|
|
|
|
The Colosseum was large enough to seat 50,000 citizens to view the gladiatorial combat, the fights to the death with wild beasts, and the simulated naval battles taking place in the flooded arena. The Discovery Channel / BBC TV production of The Colosseum: a Gladiator's Story brought these spectacles to life and some are replicated on the website. You can watch video clips -- just click Skip the Ad to cancel the intrusive video ads -- and a slide show that offers lively explanations; or you can take a quiz and an interactive journey through the Colosseum . (Netsurfer Digest) "In 1841 the showman Phineas Taylor Barnum opened his American Museum in New York City. Dominating lower Broadway at Park Row, in no time Barnum's American Museum became the 'most visited place in America'. For more than twenty years, for six days a week, fifteen hours a day, city slickers and country folk alike flocked to the five-story building to marvel at and mock its myriad of changing attractions. A cornucopia of exhibitions offered visitors, in no particular order, information and entertainment, scientific knowledge and trumped-up fantasy, moral lessons and cruel voyeurism, the sacred and the profane. Shortly after twelve noon on Thursday, July 13, 1865, in one of the most spectacular fires in New York's history, Barnum's American Museum was destroyed." Click on Who Burned Down the Museum? to solve the mystery by assembling the clues in this interactive exploration. You'll need the latest Flash player. (Netsurfer Digest) The folks who publish the Nobel Prize website must have had their tongue truly in cheek to come up with the ironic juxtaposition of an interactive world Conflict Map showing all the wars and conflicts of the 20th century alongside the names of the Nobel Peace Prize winners. (You need Shockwave 8.5 or better to view it; download it from the site.) It is strange for me to see Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, and Menachem Begin listed among the Peace Prize winners. The wars are shown by decade since 1900, and it's very clear that they have increased markedly in number since then. The rest of the site thoroughly documents the winners in the other disciplines -- Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Economics. (Netsurfer Digest) Renowned as the "Uncrowned Queen of Iraq," Gertrude Bell was once the most powerful woman in the British Empire. Adventurer, archaeologist, and Arabist, she was a counselor to kings and prime ministers; a colleague of Winston Churchill, Lloyd George, and Lawrence of Arabia; and an intimate of Arab sheiks. She was also instrumental in drawing up the borders of present-day Iraq and the installation of Faisal I as its first king. Perhaps she would turn over in her grave if she knew what was going on there now! (David Henry) David's Links attempts to avoid the political and commercial arenas, unless there are "exceptional circumstances." That is the case at The History News Network (not a TV network). The site presents thoughtful articles on current events by historians of both the left and the right. I believe most of us tend not to read materials by those of an opposite political persuasion, which is why the country appears to be so politically polarized these days. That's a mistake, and I hope readers will take the trouble to read at least a "blue" article if you're a "red," or vice versa; it will surely help to rectify some of your prejudices. (Netsurfer Digest) Okay, you may not want to throw out your history books, but EyeWitnesstoHistory is an excellent supplement to traditional history. Learn about the past from the people who actually lived it. There are some very fascinating first-person accounts of famous events from 664 B.C. all the way to modern times. Read what it was like to see Rome burn in 64 A.D., or you can read diary excerpts of a Polish physician during World War II. The information contained on these pages is more powerful than dates and statistics. (Kim Komando)
The BBC has an attractive
There's a bimonthly magazine called World War II and a supporting
website of the same name. On the web, you can find many of the articles,
but not the illustrations, from the current and archived issues, as well
as some Online Extras not found in the magazine, such as discussion
groups. The articles are authoritative and fully accessible to the
non-specialist reader. The site is part of
The History Net, a
website which also supports several other magazines such as Aviation
History, British Heritage, Civil War Times, and Vietnam. (My barber)
Having been born and raised in London, England, I was very interested to
come across
Greenwood's Map of London dated 1827. I noted that
where I lived in a built up suburban area near Heathrow airport was then
way out among the
