#Trivia #Question of the Day: What do #Oasis's "Don't Look Back in Anger", Green Day's "Basket Case", and the Soviet National Anthem have in common?

This is literally the inspiration for the song "99 Red Balloons". (Trigger warning: the video contains 1980s hairdos and German New Wave pop music.)

This Wednesday, 4.30pm! Surely, this wil be a fascinating talk. As usual, everyone interested is very welcome!

Es ist sehr traurig zu lesen, dass Gisela Bock gestorben ist. Ich hatte das Privileg, von ihr an der FU unterrichtet zu werden. Sie war immer nahbar, hilfreich, und an den Ideen ihrer Studies interessiert. Ich habe viel von ihr gelernt.

I had the same reference in mind. Bless vintage Simpsons!

Kirkby (locals say Kirby) is an easy one to get wrong. Wait until the roads people have write Fazarkerley (Scousers say Fassachle, or Fassach for short).

This really dampens my anticipation of GTA6. Not sure, I'll be able to enjoy the game once it's out knowing how Rockstar Games apparently treats its staff.

The Economist discussing the pseudo-science of phrenology as the dernier cri of HR. The 18th century called and wants its bullshit back...

The leaders of the national-conservative DNVP about the Nazi Party, circa June 1933 (after they had ushered Hitler into power and supported each of the measures to destroy what was left of Weimar democracy).

Oh how terrible, I can see why renewables are so unpopular...

Also wait until some explains to them that the actual indigenous people of England looked like Cheddar Man (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar...). It will blow their mind...

Every year, when I deliver my first-year lecture on nationalism in modern Europe, I refer to the "classic" primoridorialist vs structuralist concepts of nationhood. I guess I have yet another example for the rather blunt primordialist "blood and soil" type of nationalism.

Perfect metaphor for LLMs, etc... Let's spend more trillions to create more stuff like this. In the best case, robo-vids will replace cat videos to fill up spare internet and social media space.

This happens when people have no historical hinterland. This is nothing new, but the essence of modern political movements. Someone should tell them about political "milieus" and "politics as a lifestyle", both of which were defining features of Western politics since at least the late 18th century.

Wow! Who would have thought that being likeable and relateable are key assets for politicians in democracies. Someone should tell the Labour Party!

This is less a story about migration, but about the diminishing capacity of the British state for competent governance. The historic root cause is a combination of austerity and the systematic dismantling of sovereign state functions since Thatcher.

4 November 1989: a mass demonstration takes place on East Berlin's Alexanderplatz www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrFL...

🚨 Job Alert! We're recruiting a part-time freelance managing editor to join the CEH editorial team. Applications are due by 30 November 2025. Full details and application process here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The burst of the AI bubble will be the mother of all bubble-bursts... and the centenary of the 1929 crash is just around the corner. How timely!

My old pal, Jon Coburn, has published his new book. Fascinating topic, not just for people interested in US cold war history. Amazing book cover, I might add.

Are you a postgrad with a passion for public history and engaging different publics with the latest Holocaust research? Join our team! Details ⬇️

Great turnout for @andrekeil.bsky.social to celebrate the release of his new book on emergency powers in Britain and Germany in the First World War #history #historybookchat @ljmuresearch.bsky.social

After discussing it in class with students today, I wonder whether anyone has yet applied the intentionalist-functionalist debate to the Trump presidency?

Will go straight into my seminar on the French Revolution next year. 👍

The banality of German

Hahaha. The faithful are yet again utterly clueless. Delicious mid-week telly! #traitors

Had a fantastic student-led seminar today about jokes (Flüsterwitze) in the Third Reich. The research and preparation that my students put into the session were terrific. We concluded by listening to Spike Jones' "Fuehrer's Face" - proper catchy tune. I am quite a proud academic teacher today.

Shameless self-promotion, but hey! 🫡

Absolutely astonishing how clueless the faithfuls are... #traitors

I wonder in how many first-year history classes this will feature next academic year.

Why - under the Tory proposals - should I pay into national insurance, etc, if I have then no right to claim benefits if I needed them. I've paid substantial amounts in taxes and NI contributions over the past 15 years without claiming a penny. It just goes against any sense of basic fairness.

I wonder what this means for people like me, who have ILR under the Brexit treaty? In any case, the is grossly unfair, brutal, and a betrayal of fundamental principles of good government.

Read our response to the Government's Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published today: https://bit.ly/48z0QOe

The kids are alright...

That's the Britain I've come to love. I see it every day around me.

@merseysideha.bsky.social Event: "Environment in Science Fiction: The View from the #Archive" on 23 October. The curators at the Special Collections at @livunilibrary.bsky.social will give us an insight into their archive and how the future was imagined in the past—all info in the link below.

What a cliffhanger... I love the Celebrity Traitors!

Turns out university graduates are still faring better than non-graduates. The problem is that the job market is generally not great for young people.

I second that. I had some brilliant sessions with my first-year students this semester. The kids are alright to misquote The Offspring.

Maybe something for @malcolmcraig.bsky.social and the students on the @ljmuhistory.bsky.social Cold War module?

Sounds like a very topical conference, particularly since we're seeing a drive towards reducing access to higher education across the West again.

My native-speaker/hobby-germanist take on a current issue (important enough for Chancellor Merz): I always thought #Wurst refers to the shape of the thing rather than what it is made of. I suppose there must be someone somewhere who has conducted etymological research on this important question...

I am absolutely thrilled that Karin Meredith’s dissertation on c19th beauty culture in advertisements has been hightly commended by @womenshistnet.bsky.social. It was perhaps the best diss I’ve ever had the delight to supervise! I’m so proud of her &with @ljmuhistory.bsky.social send hearty congrats

I am quite upset by the attack on the synagogue in Manchester. It's particularly heinous to target the congregation on one of the most important Jewish holidays. There is nothing that can ever justify this.

I am pretty sure the word "Angstlust" doesn't exist. Never heard it before. The feeling is real, though the word isn't.

I wrote another book review, as I often do these days. I discuss Marcus Colla's study of #Prussia in the historical culture of the #GDR. I thought it was a very important book for all those interested in the political culture and mentality of East Germans. Key to understanding what's going on now.

More wholesome #gardening content. I finally managed to harvest my #courgettes. One got just really (I mean REALLY) big. Any recommendations for batch-cooking recipes for courgettes are very welcome!

Another (un-)popular view: By all means, use a new British ID card for voter ID checks. If they are free, mandatory, and straightforward to obtain, this will be the best defence against "rigged election" fake news and conspiracy theories. Works well in Germany and many other countries... #JustSaying

I do agree. As an immigrant who arrived in Britain many years ago, I am already constantly under pressure to prove my right to work (even for the smallest of jobs like examining a PhD viva). Having an ID card would make my life a lot easier, save time, and I would feel MORE assured of my rights.

What I read here is Starmer saying Reform are right; we dislike Johnny Foreigner just as much as you do; we might find some money to refurbish your local Wetherspoons... otherwise devoid of policy or any unique "selling points" why Labour should be supported.