Innholdsfortegnelse for Amazing History i Amazing History

A man was discovered in a bog near the Danish town of Tollund in such good condition that he was initially believed to be a recent murder victim. The body had been lying in rest for some 2,300 years, still dressed in primitive clothing. He appeared to indeed have been murdered, but the culprits themselves were long dead. Peat bogs may have been ancient grounds of burial or even ritual sacrifice. ‘Tollund Man’ was found with a braided leather cord wrapped tightly around his neck, and it’s unclear whether he was hanged or strangled. The absence of trees across stretches of bog may have made people feel a connection to the heavens and therefore made it a place of religious significance.…

“ANIMALS AND PLANTS HAVE BEEN IMMORTALISED IN THE ROCK AS FOSSILS, CREATING A UNIQUE RECORD OF PREHISTORIC LIFE” The Jurassic Coast is the only place on the planet where 185 million years of the Earth’s history is preserved and exposed in layers of rock. Stretching 154 kilometres across the south coast of England, it is home to spectacular geographic formations and wildlife, and it has been the location of many of the most important fossil finds in scientific history. Between the dramatic cliffs, secluded coves and magnificent coastal stacks, an immeasurable number of animals and plants have been immortalised in the rock as fossils, creating a unique record of prehistoric life. Throughout its history, the Jurassic Coast has been a desert, a shallow tropical sea and a marshland. Debris from…

On 24 August 79 CE, Italy’s Mount Vesuvius erupted with a violent explosion of lava, rock and ash, sending a cloud of debris 32 kilometres (20 miles) into the air. The nearby town of Herculaneum was soon hit with a scolding pyroclastic surge of volcanic materials, instantly incinerating everyone in its path, while ash and pumice rained down on the neighbouring city of Pompeii. Some residents managed to flee in terror, but others stayed in their homes, hoping the danger would pass. The next morning, a second pyroclastic surge ploughed into the city, suffocating those that remained with toxic volcanic gas and burying them in mud and ash. Pompeii was lost for 1,500 years before it was rediscovered in 1599, and after another 150 years a wide-scale excavation of the…

The key to eternal life wasn’t just preserving the soul – Ancient Egyptians believed it had to return to its body regularly in order to survive, so that too would need to be kept intact. They also believed that the deceased must resemble the living as much as possible in order for the spirit to recognise its physical home. Initially, this was achieved by burying the dead in the desert, where the hot sand would dehydrate bodies and delay decomposition. But over time, the Egyptians developed an artificial method of preservation that would enable their remains to last for millennia: mummification. The first mummies date back to 2600 BCE, but it wasn’t until around 1550 BCE that the most effective and well-known mummification method was developed. This involved removing the…

Once a cathedral, then a mosque, and now a museum, the Hagia Sophia is an architectural jewel that has stood for 1,400 years. Its construction began in the 6th century CE, when Istanbul was known as Constantinople, the capital city of the Roman Byzantine Empire. Its site had previously been home to the Magna Ecclesia, meaning ‘Great Church’ in Latin, which was burned down during riots in 404 CE, and then another church, which was destroyed during the Nika Revolt in 532 CE. At that time, Emperor Justinian I was the ruler of the empire, and once the revolt against him had been suppressed, he ordered a grand new cathedral to be built. He commissioned Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician and physicist, and Elder Isidore of Miletus, a professor of…

For over a century, the Royal Air Force has played a key role in all the major conflicts of the world, from the heroic pilots of the Battle of Britain to the fast-jet strikes of the first Gulf War. The service is almost as old as flight itself, and during its history it has remained on the cusp of the latest aviation technology, adapting to the huge shifts in tactics along the way and pushing the limits of human possibilities in the sky. WWI ORIGINS When the RAF was officially founded in 1918, it reformed and simplified the existing chaotic system, uniting the separate branches of the Royal Flying Corps (controlled by the Army) and the Royal Naval Air Service (controlled by the Navy). Because these two services were entirely…

