Since it was founded two years ago, the Manchester Historian has grown and developed with each set of editors that has come to its helm. We have been no exception and we hope that the new features in this first issue for the 2013/14 academic year will only make the magazine more exciting for you, the reader.
Drawing on the fact that photojournalism is a key historical resource that we all use; you will now find A Year in Photos spread across the centre pages. Anyone who spends any time in Manchester knows that the city is a cultural hub; however, did you realise that much of that culture revolves around its history? Manchester’s Historical Highlights should set you on the right path if you want to explore further. While we all enter our degrees with the best intentions, some of us have painful gaps in our historical knowledge. The new History You Should Know features should help sort this out and if you have any gaps that we can fill in the next issue, let us know! Finally, we’ve been lucky enough to draw on the faculty’s assistance for our favourite new feature – Professor Frank Mort recommended this issue’s Undiscovered Hero of History and we think the character in question is a fascinating one.
However, we haven’t scrapped the features that have made the Historian such a great part of the department over the last two years. This issue, our History in Features focuses on the history of student life, to remind our freshers that the student tradition is a long held one. Covering everything from the foundation of universities to the rise of student activism these are a great insight into the student lifestyle through the ages. History in the Headlines considers recent news ranging from the Syria crisis through to the iPhone 5S/C from a uniquely historical perspective. Similarly, we’ve focused on recent faculty developments in our History Department section. We got the chance to interview three new members of the faculty: Dr Henry Miller, Dr Tom Allcock and, of course, Michael Wood. These are a great way of getting to know your future lecturers so be sure to give them a read!
Thank you to those of you who have worked so hard to bring this issue together. Particular mention must go to our teams for stepping up to the plate from the start. We’ve had a fantastic group of writers contribute to this issue and every single one of their pieces is excellent in its own right. Keep getting in touch if you’d like to contribute to the magazine or if you have any ideas for us. We’re looking forward to an exciting year continuing to grow the Historian and to hopefully making it a magazine read throughout the university, as well as the department.