Tag: Nineteenth Century
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The Lowell Observatory: From Pioneers to Pluto
Becoming the first internationally recognised “Dark Sky City” due to efforts to reduce light pollution, Flagstaff, Arizona is also home to the Lowell Observatory, famed not least for its discovery of Pluto. Sam Marks discusses the scientific endeavours which led to this astronomical breakthrough.
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Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel: The History of an Eponymous Fairground Ride
The Ferris wheel as we know it today was created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Verity Limond explores the story of the classic fairground ride’s invention, construction, and its legacy.
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A Brief History of the Medieval Revival
As industrialisation swelled in the Western world, societies looked towards the medieval past as a means of legitimising their history. Megan Crutchley explores the forms this took in the US and UK, and the manner in which it was embedded in white elitism.
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Origin of the Graham Cracker
Few biscuits are as iconic as the graham cracker, but how did this treat gain such widespread popularity? Sam Marks explores the history of this humble cracker in our first Retroshort.
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The Brontë Sisters and the Importance of Women’s Education in the Nineteenth Century
In their personal lives as well as through their novels, the Brontë sisters challenged patriarchal norms surrounding a woman’s role in society. Isabelle Shaw examines the impact that their work has had on efforts for equal education in the nineteenth century and beyond.
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Editing the Jamaica Reader: A Conversation with Professor Diana Paton and Professor Matthew Smith
Professor Diana Paton and Professor Matthew Smith sit down with Retrospect’s EIC, Jamie Gemmell, to discuss their new volume: The Jamaica Reader: History, Culture, Politics.
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Kellogg v. Kellogg: The Battle for America’s Breakfast
Written by Alden Hill. The foundation of Kelloggs was highly contested. From a fraternal schism to a crusade for better health, the journey to become one of “the Big Three” of US cereals was a bumpy one.
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Historical time and the Enlightenment Re-imaginings of Moses and Solomon
Written by Inge Erdal. The nature of historical time has always been contested. Through the Enlightenment and nineteenth century, as European empires spread across the globe, writers slid between the boundaries of fiction and history, trying to unpack stories from the Bible.