Leonard Cheshire Leader of 617 Squadron, the unit that took part in the famous Dambusters raid, Cheshire became the most decorated Bomber Command pilot when he received the Victoria Cross in 1944. Adolph ‘Sailor’ Malan Born in South Africa, Malan joined the RAF in 1935 and commanded 74 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. He achieved 27 confirmed kills in the battle, and he later created his own ‘Ten Rules for Air Fighting’. William ‘Billy’ Bishop After joining the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, Bishop achieved 72 victories during WWI and also received the Victoria Cross. He later became an air marshal with the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. Victoria Cross in 1944. Mary Ellis After earning her pilot’s licence in 1939, Ellis joined the Air Transport Auxiliary and…

Grinding and blasting their way through enemy defences, tanks became icons of warfare in the 20th century. Tomorrow may be a different story. Some analysts see the armoured titans as past their golden age, while others regard them as battlefield powerhouses. Technology continues to influence the tank and the weapons designed to counter it. An armed Apache helicopter laden with Hellfire missiles can lock onto its target and blow an enemy tank to pieces in seconds. Pilotless aerial drones can do the same. Even with technology aside, soldiers can destroy tanks by pointing a shoulder-held weapon toward the vehicle, firing the projectile, and quickly retiring to safety. Meanwhile, technological innovation has given tanks a renewed competitive edge in fighting insurgents in narrow streets or taking on enemy armour in the…

In the 1960s, developments in aviation were threatening the once hugely popular liner industry. A vessel that tried to buck the trend was SS Michelangelo, named after the famous Renaissance artist. Along with its sister ship, SS Raffaello, they were the two longest Italian ocean liners ever built. SS Michelangelo was redesigned numerous times during its construction. An early problem was excessive vibration in the ship’s stern when travelling at speed. This was first detected during the liner’s sea trials and was later fixed by modifications to the ship’s propellers. The changes also gave Michelangelo a higher top speed of nearly 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour. The funnels had a lattice-shaped structure, a feature that is now included on modern cruise ships to make them more streamlined. SS Michelangelo…

Sasha This woolly rhino baby was the first young member of its species ever found. It’s unclear if it is male or female, but the horn size suggests it had been weaned by the time it died. It roamed the mammoth steppe, a dry, cold region from Spain to Siberia. Lion or lynx A squashed, mummified cat was unearthed in eastern Siberia in 2017. It could either be a lynx kitten or a cave lion cub. Its coat is in beautiful condition, but we aren't sure of the species as we simply don’t know what a cave lion truly looked like. Death by drowning Mammoths from 40,000 years ago have been studied via CT scans. The results showed that two calves, recovered from different regions of Siberia, had both choked…

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was once the resting place of the king of Caria, a province in the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) with Halicarnassus as its capital. Mausolus ruled over the region from around 377 BCE until his death in 353 BCE, after which his wife, Artemisia II, commissioned the construction of what would become their joint tomb Greek architects Satyros and Pythius designed the building, while leading sculptors Bryaxis, Timotheus, Leochares and Scopas provided decoration. Hundreds of craftsmen worked together to create a tomb fit for a king, and the finished monumental structure stood at over 42 metres (137 feet) tall. It became known as a ‘mausoleum’ after the deceased king in whose honour it was built. The mausoleum…

Long before their deaths, wealthy Egyptians would build their tombs and pile them high with things they would need in the afterlife. From tables and chairs to chariots, jewellery and mummified pets, they could guarantee that their spirit would never want for anything. Food was just as important in the afterlife as it had been in their worldly one, so copious amounts of wine, fruit and grains were also buried with the dead. Even meat was included, which was often salted or even mummified to prevent it from rotting. If the worst came to the worst, they could always paint food on the walls – the Ancient Egyptians believed that in the land of the dead, depictions were just as edible as the physical products. Also placed in the tomb…

