Watch the Cockcroft-Rutherford Lecture on video

22 May 2014

The annual Cockroft-Rutherford lecture given by Professor Michael Wood on ‘Why History Matters’ on 12 May 2014 is now online

Historian and broadcaster Michael Wood reflected on how we all acquire a sense of history – family, local and national; he suggests that for everyone this is a lifetime’s journey extending far beyond the school curriculum.

Michael argued that history gives value and meaning to the present, helps create a shared identity in community and nation, and that the ‘reality check of history’ is important in maintaining an open society; with reference to his own upbringing in Manchester and as he put it, over thirty years of ‘travelling in time’ as a film maker and broadcaster.

The Cockcroft-Rutherford Lecture is our flagship annual alumni event and was attended by over 800 graduates of the University.

Michael is a renowned and acclaimed TV presenter on history who has held a part-time Chair at the University since September 2013.