Important People in British History
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is known by all. I was somewhat surprised at the fact that there wasn't more about him in the places we visited in London. The Globe theater was where we learned and heard the most about Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford, just outside of London. He married a woman by the name Anne Hathaway. They had a daughter and twins. William Shakespeare moved to London to become known as a playwright as well as an actor. Lord Chamberlain's men was who Shakespeare had been writing for. He shared ownership in the theatrical company and The Globe. He passed away in 1616.
It was really interesting to see the rebuilt Globe as well as the exhibit inside. They said it was built the same way the original was. Shakespeare has never been that fascinating to me however seeing costumes and other parts of famous Shakespeare productions was exciting. I've always found myself drawn to the story lines based on Shakespeare plays but never the real thing. He was a brilliant man and there is no doubt he knew what he was doing. Our tour guide at the Globe did his best to keep us entertained with his lovely accent on a surprisingly hot day in London. He explained to us how the seating and crowd worked inside the Globe during productions. It was expensive to get a ticket but people were always welcome to stand. The crowd would interact with the actors on stage and he told us the tomato throwing was a myth considering they didn't have tomatoes at the time.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford, just outside of London. He married a woman by the name Anne Hathaway. They had a daughter and twins. William Shakespeare moved to London to become known as a playwright as well as an actor. Lord Chamberlain's men was who Shakespeare had been writing for. He shared ownership in the theatrical company and The Globe. He passed away in 1616.
It was really interesting to see the rebuilt Globe as well as the exhibit inside. They said it was built the same way the original was. Shakespeare has never been that fascinating to me however seeing costumes and other parts of famous Shakespeare productions was exciting. I've always found myself drawn to the story lines based on Shakespeare plays but never the real thing. He was a brilliant man and there is no doubt he knew what he was doing. Our tour guide at the Globe did his best to keep us entertained with his lovely accent on a surprisingly hot day in London. He explained to us how the seating and crowd worked inside the Globe during productions. It was expensive to get a ticket but people were always welcome to stand. The crowd would interact with the actors on stage and he told us the tomato throwing was a myth considering they didn't have tomatoes at the time.
John Harrison
Longitude had been a problem for quite some time. Harrison spent majority of his life dedicating his time to figuring out the Longitude issue. He built many clocks in the process. He was a perfectionist wouldn't turn in his completed projects because he didn't feel they were up to par. John Harrison's H-4 won the prize being offered to the person who could come up with a solution to the Longitude problem. There were some people who got in the way during his quest to solve Longitude such as Nevil Maskelyne.
Before leaving for England, the group was assigned to read the book Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time which is all about John Harrison and trying to figure out longitude. The Royal Observatory which we went to visit while in Greenwich has Harrison's clocks. The clocks were beautiful. I didn't expect them to be pleasing to the eye. We had a magnificent tour guide by the name of Sally. She was so informative and knew exactly what she was talking about. Sally was sweet and so passionate about the subject, not just Harrison but throughout the whole tour of the observatory.
Before leaving for England, the group was assigned to read the book Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time which is all about John Harrison and trying to figure out longitude. The Royal Observatory which we went to visit while in Greenwich has Harrison's clocks. The clocks were beautiful. I didn't expect them to be pleasing to the eye. We had a magnificent tour guide by the name of Sally. She was so informative and knew exactly what she was talking about. Sally was sweet and so passionate about the subject, not just Harrison but throughout the whole tour of the observatory.
William & Caroline Herschel
The Herschels played a significant part in Astronomy. William Herschel began making some of the best telescopes that had been made up until that point. He was the one to discover Uranus also. He discovered Uranus on accident, he thought it was a comet. Thanks to William Herschel's discovery, he was elected to the Royal society and was presented a grant by the King. William was presented with plenty of astronomical awards and also discovered Titania and Oberon.
When Caroline Herschel was fairly young she ended up with small pox which left her scarred. Her parents automatically assumed she wouldn't marry because of the scars. Her parents also thought women didn't need to be as educated as men so she was never put in school. Caroline Herschel was taught how to do things around the house. Once she was a little older she moved to Bath with her brother William acting as a housekeeper. She focused on music as did William however she became interested in Astronomy. Caroline became William's apprentice and began helping him assemble telescopes. She also played a big role in the mathematical part of astronomy while helping her brother.
