No ordinary diamond: how the Koh-i-Noor became an imperial possession: Ahead of King Charles’s coronation on May 6 2023, Buckingham Palace has announced that Camilla, the Queen consort, will be wearing a modified version of the crown made for Queen Mary, the consort of George V. This is the first time since the 1700s that …
How sport became the new religion – a 200-year story of society’s ‘great conversion’: 'Cradle-to-grave indoctrination': West Ham United fans before an FA Cup match at Kidderminster Harriers in February 2022. Carl Recine/Reuters/Alamy “Jesus Christ was a sportsman.” Or so claimed a preacher at one of the regular sporting services that were held throughout the …
Ukraine war 12 months on: how Volodymyr Zelensky became the nation’s unlikely hero: “The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.” These words, reportedly spoken by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in response to the Americans’ offer of evacuation from Kyiv soon after the launch of Russia’s mass invasion of Ukraine on 24 February …
Jean-Paul Zé Bella: the cunning Cameroonian soldier who became a global music legend: The Zangalewa Dance Troupe, inspired by the Cameroonian band Zangalewa, performs in a prison in Kenya. Screengrab/YouTube/Mwalimu Cheche Productions One of Cameroon’s most influential music stars – Jean-Paul Zé Bella – passed away on 15 January at the age of 71 after …
How the ‘circus’ became the metaphor of choice in political rhetoric: The Circus by Georges Seurat (1891). Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt In his 2023 New Year’s Speech, Labour leader Keir Starmer reiterated his criticism of the “Tory circus” as he lamented the apparently unbreakable but entirely avoidable cycle of crises at …
How pink became fashion’s colour of controversy: a brief history: Portrait of Madame Gely by Frederick Carl Frieseke (1907). Public Domain Review From the blush pink of royal mistresses to the hot pink of tabloid party girls, pink has gained a reputation for being a provocative colour for those who dare to wear it. You …
The Muppet Christmas Carol turns 30: how the film became a cult classic: “Cult” is often indiscriminately applied to film and television. In Cult Movies (1981), film critic Danny Peary argued that it should be reserved for “special films which for one reason or another have been taken to heart by segments of the movie …
We were told to ‘stay home’ to stop COVID. Then our homes became disease hotspots: Lucigerma/Shutterstock The rapid rise in COVID cases and deaths in March 2020 led Boris Johnson, then prime minister, to tell the British people: “You must stay at home.” These comments marked the beginning of the first nationwide COVID lockdown, and …
Liverpool’s unsung COVID heroes: how the city’s arts scene became a life support network: Culture was always a large part of my life. But when we all had to rush home in March 2020, I felt like I lost it on the way – as if I’d left it on the bus in a bag. …
How Tutankhamun became a popular spirit at seances in the 1920s: Masheter Movie Archive/Alamy It has been 100 years since the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, the boy king who ruled in the 14th century BC. Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in November 1922 by a team of predominantly Egyptian excavators led …
Apartheid ‘town planning’ created Orlando 90 years ago. It became a hotbed of black resistance: South Africans celebrate the anniversary of the Soweto Uprising of 1976, planned in Orlando East. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Orlando East, a working class community on the periphery of Johannesburg in South Africa, has turned 90 years old. Orlando was …
How Nigerian students became ‘change agents’ in solid waste management: Final year students of Geography, 2014 cohort, University of Nigeria Nsukka who participated in the research. Nigerian cities aren’t managing solid waste effectively. Waste has to be managed all the way from generation to storage, collection, transport, recycling, treatment and disposal. But it is visible …
How the kimono became a symbol of oppression in some parts of Asia: Now a symbol of Japanese culture, the Kimono has Chinese roots. supawat bursuk/Shutterstock A woman in Suzhou, China, was reportedly detained recently for “provoking trouble”. Her alleged crime was being spotted outside wearing a kimono. The woman was dressed like a character …
How used clothes became part of Africa’s creative economy — and fashion sense: Second-hand clothes, locally known as mitumba, on display in a shop in Nakuru, Kenya. Photo by James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images In recent years the global secondhand apparel market for clothing and shoes has grown exponentially. In 2002 used clothing exports …
Mystery solved: when mammals’ ancestors became warm-blooded: Tritylodon, a therapsid, reconstructed as a night dwelling warm blooded animal. Note the steam coming out of its lungs. Illustrated by Luzia Soares Mammals and birds produce their own body heat and control their body temperatures. This process is known as endothermy, or warm-bloodedness, and it may be …
Percy Bysshe Shelley at 200 – how the poet became famous after his death: The Funeral of Shelley Wikimedia It is 200 years since the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned at sea at the age of 29. At the time, his life and works were considered scandalous, due in part to his reputation as a …
Kinyafranglais: how Rwanda became a melting pot of official languages: Rwanda has four official languages; Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili. Stephanie Aglietti/AFP via Getty Images Today, Rwanda is a melting pot of official languages. Although more than 99% of Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda – a Bantu language and the country’s mother-tongue – Rwanda has three other …
Before chickens became food for people, they were regarded as special exotica: A modern cockerel with dramatic plumage Robert May, https://robertmay.photography/, Author provided There are more chickens than any other species of bird on the planet. With three chickens for every human being, they are a food staple for millions of people around the world. …