Category Archives: Events and exhibitions

Re-Engineering History: A Playful Demonstration

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Here’s a fun fact for you: one of the world’s first computers was constructed out of Meccano! Built in 1934, engineer Douglas Hartree created the Differential Analyser for about £20 (which seems like a bargain to us).

A young Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in action. Maybe.

Very excitingly, next week Special Collections & Archives are going to be hosting a reconstruction of this ground-breaking machine in our Reading Room! PhD student Tom Ritchie is the man behind this brave challenge, and he’s going to be hosting a very special event to explore the Differential Analyser next Tuesday (9th October). Intrigued? Why not come along and learn more?

The best thing to happen in Special Collections & Archives since we changed our Reading Room hours

As an added bonus, you’ll be able to view related material from our wonderful collections on the day too. This will include items from our recently-explored Maddison Collection, which charts the history of science from the 16th century to (almost) the present day. What more could you want on a Tuesday evening? Tea, coffee, and wine? Well we’ve got that covered too! (Just not near the books)

Like table football, but more useful

‘Re-Engineering History’ takes place between Monday 8 – Thursday 11 October. The seminar, demonstration and Q&A is being held on Tuesday 9 October at 5.30pm in Special Collections and Archives. 

Because the author of this blog is in no way a scientist, please visit the IS Science Team’s blog here and Tom Ritchie’s excellent explanation here to find out more about this very exciting project.

 

Linda Smith Lecture 2018: Barry Cryer

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May is always one of our favourite times of year here in Special Collections & Archives, not least because it heralds the annual Linda Smith Lecture.

Established in 2015, the Linda Smith Lecture is a celebration of comedian Linda Smith’s life and work, and examines the role of stand-up comedy in today’s society. We’ve had some fantastic guest speakers in the past, including Mark Thomas, Andy Hamilton and Susan Calman.

This year, we’re delighted to welcome Barry Cryer to the University to give the Lecture. A personal friend of Linda’s, Barry has contributed to this country’s entertainment industry for over 50 years. He has written for some of our highest rated shows and for many of our most popular comedians. His brilliant wit is still enjoyed by millions – in theatres, on television and radio, notably the iconic I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

The Linda Smith Lecture takes place next Thursday (31st May) at 7.30pm and is held in the Gulbenkian Theatre on the University of Kent Canterbury Campus. Tickets cost £6, and we’d love to see you there – please book your place now!

If you want to find out more about our incredible Stand-Up Comedy collections, please visit our website, our Stand-Up Comedy Archive blog or listen to the (brilliant, in our entirely unbiased view) ‘A History of Comedy in Several Objects’ podcast.