What Was Cholera and Why Did It Terrify Victorian Britain?

What Was Cholera and Why Did It Terrify Victorian Britain?

Today I want to take a look at one of the deadliest diseases of the Victorian era. That is Cholera. Cholera spread fear across Britain because it could strike without warning. It could kill healthy people in just a matter of hours.

Cholera is a bacterial disease. It spreads through water or food that is contaminated with human waste. During the early Victorian period, most people did not know this. Many people believed that diseases were caused by bad smells in the air, known as "miasma."

Britain experienced several major cholera outbreaks during the 19th century. Starting in 1831. The crowded towns and cities that were created by the Industrial Revolution often had poor sanitation. Many families lived without proper sewers, clean running water or effective waste disposal. This let the disease to spread fast.

The symptoms were terrifying. The victims suffered from severe vomiting, diarrhoea, painful muscle cramps and extreme dehydration. Within only hours, they could become dangerously weak, their skin taking on a bluish-grey appearance because of the loss of fluids. Many people tragically died the same day they became ill.

One of the most important turning points happened in 1854. Dr John Snow investigated a deadly outbreak in Soho. He found that many victims had used water from the Broad Street pump. After the pump handle had been removed, the outbreak declined. But historians do note that the outbreak had already begun to decline naturally by the time the handle was removed. However, removing it became the famous symbolic event supporting Snow's findings. His investigation became one of the foundations of modern epidemiology and it helped to prove that contaminated water, not bad air, was spreading cholera.

The outbreaks eventually led to major improvements in public health. New sewer systems, cleaner water supplies and better sanitation transformed Britain's towns and cities, saving countless lives in the years that followed.

It is difficult to imagine living in a time when something as simple as drinking a glass of water could be deadly.

Had you realised that it was contaminated water, rather than bad air, that caused cholera?

Anne Frank Part 9: The Hidden Heroes Behind Anne Frank's Survival

Anne Frank Part 9: The Hidden Heroes Behind Anne Frank's Survival

Image info: Miep and Jan Gies

Today I want to take a look at the extraordinary people who risked everything to keep Anne Frank and the seven others alive. Without their courage, the people in the annex would not have likely not lived beyond just a few days.

The most well-known was Miep Gies, but she did not care for them alone. She was helped by Jan Gies, her husband, Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl, they all supported the people in hiding for more than two years. This carried enormous risk. If they had been caught helping Jewish people, they could have been imprisoned or even killed.

Image info:

Bep Voskuijl

The helpers were not strangers. Most already knew Otto Frank through his businesses in Amsterdam. They had earned his trust long before the family went into hiding. Miep Gies worked as an office assistant, Bep Voskuijl was a young office worker, Victor Kugler helped manage the business, Johannes Kleiman was one of Otto’s closest business associates, and Miep’s husband, Jan Gies, became involved through her. When Otto’s carefully prepared hiding plan became a reality in July 1942, these loyal friends and colleagues willingly risked their own lives to protect the eight people hidden in the Secret Annex.

The helpers brought food, clothing, books, newspapers and other supplies whenever they could. During the war, food was rationed and it was often difficult to get hold of. Finding enough food for eight extra people was a challenge. They collected extra ration coupons through contacts. They also tried to buy small amounts of food from different shops to try and avoid being found out. They sometimes had to use on the black market in spite of the high prices. They even shared some of their own limited food. Attracting attention could have exposed both the helpers and everyone hiding in the Annex.

They passed on news from the outside world, which helped those in hiding to stay connected.

Miep Gies became quite close to Anne. She brought books and little treats to the annex to try and lift everyone's spirits. 

The helpers also helped to protect Otto’s business as much as they could. They made sure that the Annex stayed secret and that the workers didn’t discover them. The bravery of the helpers kept the hiding place secret for over two years.

Miep Gies found Anne's diary on the floor of the Annex after the arrest. She collected the pages up and kept them safe, hoping that one day she could give them back to Anne. But, she gave them to Otto Frank, sadly he was the only member of the eight to survive. Because of her decision to preserve the diary, millions of people around the world have been able to read Anne's words.

The courage of these people reminds us that even during history's darkest moments, people could still choose compassion.

What do you think gave the helpers the courage to keep going for more than two years?

Norwich Cathedral Part 3: How Was Norwich Cathedral Built More Than 900 Years Ago?

Norwich Cathedral Part 3: How Was Norwich Cathedral Built More Than 900 Years Ago?

Today I want to take a look at how Norwich Cathedral grew into one of the finest Norman buildings in Europe. It is amazing to think that everything was built by hand, using the skills of medieval craftsmen more than 900 years ago.

Work on Norwich Cathedral started in 1096 under the direction of Bishop Herbert de Losinga. Building a cathedral on this scale was a massive undertaking and it would take many years to complete. Every stage had to be carefully organised, they needed to obtain the stone and shape each block and then lift it into position.