I knew a little about the Herschels before going to England because of my English class. I wrote a paper having to do with women in Astronomy which included Caroline Herschel. Being that I have a wonderful relationship with my younger brother I thought it was great to see and learn about siblings working alongside each other. I knew she had to have had a decent relationship with her brother to work with him but when I took a visit to the house/museum in Bath I found they were extremely close. They would write one another and Caroline had also kept a lock of William's hair. The house was the one where William and Caroline had lived but has now been turned into a museum telling all about the Herschels.
When Caroline Herschel was fairly young she ended up with small pox which left her scarred. Her parents automatically assumed she wouldn't marry because of the scars. Her parents also thought women didn't need to be as educated as men so she was never put in school. Caroline Herschel was taught how to do things around the house. Once she was a little older she moved to Bath with her brother William acting as a housekeeper. She focused on music as did William however she became interested in Astronomy. Caroline became William's apprentice and began helping him assemble telescopes. She also played a big role in the mathematical part of astronomy while helping her brother.
I knew a little about the Herschels before going to England because of my English class. I wrote a paper having to do with women in Astronomy which included Caroline Herschel. Being that I have a wonderful relationship with my younger brother I thought it was great to see and learn about siblings working alongside each other. I knew she had to have had a decent relationship with her brother to work with him but when I took a visit to the house/museum in Bath I found they were extremely close. They would write one another and Caroline had also kept a lock of William's hair. The house was the one where William and Caroline had lived but has now been turned into a museum telling all about the Herschels.
Emmeline Pankhurst
The suffragettes were women who were fighting for their right to vote. However, many saw women as being unstable and believed politics were too complex for any women to understand. There were women who believed this as well. The movement started out small but grew to women from around the country. Emmeleine Pankhurst was a woman who played a big role in the movement. Pankhurst helped initiate the movement and she became very determined to get the right to vote for women. Many suffragettes became imprisoned and went on hunger strikes to prove their point. These women went to great extremes for our rights. Shortly after Emmeleine’s death all women over the age of 21 received the right to vote.
Pankhurst's daughters were also involved in the movement. The women's demonstrations weren't by any means always peaceful or something not to worry about. There were cases of window smashing and arson.
One of the women during a demonstration threw herself in front of the King's horses and was killed. Due to the hunger strikes aforementioned, the women were having to be force fed. All of the women involved were arrested on many occasions.
Brave and determined are just a couple of words to describe Emmeline Pankhurst. I really enjoyed reading about the suffragettes in our books before leaving for England. It was great to see Emmeline Pankhurst's statue outside of Parliament. She did amazing things for women in Britain. There was no stopping her, she was set on getting what women deserve and that she did. Another amazing woman who knew what was right, knew how to get it and she was going to do all that she could to achieve it. I also think the fact that her husband was a supporter of the suffrage movement probably helped her in becoming so much more passionate.
Pankhurst's daughters were also involved in the movement. The women's demonstrations weren't by any means always peaceful or something not to worry about. There were cases of window smashing and arson.
One of the women during a demonstration threw herself in front of the King's horses and was killed. Due to the hunger strikes aforementioned, the women were having to be force fed. All of the women involved were arrested on many occasions.
Brave and determined are just a couple of words to describe Emmeline Pankhurst. I really enjoyed reading about the suffragettes in our books before leaving for England. It was great to see Emmeline Pankhurst's statue outside of Parliament. She did amazing things for women in Britain. There was no stopping her, she was set on getting what women deserve and that she did. Another amazing woman who knew what was right, knew how to get it and she was going to do all that she could to achieve it. I also think the fact that her husband was a supporter of the suffrage movement probably helped her in becoming so much more passionate.
Florence Nightingale
While I was in London we went to the Florence Nightingale museum and learned all about her, she was another I had heard of but didn't know much about. This woman did amazing things for cleanliness of hospitals as well as saving soldiers from diseases. She was an incredibly independent woman and became very well respected in Britain.
Her well off parents didn't want her to become a nurse because it wasn't a job many saw as worthy, they wanted her to marry rich. Although she was proposed to she declined, she believed from a young age she was supposed to be serving god and nursing was how she planned on doing so.
It took Nightingale sometime to get experience as a nurse, she did training in Germany for a couple months. She was then asked to oversee the nurse teams at the military hospitals for British soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean war. Florence Nightingale started a training school for nurses at St. Thomas' hospital in London. When the nurses were done being trained they went to other hospitals to teach others about Florence Nightingale's theories and so forth. Some of the practices and theories she brought to the table are still being used by nurses and hospitals today.
