A History of Fireworks: my interview on New Books Network

Great fun to be interviewed on New Books Network by Miranda Melcher about MY new book 'A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day' (Reaktion Books). We talked about their mysterious origins, and how they might have been a by-product of the search for eternal life, how they came to England, how Bonfire Night became both compulsory to celebrate by law and a focus for political disorder and hooliganism, the dramatic breakthroughs that got us to the sophisticated displays of today, how fireworks have been portrayed in the arts, their practical uses, for example, in rescuing shipwrecked mariners or trying to change the weather, and the challenges they now face because of noise and pollution. You can hear it all here:

 newbooksnetwork.com/history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day

Denmark Place: London's forgotten fire that killed 37 people

In 1980, the area in London's Charing Cross Road near the junction with Oxford Street where the new Tottenham Court Road station stands, was a hotbed of unlicensed drinking clubs. The police were always closing them down, but they always seemed to open up again under new management.

On Monday 18 August, they were due to close down a South American club named Rodo's and a Spanish night club, El Hueco, the Hole, which occupied the upper floors of a building in Denmark Place, behind Denmark Street, 'Tin Pan Alley', once the heart of London's rock scene.

Just after 3.30 in the morning on Saturday, 16 August, Soho fire station, just a few hundred yards away, got a call to say the Denmark Place building was on fire. The fire brigade had not even known of the clubs' existence. There were about 150 people inside, what should have been escape routes were locked, and the fire had spread so fast that some people died with drinks still in their hands.

As for those who got out, some were illegal immigrants and melted away into the night, including quite a few who seemed quite badly injured. A man was later convicted of deliberately starting the fire, and died in prison. For more, see my book London's Disasters from Boudicca to the Banking Crisis (The History Press).

Quoting the book and an interview that I did in 2015, the Daily Express has just published an article marking the 44th anniversary of the fire

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1945243/John-Thompson-uk-biggest-mass-murderer-denmark-place-fire

A couple of caveats about the article. The title of 'Britain's biggest mass murderer' has surely now been taken by Harold Shipman, while Grenfell now has the unenviable record of being London's worst fire since the Blitz.

Fireworks: the Honest Truth - from Scotland

It was good to be interviewed by Sally McDonald of the Sunday Post about my new book A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books). Here's what I told her

A History of Fireworks: hear me on Talk Radio Europe, while stocks last!

Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Giles Brown on Talk Radio Europe about my new book A History of Fireworks from Their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books).

We talked about their mysterious origins in ancient China, perhaps as a by-product of the search for eternal life, of their use in war, of how they came to Europe, and their first recorded appearance in England in 1487. Then there was Handel's music, and how the Shah of Persia liked the displays at London's Crystal Palace so much that he turned up incognito and paid at the door.

We talked about the famous brands - Standard, Brocks, Pains etc. Nor did we skate over firework disasters, and the challenges they now face from worries about pollution and their effects on animals.

You can catch the interview here https://www.talkradioeurope.com/on-demand/

At the bottom of the page, you can select the day, Thursday 8 August, and then the time 1000-1100. The interview starts at about 1035. It should be up until the end of tomorrow 14 August.

Fireworks: my new book and the Dorset dimension

My new book A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books) is out! 

https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day

The Dorset Echo has written a nice piece about it, pointing out that Dorchester, described in the 17th century as 'the most puritan town in England', was probably one of the first places to celebrate 5 November with fireworks. Bonfire Night, of course, marks the failure of Guy Fawkes' Catholic plot in 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The Echo also reports that by 1632 local constables were having to arrest apprentices who had been overdoing the celebrations. 

This illustrates the authorities' dilemma over 5 November. Until 1859, it was compulsory by law to celebrate the day, but it often led to disorder. In the late 19th century, Dorchester was one of a number of places that tried to tame the occasion by putting on official, publicly financed, events.

Then there is the story of the failed attempt to set a world record for firing off rockets at Bournemouth in 2009.

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/24471253.history-fireworks-book-sheds-light-dorsets-past/

Fireworks make waves in America!

My new book A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books) is making waves in America!

Dozens of pieces appeared on National Public Radio station websites all over the country. This is just one. A Google search will reveal many more

https://www.wmot.org/2024-07-04/the-explosive-history-of-fireworks-from-ancient-china-to-revolutionary-america

The Philadelphia Inquirer also wrote about the book:

https://www.inquirer.com/arts/books/fireworks-history-philadelphia-book-john-withington-20240704.html

 

As did Books & Review

https://www.booksnreview.com/articles/19708/20240705/john-withington-s-new-book-explores-fireworks-history-philadelphias-role.htm

A History of Fireworks will be published in the UK on 1 August

https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day

Was Trump’s escape a miracle, or predictable? A historian of assassination sheds light

Many Donald Trump supporters see his escape from an assassination attempt as a divinely ordained miracle, so what does history tell us? I studied more than 260 assassinations going back to the dawn of history for my book Assassins’ Deeds. A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day (Reaktion Books). 