George Washington suffered at various times from malaria, smallpox, tuberculosis, diphtheria, dysentery and pneumonia. His doctors' observations and notes are gathered at Dr Zebra, the fake name of a physician who wants to prove that medicine is the most interesting thing on earth. Many other fascinating medical observations and analyses of all the presidents are collected here, such as that in 1963, JFK confided to Britain's Prime Minister Macmillan that he got a headache if he went too long without a woman. (Netsurfer Digest) Contemporary photos and postcards made from 1933 to 1945 of the architecture of Hitler's Germany have been collected, reproduced and meticulously described at Third Reich in Ruins. What makes this site so compelling is the painstaking efforts taken by the author in many cases to take a contemporary photo of the same view and display it side-by-side with the original. Many images were made by GIs in the closing days of the war as they advanced through Berchtesgaden, Nuremberg, Buchenwald, Berlin and many other evocative place names of the period. (Netsurfer Digest) It's a sad fact that 95% of the Smithsonian's 3,000,000 holdings are not on view in the museum, the others being all in storage. No longer, with History Wired, a project that lets you search for and view virtual stored objects online. You can quickly zero in on an area of interest among the initial 450 objects, select one and zoom in on it to display more information. Frankly, I never quite mastered the unusual search technique until I read the pretty indispensable help file. (Netsurfer Digest)
Mike Irlam is a true railway nut who has
traveled the world to research his hobby, which is the history of
railways in the great days of
There's lots of nostalgia at Postcards from the Road, an illustrated memoir of one person's love affair with Route 66. It's a collection of postcards of motels, cafes, gas stations, and diners from an earlier era, perhaps in the fifties. Here's a photo of a Rte 66 stretch in Oklahoma that was only eight feet wide. There's another showing Mobil gas at 24.9 cents a gallon. There's also a collection of Packards with an occasional Ford Model A and a Hupmobile. (Netsurfer Digest) What an elegant site has been created for the Historic National Road in south-west Pennsylvania! The descriptions of the many interesting features along what is now mostly route 40 are accompanied with beautifully presented photos, maps and a timeline. See toll houses, bridges, homes, museums and national monuments and bone up on the history of the Road That Built The Nation. (Netsurfer Digest) Rarely are the unforeseen events and complexities of war so starkly brought into focus as when an amphibious landing is undertaken in hostile territory. Thus it was with the ill-fated landings at Gallipoli by Australian and New Zealand troops (ANZACs) in 1915. The story is factually related and illustrated at the Australian site Visit Gallipoli, a story of great bravery and loss of life related by war correspondents on the spot. ANZAC day is still remembered "down under" every April 25. (Netsurfer Digest) Who were the famous women in history? There's no doubt about it, there's a serious imbalance in most of our knowledge of the people who made a difference; females come out second best on any objective listing. In an effort to improve our awareness there's a website Distinguished Women Past and Present that offers brief biographies of hundreds, perhaps thousands across the years and the world. The USA appears to be overly represented here, either reflecting reality or a lack of submissions from other cultures. (Netsurfer Digest) Memoirs of WWII with a difference. These are interviews with Russian military men, mostly Army, fifty or more years after their service. Called I Remember, the memories come flooding back from Infantrymen, Tankers, Pilots, Artillerymen, Signalers and Others -- officers, medics, cavalrymen, topographers, sappers, drivers and quartermasters, they are all here, and read just like our own men. See descriptions and action photos of tanks, artillery, Lend-Lease -- and of the great land battles of the War. (Netsurfer Digest) If you grew up on a farm, or stayed on a farm for a while, you surely appreciate how important the barn was. Then visit The Barn Journal, dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of traditional farm architecture. Many of these articles lovingly describe specific barns along with photos. How well the traditional red barn stands out against lush green fields! Enjoy reading about barn people, barn events and round barns and then contribute your own reminiscences to the Barn Board. (Netsurfer Digest) What Really Happened is an anonymously produced site with links to up to the minute news and articles on current and not-so-current affairs. The stories are reprinted from major news sources such as ABC News, New York Times and the Associated Press as well as less common, yet well-respected sources - The Guardian, Reuters and the San Francisco Chronicle. The articles discuss all sorts of shenanigans and cover ups government gets involved in, so be prepared for some surprises here. (David Henry) Some of the more gruesome after-death images