A history of wine-drinking in France and British torture in Kenya: 23rd October: today's top history news

British Torture in Kenya
In June, five Kenyan veterans of Kenya’s struggle for independence presented the London High Court with a case against the British government for human rights abuses in the 1950s and 1960s. Yesterday, they presented further evidence detailing the torture they suffered and showing that the British government knew and authorised the torture of Kenyans in the 1950s and 1960s. The BBC reports.

The Greeks, not the Romans, imported wine into France when they settled in southern France in around 600BC
An article on the Cambridge University website reports on the results of the latest study by Cambridge University Professor Paul Cartledge.
We recently published an article by Paul Cartledge in our October issue. In Alexandria the Great he describes how, despite the destruction of Alexandria’s material past, the city’s reputation as the intellectual powerhouse of the Classical world lives on.

The earliest known film of a wedding
The film will be screened for the first time next week at the National Library of Scotland in celebration of Unesco’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The Scottish Screen Archive features nearly 70 films which it is possible to view online. For further information, visit the Scottish Screen Archive website. The Times reports.

The Internet was born 40 years ago, next week, on October 29th, 1969
The Guardian reports.

The first email, the first virus and the first blog
The Guardian’s summary of the history of the internet.

Discovery of British submarine lost during the First World War
The wreck of a British naval submarine lost for the past 90 years was discovered in the Baltic Sae off the coast of Estonia last weekend. James Landale, the great-nephew of the 1st Lieutenant of the vessel, reports in an article published on the website of the BBC.

Only surviving Union Jack from the Battle of Trafalgar sells for £384,000, over 20 times the estimated sale price
The sale results are available on the website of the auctioneers Charles Miller Ltd.