This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: Daily Mail (UK)
June 26, 2012
Staring into the camera, some with defiance and others in child-like wonder, these scruffy boys and girls look like any other group of Victorian urchins.But while some of the children may appear to be a picture of innocence, the gallery is in fact a collection of young criminals from the 1870s.The rogues' gallery of offenders, some as young as 11, includes thieves and pickpockets who stole anything from cash to clothes and even odd pieces of metal.The fascinating Victorian images, which all feature children from the Newcastle area, have been released today by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums.The petty criminality detailed in the charges may be the same as in Britain now, but the mixture of scruffy clothing and more formal Victorian street attire worn by the children is a world away from the hoodies, trainers and sportswear of many of today's lawless youths....
Source: Telegraph (UK)
June 27, 2012
Poppies bloom in the fallow fields of Lincolnshire, sudden outbreaks of red in a verdant landscape – nature’s unintended tribute to the thousands of young men who flew from this place into the dark heart of Nazi Germany, never to return.The Second World War lingers here, in bomber country. Small memorials commemorating long-disbanded squadrons mark rural crossroads, and white headstones adorned with the Royal Air Force crest dot medieval churchyards. Lincolnshire is far from prairie flat but it enjoys a big sky. It needed to be big in the years 1942 to 1945 when, as the epicentre of RAF Bomber Command, the county was home to hundreds of Avro Lancasters.“There were 46 military airfields in the county by 1945 and 24 of them were devoted to the strategic air offensive,” says Patrick Otter, who has made a study of Lincolnshire’s bomber past. “You couldn’t drive seven miles without bumping into the RAF.”...
Source: Telegraph (UK)
June 27, 2012
Nearly 50,000 coins thought to have been hidden away from Julius Caesar's advancing army have been found on Jersey.The trove was found by local metal detector enthusiasts Reg Mead and Richard Miles, who had been hunting for them for nearly 30 years."We hit something hard. We just put the shovel in here and moved it. We hear that grinding noise of metal rubbing against metal. Just flicked and out came five Iron Age coins. You just go numb. You say: isn't that lovely? And it's a very quiet feeling, isn't it? Wow," Mr Mead said on the discovery....
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced a new contest to encourage middle and high school students to use Chronicling America, the NEH and Library of Congress-supported digital archive of historic newspapers, in their projects for National History Day.At the closing ceremonies of National History Day competition, held recently on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland, NEH Chairman Jim Leach announced that NEH would begin offering recognition and prizes to students who make effective use of the Chronicling America database in 2013 National History Day submissions. This would include cash prizes for exceptional use of the newspaper archives for junior and senior students in all submission categories. All National History Day participants who incorporate Chronicling America in their project research will receive certificates of recognition.
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently announced 32 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian (LB21) grants totaling $10,356,498. Recipients are matching these awards with $6,650,021in non-federal funds. IMLS received 106 LB21 applications this year, requesting a total of $37,815,498.Click here to view the list of funded projects. Use the IMLS grants search tool to view an archive of grants awarded by the Institute. Search grants by grant name, institution, or project type.IMLS also announced a $250,000 award to WebJunction to work with state libraries in Illinois, Mississippi, and West Virginia; federal policy makers; and the national nonprofit Connect2Compete to help national digital literacy efforts effectively work with libraries to plan for and deliver digital literacy training. The grant will identify model approaches for partnerships with libraries to meet public demand for training.
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
The Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State recently announced the release of its third set of public beta Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series e-books at http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/ebooks. The 151 year-old FRUS series presents the official documentary historical record of major foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity of the U.S. Government.This release includes 10 volumes from the Nixon-Ford subseries, including 4 volumes documenting the Vietnam War:“Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969-1972″ “Organization & Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969-1972″ “Foreign Economic Policy; International Monetary Policy, 1969–1972″ “Foreign Assistance, International Development, Trade Policies, 1969–1972″ “United Nations, 1969–1972″ “Vietnam, January 1969–July 1970″ “Vietnam, July 1970–January 1972″ “Vietnam, January–October 1972″ “Vietnam, October 1972–January 1973″ “South Asia Crisis, 1971″These 10 volumes join the following 16 FRUS e-books previously released:
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
According to an article published on the website Salon.com, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has refused a request by historical researchers to expedite the release of CIA records relating to its involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.This past January, the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC) and other researchers sent a letter to Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero asking that the remaining records be released in time for the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination in 2013.The AARC letter cited President Obama’s Executive Order 13526 mandate for NARA to eliminate the estimated 400 million page backlog awaiting declassification by December 31, 2013. However, the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act) allows for records that were not released by the Assassination Records Review Board (AARB) to remain closed until 2017.
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
As Congress heads toward its 4th of July recess, action on fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget bills has quickened. A number of bills of interest to the historical and archival communities have been passed by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the past two weeks.As in past years, it is highly unlikely that Congress will pass a FY 2013 budget by the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The outcome of the presidential and congressional elections will likely determine the timing of consideration of a FY 13 budget, especially if there is a change of administrations and/or party control in the House or Senate.Also looming over the FY 13 budget process is the “sequester” mechanism that was put in place by the budget deal last year. If Congress has not agreed on a budget by January 2, 2013, it will trigger $109 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. While the details of how the sequester would be implemented have yet to be determined, estimates are that it would result in cuts of up to 10 percent in federal agency budgets.However, despite these caveats, these preliminary numbers often reflect the final outcome for smaller programs such as the ones that affect our interests.
