Month: September 2020

Discoveries

Silicone

It is hard to imagine life today without the multitudinous ways in which silicone is employed, from shampoo to contact lenses to […]

It is hard to imagine life today without the multitudinous ways in which silicone is employed, from shampoo to contact lenses to gaskets in aero-engines. Frederic Stanley Kipping (1863-1949) from Lancashire was the first chemist to fully investigate and experiment with the synthesis of silicone compounds and he coined the name ‘silicone’ in 1904. His work in this field lasted from 1901 to his retirement in 1936 and he published 57 papers on it.

The availability of silicone as a rubber substitute was crucial in WW2. In reply to a tribute in 1945 that he and Churchill had ‘won the War’, he famously quipped “Why bring Churchill into it?”! No doubt he would have been just as proud to know that one of the first man-made materials landing on the Moon in 1969 was destined to be the silicone sole of Neil Armstrong’s boot.

With his brother-in-law, the equally eminent chemist William Henry Perkin Jnr. (1860-1929), Kipping wrote ‘Organic Chemistry’ (1894), a classic textbook for six decades. Yet it is his pioneering work on organic/inorganic silicon polymers at the University of Nottingham that has revolutionised industry, medicine, computing, aerospace technology and many other areas of life. Silicone’s amazingly versatile properties place it high in the factors propelling modern civilisation.

(Image of silicone baking tray and oven mitt: pixy.org / CC0)

30/09/2020
3 min
4 years
216 words

Tyndale’s New Testament

William Tyndale (c.1491-1536) from Gloucestershire was a martyr to the English language in his self-appointed though ultimately fatal mission to produce an […]

William Tyndale (c.1491-1536) from Gloucestershire was a martyr to the English language in his self-appointed though ultimately fatal mission to produce an English translation of the Bible for the ordinary citizen subjugated by the Church’s adherence to Latin. The English language owes this pioneer immense gratitude, not only in unlocking access to the Bible but also in elevating and enriching the language of the English populace.

After studying at Oxford, Tyndale became a priest in 1515. In 1523 he went to London to seek a sponsor for his daring Bible project, punishable by death if discovered, but in 1524 decided it would be safer in Germany. Translated directly from the Greek text, Tyndale’s New Testament was finally printed in 1526 and copies were smuggled into England.

Undeterred by denouncements of heresy by the panicked Establishment, Tyndale, now in Belgium, began his translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew. This was halted in 1535 when he was betrayed, imprisoned for 18 months, then strangled and burned at the stake. However, he had started the ball rolling and in 1611 the King James Version of the Bible incorporated much of Tyndale’s work. The perceived threat had turned out to be a golden opportunity to ‘spread the Word’ even further.

(Image: Weglinde at Wikimedia Commons / Public domain)

24/09/2020
3 min
4 years
211 words

History

The Hundred Years War

European and British monarchies’ intertwinement led to an incongruous English claim on parts of a disunited France in the 14th and 15th […]

European and British monarchies’ intertwinement led to an incongruous English claim on parts of a disunited France in the 14th and 15th centuries. Five successive generations of Kings and nobles squabbled and fought, mainly on French soil, over French titles and land. The term ‘The Hundred Years War‘ is shorthand for many skirmishes and battles throughout this period, which were to spawn a pride in nation on both sides of the Channel.

It began in 1337 when the French King Philip VI confiscated the English possession of Aquitaine in south-west France, a royal inheritance which had long irritated the French. The English King Edward III (1312-77) successfully used his valid claim to the French throne as a bargaining chip in the ensuing hostilities and was given not just Aquitaine but other regions too. Many years of gains and losses followed, bringing confusion and unrest to the French people.

Battles won by the English included Agincourt in 1415, an overwhelming victory. Eventually, the French were inspired by a young woman, Joan of Arc, to pull together, repel the intruders and support their King. Despite another English-French royal marriage, the English left in 1453 with just the town of Calais still under their control, held until 1558.

(Top image of longbow demonstration: Peter Trimming at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

20/09/2020
3 min
4 years
214 words

Religion

Britain’s first Christian churches

South Wales may be the site of Britain’s first Christian church, established by St. Ilid who in 37AD fled from the persecution […]

South Wales may be the site of Britain’s first Christian church, established by St. Ilid who in 37AD fled from the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire, which had not yet ventured north into Britain. The church was open-air and round, much like a Druidic meeting-place. The men would file into the circle and the women would gather outside. Ilid would then have preached from the centre. Naturally, this is difficult to prove and there are conflicting stories, including one that claims St. Ilid was actually Joseph of Arimathea.

For hard evidence of the first churches, it is Northumberland which seems to yield the most relevant archaeological finds and in 2020 the fragments of a chalice etched with Christian symbols was unearthed at a Romano-British fort at Hadrian’s Wall, to much excitement.

However, the oldest surviving (though modified) church is in Canterbury, Kent. St. Martin’s Church dates from around 590 and functioned initially as a private Christian chapel for King Ethelbert’s wife, Queen Bertha. The missionary, St. Augustine, is also said to have worshipped there on his arrival in 597, before the King allowed him to add a cathedral and an abbey, with all three buildings now classified as World Heritage Sites.

(Image: pickpik.com / CC0)

13/09/2020
3 min
4 years
208 words

Politics

Lobby groups

Lobby groups, also known as pressure groups, have increased in number, scope and financial resources since the period of Margaret Thatcher‘s government. […]

Lobby groups, also known as pressure groups, have increased in number, scope and financial resources since the period of Margaret Thatcher‘s government. They aim to bring MPs and/or Lords round to their perspective, resulting in the implementation of new or amended legislation or policy. To the ordinary citizen it often seems that those with the loudest voices do indeed gain the most influence, but the process of lobbying is theoretically open to all.

Any individual can email or write to their constituency MP in order to make a suggestion or state a viewpoint. If several people do the same thing, that MP might take notice. However, lobby groups generally have the most influence, whether they are vociferous activists for a particular issue or a business group concerned with aspects of the economy. Some of the largest lobby groups in the UK are the Confederation of British Industry, Amnesty International, the Electoral Reform Society and UK Youth.

A mass lobby is a pre-arranged gathering of many lobbyists at the Houses of Parliament who meet with MPs. There is a code of conduct that applies to these meetings, which are often followed by a campaign rally or demonstration outside the building.

(Image: needpix.com / CC0)

07/09/2020
3 min
4 years
205 words

Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.