of famous people, many of whom came to an untimely end, and the stories surrounding their deaths, can be found at Celebrity Morgue. You'll find Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Lincoln and Kennedy here among the political leaders, but mostly they are well known show business personalities - Carole Landis, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain. Warning: If you are squeamish, be warned; some of this is not for everybody. (David Henry) How would you like to stay at a real castle in Britain? I stumbled across the Castle Accommodations page while browsing through the Castles of Wales site, and thought I would try one sometime. Meanwhile, you'll find a wealth of information here about hundreds of Welsh castles, their history, builders, terminology, music, photos and some pages in the strange looking Welsh language. This is a lovingly maintained website dedicated to preserving this medieval cultural heritage. (Bits of Blue) There is more about castles in a comprehensive site aimed at the ancient Brits or rather about British Medieval History, roughly from 800 to 1500AD. It's mind-bogglingly thorough, with entries, timelines and cross references for every significant battle or event, King, Queen or other personality, Castle, Abbey, Cathedral or other major building. I'm impressed by the dogged persistence and determination of the anonymous individuals who put all of this together. (Netsurfer Digest) The nursery rhymes we learned as children always have some historical background, and you can check out a dozen or more at a fine site, The Visual Goose. The generally accepted interpretation of each rhyme is provided by the site owner, then sometimes lively discussions ensue, promoting one or another alternative explanations. Most are steeped in English history, but look up Mary Had a Little Lamb to find an American story that took place in Sterling, MA in the 1830's. (Seann Alderking) An eyewitness account of the Salem Witch Trials, a 1934 photo of Texas farmers receiving their benefit check, the voice of Lord Haw-Haw -- these and many others like them may be found at Eye Witness. This elegantly designed site offers accounts by witnesses present at major events in world history, from the ancient world to the twentieth century. They bring history to life with an immediacy uncommon in books written by historians; it's "history through the eyes of those who lived it". t(Netsurfer Science) What musical instruments could be heard in 1659? According to Samuel Pepys' Diary, twenty instruments were in common use at that time, of which only five can be found in a modern orchestra -- violin, guitar, recorder, triangle and harpsichord while the rest survive mainly in specialist museums. This is the kind of thing you can learn from the annotated blog of the famous Diary, meaning that the original entries are being added day by day as a weblog, with generously added hyperlinks at points of interest throughout. The project started on 01/01/2003 with the entry for 01/01/1660 which means there is about eight more years to go! The annotations added to each entry by blog visitors are fascinating. What a wonderful idea! (Netsurfer Digest) "United Flight 93, Cleveland Center" and many other snatches of conversation between that ill-fated aircraft and others can be heard on material recorded on the Cleveland air traffic control frequency on September 11 and reproduced on the MilAirComms site. It apparently includes two transmissions by the hijackers, but I couldn't understand them. This material is probably not suitable for everybody. (Netsurfer Digest) When was the last time you went to a drive-in movie theater? Regrettably, most of them have failed to survive competition from movie megaplexes and other distractions. Still, you can get a nostalgic whiff of their flavor at DriveinMovie.com and look up a directory of those that remain. It seems that Florida still has eleven in operation, including one in Tampa, but sadly there are four states where none are left. (Netsurfer Digest) It's a long way to Hague, Windsor, Troy, Peru or Tasmania (*) -- or is it ? Take a look at Ghost Towns of the USA and Canada and first look them up in the Wild Western states. Then click on Florida. I was amazed to find over 120 ghost towns listed for this state - each with basic information and some also with a lengthy description, and maybe a photo. Ghost Town News records current events in the Ghost Town business. (*) These are, or were, all in Florida along with Romeo, Juliette, Lulu and Old Venus. (Chuck Runkle) Does the name SK IV Sanitation Kit ring a bell? If you were serious about Civil Defense during the early Cold War in the fifties, you may have come across one in your Fallout Shelter, along with Medical Kits and Radiation Kits. To eat, you could enjoy Survival Crackers, Carbohydrate Supplement and Bulgar Wafers, and you were rationed to one quart of water, per person, per day for up to two weeks. All this and more can be viewed at the virtual