After his conquest of England in 1066, William of Normandy set about securing his throne by sending a clear message that he was here to stay – and it was a message written in stone. The king built castles all over the country to stamp his authority, and the biggest and most imposing of them all was London’s White Tower. To construct the Tower, William shipped stone over from Caen in France, while Anglo-Saxons provided most of the labour. It took around 20 years to complete and when it was finished it stood at 27 metres (89 feet) tall with walls 4.5 metres (15 feet) thick; walls designed to intimidate the defeated Londoners and act as a defence against them. The second and third floors – the most secure parts…

Swordsmiths throughout history have faced a big problem when making their weapons. Iron is flexible, and this makes it excellent as a blade, since it will bend when struck, rather than breaking in combat – half a sword is not much use in a battle! But because iron is malleable, it will not keep an edge, meaning that after half an hour’s fighting, a pure iron sword will turn into something little better than a long club. Steel (an alloy of iron and carbon) is much harder, so it will keep its edge even after slicing through shields and armour. But steel is also brittle, making it vulnerable to sideways, parrying blows. A sharp steel sword will cut through almost anything, but a good whack with a wooden staff would…

If the Second Amendment of the US Constitution – which describes the right of the people to bear arms – teaches us anything, it’s that American citizens spent a large period of their history without established law enforcement. This was especially prevalent in the Old West, where the colonists were mostly left to take the law into their own hands, and their ability to play the role of judge, jury and executioner led to a unique and dangerous form of justice. When colonists first endured the gruelling journey to the western regions and discovered the potential treasures to be had there, the new towns and settlements soon saw their numbers swell. A town originally populated purely by prospectors and farmers swiftly became home to large numbers of new miners and…

Today, firefighters are brave heroes that come to our rescue with efficiency and professionalism, but that hasn’t always been the case. During the late 18th century and early 19th century, firefighters in the USA didn’t have such a good reputation. Rather than being employed by the government, they were typically volunteers who had been let off military service or jury duty, and had to buy their own uniforms and equipment. Firehouses became like social clubs and when news of a fire broke, the volunteers would race those from other fire companies to reach the scene first, dragging heavy hand-operated water pumps with them. These competitions often resulted in the firefighters battling each other instead of the fire! Soon, local gangs began associating themselves with the firehouses, and the firefighters became…

Before Henry Ford opened the first moving assembly line on 7 October 1913 at the Highland Park Assembly plant in Michigan, car manufacturing was an incredibly slow and costly process. Ford’s ambitious goal was to produce the highest number of cars at the lowest possible cost and in the shortest amount of time. In the first rudimentary assembly line, an empty chassis was pulled across the factory floor using a rope and winch, with 140 workers positioned at various points along the 45-metre (147-foot) line to install the car’s 3,000 different components. Each worker was trained to perform one particular task well, such as installing a radiator or a light, before the vehicle was moved on to the next station to have the next fitting attached. The simplicity of the…

On 25 October 1917*, an armed and angry mob of Bolshevik troops marched through the streets of Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg). Their target was the Winter Palace – the seat of the government they were determined to overthrow. A gun signalled the start of the assault that would become known as the October Revolution. The insurgents broke into the palace, ransacking and pillaging its riches (and wine cellar) until they found the ministers holding what would be their last ever meeting. With the communication lines dead, the government members had little choice but to surrender. More wine than blood was spilled that night, but it signalled the start of a brutal period in Russian history. After 1917 the Winter Palace became a symbol of the ‘people’s revolution’, but it had…

A short, monotonous buzz being broadcast 24 hours a day is currently being emitted from a radio station at an unknown location in Russia. The mysterious sound repeats at a rate of 25 times a minute, broken only by the occasional live Russian voice transmission. Is the signal used for military communications, perhaps just a channel marker to keep the frequency busy so it is easier to use? Or is the sound the result of something more sinister? The earliest known recording has been dated to 1982, and many theories have been proposed since then. Its original call sign was UVB-76, but today the tower uses ZhUOZ. The buzz is broken by Russian words, but they offer no real clue as to the function of the radio or its origins.…

