“Hermaphrodite”: Intersex and non-binary in the 18th century
In today’s toxic political climate, intersex and non-binary people have been weaponised in a cynical…
“Hermaphrodite”: Intersex and non-binary in the 18th century
In today’s toxic political climate, intersex and non-binary people have been weaponised in a cynical so-called “culture war” over gender. Non-binary is dismissed as a new-fangled concept dreamed up in university ivory towers. But browse through 18th century newspapers and court records, and stories about “hermaphrodites” leap off the pages. Complex sexual identities are as…
History of Measles Outbreaks in London: Lessons for Parents!
London has seen an outbreak of measles in schools impacting children who have not been fully immunised. This is astonishing given that the measles vaccination has been with us since 1963, consigning to history the epidemics that used to sweept the city every other year, resulting in over half a million cases. Small children were…
Examining Age Gaps in Relationships: A Historical Perspective
There’s a lot of discussion these days about big age gaps in relationships and whether they matter. Some studies indicate that there’s more social disapproval of an age difference than the sexuality or ethnicity of the couple. Social anxiety over this issue isn’t new and the debate has raged for a very long time, polarising…
Why George Bernard Shaw should be banned in schools
Why are we still teaching the works of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) in schools? This monster joined the eugenics movement in the early 20th century advocating – in no uncertain terms – the mass killing in “lethal chambers” of people who were not useful to society. Not surprisingly, he then became a cheerleader…
Depicting the Nazis as a Gay plot
Thousands of LGBT people were killed by the Nazis in concentrations camps between 1933 and 1945 – the duration of Adolf Hitler’s grip on power in Germany. However, the demonising of German gays in the 1930s came just as much from the political Left as the Nazis. Depressingly, Socialists and Communists used homosexuality as a…
Sacred Christmas images from the past
I’ve been travelling around Europe this year and seen some beautiful images in churches, abbeys, and convents depicting the early family life of Jesus Christ. From the Canary Islands to Prague, here is a selection of medieval statues and paintings showing the nativity and other key events in the infancy of the Messiah. A visual…
Did Hitler only have one ball?
Once again, the question of Hitler’s alleged undescended testicle has come into the public glare. Channel 4, a TV network in the United Kingdom, is broadcasting a documentary, Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, where a blood-drenched piece of fabric from the sofa Hitler was sitting on when he blew his brains out is analysed…
Unveiling the Truth: Notable UFO Sightings in History
Over the last century, there have been a huge number of UFO sightings. Are any of them true? Or is it all a case of mass hysteria, misidentified phenomena, or just bare-faced lying? Let’s join those who claim to have experienced a one-on-one with extraterrestrials from another planet. FIND OUT MORE: UFO hotspots, sightings, and…
Witchcraft returns – why is interest increasing?
There’s a big revival in witchcraft underway with the growth of social media communities like Witchtok and WitchesofInstagram, as well as festivals, markets, and specialist sections in bookstores. Surges of interest in witchcraft have happened over the last hundred years with the 1920s and 1970s being of particular interest. Let’s investigate why witches are back…
The last Chinese imperial Eunuch
“It was very painful. It was done without anaesthetic and proper medical instruments.” These were the words in 1982 of a Chinese eunuch remembering the day, 70 years before, when his own father took a razor to his son’s genitals. Sun Yaoting was the last surviving eunuch from the court of the imperial Qing dynasty,…