Civil Defense Museum. (Netsurfer Digest) In 1859, it took a month for news of east coast events to arrive in California. The Pony Express of 1860-61 cut that time in half, with the mail carried by relays of ponies ridden between five and twenty miles each on a tight schedule. There were some 157 relay stations and a carrier typically rode 75 miles a day. Stories about this heroic service are gathered on this website along with its history and biographies of many of the riders. The service closed when the transcontinental railroad was completed. (Tourbus) There is an Internet project to write a definitive history of the 240 First Nations--originally called Indians and now Native Americans. Brief extracts for each Nation appearing on the home page of First Nations Compact Histories whet one's appetite for the full history linked to it. This is fascinating reading. Those who detect errors of commission and omission are invited to contribute them to the author for evaluation and possible inclusion. (Netsurfer Digest) "... Shanghai is the city par excellence of two things, money and the fear of losing it." This is one of the many quotes about China to be found on the excellent Tales of Old China site. It is a collection of text and visual artifacts spanning the years 1840, when westerners began trading in Shanghai, and 1950, when Mao ruled the largest nation in the world. Browse the extensive collection of maps, postcards and paper money or read extracts from books by well known authors about Chinese life. (Netsurfer Digest) Art of the First World War is a UNESCO sponsored online exhibition of 110 paintings by artists working during the Great War in 1918. Artists from all combatant countries include Picasso, Leger, Chagall and Sargent and each image is accompanied by a sensitive commentary. The site can be searched in several different ways. (Netsurfer Digest) Tom Fremantle is an aspiring young English writer who conceived the idea of retracing as closely as possible the journey of his ancestor Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle from the Tex-Mex border to New York in 1863. Tom used the colonel's diary to select the route, and had the brilliant notion of having his kit, or luggage, carried by Browny, a mule, while he walked. Naturally this opened many conversational and other doors, and provides much interesting material for his own diary, maintained at Mini-Mule. (Tourbus) PC virus hoaxes are common these days, but hoaxes have been around for hundreds of years as is shown at the fascinating Museum of Hoaxes. You'll find stories about famous hoaxes such as the Piltdown Man, The War of the Worlds, the Sydney Iceberg and UFO landing outside London. My favorites are Tass Expands into American Market and the Great 10,000 Interfering Brassieres that were supposed to cause annoying interference on TVs in Britain. Don't forget to take the Gullibility Test. (Neat Net Tricks) One
of the more magnificent Victorian buildings in London is the Midland
Grand Hotel at the St Pancras terminus of the old Midland Railway.
Saved from demolition in the 1960's it is now the object of a sensitive
redevelopment as a Marriott hotel, to be known as the St
Pancras Chambers. The superb exterior has already been restored and
the project can perhaps also restore much of the elegant Victorian
interior decor. (Seann Alderking) Suppose you are planning a trip to China and that you like history, but not too much. You can bone up on the essentials at Condensed China where you can find a sort of "Chinese History Greatest Hits". You'll be pleased to know that in half an hour, you can read an overview from 1644 (the Manchu Dynasty) to the present day. Plus the previous three thousand or so years is compressed into just a few more pages. (Netsurfer Digest) Another
fascinating visit is to the Vietnam War Medal
of Honor Citations, describing the remarkable acts of bravery of 243
heroes of that conflict. There are also obituaries of "Men
and women who performed a significant or heroic role in the military
conflicts of our age". These include other conflicts in addition to
Vietnam as well as items covering some non-Americans. (David Henry)
A comparable
website for British military personnel may be found at Victoria
Cross Reference . I even found five American citizens who
were awarded the
VC. (Netsurfer Digest) Were you disappointed with the film Pearl Harbor? There's an alternative experience to be had, with full audio-visual effects, at National Geographic's Pearl Harbor site. Follow the time line of events using an interactive map of the islands with audio clips by sailors and contemporary photos and film clips. Read stories by survivors, and add your own. (Netsurfer Digest)
John McGoran,
now 78, joined the Navy at 18 and served throughout WWII in the Pacific,
including Pearl Harbor. Some
marvelous wartime memories and diary extracts are recalled here together
with excellent action photos. Don't
miss the diary of a Japanese doctor on Attu. Banzai to the Emperor!
