Local Histories

By Tim Lambert 19th Century Darwin In 1839 a ship called The Beagle sailed to Darwin Harbour. The captain named the harbour after who had sailed with him on an earlier voyage. The city of Darwin in Australia was founded in 1869. However, at first, the settlement was named Palmerston after the British prime minister.… Continue reading A History of Darwin Australia

By Tim Lambert Early Tasmania About 35,000 years ago the Earth was in the grip of an ice age. The sea level was lower than it is today and Tasmania was joined to mainland Australia. Indigenous Tasmanians were able to cross on foot. However, about 12,000 years ago the ice age ended and the sea… Continue reading A Short History of Tasmania

By Tim Lambert From the 4th century, BC Celtic people lived in what is now Austria. At the end of the 1st century BC, the Romans conquered the region as far north as the River Danube, and in 45 AD they created the province of Noricum. The Romans built towns such as Vindobona (Vienna) in… Continue reading A Short History of Austria

By Tim Lambert Early Belgium The Romans conquered Belgium in 57 BC and it became integrated into the Roman Empire as Gallia Belgica. However, in the 5th century AD Roman rule collapsed and the Franks conquered Belgium. Their first capital was at Tournai. In the 9th century, the Franks ruled most of Western Europe. Yet… Continue reading A Short History of Belgium

By Tim Lambert Ancient Denmark The first humans in Denmark arrived about 10,000 BC after the last Ice Age. The first Danes were Stone Age, hunters and fishermen. However, about 4,000 BC farming was introduced into Denmark. The earliest Danish farmers used stone tools and weapons. However, in about 1,800 BC bronze was introduced into… Continue reading A Short History of Denmark

By Tim Lambert Ancient Finland The first humans arrived in Finland about 7,000 BC after the end of the last ice age. The earliest Finns were stone-age hunters and gatherers. Over thousands of years, successive waves of people entered Finland. After 2,500 BC people in Finland lived by farming. About 1,500 BC they learned to… Continue reading A Short History of Finland

By Tim Lambert Prehistoric and Ancient France During the last ice age, humans called Cro-Magnons lived in France. They dwelt in caves and they hunted animals such as mammoths and reindeer. They must have been resourceful people to survive in such a harsh climate and they also created art. The Cro-Magnons are known for the… Continue reading A Short History of France

By Tim Lambert Ancient Germany About 55 BC Julius Caesar conquered the Roman province of Gaul. He made the Rhine the frontier of the new province. It was a natural defensive barrier. Later the Romans also chose the Danube as a frontier. They also created a ditch and earth bank with a wooden palisade from… Continue reading A Short History of Germany

By Tim Lambert Viking Iceland The first people to settle in Iceland were probably Irish monks who came in the 8th century. However, in the 9th century, they were driven out by Vikings. According to tradition the first Viking to discover Iceland was a man named Naddoddur who got lost while on his way to… Continue reading A Short History of Iceland

By Tim Lambert Ancient Ireland The first humans arrived in Ireland between 7,000 and 6,000 BC after the end of the last ice age. The first Irish people lived by farming, fishing, and gathering food such as plants and shellfish. The Stone Age hunters tended to live on the seashore or on the banks of… Continue reading A Short History of Ireland