Source: Lee White for the National Coalition for History
June 21, 2012
On June 20, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2013 spending bill that includes funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The bill proposes $132 million for the agency in FY 2013. This represents a decrease of $14 million, or 9.6%, from the FY 2012 level of $146 million.Now is the time to register your opposition. The full House Appropriations Committee still needs to consider the bill. If you have received grants or other support from the NEH, now is the time to let your legislators know the impact they have had in your community, especially if your Representative is a member of the full House Appropriations Committee, where this funding will next be up for consideration.Please contact your Representative today and ask them to support the humanities and oppose cuts to the NEH. The National Coalition for History is asking Congress to provide no less than $154.3 million for NEH in FY 2013, the same level requested by the President.
Source: NYT
June 25, 2012
BATTIR, West Bank — In this scenic Palestinian village in the West Bank hills near Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, a week is said to last eight days, not seven. That is because Battir’s eight extended families take daily turns watering their crops from the natural springs that feed their ancient agricultural terraces, a practice they say has worked for centuries....
Source: Independent (UK)
June 26, 2012
Archaeologists in Greece's second-largest city have uncovered a 70-metre section of an ancient road built by the Romans that was city's main travel artery nearly 2,000 years ago.The marble-paved road was unearthed during excavations for Thessaloniki's new underground system, which is due to be completed in four years.The road in the northern port city will be raised to be put on permanent display when the metro opens in 2016....
Source: Politico
June 25, 2012
Anyone who’s been a seventh-grader knows all about tours of Washington: the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Washington Monument and so on. It’s enough to put your civic pride into overdrive.Sean Williams has a different type of tour for you.While the company he founded, DC Walkabout, offers seven different tours, one has been a crowd favorite since he launched it earlier this summer: the American Scandal tour.For two hours, Williams takes a group on a walk highlighting the infamous side of Washington — from Marion Barry to Richard Nixon and Monica Lewinsky to Eliot Spitzer. On DC Walkabout’s website, the tour is referred to as “ recommended for adults” and “rated R (for ridiculous).”...
Source: AP
June 25, 2012
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — You may not recognize a Gadsden flag by name, but you've probably seen one — a banner with a coiled rattlesnake and the warning "Don't tread on me" that was flown by colonists rebelling against British rule.
Source: Telegraph (UK)
June 26, 2012
According to tradition, true Cockneys must be born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside.In days gone by, they could be heard across much of north and east London and as far south as Southwark, meaning any baby born within earshot was defined as a Cockney.Now, research by 24 Accoustics suggests the noise of the bells only reaches the city of London and Shoreditch....
Source: Daily Mail (UK)
June 23, 2012
A landmark townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a rare example of the opulent Gilded Age, has been sold for a staggering $42million.The mansion, located on a tree-lined block of Fifth Avenue, was designed by famed architect Stanford White and built for the banker and railroad tycoon Henry H. Cook.Though it was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $7million less than the asking price, the new owner bought a mansion full of history - much of the property has remained unchanged since its construction more than a century ago....
Source: NYT
June 23, 2012
Seventy years ago, on Aug. 9, 1942, the stadium became the site of one of soccer’s most infamous and disputed games, the so-called Death Match. With Kiev under Nazi occupation during World War II, a group of Ukrainian players defeated a military team of Germans thought to be from artillery and perhaps Luftwaffe units.According to legend, the Germans warned the local team beforehand or at halftime that it had better lose the match, and when the Ukrainians ignored the threat and prevailed, key members of the team were killed in retribution.The final score was 5-3. That much seems widely agreed upon. And four or five Ukrainian players did die within six months of the game, according to various accounts. Were they killed because they won a soccer match? All the participants are believed to be dead. The truth remains elusive. One player who popularized the legend seemed to tell as many versions of the story as there were goals in the match, both burnishing the myth and betraying it.That long-ago game is gaining renewed attention as Ukraine serves as a co-host for Euro 2012....
Source: Telegraph (UK)
June 23, 2012
Scots celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, when the forces of Robert the Bruce defeated the army of Edward II in the first war of Scottish independence, have been told by council officials not to carry replica weapons. The decision follows an alleged incident at last year’s rally in which a car on the route was said to have been hit by a shield and a Union flag was burnt.The annual rally in the small town of Bannockburn outside Stirling involves a short march along a single street to the site of the battle.In recent years, many of those taking part have worn medieval costumes, complete with swords, axes, daggers and shields. But Stirling council has told the organisers — the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement — that for safety reasons no arms can be carried during the march. Under a compromise worked out with the National Trust for Scotland, which manages the battlefield, participants have been told they can keep their weapons in their cars and take them out when they arrive at the historic site....
Source: PlanetSave
June 21, 2012
The first definitive evidence that cattle were used for their milk, by humans, in prehistoric Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago is the focus of a study just published in the journal Nature.The research was done by an international group of scientists, led by researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and including Kathleen Ryan of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology....
Source: PlanetSave
June 23, 2012
Researchers working at Stonehenge have concluded, after ten years of archaeological investigation at the site, that it was built as a monument to unify the peoples of Britain after a long period of conflict and regional differences....The research team was composed of people from the universities of Sheffield, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and University College London, all working together on the Stonehenge Riverside Project (SRP). Though they explored Stonehenge and its surrounding environment, they also investigated “the wider social and economic contexts of the monument’s main stages of construction around 3,000 BC and 2,500 BC.”...
Source: Telegraph (UK)
June 23, 2012
They suffered the highest casualty rate of the British Armed Forces in the Second World War, but for 67 years the sacrifice made by the men of Bomber Command has been officially overlooked.This slight will finally be reversed when the Queen unveils a new £7.5 million memorial to the unit in London’s Green Park on Thursday.About 6,000 people are due to attend the ceremony, including delegates from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which all provided large numbers of men for Bomber Command. The organisers held discussions with the German authorities about whether they would send representatives, but were told it was their policy not to attend such events....
