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The Friday Digest 12/07/13

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THP Friday digest


The Friday Digest brings you the best of the week's history news gathered from the experts:

 

Fred Perry and Andy Murray. Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23227051 (c) Getty images


* Sport (and tennis in particular) has been top of the news agenda this week after Andy Murray became the first British man to win at Wimbledon in 77 years. Fred Perry was the last man to win the championship in 1936 and his legacy was a troubled one with Perry being deemed an outcast by many. The BBC have compared the two champions and you can even see them playing against each other!

But in all the excitement of Andy Murray winning after 77 years, many have forgotten that Virginia Wade was the last Briton to win a singles title at Wimbledon on 2 July 1977 after Fred Perry. So what is her legacy?

* Cricket is another popular summer sport and Mark Bryant looks at how the traditional English game has inspired cartoonists since at least the eighteenth century
 

Death Valley's Furnace Creek. Image from http://www.history.com/news/the-hottest-day-on-earth-100-years-ago (c) Istockphotos.com


* The UK is currently in the midst of its own little heatwave, with temperatures set to rise to 32 degrees over the weekend but even these scorching temperatures can't compare to the 'hottest day on earth' which took place 100 years ago. In honour of the good weather, the BBC has a mini quiz on heatwaves- how much do you really  know about the sunshine?  

The Palace of the Peaks: Derbyshire’s stately Chatsworth House is a model of serenity and its balance of the past and present illustrates why it is so popular with all its visitors. Image from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/periodproperty/10162080/Alan-Titchmarsh-a-stately-home-thats-got-it-just-right.html. Photo: Lorne Campbell


* For those people looking for something to do this weekend, there are a few interesting options. The Tower of London has relaunched their historic Line of Kings exhibition, which is believed to be the longest running visitor attraction in the world and features armour, life-sized wooden horses and figures of kings which looks like it is well worth a visit. 


* Weston Park Museum in Sheffield has a new exhibition which charts the history of colour – from traditional natural sources for dyes and pigments to scientific advances in the creation of synthetic hues. 'Colour Coded' will be running until 26th January which gives you plenty of time to organise a visit. 


* Chatsworth has been used as a location in many films and television shows including the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice as Mr Darcy's home of Pemberley. Fans of Austen can see
a fabulous collection of the actual costumes worn by stars of TV and film including the infamous shirt worn by Colin Firth in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice at Belsay Hall this weekend. Fans may also wish to see the 12 ft statue of Mr Darcy in the Serpentine lake in London's Hyde Park - it is certainly striking!


* Why
 Chatsworth is the ideal standard for stately homes to aspire to...
 

Book shelf. Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/39136843@N05/3709418364/


* 20 famous writers on what inspired their work...

*  Do you buy books in a bookstore or wait until you get home to order them?

* Struggling to think of a new book idea? Unsure who to pitch your manuscript to? Literary agents and editors share their wishlists...

* What exactly is a book?

* The winner of the Book Illustration Competition was announced this week and here you can see some of the stunning cover designs that were submitted to the competion.

* Author and new mother, Vicki Murphy, on why writing a book is harder than giving birth.


Princess Diana and baby William; the Queen with her family; the Queen and Princess Margaret as children; Duchess of Cambridge. Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22971177


* The royal baby is due any day now, but should we expect revolution in the nursery? It is always difficult to know what gift to get a new baby but here are some ideas from all around the world.
 

Winston Churchill, with his wife Clementine, on tour in the United States during the 1930s. Image from http://www.historytoday.com/roland-quinault/churchill-bulldog-still-bites


* Almost 50 years after his death, Winston Churchill continues to fascinate historians and the public alike but what is it about him that inspires such discussion?
 

Face of Mary, Queen of Scots. Image from http://earlymodernengland.com/2013/06/face-of-mary-queen-of-scots-brought-to-life/


* The face of Mary, Queen of Scots has been brought to life by a team of experts from the University of Dundee. The team have previously worked on projects to reconstruct the faces of Bach, Cleopatra’s sister, Simon of Sudbury and Richard III among others.
 

Tap o'Noth Hill fort, Aberdeenshire. Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23203500 (c) Atlas of Hill Forts Project


* A volunteer army has been drafted to map every ancient hill fort in Britain. Enthusiasts are being asked to identify and record features such as ramparts, ditches and entrances to help to create an online atlas of around 5,000 of these Iron Age monuments.
 

Image (c) Ivan McClellan Photography. Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanmcclellan/8184328696/sizes/m/in/photolist-dtdPMs-bzGLss-dJJQ4W-bnFJL6-95FTBM-aUYD1T-9yTd7L-7zu6Qq-eAgULg-8pZhVf-boZRqH-boZRiP-boZRZz-ceFnDU-bvuScb-9Y4VN1-9wKyGd-9Y4VMY-7Szz3w-9NavxZ-9NdgHo-9NavXa-9NdgN3-9Ndgw1-9NavBT-9NavUc-9wKyVm-98yWRU-bznpFk-cs4Si5-boZRxz-cLZ119-9XrNUV-9XrAKn-9XrH6c-9Xuj75-9XrKKr-9XuqtQ-9XunoQ-boZRDX-9Xugm7-boZRMe-dHai4j-9XuJzf-dxokfY-dxok9u-7EVygZ-7Yqv3L-89SBTW-ezbMiQ/


* 7 billion people and you, what's your number? Apparently I was the 5,244,082,298th person to be born on Earth, which is pretty insane! 
 

Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, has been mapped for the first time using laser light. Image from http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/angkor-wat-bigger-than-thought-130710.htm (c) Istockphoto


* Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, has been mapped for the first time using laser light.
 

 US soldier guards Route 7 as Vietnamese women and school children return home. Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23037957

* Could one man have shortened the Vietnam War


Which history and publishing stories have you enjoyed reading this week?


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