By Tim Lambert 430 BC Athens is struck by an unknown disease 165-180 AD Rome is ravaged by a disease, probably smallpox or measles. 543 Plague strikes the Byzantine Empire. It then spreads to western Europe. 1346 The Black Death breaks out in Crimea 1348 The Black Death reaches England 1492 Smallpox and measles are… Continue reading A Timeline of Plagues
Author: Tim Lambert
A Timeline of China
By Tim Lambert 5,000 BC The Chinese begin farming. Rice is grown in the south and millet in the north. The Chinese make pottery. 2,000 BC The Chinese make bronze tools c. 1,750 BC The Shang dynasty rules China c. 1,300 BC Silk is made in China 1022 BC The Zhou dynasty takes power in… Continue reading A Timeline of China
Place Names in the Meon Valley
By Tim Lambert In the 6th century AD a people from Denmark called the Meon Wara (wara meant people or tribe) settled in the Meon Valley and they gave the River Meon its name. They gave names to villages in the Meon Valley. The villages of West Meon and East Meon are obviously named after… Continue reading Place Names in the Meon Valley
A Timeline of Drinks
By Tim Lambert c. 3000 BC In the Middle East wine is a common drink. In Egypt beer is popular. 1200 AD Vines are grown in England. Mead and cider are also drunk but the most popular drink is ale (beer brewed without hops). c. 1600 Beer replaces ale as the most common drink in… Continue reading A Timeline of Drinks
A History of England in the Middle Ages
By Tim Lambert William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England on 25 December 1066. However, at first, his position was by no means secure. He had only several thousand men to control a population of about 2 million. Furthermore, Swein, king of Denmark also claimed the throne of England. At first, the Normans… Continue reading A History of England in the Middle Ages
A Timeline of the Vikings
By Tim Lambert 793 The Vikings raid the monastery at Lindisfarne in England 795 The Vikings raid the monastery at Iona in Scotland. They also raid Ireland. 9th Century The Vikings settle the Orkneys, Shetlands, Caithness and Sutherland in Scotland. They found Cork and Dublin in Ireland. 836 The English defeat the Vikings at Hingston… Continue reading A Timeline of the Vikings
A Biography of Pol Pot
By Tim Lambert Pol Pot was one of the worst tyrants of the 20th century. Pol Pot was born in Cambodia in 1925. His family was not poor. Instead, his father was a well-off farmer. However, Pol Pot became a Marxist. Marxism was the creation of Karl Marx (1818-1883). According to him, society went through… Continue reading A Biography of Pol Pot
Ireland in the 18th Century
By Tim Lambert From 1704 all members of the Irish parliament and all holders of office had to be members of the Church of Ireland. (This Act excluded Presbyterians as well as Catholics. As a result, many Presbyterians left Ireland for North America during the 18th century). Another Act of 1704 stated that Catholics could… Continue reading Ireland in the 18th Century
A Short History of Ancient India
By Tim Lambert The Indus Valley Civilisation The first Indian civilization arose in the Indus valley about 2,600 BC. It actually straddled northwest India and Pakistan. By 6,500 BC the people of the area had begun farming. By 5,500 BC they had invented pottery. By about 2,600 BC a prosperous farming society had grown up.… Continue reading A Short History of Ancient India
Britain in the 20th Century
By Tim Lambert Britain changed hugely during the 20th century. Life for ordinary people was transformed and became much more comfortable. Life was hard for the working class at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1900 surveys showed that between 15% and 20% of the population were living at subsistence (bare survival) level. Worse… Continue reading Britain in the 20th Century