to speaking with someone about the procedure instead of just reading about it was the ability to ask questions. At the Yorktown surgical tent, different medicine in small jars as well as an array of surgical tools were available to touch. One guide clutched a musket ball in his fist and then had me "extract" the ball using ball forceps. Sounds easy, right? It's not, and I ended up pinching the poor man's hand. The lesson drove home the importance of the patient being awake during the operation to help guide the surgeon, and how a surgeon needed speed to perform the operation with minimal damage. I also learned that vinegar was used as an antiseptic and that the wound probably wouldn't have been sutured. These were important details. Another great aspect of historical sights is the ability to experience history with your senses. At Yorktown, muskets and cannons were fired. I've written scene with both in many of my stories, and I've described them based on my research or movies. However, some aspects such as the feel of the cannon boom in your chest and the way it echos off of everything are difficult to gather from films and books. Learning these details through "hands-on" experience helps make my writing more realistic and vivid. The next time you need information on a particular aspect of your chosen time period, think about the different museums or groups in your area that you might be able to speak with. Near where I live, there is The San Diego Maritime Museum which has the 19th century ship The Star of India and the HMS Surprise from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe. I've visited both ships and spoken with the interpretive guides numerous times while doing research for my various books, a list of which can be found here. If you don't live near a historic museum then go on-line. Many historic sights have emails or phone numbers that you can use to contact the experts. Also, the next time you're on vacation, try and take advantage of the historic sites you might be travelling near. Even if you don't use what you learn in your current work, file it away for the future. You never know when some fact from an interpretive guide might come in handy. If you enjoyed this post then you will love the history in my books because there is a lot of it.
Free online historical newspapers. A round up of links to free newspapers to help you with your genealogy research.
Betrayal—not a cheery topic, but at some point, we all meet it in a dark corner of our lives and need a light to shine on it.
A well-written historical novel has many hours of research behind it. Here are some tips on conducting such research, as well as points to consider when creating a story within a historical context.
If you are exploring Italy and its historical landmarks, then this free Colosseum flip book for research will be a great addition to your lessons.
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel well and truly got the bird today.
Like all good detective work, genealogy research benefits from organization, patience, and procedure. One of many tools in the researchers toolbox is the obituary. Obituaries are small articles in a newspaper that offer a posthumous piece of the story of a person’s life. They can also be very useful to those who are researching genealogy, adding details that would otherwise be
The Researcher's Gateway examines individuals who have had great impact on medical research continues our series celebrating World Health Workers.
How to find free historical UK maps UK online by using the National Library of Scotland Map images collection. This post takes you through what is available and how to access the maps. These resources are useful for the local historian as well as the genealogist.
Uplevel your genealogy research with libraries and archives. Discover the different types of libraries you can use to find family stories, records, and more.
If you're searching for German ancestors, these 3 websites can be instrumental in your genealogy research.
Written accounts and visual representations from history are considered primary resources when you are doing historical and anthropological research.
How to find free historical UK maps UK online by using the National Library of Scotland Map images collection. This post takes you through what is available and how to access the maps. These resources are useful for the local historian as well as the genealogist.
Discover more about your British rural ancestors. This post looks at some great online resources to help you find your rural ancestry.
How to find free historical UK maps UK online by using the National Library of Scotland Map images collection. This post takes you through what is available and how to access the maps. These resources are useful for the local historian as well as the genealogist.
State archives and historical societies can provide useful and free information for researching your genealogy. Here's a list of state archives websites.
From doing research to translating the past, author C. E. McGill shares five ways to make your historical fiction ring true.
Australia's history is rich with individuals who have contributed to its social, economical and political development. These particular posters have been designed to compliment the Year 6 HASS curriculum in Australia and feature 16 key individuals who contributed to Australia's development as a federation. Looking for a way to use these posters in your classroom? Check out these Biography Research Templates These posters compliment the following Australian Curriculum Year 6 HASS content descriptors covered: - The contribution of individuals and groups to the development of Australian society since Federation (ACHASSK137) The following individuals have been included in these posters: - Frank Anstey - Andrew Inglis Clark - Edmund Barton - Edith Cowan - Alfred Deakin - Vida Goldstein - Samuel Griffith - H.B. Higgins - Livingston Hopkins - Charles Kingston - Louisa Lawson - William McMillan - Henry Parkes - John Quick - Rose Scott - Catherine Helen Spence If you liked the look of these posters, you may also like these: — Making a Law in Australia — Australian Federation Timeline — Famous Australians Figures of Federation Classroom Decor Posters — Famous Australians MEGA bundle Classroom Posters FAQ Can I share this resource with my teaching partner? No. This product is for personal use only. Multiple licences are available for use among more than one person. On what size paper is this resource best printed? This resource is designed to be printed on A4 sized paper. To fit other paper sizes, ensure you hit 'fit to page' before printing. Don't forget that leaving feedback earns you points toward FREE TPT purchases. I love that feedback! If you want to connect with me further, check out Ridgy Didge on these social media platforms: - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you so much, Mel
Really cool graphic of the city of ancient Rome. It depicts water, sewage, construction, etc.
