Left-Wing and the ‘Other’ History: The 1906 Cananea Strike

The timeline of revolutions is never clear in regards to when we can say it began or ended. For example, we traditionally mark the storming of the Bastille as the start of the French Revolution, but there were agricultural strikes in the year preceding this. Likewise, the Mexican Revolution (dated roughly 1910 to 1920) is

The Making of Today: Tacky’s War, April-June 1760

On Easter Monday, April 7 1760, across the plantations of Jamaica recently enslaved Africans rose up in rebellion. Although technically several rebellions in one the iconography of the war came to surround one figure – a former warlord in what is now Ghana called Tacky. While not the first enslaved uprising in the Caribbean, or

A Short History of Cannabis

One of the oldest domesticated plants in the world and yet one of the most controversial this week we are looking at cannabis. Hemp, weed, ganja, marijuana, skunk – no matter the name it refers to the same plant, Cannabis sativa. This post is to be read in conjunction with a Florapedia post on cannabis

The Making of Today: The French Invasion of Ireland during the Seven Years’ War, January-March 1760

There is a common myth in the British Isles that no one has successfully invaded these islands since William the Conqueror in 1066. Not only is this a myth, but if we include the Channel Islands the last time the islands were invaded was 1940. During the midst of the Seven Years’ War, just as

Left-Wing and the ‘Other’ History: The El Paso Bath Riots, 1917

This blog is written just after 2024’s International Women’s Day and it is important to acknowledge that International Women’s Day was founded to celebrate working class women and their involvement in fighting for a just war. Every radical movement in world history has had women at the centre, in some way, and in 1917 along

The Making of Today: Assassination and Power in late-1700s Mughal India, October-December 1759

On November 29 1759 the Mughal emperor Alamgir II, the descendant of the great Babur and Akbar, was assassinated on the orders of his vizier, Imad ul-Mulk. Coming to power at an incredibly young age Imad ul-Mulk had played the intricate game of court politics as the power of the Mughals was collapsing. Today we

The Making of Today: The Plains of Abraham and the British take Quebec, July-September 1759

As the French and Indian War has been raging for the last few years the British forces have had one goal in mind: take Quebec City. The administrative capital of New France it was one of the most important lynchpins in the French empire in Canada, and one that threatened the British colonies in New

The Making of Today: The Birth and Life of Radical Feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, April-June 1759

On April 27 1759 one of the most remarkable feminists of history was born: Mary Wollstonecraft. We often imagine feminism as emerging in the 1800s with the suffrage movement, but women throughout history have been fighting against patriarchal dominance with Wollstonecraft being a revolutionary example. Today we will be looking at her remarkable life and

The Making of Today: Exploitation and Knowledge, The Founding of the British Museum, January-March 1759

Starting off with our first The Making of Today post of 2024 we are looking at one of the most monumental institutions in world history: the British Museum. From a pet project of physician and collector Hans Sloane to one of the most important museums in the world, the British Museum was a major turning

The Making of Today: The Battle of Zorndorf, July-September 1758

In the midst of 1758, when Europe was torn apart by the Seven Years’ War, the forces of Prussia and Russia clashed at Zorndorf. One of the bloodiest battles of the war in Europe Zorndorf was a disappointment for both sides although this did not stop each side from claiming victory. We’ll be looking at