The finest limestone was brought from Caen in Normandy by ship before it travelled inland to Norwich. Builders also used local flint, which can still be seen in many parts of the cathedral today. The abundance of flint in Norfolk meant it was used to build many medieval buildings, giving the county a lot of its distinctive historic architecture. The combination of these materials created a building that was both strong and beautiful.

Construction was started at the eastern end, where the choir was built first. This allowed the monks to begin holding services even before the rest of the cathedral had been built. Hundreds of workers cut the stone, built scaffolding and carefully put each piece into place. This gave many families a steady income and helping the local economy to grow.

By 1101, the choir was ready to be used. Over the following years, the rest of the cathedral started to take shape. The main building was largely completed by the early 12th century. Later features were added, including the impressive stone spire that was added in the 15th century, it still dominates Norwich’s skyline today.

More than nine centuries after construction began, Norwich Cathedral still shows the power and influence the Normans had on the city.

Next time, we’ll step inside the cathedral to discover what everyday life was like for the Benedictine monks who lived there.

What amazes you most about medieval cathedral building?

Anne Frank Part 8: How Did Eight People Survive Day After Day in the Secret Annex?

Anne Frank Part 8: How Did Eight People Survive Day After Day in the Secret Annex?

 

Today I want to take a look at what everyday life was really like in the annex once all of the eight people were living together. Although they had escaped deportation, every single day was controlled. There was routine and the constant risk of being discovered. The fear must have been overwhelming.

 

From Monday to Saturday, they  followed a strict timetable. Before the warehouse workers arrived, everyone rushed to wash, use the bathroom and eat breakfast. From around 8:30 in the morning until the workers left in the evening, they had to remain almost completely silent. They could not run water, walk heavily, speak loudly or even flush the toilet if there was a risk of being heard below. Even dropping a spoon or moving a chair could have put all eight lives in danger.

 

To pass the many hours, Anne continued with her schoolwork, read books, practised languages and wrote in her diary. Otto Frank spent a lot of his time helping to oversee his businesses from the Annex, discussing important matters with the helpers who carried messages between him and his employees whenever it was safe to do so. He also educated Anne and Margot, while the other adults read, studied or completed household tasks. Fritz Pfeffer often spent part of the day writing letters to his fiancée, Charlotte Kaletta, who he had been separated from because she was not Jewish. The helpers secretly passed on some of his letters whenever they could. Anne, who had to share her tiny bedroom and writing table with Fritz, often became frustrated because he spent so long writing his letters and this left her with little space for her study or writing in her diary. At lunchtime, Miep Gies, Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl brought food, supplies and news from the outside world. Without their courage, the people in hiding could not have survived as long as they did.

 

When the workers went home, the Annex came to life. Meals could be finally be cooked, the radio was also switched on to listen secretly to BBC broadcasts, conversations became louder and everyone could move around a lot more freely. But these brief moments of normality, didn’t stop arguments from happening. The eight people shared such a small space with almost no privacy so it was inevitable.

 

It is remarkable that they managed to live this way for more than two years.

 

Which part of life in the Secret Annex do you think would have been the hardest to cope with?

 

 

 

 

 

The Extraordinary Day Elizabeth I Became Queen of England

The Extraordinary Day Elizabeth I Became Queen of England

Imagine spending years under suspicion...only to wake up one day to find out you were now Queen of England. That is exactly what happened to Elizabeth on the 17th of November 1558.

Elizabeth I

Today I want to take a look at the day Elizabeth I became Queen of England and how her life changed forever.

Tower of London

On the 17th of November 1558, 25-year-old Elizabeth was living at Hatfield Palace in Hertfordshire when news arrived that her half-sister, Queen Mary I, had died after a long illness at the age of 42. She had reigned for just over 5 years.

Elizabeth I

Mary had been seriously ill for several weeks before her death. She had suffered two phantom pregnancies during her reign, which left her physically and emotionally drained. The exact cause of her illness is unknown, but historians believe she may have died from influenza, pneumonia or an underlying illness such as cancer.

Mary I

Elizabeth was not with Mary when she died. The sisters had shared a difficult relationship for many years. After Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554, Mary suspected Elizabeth of supporting the plot to overthrow her. Although no evidence was ever found against her, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for about two months before she was moved to Woodstock Palace, where she stayed under house arrest for about a year.

Hatfield House

Eventually, Mary allowed Elizabeth to live at Hatfield Palace. She was no longer a prisoner, but she was still kept under close watch and she also needed to get permission to travel. Hatfield had become her main residence during the final years of Mary's reign, so it was there that she waited as Mary's health steadily declined.

When Mary died, members of the Privy Council, including Sir William Cecil, travelled to Hatfield to tell Elizabeth that she was now Queen of England. It is believed that Elizabeth walked into the palace gardens, knelt beneath an oak tree and quoted Psalm 118:23:

"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."

In a single moment, everything changed for Elizabeth. She had spent years living under suspicion and uncertainty but now found herself ruling a country that was deeply divided by religion, facing financial difficulties and threatened by powerful enemies.