Some innovative castle designs by my middle school students, Samuel E. Shull Middle School, Perth Amboy NJ 2017 After watching the video of David Macaulay's Castle, my students designed their own fortresses. They tested the defensive walls by building catapults with popsicle sticks, rubber bands and spoons and firing mini marshmallows at their creations to see how many could land inside. Caerphilly Castle was built in the thirteenth century. It is the largest castle in Wales. To learn more about Caerphilly Castle, click here. More views of Caerphilly Castle David Macaulay re-creates the building of a medieval Castle in his book Castle. For more information about this very detailed and informative book, visit the author's website by clicking here. To watch a four part movie based on the book, click on the YouTube videos below. The castle in Macaulay's book is imaginary but it is based on several real Medieval castles. One of them is Caerphilly castle in Wales. Here is a floor plan of Caerphilly Castle: The film starts off with the author, David Macaulay, with his sketchbook, in Conway Castle in Wales. Here are some photographs of Conway Castle: Here is a floor plan of Conway Castle: Below is a floor plan and some photographs of Deal Castle, in Kent, England Below is a floor plan and some photographs of Windsor Castle in England WHY DO ALL THESE MEDIEVAL CASTLES LOOK SO DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER? HOW ARE THEY ALL ALIKE? Keep reading to find out. There was no standard shape and structure for a castle. The builders adapted their designs to suit the site, the budget and the military dangers of the day. THE ANATOMY OF A MEDIEVAL CASTLE Print out the picture above and look at all the basic parts that make up the anatomy of a Medieval castle. The castles all look very different from each other, yet they are all made up of the same basic components. See if you can identify the components all of these castles have in common. How would geographic location and the topography of the site influence a castle's design? Some cool Medieval castle activities: Click here to learn how to build your own paper and cardboard Medieval castle Click here to learn how to design a castle floor plan Click here for a step by step Power Point presentation by The Helpful Art Teacher on how to design and build your own paper castle. Printable Worksheets How to build a paper castle You will need heavy paper, like oak tag or card stock, white glue,masking tape,cardboard for the base scissors,markers, paint and whatever else you wish to use to decorate your creation. A small inexpensive low temperature hot glue gun is useful but not necessary. The starting point: A tower You will need to build at least four of these towers and connect them by walls just to start building your castle. These worksheets are just to get you started. Be inventive! Figure out how to include all the parts of the castle from the moat and draw bridge to the gate house and portcullis to the inner ward and keep. Work in progress: These 7th grade students are creating a curtain wall, the wall surrounding their castle complex. A soldier can walk along this wall and shoot arrows at his enemies from behind the embrasures. These students have created a portcullis and draw bridge using yarn, Popsicle sticks and a low temperature hot glue gun. Interior and exterior shots of one 7th grade student's work in progress. She used a sharp scissors to cut the points on the Popsicle sticks that form the portcullis. When each group was done constructing their castles I gave them 12 Popsicle sticks, a rubber band, a plastic spoon and permission to go over to the hot glue gun table. Their mission? To design a working catapult capable of lobbing mini marshmallows into another group's castle. Catapult designed by a 7th grade student Click here to learn how to build a miniature working catapult out of Popsicle sticks (so you can storm your paper castle). This website gives step by step directions but I prefer to have my students come up with their own designs. As you can see, from the video below, my 7th graders' original contraptions worked quite well. catapult design by a 7th grade student from Rachel Wintemberg on Vimeo. STEAM connection: How does building a catapult connect art to science, technology, engineering and math? When you create a catapult you are using a simple macine, the lever. If you pull the spoon back, the taut rubber band has potential energy. When you let go of the spoon the marshmallow is propelled by force and has kinetic energy. When you pull the rubber band back to a 45 degree angle, the marshmallow will travel the farthest distance. When you pull it back farther, the marshmallow will travel higher, but not go as far. We set up our catapults behind a taped barrier and asked the students to see how many mini marshmallows they could get into each castle. In order to make it over the wall, student found that they ideally needed to pull the spoon back farther than 45 degrees to attain more height and less distance. We discussed how the goal of the job affects the method used to launch the catapult; had the goal been to make the marshmallow go the farthest