After completing yet another rewatch of Derry Girls – which, by the way, is one of my favorite shows – last night, I found myself reflecting on an exhibition I visited at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) during my trip to London in December. Technically speaking, there are a number of exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum that exhibit difficult history, as the museum focuses ..read more

If you’ve read this blog before, you’ve probably guessed that London has a special place in my heart, given how frequently I write about it. London is indeed one of my favorite cities, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to go there several times in the last few years, most recently right before Christmas. If you haven’t been to London in December, definitely ..read more

On my way home from my recent trip to Knoxville, I stopped in Oak Ridge. As an East Tennessean and a historian, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that, despite knowing the history of Oak Ridge, this was my first visit to the town itself. In honor of finally visiting the Secret City, let’s dive into the history of the Secret City. If you haven’t ..read more

Having gone to college in Knoxville (go Vols!), I know the basic outline of Knoxville’s history, especially regarding the Civil War. After all, much of the Battle of Fort Sanders in November 1863 took place on what is now the University of Tennessee’s campus and the nearby Fort Sanders neighborhood, named after the Union fort that the Confederates tried (unsuccessfully) to capture. Reflecting the proximity ..read more

When you think of Britain, one of the first things that probably comes to mind is tea. In fact, tea is so intertwined with British culture today that it’s hard to think of what Britain would be like without its unofficial national beverage. Would you be surprised to learn, then, that tea only arrived in Britain in the seventeenth century? It’s true! While the first ..read more

When “church” and “London” are mentioned in the same sentence, Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral are most often the first sites that come to mind. Understandably so, as they are London’s most famous churches, as well as the most prominent churches in the London cityscape. But Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral are not the only churches in London: far from it, in fact ..read more

Today, the Tudor monarchs are well-known in Britain and around the world. Thanks to the plethora of books, movies, TV shows, and even musicals about the Tudor era, Henry VIII and his six wives, Mary I (“Bloody Mary”), and Elizabeth I are commonly recognizable figures. Edward VI and Henry VII may be somewhat less familiar to audiences today, but, on the whole, the Tudors are ..read more

After seeing several posts on my Twitter feed today relating to the wedding anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton (married twelve years ago today), I found myself thinking about royal weddings. Today, the media often portrays a royal wedding (and the marriage that follows) as a modern-day fairy tale: the beautiful dress, the lavish ceremony, the aristocratic guests, and so on. While the reality ..read more

The Romans ruled large parts of the island of Great Britain for nearly four hundred years, from 43 CE to around 410 CE. As Roman control expanded across what is now England and Wales, the Romans left their mark on the British landscape. Perhaps the most famous Roman site in Britain is Hadrian’s Wall, begun in 122 CE on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian ..read more

Every spring, daffodils planted around Clifford’s Tower, the only remaining part of York Castle, bloom, covering the mound on which the tower sits in a carpet of yellow. A curious passerby might ask why the daffodils were planted in the first place. Was it part of a city beautification project? Do the daffodils symbolize something related to the history of York Castle? The answer is ..read more