The Morant Bay Rebellion Was an Infamous Part of Jamaican History
Hezekiah’s traumatic flashback recollections to his childhood in Jamaica elliptically inform a model of an actual, violent historic episode in colonial historical past. The 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion was an rebellion by the folks of Jamaica’s southeast coast towards merciless privations by their British colonial oppressors. You can learn extra about its origins and influence on the national archives website here.
Li Hongzhang and Lo Feng Luh Were Real Chinese Diplomats
The Chinese dignitaries who’re visitors of the Earl of Lonsdale in A Thousand Blows are primarily based on actual diplomats who served as a part of a legation to London within the aftermath of the 19th century Opium Wars between Britain and China. You can see here an artist’s drawing of Lo Feng Luh (performed by Chike Chan within the present), and here a contemporary newspaper report in regards to the Chinese minister.
The 5th Earl of Lonsdale Was a Real Boxing Enthusiast
Hugh Cecil Lowther was an actual English peer and sportsman throughout the interval round which A Thousand Blows is ready. He’s the “Lonsdale” behind the well-known British sports activities model of the identical identify, and was a founding member of the National Sporting Club who was mentioned to have donated the very first Lonsdale Boxing Belts for the boxing championship trophy.
Aerialist “Miss La La” Was Real
The acrobat that Mary and Hezekiah see acting at a West End music corridor relies on an actual Black Polish historic determine, additionally named “Miss La La”. She carried out on a swing excessive above crowds and her feats had been recorded by painter Edgar Degas in his 1879 work “Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando.” She was the topic of an exhibition at London’s National Gallery in 2024, which you’ll be able to read more about here.
Queen Victoria Did Have a Black Goddaughter
The A Thousand Blows character Victoria Davies should be impressed by the true Nigerian-born girl referred to as Sara “Sally” Forbes Bonetta (initially known as Aina, earlier than she was renamed by the English captain to whom she was “discharged” by enslaved folks dealer King Ghezo of Dahomey), who turned Queen Victoria’s goddaughter. The timeline doesn’t fairly match up as the true Aina died younger of tuberculosis and didn’t survive into 1880 interval during which A Thousand Blows is ready, nevertheless it’s very shut. See portraits of her here, courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
The Blue Coat Boy Pub, its Boxing Ring, and its Landlord Were Real
The Blue Coat Boy Pub had an MC who owned a boxing saloon nicknamed William “Punch” Lewis, identical to Daniel Mays’ character within the TV present. Read more about them all here, due to the analysis of Sarah Elizabeth Cox.
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