distance, then a 45 degree angle would have been preferable. STEAM Vocabulary/Definitions accuracy : The degree of closeness of a measured or calculated quantity to its actual (true) value. For example, in the associated activity, accuracy is the ability to hit the target with the Ping-Pong ball. catapult: A toy/machine that launches a projectile. geometry: An area of mathematics that studies shape, size, position and properties of space. precision: The degree to which further measurements or calculations show the same or similar results. For example, in the associated activity, precision is the ability to hit the same location multiple times with the Ping-Pong ball. projectile: An object that is launched or thrown, usually in the air, by a force. Source:https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_catapult_lesson01 Other STEAM connections in this lesson: The portcullis and draw bridge on the castles above operate using a pulley, another simple machine. Show students simple machines and have them divide into small groups to brainstorm how they might incorporate simple machines into their castle designs. For instance, a pulley might be used to draw water from a well as well as to control the draw bridge and portcullis. What is a simple machine? A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. The six simple machines are: Lever Wheel and axle Pulley Inclined plane Wedge Screw This student took the assignment a step farther. After researching medieval weapons he decided to design a crossbow to defend his fortress and siege neighboring castles. He was, of course, very careful to aim his weapon at rival social studies projects and never at people. Learn all the parts of a real medieval castle and what they were used for before you begin. Look at several real castles and their floor plans before you create your own. Remember, fortresses were designed and built for defense so make sure your castle will protect the inhabitants within. The Parts of a Medieval Castle Vocabulary terms you will need to know: You will remember the vocabulary better if, after reading the definition, you click on the word. This will bring you to a picture that illustrates the word. If you are building a castle for a 7th grade social studies class your teacher will probably expect you to use these vocabulary words to label the parts of your castle. You will also be expected to demonstrate the ways in which your fortress uses these elements to protect it's inhabitants. Arrow Loops - These were slots in the walls and structures that were used to shoot arrows through. They came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Ashlar - Blocks of smooth square stone. They can be of any kind of stone. Bailey: This is a courtyard or open space surrounded by walls.The walls that make up the Bailey are also considered to be part of the Bailey. A castle could have several. Sometimes they were called the upper bailey and lower bailey or the west bailey and east bailey. Barbican: A stone structure that protected the gate of a castle. Think of it as a gatehouse. It usually had a small tower on each side of the gate where guards could stand watch. Barmkin: A yard surrounded by a defensive wall Bartizan: A small turret at the corner of a tower or wall. It is usually at the top but not always. Bastion: A tower or turret projecting from a wall or at the junction of two walls Battlements: These are the structures at the tops of the walls surrounding a castle. Picture what you have seen in the movies where archers are at the top of the wall and firing arrows between open slots down on the attackers. These shapes at the top (Where the archers position themselves for battle) are called battlements. They are also referred to as crenellations. Buttress: A masonry projection used as additional support for walls. Notre Dame Cathedral is a good examlple of the use of Buttresses. Corbel - A stone projection from a wall. It supports the weight of a battlement. Courtyard - The open area with the curtain walls of a castle. Curtain Wall - The stone walls around a castle. Drawbridge - This was a wooden bridge in front of the main gate of the castle. In the early centuries of castles it was moved horizontal to the ground and in the later centuries it was built so it could raise up in a hinged fashion. Dungeon - A deep dark cell typically underground and underneath a castle. This is a derivative of the word Dunjon. Donjon - this is an old word for a great tower or a keep. Embrasure - An opening in a parapet wall. GateHouse - A strongly built and fortified main entrance to a castle. It often has a guard house and or living quarters. Hall or GreatHall - This is the major building inside th walls of a castle. Hoarding: a covered wooden gallery above a tower the floor had slats or slots to allow defenders to drop object on besiegers. They could also drop liquids and projectiles. Keep - This definition changed slightly over the centuries of castle building. In the early years of stone castle building the Keep was a standalone structure that could be defended and often square in shape. Over the centuries these structures were improved upon and built around. Thus a castle was made