By Tim Lambert There were two sides to life in Britain in the 1980s. On the one hand, there was a severe recession in the years 1980-1982 and there was mass unemployment during the decade. The official unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in May 1979. It rose to 14.1% in 1986 then fell to 5.6%… Continue reading Life in the 1980s
Category: Daily Life in the Past
Life in the 19th Century
By Tim Lambert Society in the 19th Century During the 19th century, life was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. At first, it caused many problems but in the late 19th century life became more comfortable for ordinary people. Meanwhile, Britain became the world’s first urban society. By 1851 more than half the population lived in… Continue reading Life in the 19th Century
Life in the 20th Century
By Tim Lambert There were two sides to the 20th century. On the one hand, there were severe recessions in the early 1930s and in the 1980s and 1990s. There were also two terrible world wars. On the other hand, there was a vast improvement in the standard of living of ordinary people. Life expectancy… Continue reading Life in the 20th Century
Life in the 21st Century
By Tim Lambert British Society in the 21st Century In the 21st century, people in Britain enjoyed a higher standard of living than ever before in history. In 1998, only 27% of the population had a mobile phone. By 2025, 93% of the population did. In 2023, 25% of households in Britain had a dishwasher.… Continue reading Life in the 21st Century
Life in the Middle Ages
By Tim Lambert Society In The Middle Ages Under the feudal system, introduced by the Normans, society was like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid was the king. Below him were the barons or tenants-in-chief. The king granted them land and in return, they had to provide so many soldiers to fight for… Continue reading Life in the Middle Ages
Life in the Old Testament
By Tim Lambert The Israelites were monotheists. They worshiped only one God. One of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Levites, were priests. Since they did not own land the other tribes gave the Levites one-tenth of their crops and domestic animals. Furthermore, 48 towns in Israel were set aside for the Levites. In return,… Continue reading Life in the Old Testament
Life in Viking Times
By Tim Lambert Viking Society Upper-class Vikings were called Jarls (from which we derive our word, Earl). Below them was a class of farmers and craftsmen called Karls. At the bottom of the heap was a class of slaves called thralls. Slavery was common in the world at that time. It was accepted as an… Continue reading Life in Viking Times
Middle Class Life in the Late 19th Century
By Tim Lambert In the late 19th century about 80% of the population of the population was working class. To be considered middle class, you had to have at least one servant. Most servants were female. (Male servants were much more expensive because men were paid much higher wages). Throughout the century ‘service’ was a… Continue reading Middle Class Life in the Late 19th Century
Technology and Inventions Since 1948
By Tim Lambert In the era after 1948 technology made great leaps forward. There were many improvements in transport after 1948. The breathalyzer was invented in 1954. A Swede named Nils Bohlin developed the three-point seat belt in 1959. The hovercraft was invented in 1955. Jet passenger aircraft were introduced in 1949. Meanwhile, medicine made… Continue reading Technology and Inventions Since 1948
Women in the 16th Century
By Tim Lambert It is a myth that 16th-century women were meek and submissive. Some were strong-minded and they had more influence than is sometimes imagined. In 1513 Henry VIII went to war in France. He made the queen, Catherine of Aragon, Governor of the Realm and Captain-General of the home forces in his absence.… Continue reading Women in the 16th Century