Prior to World War I, research and development yielded some practical benefits in tank design. Caterpillar treads, already in use with heavy tractors, proved superior to wheels, and power to weight ratios had a significant impact on mobility and performance. Experimentation with every aspect of the tank’s development led to the introduction of basic internal power plants, and sheets of steel were riveted together to form armoured boxes on top of a tractor or car chassis. Visibility and steering were crudely accomplished with hazardous viewing ports and a series of tillers respectively. Machine guns and cannon originally meant for use with infantry and artillery units were also adapted. Although they were terrifying to the common foot soldier that encountered them, the earliest tanks were heavy and unwieldy contraptions that were…

We have a lot to thank Ancient Greece for. From democracy to philosophy, this thriving collection of city-states was the birthplace of so many things that we take for granted today – including theatre. The first mention of it dates back to 532 BCE, when an actor called Thespis performed a tragedy. His name has been immortalised as a term for a performer – a ‘thespian’. A few decades later, a festival called the City Dionysia was established in Athens to honour Dionysus, the god of wine. The events centred on competitive performances of tragedies and, from 487 BCE, comedies. Thousands flocked from all over Greece, businesses closed and prisoners were released to take part in five days of festivities Performances were staged at the Theatre of Dionysus, considered by…

No amount of money spent on tombs or time spent memorising spells could guarantee an Ancient Egyptian a place in the afterlife. First, their soul would have to conquer the obstacles and demons of the underworld, and then face the judgement of the gods in the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. Only the worthiest souls could proceed to the Field of Rushes, where they would exist in pleasure for eternity. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person was buried, their spirit departed their body and descended to the underworld (Duat). There, it must pass through 12 gates, each of which was guarded by a different deity, which the spirit must recognise and name. That may sound easy, but there were also monsters, demons and lakes of fire to contend…

ANNE BOLEYN 2 MAY 1536 – 19 MAY 1536 When Henry VIII’s second queen did not give birth to a son she was arrested – and later executed – on trumped-up charges of treason, adultery and incest. LADY JANE GREY 19 JULY 1553 – 12 FEBRUARY 1554 The ‘Nine-Day Queen’ was already at the Tower preparing for her coronation when her claim to power was overruled. She was imprisoned then executed. GUY FAWKES 5 NOVEMBER 1605 – 31 JANUARY 1606 The head of the Gunpowder Plot was tortured in the Tower. Sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered, he was spared this fate by breaking his neck. SIR WALTER RALEIGH 1603 – 1616 Once the favourite of Elizabeth I, Raleigh was unpopular with her successor, James I. Accused of plotting…

In early 15th-century China, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty ordered the construction of a towering monument to honour his mother. The Porcelain Tower was a grand pagoda built in the city of Nanjing – the imperial capital at the time – as part of the grand Bao’en Buddhist Temple complex. The tower was constructed from white porcelain bricks, which would have glistened in the sunlight, and it wasadorned with vibrant glazed designs of animals, flowers and landscapes in greens, yellows and browns. Historians studying the remnants suggest that the glazed porcelain bricks were made by highly skilled workers, but sadly the methods used to make them have been lost to history. Some of the largest bricks were more than 50 centimetres (one foot seven inches) thick and weighed…

“ASSOCIATED WITH KIDNAPPINGS, THE GULF OF ADEN IS NICKNAMED ‘PIRATE ALLEY’” 5 FACTS ABOUT AMAZING CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS AROUND THE WORLD 1 Fastest aerial circumnavigation In 2005, Steve Fossett set the record for the fastest non-stop aerial circumnavigation with 67 hours and one minute, covering 37,000 kilometres (22,900 miles) in a Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. 2 First underwater circumnavigation The submarine USS Triton completed the first underwater circumnavigation in 1960 in just 60 days and 21 hours. 3 First navigation by walking The first person verified to have walked around the world was David Kunst. He walked 23,250 kilometres (14,446 miles) through four continents from 20 June 1970 to 5 October 1974. 4 Fastest solo wind-powered circumnavigation This record of 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds was established by François…