that was a larger and more complex structure. The main tower that this was built around was still called the Keep and it was usually the tallest and strongest structure in the castle. It was also used as the last line of defense during siege or attack. Machicolations - The openings between the corbels of a parapet. They form areas that stick out along the top of the wall and defenders inside the castle can drop items like boiling water and rocks onto attackers. Merlons - The parts of parapet walls between embrasures Moat: A Body of water surrounding the outer wall of a castle. It was often around 5 to 15 feet deep and it was sometimes within the outer wall -between the outer wall and the inner wall. The primary purpose of the moat wasn't to stop attackers it was to stop tunnelers. Tunneling under a castle was an effective means of collapsing the walls or infiltrating it. A moat would cause any tunnel to collapse. Motte And Bailey: This isn't part of a castle it is the predecessor to the castle. A Motte and Bailey was an early form of castle where a large mound of dirt was built up then a wooden fortification was placed on top. This wooden fortification was in the shape of a timber fence that formed a circle like a crown at the top of the mound. The Mound is the motte, and the timber fence and the space it enclosed is the Bailey. Murder Hole: An opening in the roof of a gateway over an entrance. Used to drop projectiles or other things onto the besiegers. Oubliette: A deep pit reached by a trap door at the top. Prisoners were kept in it. Palisade: A defenisive fence Portcullis - This is a metal or wood grate that was dropped vertically just inside the main gate to the castle. Postern - A small gate at the back of a castle. Often considered to be a "Back Door". Rampart: Picture the battlements in the previous definition. The battlements are the top sections of the outer wall of the castle. Now to access these battlements the archers would stand on a walk way that was a wall in it's own right. This walkway is built right up against the outer wall and is called the Rampart. Ward - The area inside the walls of a castle. Often also called the Courtyard. Yett: Iron gates at the entrance of a castle To learn more about Medieval weapons, click here Click here to learn more about what life was life like in Medieval times If you were a peasant and wanted the protection a castle afforded, you had to pay your taxes If you were a monk you might work in a scriptorium painstakingly copying The Bible in Latin by hand and creating Illuminated manuscripts What is an illuminated manuscript? Before the invention of the printing press books had to be written by hand and very few people knew how to read.Click here to learn more about Medieval illuminated manuscripts If you were a knight, you would have to decorate your outfit with distinctive heraldry to avoid accidentally being killed by your own men Special thanks Richard Burzynski, Alexandre Lopez, Derrick C. Kyriacou and the Social Studies department at William C. McGinnis School. Please note: The pictures of actual medieval castles come from Wikimedia commons and are in the public domain. A few of the black and white images are handouts I have had for many years. If anyone knows who I should attribute them to, please email me. The pictures of step by step directions and photographs of student art work are my own. They may be downloaded and reproduced for educational purposes only (with appropriate credit given) in accordance with fair use law. Please do not republish them without contacting me for permission. Castles and creative writing: Middle school students love learning about castles. They figure heavily in many beloved children's stories, movies and video games. Why not use a castle construction project as a jumping off point for a unit on imaginative story telling? Castles are often a main feature in fantasy and mythological stories. Here is a fantasy art and storytelling assignment that I gave to my students during the 2016-2017 school year: Samuel E. Shull School, 2017 STUDENT ART GALLERY:
The Best Welsh Genealogy Resources looks at the top websites for Welsh genealogy research including a free newspaper site
It’s not just how darn cute the kids look, or how much the parents oooh and ahhh over what a great event it is, (we all need those pats on the back) but it’s the fact that I know how much the kids have gotten out of this project and how hard they’ve worked to […]
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have constructed a DNA map revealing the lasting genetic contributions from British, Scandinavian and French...
This book offers a novel historical approach to the core subjects encountered in physics at the undergraduate level. It provides physics students with a grounding in the history and conceptual development of the subject.
Petr Hlaváček was one of the greatest shoe experts in the world and is best-known for his projects of making replicas of shoes worn by prehistoric men. He
These haunting portraits captured by Dr Hugh Welch Diamond between 1848 and 1858 give an insight into the lives of the women forced to live out their years at Suffolk County Lunatic Asylum.