The news spread across England, but the reaction was mixed. Many Protestants celebrated Elizabeth’s accession, they hoped she would bring an end to the religious persecutions of Mary’s reign. Many Catholics, mourned Mary’s death and feared that England would again move away from the Catholic faith. For most ordinary people, the greatest hope was simply that the new queen would bring peace and stability.

For the six days she stayed at Hatfield, she received members of the Privy Council, welcomed nobles and ambassadors, held her first meetings with advisers and also began making important decisions about her new reign. Although she had only just become queen, the work of governing England had already begun.

Six days after becoming queen, on 23rd of November 1558, Elizabeth made her way to London. There were crowds lining the streets to welcome her, and she took up residence in the Tower of London. Just four years earlier she had entered the Tower as a prisoner. Now, she returned as Queen of England. How dramatically her fortunes had changed!

Against all expectations, Elizabeth would reign for almost 45 years. Her reign became known as the Elizabethan Age, it is remembered for its relative stability, flourishing culture, exploration and some of England's greatest achievements.

How do you think Elizabeth felt that she had survived Mary's reign? 

Anne Frank Part 7: Fritz Pfeffer Joins the Secret Annex

Anne Frank Part 7: Fritz Pfeffer Joins the Secret Annex

Today I want to take a look at the arrival of the final person to join the Secret Annex. By the time Fritz Pfeffer arrived, the Frank family and the Van Pels family had already been there for just over four months. They had settled into a routine, but life was increasingly cramped and stressful.

On the 16th of November 1942, Fritz Pfeffer, a 53-year-old Jewish dentist who had fled Germany years earlier, arrived at the Secret Annex. Otto Frank already knew Fritz through their shared circle of Jewish friends in Amsterdam, and the two had remained in contact as conditions for Jewish families became increasingly dangerous. Fritz had been living alone after he had been separated from his fiancée, Charlotte Kaletta, who was not Jewish. Otto Frank and his helpers decided that Fritz was no longer safe living on his own and offered him a place in the Annex. Once the warehouse workers had gone home for the day, Victor Kugler escorted him to the Secret Annex.

In her diary, Anne referred to him by the pseudonym Albert Dussel, in order to protect his identity if the diary was ever discovered. At first, Anne was pleased that someone new had joined them. She hoped he would have news from the outside world. But, her impressions soon changed.

There was no spare bedroom, so Anne had to share her tiny bedroom with Fritz and Margot moved in with her mother and father. For a thirteen-year-old girl who needed privacy, this was a difficult adjustment. Anne was often frustrated that she could never really be alone, and they had arguments over the small desk where she wanted to write her diary.

Anne described Fritz as disciplined, quiet and very set in his ways. He liked order, expected silence and could be quite strict. Anne was the opposite, she was lively, curious and independent. Their different personalities often clashed, and Anne felt he treated her like a child rather than listening to her. Although Anne's diary can make Fritz seem difficult, it is important to remember that we are seeing him through the eyes of a teenage girl living under unimaginable pressure. Fritz, like everyone else in the Annex, was also living with constant fear and he must have felt more alone than the others because he had no family with him.

His arrival also changed what life was like in the Annex. Privacy almost disappeared entirely, and the already limited food and supplies now had to be shared between eight people. Despite the tensions, they continued to rely on one another and on their helpers as they tried to stay hidden.

Next time, I want to take a look at what a day was really like for the people inside the Annex.

How do you think you would have felt having to share one tiny bedroom with a complete stranger?

Why Did Victorians Wear Black for So Long After Someone Died?

Why Did Victorians Wear Black for So Long After Someone Died?

Today I want to take a look at why mourning clothes were so important to Victorians. If you had lived during Queen Victoria's reign, losing a loved one did not just bring grief. Society expected you to show your sadness, sometimes for years.

The custom became especially common after Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861. The Queen was, as you can expect, devastated and wore black for the remaining forty years of her life. Her example influenced millions of people all across Britain. It made long periods of mourning fashionable as well as socially expected.

Image info:

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and his sisters

Date: 1835

The rules you followed depended on who had died. A widow was expected to wear full mourning for around two years, with the first year usually requiring plain, dull black clothing made from non-shiny fabrics such as crepe. Jewellery was usually limited to jet or pieces containing the hair of the person who had died. A widower often mourned for a much shorter period, usually around three months to a year, while children, parents, siblings and more distant relatives all had different recommended mourning periods.

Mourners could move into half mourning after a while. That meant that instead of wearing only black, they could wear colours like as purple, lavender, mauve, grey and white became acceptable. Purple was especially associated with half mourning because it symbolised dignity, remembrance and the gradual return to everyday life without suggesting that grief was gone.

Although many people genuinely wanted to honour the dead, there was a very strong social pressure. By wearing mourning clothes you showed respect for the deceased and also demonstrated that the family understood duty, reputation and proper behaviour. Failing to follow the expected customs could attract criticism.

Today, mourning is usually a deeper personal experience, but in Victorian Britain it was also to be something that was seen.

Do you think that these strict mourning traditions helped people to cope with grief, or do you think that they made an already difficult time even harder?