Anytime I learn about a woman who puts her career and herself before a man or marriage I'm immediately intrigued. It's always great to see women being truly independent and not needing a man in order to live her life which is what Florence Nightingale did and she was unbelievably successful. I'm completely appreciative of her practices in keeping hospitals clean and I think it's great that she made sure to do what she could to keep more soldiers alive. It was very inspiring and reassuring to see her doing things on her own and being all that she could.
Her well off parents didn't want her to become a nurse because it wasn't a job many saw as worthy, they wanted her to marry rich. Although she was proposed to she declined, she believed from a young age she was supposed to be serving god and nursing was how she planned on doing so.
It took Nightingale sometime to get experience as a nurse, she did training in Germany for a couple months. She was then asked to oversee the nurse teams at the military hospitals for British soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean war. Florence Nightingale started a training school for nurses at St. Thomas' hospital in London. When the nurses were done being trained they went to other hospitals to teach others about Florence Nightingale's theories and so forth. Some of the practices and theories she brought to the table are still being used by nurses and hospitals today.
Anytime I learn about a woman who puts her career and herself before a man or marriage I'm immediately intrigued. It's always great to see women being truly independent and not needing a man in order to live her life which is what Florence Nightingale did and she was unbelievably successful. I'm completely appreciative of her practices in keeping hospitals clean and I think it's great that she made sure to do what she could to keep more soldiers alive. It was very inspiring and reassuring to see her doing things on her own and being all that she could.
Admiral Horatio Nelson
Admiral Horatio Nelson is a very important man in British history. He can be found and or referenced everywhere you look in London. He had no problems taking action in whatever he felt was right. His bold decisions however, did cost him one of his eyes in a battle. He also lost part of his arm in a different battle.
Nelson was another determined soul in British history. He helped to prevent Napoleon's invasion on Britain in the battle of Trafalgar. Trafalgar was his last, he was hit by a bullet the first day. His state funeral was held in St. Paul's cathedral where he is also buried.
Nelson has a couple different extravagant monuments in his honor. His tomb in St. Paul's is incredibly large and intricate. It was in the middle of the crypt, there was no missing it. You can also see him when walking up to Trafalgar Square. Admiral Nelson is very much so appreciated in London.
Nelson was another determined soul in British history. He helped to prevent Napoleon's invasion on Britain in the battle of Trafalgar. Trafalgar was his last, he was hit by a bullet the first day. His state funeral was held in St. Paul's cathedral where he is also buried.
Nelson has a couple different extravagant monuments in his honor. His tomb in St. Paul's is incredibly large and intricate. It was in the middle of the crypt, there was no missing it. You can also see him when walking up to Trafalgar Square. Admiral Nelson is very much so appreciated in London.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin studied medicine at Edinburgh university after two years began attending Cambridge to become a clergyman. After attending Cambridge he sailed to Brazil on the Beagle. Darwin did quite a bit of traveling as well as research while sailing and wrote books based on his experience.
A man by the name of Charles Lyell influenced Darwin. Lyell was a geologist who had theories about rocks changing over time but it wasn't a quick process. Darwin took that theory and applied it to animals and humans. . While in London the group was able to see Darwin's tombstone when we went to visit Westminster Abbey. His funeral was held in Westminster Abbey where he is also buried. Thousands of people attended his funeral in 1882.
Darwin's theory of evolution can still make a for a heated debate today. In school we weren't taught about this subject, it was much too touchy because of religious and personal beliefs however it is an interesting thought. I don't see his intentions as trying to create waves when he came up with this theory but I do think it is something that everyone should take a second thought to
A man by the name of Charles Lyell influenced Darwin. Lyell was a geologist who had theories about rocks changing over time but it wasn't a quick process. Darwin took that theory and applied it to animals and humans. . While in London the group was able to see Darwin's tombstone when we went to visit Westminster Abbey. His funeral was held in Westminster Abbey where he is also buried. Thousands of people attended his funeral in 1882.
Darwin's theory of evolution can still make a for a heated debate today. In school we weren't taught about this subject, it was much too touchy because of religious and personal beliefs however it is an interesting thought. I don't see his intentions as trying to create waves when he came up with this theory but I do think it is something that everyone should take a second thought to