The first half of the 19th century saw a rapid expansion in train travel. New companies and tracks sprang up in the wake of Britain’s first steam railway, which opened on 15 September 1830 and linked the growing northern industrial cities of Liverpool and Manchester. The Pullman Palace Car Company was established in 1862 in the United States. Although specialising in sleeper cars, which were more popular in America due to the greater distances, the company began exporting passenger coaches to Britain 1874. Far from being late to the party, Pullman quickly cornered the market on luxury. Appealing to the growing middle classes who had money to treat themselves, Pullman coaches offered leather seats, table lamps, dining cars, attentive stewards serving food and drink, and even heating and air conditioning.…

RAILS The chassis was moved along the production line on rails before the wheels were added. SUSPENSION AND AXLE INSTALLATION The Model T featured two leaf springs, one across each axle. COMPONENT DELIVERY Parts were delivered to workers’ stations by chutes and feeder lines. ENGINE AND FUEL TANK INSTALLATION The single-block engine design became an industry standard. DASHBOARD, POWER SYSTEM AND STEERING INSTALLATION Contrary to other US vehicles at the time, the Ford Model T featured the steering wheel on the left-hand side, which became the norm. PAINTING THE BODY For many years the Model T was only offered in one colour. Ford remarked, “Any customer can have any colour he wants so long as it’s black.” UPHOLSTERING AND VARNISHING The wooden parts of the body were varnished and the…

THE MANY SUPPORTING THE FEW ROLE 1 GROUND CREW Each fighter plane was assigned its own ground crew team to re-fuel, repair and re-arm the aircraft between sorties. Crews would work tirelessly to repair aircraft and get them back into the battle. ROLE 2 RADAR OPERATORS Dozens of manned stations positioned around the coastline made up Britain’s Chain Home Radar network. This acted as an early warning system to detect and report incoming enemy aircraft. ROLE 3 FACTORY WORKERS With thousands of men called up to serve, millions of women were called upon to power Britain’s war industry. Factory assembly lines worked around the clock to produce planes, tanks, shells, artillery, weaponry and other military materiel. ROLE 4 ANTI-AIRCRAFT Over 1,790 light and medium anti-aircraft guns were on hand to…

Cassette players were initially designed for use as dictation machines, but were soon adopted as music players. These devices contained sprockets (to wind the cassette tape), a capstan (to control the speed of the tape) and, most importantly, the record and playback heads; tiny electromagnets that turned sound into magnetic patterns and vice versa. The tape inside audio cassettes contains iron oxide, a ferromagnetic material, meaning it can be permanently magnetised. When recording audio, a microphone converts sound waves into a changing voltage, which is then boosted by an amplifier. The electrical output from the amplifier is sent to the recording head. The varying voltage causes the recording head to generate a changing magnetic field, which the tape passes through as it moves from one reel to the other. As…

Since their first deployment, tanks have had multiple combat roles. As the world’s foremost military organisations began to evaluate the potential of the tank and either embrace or discount its future, military establishments developed their own specific roles for the armoured vehicle. A division of labour emerged. Tanks were either built with heavy armour and weapons for striking power, or slimmed down for speed and rapid manoeuvre. Even during its infancy, the British Tank Corps fielded heavier Mark IV and Mark V tanks in World War I along with the faster and more manoeuvrable Whippet. The heavier tanks were intended to breach German trenches, creating gaps through which the lighter ones would slash into enemy areas. While the heavy tanks struck powerful blows, the light tanks served as modern, armoured…

To provide a service in the event of nuclear war, from the 1950s the BBC drew up plans for a Wartime Broadcasting Service. Around the country were 11 regional seats of government, housed in protected bunkers; the BBC had a studio in each, manned by staff from local radio stations. Overall control would have been from a bunker at the Engineering Training Department at Wood Norton in Worcestershire. According to a BBC report following declassification of the service, the most recent recorded announcement by Radio 4 newsreader Peter Donaldson contained the statement, “This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. We shall bring you…