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GMC Forum _ CHILL OUT _ History ?
Posted by: Ben Higgins Dec 22 2012, 10:53 AM
I've recently been inspired to learn more about the history of Britain and its settlement by Celtic and then Germanic tribes from Europe. At school, History & Geography were my 2 favourite subjects but I never really kept studying anything particularly. I'd really like to know more about what made this island what it is, I think we kind of owe it to ourselves to know more about our countries.
I just wondered if anyone else has ever been inspired to learn more about the history of their own country and, if so, what have they found out ? 
Posted by: Sensible Jones Dec 22 2012, 04:49 PM
I love History of all kinds. There's lots of it locally to me, from an old Burial Mound, one of the oldest Churches in the area etc!!
I've also visited quite a few Stone Circles and Long Barrows too.
Posted by: bleez Dec 22 2012, 05:14 PM
I watch quite a lot of the history docs on tv. I tried reading a couple of books on british history but they were a bit dry ( or too clever! ). There's a hill near me where I used to go running which was the site of an iron age fort, its was really cool especially early morning when it was totally deserted. I'd really like to visit some of the awesome standing stones around the UK.
that sounds cool. I dunno if there are any near me but something like that would be really good to see.
Posted by: Qenzoz Dec 22 2012, 06:35 PM
Denmark... Bacon... Nothing more I need to know
Posted by: Ben Higgins Dec 22 2012, 07:01 PM
I've also visited quite a few Stone Circles and Long Barrows too.
Yeah I used to love going up old hill forts, of which there are quite a few near me. Cadbury Castle is a particular beauty. The Lakes have also got some brilliant stone circles like Castlerigg. Of course, everybody knows that certain stone thingy in Wiltshire...
There's a man who knows his history !
Posted by: Sensible Jones Dec 22 2012, 07:03 PM
Avebury!!!!!
Right next to Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow!!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Dec 22 2012, 07:10 PM
Right next to Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow!!
I think Avebury is actually the oldest, is it not ?
Posted by: Sensible Jones Dec 22 2012, 07:50 PM
Avebury as it is now was built by someone in the Victorian era and is now owned by the National Trust! As is Silbury Hill!
Posted by: MonkeyDAthos Dec 23 2012, 02:07 AM
Portugal has a ton and ton and ton of history, but to be honest, i was never that much interesseted in the past. Maybe some day!
I am actually gonna start studying that, i've got exam this year (English one, since the class didn't open this year in my school), that's one of the subjects, i think.
Posted by: fkalich Dec 23 2012, 04:29 AM
I read about 30 or 40 books dealing with History in some form a year. One of my favorite authors is your Sir Max Hastings. Well I believe he lives in Kenya, but he is a Brit. My favorite is his is this, on the final year of WWII in the Pacific theater.
http://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Battle-Japan-1944-45-Vintage/dp/0307275361/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356232375&sr=8-2&keywords=max+hastings
I have also read his book on the Korean War and on Churchill. Hastings has the unusual quality of being able to put himself in the context of the time and place he is covering. Few can do that, even most who call themselves professional "Historians". To do that you have to be able to forget everything that has happened since the events occurred, and also grasp the cultures of the parties concerned. This is very difficult to do even if you try, and many don't try, they just want to look on the past as if it were occurring in today's modern world, and judge it accordingly.
If you want to listen to an interview, here is one on his most recent book, "Inferno". I forgot that I had read that, I read so much that I forget what I have read sometimes. He is very eloquent, I look for that in any author. Without that they are always crap peddlers, eloquence and understanding go hand in hand.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/MaxH
My favorite book on American History is "The Ascent of George Washington" by John Ferling.
http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-George-Washington-Political-American/dp/B005K6OZBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356233820&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ascent+of+george+washington
Some Americans don't like this book, they don't like to see their hero's mythology debunked, the marble men knocked off their pedestals.
