Robert Poole (born 1957) is a UK-based historian, currently professor of history at the

University of Central Lancashire , mottoeng = "From the Earth to the Sun" , established = as Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledgere-established 1992 (University status granted) , type = Public , chancellor ...

, Preston. He gained his PhD from the University of Lancaster in 1986, where he was associated with Prof

Harold Perkin Harold James Perkin (11 November 1926 – 16 October 2004) was a distinguished English social historian who was the founder of the '' Social History Society'' in 1976. Background Perkin was born in Hanley, Staffordshire of humble origins. He a ...

's Centre for Social History, organising the 1996 conference of the

Social History Society ''Cultural and Social History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering cultural and social history published by Routledge five times a year on behalf of the Social History Society. It was established in 2004. Abstracting and indexing The jo ...

on 'Time and the Construction of the Past'. He has also held positions at the universities of Keele, Edge Hill and Cumbria. He has also been Leverhulme Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester (2000-1), an associate of the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Manchester (2010–17), an associate of 'The Future in the Stars' research programme, Friedrich-Meinecke Institut, Freie Universität Berlin (2012–16), and visiting senior research fellow to the History Group, University of Hertfordshire (2013–15).

Earthrise and the space age

Poole's book ''Earthrise: How Man First Saw the Earth'' (Yale University Press, 2008), a study of the first views of Earth from space and their impact, has been identified as one of the key works of the 'new aerospace history'. He has lectured on 'Earthrise' and the cultural history of the space age in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, broadcast on American public radio networks,'Living on Earth'
/ref> and in July 2009 wrote the op-ed piece for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' on the fortieth anniversary of the Lunar landing in July 1969 by

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, an ...

.LA Times Archive 19 July 2009
/ref> Subsequent articles have explored the science fiction writer and techno-prophet Arthur C. Clarke, '2001: a Space Odyssey and the Dawn of Man' in the 2015 collection ''Stanley Kubrick: New Perspectives,'' and the myth of progress in '2001: a Space Odyssey'. Another recent article, 'What was Whole about the Whole Earth?', provides a missing chapter to ''Earthrise''. In early 2016 he enjoyed a Short-Term Visitor Award at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

, to look at the recently acquired papers of Arthur C. Clarke.

Peterloo and popular protest

Poole's ''Peterloo: the English Uprising,'' (OUP, 2019) is an account of the 1819

Peterloo massacre The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter's Field, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on Monday 16 August 1819. Fifteen people died when cavalry charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people who had gathered to demand the reform of parliament ...

in Manchester, on which he has written articles in ''Past and Present'', ''History'', ''Labour History Review,'' and edited collections. He is historical adviser to the Peterloo 2019 commemoration programme, run jointly by Manchester Histories and the People's History Museum, and to the 2017-18 community project by ReelMcr, 'Our Sam, Middleton man'. He was instrumental in bringing to the John Rylands Library a full set of the radical newspaper the ''Manchester Observer'' (1818–22), now freely available online as part of the library's Peterloo collection. He has given numerous public lectures and workshops, including the Manchester Histories Festivals and the 2018 BBC ''Civilisations'' festival, and is an active member of the Peterloo Memorial Campaign. His broadcast appearances include ''The Matter of the North'' episode 7 'The Radical North' (BBC R4 2016), ''Elegance and Decadence: the Age of the Regency'' episode 3 (BBC Four, 2011), ''How the North was Built'' Part 1 (ITV, 2013), ''The Real Mill'' (Channel 4, 2014), and the BBC Schools Programme ''Exploring the Past'' (2015). He edited a volume of the Manchester Region History Review, ''Return to Peterloo,'' contributing essays including 'What Don't We Know About Peterloo?'. ''.'' It will be followed by a biography of the Lancashire radical

Samuel Bamford Samuel Bamford (28 February 1788 – 13 April 1872) was an English radical reformer and writer born in Middleton, Lancashire. He wrote on the subject of northern English dialect and wrote some of his better known verse in it. Biography Bamford ...

, on whom he has written several articles (some of them available online), and whose remarkable diaries he edited with Martin Hewitt for Sutton/St Martin's Press in 2000.

Early modern England

In 2011 Poole produced a modern edition of ''The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster'' (Carnegie, 2011), the original 1612 account of the trial of the Lancashire (or Pendle) witches. The introduction gave the definitive account of England's biggest peacetime witch trial, summarised in an essay for the Public Domain Review. He was historical adviser to the Lancashire Witches 400 commemoration programme, including a long-distance walking trail featured in ''BBC History'' magazine, and to the subsequent ''Documenting Dissent'' project about prisoners of conscience at Lancaster Castle. He also edited "The

Lancashire Witches The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged w ...

: Histories and Stories" (Manchester University Press 2002), a multidisciplinary book of essays. He has also written "Time's Alteration:

Calendar Reform Calendar reform or calendrical reform is any significant revision of a calendar system. The term sometimes is used instead for a proposal to switch to a different calendar design. Principles The prime objective of a calendar is to unambiguo ...

In Early Modern England" (UCL Press/Taylor and Francis, London, 1998), which explains the British calendar reform of 1752 and refutes the myth of riots over the missing eleven days. He explained this on the BBC Radio 4 programme 'In Our Time'.BBC Radio 4 In Our Time website
/ref> He has contributed two articles to the

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

: John Collier ('Tim Bobbin') 1708–1786, and

William Holder William Holder FRS (1616 – 24 January 1698) was an English clergyman and music theorist of the 17th century. His most notable work was his widely known 1694 publication ''A Treatise on the Natural Grounds and Principles of Harmony''. Life He ...

1616-1698).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Robert People associated with the University of Cumbria 1957 births Living people British historians Academics of the University of Central Lancashire