In a month’s time, Histories will be two years old, so after exactly 100 articles, I’d like to take stock, point out some past articles to new subscribers and ask you what you’d like to see here (if you’re craving something historical, I did send out a Halloween post a few days ago). But first and foremost, thank you for your support, especially to the small number of paid subscribers – please, if you’re not one, do consider it. Many hours behind the scenes go into my historical ferreting, which I love doing, but I still have bills to pay, of course.

But I can’t let today go by without acknowledging that 4th November is also the centenary of when Howard Carter first found the steps into Tutankhamun’s tomb! I’ll tell this story more fully in the next week or two, as the excavations took a while to unfold anyway, but here’s what he wrote in his journal on Saturday 4th November, 1922:

At about 10am I discovered beneath almost the first hut attacked the first traces of the entrance of the tomb (Tut.ankh.Amen). This comprised the first step of the N.E. corner (of the sunken-staircase). Quite a short time sufficed to show that it was the beginning of a steep excavation cut in the bed rock, about four metres below the entrance of Ramses VI’s tomb, and a similar depth below the present level of the valley. And, that it was of the nature of a sunken staircase entrance to a tomb of the type of the XVIIIth Dyn., but further than that nothing could be told until the heavy rubbish above was cleared away.

I’d be hugely grateful if you could simply click an option in the following poll – it all helps to shape the future of this newsletter.

And go on, one more question (your answers are anonymous, by the way):

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Here’s a reminder of a few past items down the ages…

• 1400s: Hold your nose for some nuisances of the street

• 1500s: King Henry VIII’s last words

• 1600s: A hard time for the Huguenots

• 1700s: A diarist rates her friends numerically

• 1800s: Self-awareness from a flatulent priest

• 1900s: The sad aftermath of the Titanic disaster

Finally, I’m also launching a totally different newsletter, relating to my day job of helping authors produce books. Perhaps you’re nearing the end of a first draft, or have a wealth of articles written (e.g. in a Substack newsletter!) that you’d like to turn into a book. I’m an editor, book designer and self-publishing consultant, and if you’d like free weekly advice or paid consulting, sign up here…

Prepare to Publish

Expert advice on creating and self-publishing books

By Andrew Chapman

Next week, back to normal!