I will throw one more at you, that I am reading now. An unusual perspective on WWI. The author is American, but he mostly writes about Britain.
http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Rebellion-1914-1918/dp/B008PIC0T8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356234510&sr=8-1&keywords=to+end+all+wars
I just wondered if anyone else has ever been inspired to learn more about the history of their own country and, if so, what have they found out ?
Posted by: Ben Higgins Dec 23 2012, 10:57 AM
http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Rebellion-1914-1918/dp/B008PIC0T8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356234510&sr=8-1&keywords=to+end+all+wars
Those books all look really good. For me, I'd definitely be most interested in the final one.. the Amazon interview was good and this Q & A showed an interesting perspective on the war:
Q: What are you trying to do in To End All Wars that makes it different from other books about the First World War?
A: Most books about any war, including this one, tell the story as a conflict between two sides. Instead, I’ve tried to tell the story of 1914–1918 as a struggle between those who felt the war was something noble and necessary, and those who felt it was absolute madness.
Posted by: Marek Rojewski Dec 23 2012, 11:25 AM
I've loved history since childhood, so it's hard to say what I could discover about my country, I knew "everything" since I can remember The only period I'm not really found in history is XIX century more less, maybe excluding the fall of the Shogunate at that time, and the American Civil War. Maybe it's because excluding the short resurection of Poland by Bonaparte, it was under occupation for the whole century (but probably not, because Ancient history is one of my favorite, and I don't need to mention there was no Poland in these times either [even thought a Polish historician in the middle ages wrote bull s... about a ancient slavian/polish prince that fought with Alexander the Great 
]).
Posted by: Gitarrero Dec 23 2012, 11:47 AM
I tried to find out more about German history when I was a child but found out so many shocking things that I never checked again!
No, seriously, I love history and geography (these two are sometimes closely combined), that's why I studied Geography in the first place. There are so many interesting things to be found out about all countries in the world that I don't even know where to begin.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Dec 23 2012, 02:33 PM
Yep, you could spend a lifetime on this stuff !!
Posted by: Sensible Jones Dec 23 2012, 06:03 PM
If 'Timeteam' had been on the TV when I was at school I would have seriously considered a career in Archeology/Paleontology!
Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 8 2013, 10:09 PM
Actually YES! As in the post about Sweden you saw I looked in to my own history and found the BORDER REAVER background that defines my families deep historical past. But of course, it's good to keep an open mind and perspective as you may find your descended from Bandits and Horsethieves (Like me!)
Todd
I just wondered if anyone else has ever been inspired to learn more about the history of their own country and, if so, what have they found out ?
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jan 10 2013, 10:31 AM
I looked in to my own history and found the BORDER REAVER background that defines my families deep historical past. But of course, it's good to keep an open mind and perspective as you may find your descended from Bandits and Horsethieves (Like me!)Todd
Let's face it.. any Caucasian living anywhere, including our American cousins.. are descended from Europeans. Heritage is funny.. it's like 'How far back do you take it ?'
Do you take it back as far as the answer you like ? Or do we all just accept that we basically came from the same landmasses originally ? Who knows ? It's interesting though
Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 11 2013, 06:57 AM
I'm looking at it through the context of Family Name. To try to pinpoint where the name came from since it started showing up in records at all. Not really trying to work out the lineage prior to the fam crest/name because as you wisely mention, you take it back far enough and it's really all the same.
Do you take it back as far as the answer you like ? Or do we all just accept that we basically came from the same landmasses originally ? Who knows ? It's interesting though
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jan 11 2013, 11:07 AM
Oh I get it.. yeah, the names side of things is really interesting too and in fact, probably more reliable in terms of where we came from
Posted by: Sensible Jones Jan 11 2013, 01:03 PM
My surname originates from the Viking and Celt Traders that used to make encampments under Hadrian's Wall. Hence my claim to a Half Celt/Half Viking ancestry!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jan 11 2013, 06:30 PM
That's awesome, I didn't know that
Those were the days !!
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