(Netsurfer Digest) To
anybody who was in the Army, or attended a ceremony at which Taps
was played on the bugle, you will remember how that haunting melody
could easily bring a lump to your throat. Visit this site to learn the (several) histories of the tune, and
read the official words that go with it. All
aspects of aviation are covered in a comprehensive site at Landings.
You'll find it all here whether it's news or history about
commercial aviation and aircraft, general aviation, airports, military
aircraft including WWII. To
access a wonderful collection of photos and some video clips, click on
Images in the Aviation Directory at the bottom of the home page. Vietnam
vets and others can follow a vivid historical resource of the war at Vietnam Online, where you
can find a detailed timeline plus essays by participants in the
conflict. Following
up on the successful British TV series The 1900 House, PBS has embarked
on another ambitious project, The
Frontier House. It's an
attempt to discover what happens when three modern families experience
life as it was on the American frontier - in Montana, circa 1883. The excellent website (7/01) covers the family selection process
(from 5000 applicants), the intense historical research implied by the
project, plus a monthly action timeline through 2002. (Doris
Hallgren) The Great Depression touched the lives of most of our parents and many of us remember tales of the hard times. A superb overview of the Great Depression and World War II is available through the Library of Congress. An introductory article links to topics such as the Dust Bowl, FDR’s New Deal, labor unions, and the arts. The stock market crash of 1929 is generally considered one of the key catalysts leading up to the great depression. You have to register at the New York Times site first but it’s free. (Joe Barnes) There's
a gut-wrenching Remember.org
site dedicated to documenting the concentration and death-camp complex
at Auschwitz-Birkenau that was the largest killing center in the entire
Nazi universe. These highly interactive pages lead the viewer through
two death complexes in a series of technically excellent photos with
attached text. The photos, taken in 1996, are incredible, very grim and
very moving. The text pulls no punches. (Netsurfer Digest) This
year 2000 is the 60th anniversary of the Battle
of Britain, and to commemorate that epic struggle, the RAF has
prepared a comprehensive website. Day
by day this summer are being posted the official reports of the various
sorties and engagements on the corresponding date in 1940. Detailed descriptions of the aircraft flown - and lost - on both
sides, squadrons, airfields and targets are included. Biographies of the principal commanders on both sides add
fascinating background, as do a fine collection of original photographs. The
Urban
Legends Reference Pages are
full of fascinating, arcane stories - all fully documented with
references. Try Radio/TV Legends, Sex Legends and Coke Lore, among
many others. Morbid?
Not really. The site is Find
A Grave where everybody who
was anybody is buried. There are hundreds of listings in Europe,
USA and elsewhere, many with photos and some with potted biographies. From
Cleopatra to Prince William, Leonardo da Vinci to Leonard DiCaprio,
you'll find 20,000 potted biographies at Biography.com.
I found Lou Gehrig but not Wade Boggs, Don Budge but not Pete Sampras,
Dan Marino but not Vinny Testaverde. Draw your own conclusions! The
human side of the Titanic tragedy, with details of each passenger
and crew member, photos, deck layouts etc. making up the
comprehensive Encyclopedia
Titanica.
|
