History S Most Dangerous Jobs Miners

Mining is Britain's oldest industry, and this book follows the men and, in the past, women who spent their lives working underground. Since the New Stone Age various minerals have been wrested from British soil – copper, tin, gold, lead – but in later periods the key commodity was coal. Those who worked in the mines were constantly battling on two fronts: there was the continual danger of flood and explosion; and the often bitter struggles against the mine owners. This story is also one of invention and innovation, looking particularly at how the independent miners of Cornwall and Devon were at the forefront of the development of the steam engine that was to transform society. This, the second book in an exciting new series looking at Britain's most dangerous industries, is a tale of blood, sweat and death among a courageous and close-knit community that has now all but passed into history.

Mining is Britain’s oldest industry, and this book follows the men and, in the past, women who spent their lives working underground. Since the New Stone Age various minerals have been wrested from British soil – copper, tin, gold, lead – but in later periods the key commodity was coal. Those who worked in the mines were constantly battling on two fronts: there was the continual danger of flood and explosion; and the often bitter struggles against the mine owners. This story is also one of invention and innovation, looking particularly at how the independent miners of Cornwall and Devon were at the forefront of the development of the steam engine that was to transform society. This, the second book in an exciting new series looking at Britain’s most dangerous industries, is a tale of blood, sweat and death among a courageous and close-knit community that has now all but passed into history.

Coal made modern America. It built the factories and ships that won a terrible war and fueled the greatest peacetime economic expansion in history. The American Century came at a cost: the lives and health of the men who wrested coal from the ground. This is the story of how a long career in the most dangerous of jobs helped one soldier rebuild his shattered life, day by day, ton by ton-an inside look at how a miner learns to judge the mountain overhead, his fellow miners, and himself.

“A meticulous mixture of social and family history . . . Whether or not you have mining connections, this is an interesting socio-economic read.” —Your Family Tree In the 1920s there were over a million coalminers working in over 3000 collieries across Great Britain, and the industry was one of the most important and powerful in British history. It dominated the lives of generations of individuals, their families, and communities, and its legacy is still with us today—many of us have a coalmining ancestor. Yet family historians often have problems in researching their mining forebears. Locating the relevant records, finding the sites of the pits, and understanding the work involved and its historical background can be perplexing. That is why Brian Elliott’s concise, authoritative and practical handbook will be so useful, for it guides researchers through these obstacles and opens up the broad range of sources they can go to in order to get a vivid insight into the lives and experiences of coalminers in the past. His overview of the coalmining history—and the case studies and research tips he provides—will make his book rewarding reading for anyone looking for a general introduction to this major aspect of Britain’s industrial heritage. His directory of regional and national sources and his commentary on them will make this guide an essential tool for family historians searching for an ancestor who worked in coalmining underground, on the pit top or just lived in a mining community. As featured in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine and the Barnsley Chronicle.

Providing context to today's public health practices and broad coverage of topics, this book demonstrates how cross-disciplinary studies are critical to addressing current health issues. The concepts of public health and the methods we use to care for and promote the health of people in communities, groups, and our nation as a whole are of interest to all health professionals. Comprising contributions from historians, scholars, researchers, sociologists, and other public health professionals, the Encyclopedia of Public Health: Principles, People, and Programs offers a firsthand, in-depth view of public health as it applies to everyday life and practice. The encyclopedia contains a wealth of information on critical theories, people, and movements and shows how various disciplines can work together to create healthy communities and practices for many people. As a secondary objective, the book encourages future generations to actively participate in public health. This reference covers the defining moments in the development of public health, from ancient times to the modern day, and offers entries with historical information and examinations of current controversies as they relate to recurring social conflicts. The entries provide a breadth and depth of content that is accessible to a wide readership. Readers will understand the benefits of physical activity and good nutrition as well as the psychology behind the choices that we make and how early life and social experiences can influence behaviors even decades after the event. The wide variety of topics covered includes the life expectancy of Americans at birth, the Tuskegee syphilis study, and marijuana use, and will give readers an informed perspective on past public health successes and likely directions for the future.

"Describes in detail several of history's most dangerous jobs"--Provided by publisher.

The Industrial Revolution brought about great changes, but this was a time before many labor laws, and many children had to work from sunup to sundown. The poor had to work as rat catchers and coal miners! Readers will take in important historical context as they learn all about these and other horrible jobs of the era. Sidebars and fact boxes add further detail, including the grotesque "secret" to softening animal hides for leather goods. Historical images and colorful illustrations draw readers deeper into the harsh reality of a pivotal era full of terrible working conditions.

In the early twentieth century, asbestos had a reputation as a lifesaver. In 1960, however, it became known that even relatively brief exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a virulent and lethal cancer. Yet the bulk of the world's asbestos was mined after 1960. Asbestos usage in many countries continued unabated. This is the first global history of how the asbestos industry and its allies in government, insurance, and medicine defended the product throughout the twentieth century. It explains how mining and manufacture could continue despite overwhelming medical evidence as to the risks. The argument advanced in this book is that asbestos has proved so enduring because the industry was able to mount a successful defense strategy for the mineral - a strategy that still operates in some parts of the world. This defence involved the shaping of the public debate by censoring, and sometimes corrupting, scientific research, nurturing scientific uncertainty, and using allies in government, insurance, and medicine. The book also discusses the problems of asbestos in the environment, compensating victims, and the continued use of asbestos in the developing world. Its global focus shows how asbestos can be seen as a model for many occupational diseases - indeed for a whole range of hazards produced by industrial societies. The book is based on a wealth of documentary material gained from legal discovery, supplemented by evidence from the authors' visits and researches in the US, the UK, Canada, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Australia, Swaziland, and South Africa.