Timeline07

In 1495 a new disease hit Europe. It was deadly, devastating and attacked those who were promiscuous, well-heeled and well-travelled. But what was Syphilis and where had it come from? The traditional view has been that syphilis was part of "the Columbian exchange" – one of the things, along with tobacco and the potato, that the New World gave the Old. Arriving in Spain in the 1490s with Columbus and his crew, this destructive new plague spread quickly across Europe, leaving no country, no city, no royal household untouched. But what if this assumption is wrong? There is evidence of syphilis in skeletons dug from sites in France, Italy and England. Bones found in a medieval graveyard in Hull show signs of the ravages of syphilis. But if syphilis was present in Europe before Columbus went to America, why was the 1495 outbreak so deadly? And why did everyone see it as an entirely new plague? This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact timeline5105@gmail.com

In September 1940 the Nazi march over Europe was halted when the brave “few” of the RAF defeated the German Luftwaffe in the skies above Britain. The RAF’s victory in the Battle of Britain was a turning-point in the Second World War, fatally weakening Germany’s airforce, dealing a psychological blow to Hitler and laying the groundwork for the Allies’ return to France on D-Day 4 years later. But what if Britain had lost in 1940? In the first episode of a new series, historians and experts will explore what might have happened if history had turned out differently. What were the Nazis’ secret plans to invade Britain? Would Churchill have gone down fighting? Could Britain have struck a peace deal with Hitler? This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact timeline5105@gmail.com