This month, I have the honour of hosting the 112th History Carnival, and what would the August Carnival be without a look at the event that is currently dominating the airwaves, the Olympics.
First up is a look at the ancient games by the British Library, which offers readers with a look at Papyrus 1185. This document, produced in the early 3rd century, provides an oddly reminiscent list of Olympians and their crowning achievements: Well done, πένταθλον on your Pentathlon victory! Looking for something a bit more recent? Head over to BBC News for a comprehensive comparison of London's three forays into Olympic hosting, which includes the all-important metric of 'average price of a pint', or Retronaut, who offers a pictorial tour of the 1948 Olympic Opening Ceremony. More interested in Olympic fashion than Olympic pomp? Head over to Slate, which offers a visual tour of Olympians and their competition gear from 1912 or to Love (...) In a Cold Climate, which ponders the past and future of Sponsored Olympic Clothing in the US and Canada. Want a bit more political grit? Try Oxford's World War One Centenary, which recounts the politics behind the timing and location of 1920 games.
From the Olympic Games to something slightly more accessible to the average historian, we find History and the Sock Merchant's tour of the Best History Board Games a diverting alternative to 100-Meter Sprint. Look for a number of surprising teaching aids, such as 1960: The Making of the President -- perfect for my upcoming US history Survey! Stillwater Historians offer another helpful teaching tip with Pinning the Digital Humanities: Collaboration, Curation, and Classrooms, which ponders using PinInterest as a teaching tool and a digital office door. Looking for a more historical form of social media? Have a gander at The Atlantic and its appraisal of John Aubrey messy letter wrappers as an early form of Twitter.
From the imagined and digital to the concrete and practical, we find a number of interesting historical recipes in this months offerings. Researching Food History starts us off with a delightful (and distressing) description of the preparation and serving of hedgehogs--remember, they are endangered in Britain, so no trying these at home! Slightly more innocuous is Wonders & Marvels's (in progress) attempt to recreate a historical recipe for Oil of St. John's Wort (as well as a posited attempt at an all-natural fox deterrent.)
For a more hands-on remedy to death and disease, have a look at Alun Withey's exploration of Reviving the 'Apparently Dead', which considers the morality and practicalities of rescuing eighteenth-century victims of drowning. Down the road a bit we find The Georgian Bawdyhouse, who provides an account of an unfortunate gentleman who turned his back on rescue and buried himself alive. From the dying to the dead, we continue on to The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice, who offers a timely warning about the toxicity of dry-mounted human remains, making the jars of the Hunterian seem far less sinister.
Of course, not everyone from the past died tragically, some lived tragically as well. The Smithsonian's Past Imperfect provides a look at Quite Likely the Worst Job Ever in its exploration of Victorian sewer hunters while the History Spot provides a podcast of Tim Hitchcock's paper on recently digitized manuscripts that offer new insights in the lives of London's poor. July also offers us the tales of two misunderstood murderesses. Wonders & Marvels (who receive a double shout-out this month) looks at the life and execution of a 17th-century midwife who (rather ingeniously) disposed of her abusive husband, while Heroines and Harlots looks at similar case of domestic violence and murder in the Tragic Life of Ruth Ellis, who was hanged for murder in 1955.
The other women to draw our attention this month were the Atlantic suffragists. First up is a piece by Ms. Magazine's blog on the seemingly impromptu Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States, which literally took centre state during the US's Bicentennial celebrations in 1876. Further north we find the Winnipeg Free Press's review of the recently published Canadian Women & the Struggle for Equality. Across the pond, Past Imperfect explores the lives of the Gore-Booth Sisters as artists, suffragists and revolutionaries, during Ireland's struggle for self-rule. Sitting on the other side of the fence (or just want to peak in that direction)? Have a look at Brain Pickings, which offers a selection of anti-suffragette postcards from the early 20th century. My personal favourite is
To a Suffragette Valentine Your vote from me you will not get. I don’t want a preaching SuffragetteIn a similar (but more serious) vein is a piece by the Ultimate History Project, who describe the modernisation of Uzbek women during the early years of the USSR, and the backlash that the process received from men, women and children alike. Finally, we sign off this month's carnival with a personal account of life and research from Ex Urbe, who looks to the personal and communal meaning of S.P.Q.F. (and various other permutations) and the interwoven lives of Machiavelli and the city who banished him. Next month's History Carnival will be hosted by The History Tavern!
*Image Courtesy of wannaoreo