Teaching
History Online
Number
35: 31st March, 2002
Introduction
1.
D-Day
Letters
2.
Spanish
Civil War
3.
Spanish
Civil War: Dreams and Nightmares
4.
Medical
Timelines
5.
Third
Reich Pages Online
6.
Second
World War Pillboxes
7.
Schools
History Resources
8.
The
Sheffield Flood
9.
One
Time, One Place
Introduction
Spartacus Educational
publishes Teaching
History Online
every week. The newsletter includes news, reviews of websites and
articles on using ICT in the history classroom. Members of the mailing
list are invited to submit information for inclusion in future editions
of Teaching
History Online. In this way we hope to create
a community of people involved in using the Internet to teach history.
Currently there are 18,050 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
D-Day
Letters: The D-day invasion began with a dangerous attack by American
paratroopers. Dropped behind enemy lines to soften up the German troops
and to secure needed targets, the paratroopers knew that if the accompanying
assault by sea failed - there would be no rescue. Departing from Portland
Bill on the English Coast, the 101st and 82nd US Airborne Divisions
were dropped on the Cherbourg Peninsula. From that point, the 101st
division was to secure the western end behind UTAH and head off an
eastern German advance. The 82nd, landing farther inland, was to seize
the bridges and halt an advance from the west. This PBS website contains
a collection of letters written by the paratroopers involved in this
action. The words of the soldiers relay the many emotions experienced
by the men who fought on D-day.
Spanish
Civil War: A comprehensive encyclopedia of the
Spanish Civil War. Each
entry contains a narrative, illustrations and primary sources. The
text within each entry is hypertexted to other relevant pages in the
encyclopedia. In this way it is possible to research individual people
and events in great detail. The sources are also hypertexted so the
student is able to find out about the writer, artist, newspaper, organization,
etc., that produced the material. There are sections on:
Main
Events and Issues (6), Political Organizations (12), Military Organizations
(18), Important Battles (10), Biographies: Spanish (28), Biographies:
Foreign Participants and Observers (26) and International Leaders
and the Civil War (20).
Spanish
Civil War: Dreams and Nightmares:
This major special exhibition, the first of its kind to be mounted
in the United Kingdom, marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of the arrival
in Spain of the International Brigades - volunteers from France, Germany,
Italy, Britain, the United States and many other countries who flocked
to support the Republican government in its struggle against the Nationalist
forces under General Franco and their German and Italian allies. It
focuses on the personal experiences of soldiers and civilians, and
the impact of the war on artists, writers and intellectuals. Exhibits
have been assembled from museums, archives and private collections
in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France and Spain.
Medical
Timelines: HistoryWorld is a general history site, covering all
subjects, but it is particularly strong on medicine thanks to the
Wellcome Trust. Their magnificent contribution, written specifically
for the site by Dr. Carole Reeves, provides a wealth of fascinating
material and images. Dr. Reeves follows seven medical themes through
time, investigating each in lively detail. Each of her articles is
accompanied by an illustrated timeline, and these provide the most
enjoyable way of getting into the material. At a single click you
will find yourself absorbed in an illustrated timeline on Birth,
Death,
Drugs,
Hospitals,
Plagues,
Surgery
and Technology.
Third
Reich Pages Online: This website provides a collection of articles
on Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. This includes Adolf Hitler's Family
Background, The Roots of Hatred, Adolf Hitler - The Man Behind the
Myth, Rebellion in Bavaria 1921-23, Fuehrer and Warlord and The Final
Solution. The site also contains a current news section and biographies
of Reinhard Heydrich, Adolf Eichmann, Martin Bormann and Rudolf Hess.
Second
World War Pillboxes: In the summer of 1940 a network of defences
was hastily built all over the British Isles to prevent an anticipated
German invasion. Sited at road junctions, canals and other strategic
points these constructions were called "pillboxes". If the
Battle of Britain had turned out differently our fathers or grandfathers
might have died in one defending the freedoms which many now take
for granted. This site attempts to show what remains today.
Schools
History Resources: A large collection of freely downloadable resources
is available at the Schools History website. Resources include a large
selection of worksheets covering much of the curriculum at a variety
of levels, source material, assessment tools, pedagogical guides relating
to the Excellence in Cities initiative and Literacy along with many
user submitted powerpoint presentations and worksheets.
The
Sheffield Flood: In 1864, and in response to a growing demand
for a greatly improved water supply to the expanding town of Sheffield,
and the surrounding villages, the Sheffield Waterworks Company devised
the ambitious 'Bradfield Scheme': a plan to build four large reservoirs
in the hills surrounding Bradfield village - about 8 miles to them
north-west of Sheffield. The first was to be the giant Dale Dyke Dam,
and construction work commenced on 1st January, 1859. By late February
1864, only a few finishing touches were required to complete the embankment
and the reservoir was now almost full. On Friday the 11th. March 1864,
shortly before midnight, the newly built dam collapsed unleashing
a colossal mountain of water which thundered down on to the unsuspecting
population below. Six hundred and fifty million gallons of water roared
down the Loxley valley and into Sheffield, wreaking death and destruction
on a horrific scale. This website provides a detailed explanation
of the Sheffield Flood.
One
Time, One Place: Mouse Trap Farm is a place in Flanders near the
Belgium town of Ypres. During the Great War of 1914 - 1918, it became
part of the front line between the two great armies. In it's vicinity,
hundreds of thousands of men died. On the 26th April 1915 the 6th
battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, made a suicidal attack
at Mouse Trap Farm. Brian Grieves, whose grandfather was killed in
the offensive, has created a website on the events of that day. It
is designed to be of use in many teaching contingencies. It an be
a simple but gripping display - or an individual investigation for
the older, more able student. For the creative, involved teacher it
is a deep repository of ideas and stimulus which can be teacher -
led with a wide range of groups.
Please email John Simkin at spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
if you have information you want included in next month's edition
of Teaching
History Online.
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