That told me that successful assassinations by snipers using a rifle at a distance, in other words the method employed against Donald Trump, were extremely rare, accounting for only four out of 266, while more than 90 of the assassinations involved firearms at closer quarters.

Even when firearms replaced stabbing as the favoured means of assassination in the 19^th century, it was generally the handgun at close quarters rather than the sniper’s rifle. Assassination remained predominantly up close and personal.

There were, of course, exceptions. Assuming you accept the official versions of events, and not everyone does, both civil rights leader Martin Luther King in 1968, and President John F Kennedy in 1963 were shot from a distance.

But the other three American presidents who were assassinated, Lincoln in 1865, Garfield in 1881 and McKinley in 1901 were all killed at close quarters. A sniper had tried to assassinate Lincoln in 1864, but had hit his hat instead.

In 2003, snipers successfully killed the Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjić, who had helped to bring down Slobodan Milošević. He was shot as he was going into a government building.

Then in 2010 while Thailand was bitterly divided between the yellow-shirts, largely supported by royalists and the urban middle class, and the red-shirts, whose members were mainly rural workers, the red-shirts’ head of security, Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, was killed by a sniper, while he was being interviewed by a reporter. Sawasdipol’s insistence on always wearing his green military uniform among his red-shirted supporters made him an easy target.

Perhaps the identification of 'assassin' with 'sniper' results from the success of Frederick Forsyth’s novel The Day of the Jackal. In it, perhaps the most famous assassin in fiction plans to shoot President de Gaulle from an upstairs window as he is handing out decorations to war heroes. It is hard to imagine a more meticulously planned attack, but it fails. As the assassin takes aim, the president bows his head to kiss a wounded veteran, and the shot just misses.

A similar thing, of course, happened with Donald Trump, just as it had in a London theatre in 1800. As King George III stood for the national anthem, a mentally disturbed ex-soldier fired at him, but George bowed to the audience and the shot whistled past.

In fact, most assassination attempts fail. Two American researchers examined 289 serious attempts on political leaders across the world between 1875 and 2007, and found that only 59, just over one in five, succeeded.

Assassins’ Deeds 

https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/assassins-deeds

My 'History of Fireworks'. the secret is out!

The Niagara Pen Centre has broken the story! My new book A History of Fireworks (Reaktion) is out soon

https://niagarapencentre.com/shop/product/a-history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day-by-john-withington-hardcover-indigo-chapters-coles-d0178e

Here's the entry from the Reaktion Books Catalogue:

'An illumination of the glittering history of fireworks.

This book illuminates the glittering history of fireworks, from their mysterious beginnings to the dazzling big-budget displays of today. It describes how they enthralled the world’s royal courts and became a sensation across the British Empire. There are stories of innovations like ‘living fireworks’, fiercely fought international competitions and the technology behind modern showpieces viewed by millions. Practitioners say fireworks are an art, and they have inspired artists from Shakespeare, Handel, Dickens and Whistler to Katy Perry. But Withington also covers fireworks’ practical uses – rescues at sea, attempts to control the weather – while not ignoring their dangers, accidents or efforts to make them safer.'

https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day

It's available to pre-order from Reaktion or Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Fireworks-Their-Origins-Present/dp/1789149355/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UIQ11WLZQF26&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UEgHBJlm_91fK-mAriMpMOlSoYy9UW-eulUOn8hPWjk.xi0IPx71A6KxHRAcW6lmq4D8EhiPLwiTXIWq0sgdTyo&dib_tag=se&keywords=withington+fireworks&qid=1718801514&s=books&sprefix=withington+fireworks%2Cstripbooks%2C68&sr=1-1

D-day and my dad

On this day 80 years ago, my father Brian Withington was one of the thousands of brave men who stormed the Normandy beaches on D-day.

The true history of Brexit: the deluded election

 This is part of what my gift from the future, The New Oxford History of England. Brexit 2015-50 had to say about the 2024 General Election:

'It has gone down in history as the 'Deluded Election'. Both the Conservatives and Labour ruled out increases in any of the major revenue-raising taxes - income tax, national insurance and VAT. With public services severely strapped for cash, this begged the question 'how are these services going to be saved from collapse'?

