François Guizot represents better than anyone the figure of the intellectual politician of the 19th century. His active participation in French politics from 1815 to 1848 did not prevent him from developing an important literary and cultural activity. Born in Nimes on October 4, 1787, his father wa
Jules Michelet was born on August 21, 1798. His childhood was spent in an environment of poverty and popular indignation . His father was a printer during the Revolution but after the arrival of Napoleon and the Restoration the number of printers was reduced, as the freedom of the press was limited,
Jacob Burckhardt devoted his entire life to the study of history. However, he considered himself a historian of culture and distanced himself from the positivist concept of historian that, after Leopold Von Ranke, spread, first to Germany and then to the rest of the world. Burckhardt was born in Ba
Henri Pirenne was born in Verviers, Belgium, on December 23, 1863, into a family of industrialists . From a young age he knew the ins and outs of the textile industry that dominated the economy of the region and that later served as inspiration to develop his most recognized works. His father wanted
Benedetto Croce is a peculiar character in contemporary historiography. Unlike his colleagues, he never taught classes and barely set foot in the University. He was a self-taught historian whose enormous wealth allowed him to dedicate himself throughout his life to his passion, history. Croce was bo
Fernand Braudel was born on August 24, 1902, in Luméville-en-Ornois, France. In his childhood and encouraged by his father, a mathematician, he studied classical languages and humanities. At first he wanted to be a doctor but his father prevented him and he opted for history. Before World War II h
Gordon Vere Childe was born on April 14, 1892, in Sydney, Australia. He studied there and graduated from the university in his hometown, from which he transferred to Oxford. At first he was interested in classical philology but under the influence of professors A. Evans and J. Myres he turned to pre
Few historians have been as criticized or praised for a single work as Toynbee. His Study of History , including the conception contained in its pages on the behavior of civilizations, was (and continues to be) criticized by those who consider it a pretentious and mistaken work and dismiss its concl
Perhaps it is early to assess Eric Hobsbawms contribution to contemporary historiography, when two years have not yet passed since the death of him. Surprising, however, the repercussion that the news of his death had in the international media (not only English), accompanied by praising portraits i
Data on the life of Herodotus, like most of the great Greek men, are scarce and controversial. It is known that he was born in Halicarnassus, a Greek city located in Asia Minor, on an uncertain date, although it is usually set between 490 and 480 BC. It is also unclear what position his family occup
What little data we have about Thucydides comes, for the most part, from a few passages in Thucydides own work the. The rest of the sources either have little credibility or are directly fantastic. The only certain testimony we have, around which his biography has been built, is that he was appointe
Honorary citizenship has been awarded in Hamburg for more than 200 years. It is the highest award that the Hanseatic City of Hamburg can bestow. An overview of previous honorary citizens. There are no written provisions for the granting of honorary citizenship. According to the city of Hamburg, it
He was there when it all began:Peter Zahn was one of the journalists who shaped public broadcasting. His trademark:his distinctive style of speaking. He died in Hamburg 20 years ago. by Janine Kuehl Summer 1945:Germany has surrendered, lies in ruins and has to start from scratch. Broadcasting is a
On February 17, 2012, Federal President Christian Wulff announced his immediate resignation as head of state. A personal loan and a scandalous phone call had brought him down. Review of the shortest term in office of a German head of state. by Nils Hartung Even the start is bumpy. It was only in t
Before the fall of the Wall, she was celebrated as a pan-German author. Christa Wolf was later vilified as a GDR state writer. She died in Berlin on December 1, 2011 at the age of 82. by Bernd Neugebauer It is a law that time must misjudge us - the sentence from Christa Wolfs No place. Nowhere. (1
Long before Alfred Biolek drank wine with celebrities and Rainer Sass started cooking in front of the camera, Clemens Wilmenrod delighted Germany with exotic dishes. by Matthias Stelte Cooking has become a national sport, it seems. On all TV channels, chefs and would-be chefs try to convince TV au
Klaus Wildenhahn is regarded as one of the most important documentary filmmakers and directors in Germany in recent decades. Many films that are considered classics today were made on NDR under his direction. Before Klaus Wildenhahn immersed himself in the world of documentary film, he studied soci
Gisela Werler is considered the first female bank robber in Germany - with 19 robberies. Elegant demeanor and her polite way of asking for money earned her the nickname Banklady. Her story was filmed in 2012 and can now be seen again. by Janine Kuehl As the first female bank robber in Germany, Gis
The Jewish art historian Aby Warburg was born on June 13, 1866 in Hamburg. Its Cultural Science Library is considered to be one of the most important book collections in Europe. by Michael Marek Hamburger at heart, Hebrew by blood and Florentine at heart - thats how he had repeatedly described him
For many Hamburgers, he was the embodiment of a Hanseatic:For nine years, the SPD politician Henning Voscherau led the fortunes of the Hanseatic city as First Mayor. He would have been 80 years old on August 13. A Hanseatic citizen gives his word, verbally or with a handshake - and he keeps it, Hen
After the Round Table Conference, Gandhi met Hoare, Minister of India Affairs in London and requested him to solve Indias problem. Hoare bluntly replied to Gandhiji that nothing will be given to you and now we will not even allow the Congress to survive. Thus, on 28 December 1931, Gandhiji once ag
Landsberg Herrade (between 1125 and 1130 – 1195) was an Alsatian abbess, poetess and encyclopaedist. She composed the Hortus deliciarum , the first encyclopedia made by a woman. Hortus deliciarum From a noble family in Alsace, Herrade de Landsberg was born between 1125 and 1130 in Hohenbourg, on t
Brother of Godfrey of Bouillon, he left with him at the head of the 1st crusade in 1095. He founded the county of Edessa of which he was put in possession. In 1100 he left this county and succeeded Godfrey on the throne of Jerusalem. In 1104, helped by a Genoese fleet, he seized Ptolémaïde (St Jean
Better known as Tania the guerrilla, Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider (1937 – 1967) is a communist revolutionary, the only woman to fight among the troops led by Che Guevara in Bolivia. A highly politicized youth Daughter of Nadia Bider and Erich Bunke, German communists who took refuge in Argentina when