The Public Domain Review
Harold A. Taylor’s Autochromes of California Flowers (early 20th century)
Photographs of flowers by an advocate of California’s beauty.
Read at The Public Domain ReviewLatest dispatches
Dispatches
Curious stories and events from around the world.
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Thursday, 21 May 2026
The Public Domain Review
The Prophecies of the Brahan Seer (1877)
Historical predictions from the Scottish Nostradamus.
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The National Archives
The A–Z of the Royal Navy Captains' letters project – 'N' to 'Z'
Bruno Pappalardo reports on the final findings of the volunteer Royal Navy Captains’ letters project.
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Tuesday, 19 May 2026
The Public Domain Review
“Plaything of the Gods”: Photographs of Pushball (early 1900s)
Photographs and films of a forgotten pastime.
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Monday, 18 May 2026
The National Archives
200th UK archive awarded accredited status
The UK's 200th archive has been awarded accredited status.
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The National Archives
Using our records to connect through nature
In this blog post, Sara Griffiths discusses our learnings from recent outreach sessions to mark Dementia Action Week.
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Thursday, 14 May 2026
The National Archives
The National Archives wins Museums + Heritage Award
MI5: Official Secrets, The National Archives exhibition co-curated with MI5, won the Museums + Heritage Award in the category, Temporary or Touring Exhibition.
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Historic Mysteries
Fylgja: Spirit Guide, Old Norse Style
Imagine a ghostly wolf padding silently through the darkness ahead of a Norse warrior, or… The post Fylgja: Spirit Guide, Old Norse Style appeared first on Historic Mysteries.
Read at Historic MysteriesWednesday, 13 May 2026
The Public Domain Review
Twilight of the Velocipede: Typesetting Races before the Age of Linotype
Before Linotype revolutionised typesetting in the 1880s, compositors set texts by hand — and they set them *fast*. Alex Wright rediscovers the thrilling world of typesetting races, which drew crowds in the thousands, offered huge cash…
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The Public Domain Review
Diagrams from Willem ten Rhijne’s De Acupunctura (1683)
A Dutch physician’s encounter with acupuncture.
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The Public Domain Review
Longitude by Way of Wounded Hounds: Kenelm Digby’s Sympathetick Powder (1669 edition)
A treatise on a powder that can cure wounds at a distance.
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The National Archives
The Many Lives of Cardboard
In this blog, Lucy Razzall explores how The Many Lives of Cardboard project uses documents from our collection to trace the histories of this everyday material.
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The National Archives
On the Record: The People’s Charter
In this episode of On the Record, we explore Chartism, Britain’s first mass political movement, driven by the working classes.
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The National Archives
Cataloguing British Army officer service records
Find out how our volunteers have improved catalogue descriptions for 19th-century military service records.
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Monday, 11 May 2026
The National Archives
The architectural history of postcolonial West African universities
In this blog, PhD student Adefola Toye considers how she has used colonial records to research West Africa's architectural history as part of her PhD.
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Saturday, 9 May 2026
Historic Mysteries
Declassified FBI Files Reveal Bizarre Claims of a 1,500mph Nazi Flying Saucer
A newly released trove of declassified government documents has reignited one of the most enduring… The post Declassified FBI Files Reveal Bizarre Claims of a 1,500mph Nazi Flying Saucer appeared first on Historic Mysteries.
Read at Historic MysteriesFriday, 8 May 2026
The National Archives
Cataloguing the BT 51 and BT 50 registered designs
Explore how a team of volunteers have transcribed The National Archives’ records of registered designs from 1885–1888.
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Friday, 1 May 2026
Historic Mysteries
Rauðskinna: The Legendary Icelandic Book of Black Magic
In the annals of history, few grimoires command as much fear and fascination as Rauðskinna… The post Rauðskinna: The Legendary Icelandic Book of Black Magic appeared first on Historic Mysteries.
Read at Historic MysteriesThursday, 30 April 2026
The Public Domain Review
Pyramid of the Capitalist System (1911)
The working class undergirds everything in this cartoon of capitalist society.
Read at The Public Domain Review