By Tim Lambert William Booth founded the Salvation Army with his wife, Catherine. William was born in Nottingham on 10 April 1829. He was one of five children of Samuel and Mary Booth. At first, Samuel Booth was a wealthy builder, and his son William was sent to school. Unfortunately, Samuel Booth lost his money,… Continue reading A Brief Biography of William Booth
Category: Articles
A History of Ketchikan, Alaska
By Tim Lambert For centuries, the Tlingit people fished on the site of Ketchikan. The name Ketchikan comes from Kitschk-hin, the Tlingit word for Ketchikan Creek. In 1883, a man named John Snow started a saltery in the area. In 1885, a man named Mike Martin bought 160 acres from Chief Kyan, and in 1886,… Continue reading A History of Ketchikan, Alaska
A History of British Trade Unions
By Tim Lambert Early Trade Unions Trade unions originated in Britain in the late 18th century. As the country underwent the Industrial Revolution, working men began to unite to press for better wages and conditions. However, for decades, trade unions had to fight for their rights. The British upper class was alarmed by the French… Continue reading A History of British Trade Unions
A History of the Arctic
By Tim Lambert The Early Arctic The first people in Alaska and Canada crossed the Bering Strait from Asia. The Inuit lived by hunting seals, walruses, caribou, and whales. The first inhabitants of Greenland were also Inuit. The Vikings arrived in Greenland at the end of the 10th century. They were led by Erik Thorvaldsson… Continue reading A History of the Arctic
Tim’s Tourist Guide to Krakow
By Tim Lambert I went to Krakow for a short break in September. It was a beautiful city with very pretty architecture. The streets were very clean, and I felt safe all the time. Food and drink were reasonably cheap, and to my surprise, everyone I spoke to spoke English. There were plenty of nice… Continue reading Tim’s Tourist Guide to Krakow
British Inventions
By Tim Lambert The British invented a huge number of things. This is a look at just some of them. There are far too many to include them all! 1698 Thomas Savery made the first steam engine 1701 Jethro Tull invented the seed drill 1733 John Kay invented the flying shuttle 1761 James Harrison invented… Continue reading British Inventions
A History of Puppets
By Tim Lambert Early Puppets There have been puppets since Ancient Times. As early as 2,000 BC there were puppets in Ancient Egypt. Puppets were also popular in Ancient Greece. Chinese shadow puppetry dates from the Han Dynasty, 2000 years ago. In Indonesia, Wayang Kulit is a traditional form of puppetry in which leather puppets… Continue reading A History of Puppets
Catherine Hayes
By Tim Lambert This was a notorious case from the early 18th century when murderers were caught because of a head. Catherine Hayes was executed for killing her husband in 1726. She was born Catherine Hall near Birmingham in 1690. She moved around the country working as a domestic servant. Eventually, she was employed by… Continue reading Catherine Hayes
A History of Stockings
By Tim Lambert Early Stockings People have worn stockings since Ancient Times. Roman soldiers wore stockings called udones, especially in cold climates. The oldest existing stockings were made in Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries AD. Early socks had split toes and were designed to be worn with sandals. In the Middle Ages, both… Continue reading A History of Stockings
A History of Pencils
By Tim Lambert Early Pencils The name pencil comes from a Latin word, Penicillus, which means brush. In the Middle Ages, in England, a pencel was a small brush made of camel hair, used for painting. Graphite was discovered in Bavaria in the 15th century. However, a pure deposit of graphite was discovered in Borrowdale,… Continue reading A History of Pencils