Both parties based their 'plans' to avoid this breakdown on growth in the economy. Neither had any satisfactory explanation of what would be Plan B if this growth was not achieved.

Bizarrely, the one policy guaranteed to deliver economic growth, reversing Brexit, was not only rejected by Labour and Conservative, but all mention of the damage leaving the EU had caused Britain was avoided. 

So fanatical was this Brexit omerta that Labour and Conservative candidates were not even allowed to discuss rejoining the Single Market, despite the fact that leading Brexit campaigners, including Boris Johnson himself, had promised that the UK would remain in the Single Market after leaving the EU.

And all this against clear evidence that by 2024 most people realised Brexit was a bad mistake, while only a tiny minority believed it had been a good idea.'

I-Spy Turin: memorial to a forgotten front

In the old days before we had the EU, European countries used to fight wars with each other. We know a lot about the horrors of the Western Front in the First World War, but there were other equally dreadful theatres we hear much less of.

The war memorial in Turin, pictured above, commemorates soldiers killed in one of them, the conflict between Austria and Italy, much of which was fought on the Alpine Front.

Italy entered the war late, in 1916. Having been an ally of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it switched sides to join Britain, France and Russia. Austria and Italy would lose a million men - 600,000 Italians and 400,000 Austrians - many of them in the mountains. One war correspondent said conditions there were worse even than 'in the blood-soaked mud of Flanders'.

In addition to the cold and the usual hazards of war, there were avalanches, sometimes set off deliberately as a weapon, sometimes triggered accidentally by artillery, and sometimes occurring naturally. After heavy snow in December of 1916, avalanches buried 10,000 soldiers in just two days.

I-Spy Paris: war memorial to the Tsar's troops

In 1916, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia sent 20,000 Russian troops to help France fight the Germans on the Western Front. Above is the memorial in Paris to the 5,000 who were killed.

Tsarist Russia was part of the Triple Entente with France and Britain, lining up against the Central Powers of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. 

Tsar Nicholas would be killed by the Bolsheviks as the Russian Empire collapsed. The First World War also brought an end to the German Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires were dismantled.

The true history of Brexit Britain: the real coalition

 I've been busy with the glue and paste and I've manged to piece together another section of the New Oxford History of Brexit Britain written some time after 2050. Read it ONLY HERE:

When people talked about ‘the coalition’ in the 2020s, they invariably meant the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government that ruled from 2010 to 2015, but the real coalition in British politics was the one between two ostensibly bitter rivals, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. And although, the Labour Party was an enthusiastic participant, this coalition was fiercely conservative, resolutely blocking the changes that Britain needed, to solve its deep-seated, long-standing problems.

The Labour-Conservative coalition obstinately defended Brexit even when most British people had long ago realised it was a terrible mistake, and that it had been imposed on them by a political process that could most kindly be described as ‘unsatisfactory’, and which had effectively been ruled illegal.

The Conservative-Labour coalition also fought like tigers against any reform of the undemocratic ‘First Past the Post’ voting system, which constantly awarded virtually absolute power to politicians most voters had rejected.

So more than 63 per cent had voted against the notorious Conservative government of 2015 that implemented the disastrous Brexit referendum, while more than 56 per cent had opposed Boris Johnson’s vacuous ‘get Brexit done’ regime in 2019, and in the three supposed Thatcher 'landslides' of 1979-1987 she never won more than 43.9 per cent of the vote. But Labour also benefited from this undemocracy, with Tony Blair gaining his first ‘landslide’ in 1997 with only 43 per cent of the vote, and his last election victory in 2005 with just 35 per cent. In other words, nearly two-thirds of voters opposed him.

As the 21^st century progressed, there was more and more agonising and hand-wringing from Labour and Conservative politicians about how voters were ‘alienated’ from the political process and about how dangerous this was. Yet it seemed to occur to few of them that constantly imposing on the British people governments they did not want would surely cause ‘alienation.’

As we now know, this fierce conservatism over Brexit and the electoral system would have severe consequences for both parties, and, sadly, for the people of Britain.

I-Spy Turin! Roman remains + thank you Stanmore!

The Palatine Gate (above) is pretty much what is left of Roman Turin. The northern entrance to the old city, it has been, as you might guess, substantially restored, with extensive works during the 15th century. It was due to be demolished in the 18th as part of a major redevelopment, but an architect and engineer saved it. Fortunately - because it is one of the most impressive sights in the city, and you can see it free. You might even get a nicer day than I did.

* Belated thanks to Stanmore & District u3a for hosting my talk on my book Assassins' Deeds. A history of assassination from ancient Egypt to the present day (Reaktion books). There was a good audience who asked some interesting questions.