Pieter Geyl (1887—1966) was undoubtedly one of the most internationally renowned Dutch historians of the twentieth century, but also one of the most controversial. Having come to the UK as a journalist, he started his academic career at the University of London in the aftermath of World War I (1919) and played an important role in the early days of the Institute of Historical Research. Known in this time for his re-interpretation of the sixteenth-century Dutch Revolt against the Habsburgs, that challenged existing historiographies of both Belgium and the Netherlands but was also linked to his political activism in favour of the Flemish movement in Belgium, Geyl left his stamp on the British perception of Low Countries history before moving back to his country of origin in 1935. Having spent World War II in German hostage camps, he famously coined the adage of history being ‘a discussion without end’ and re-engaged in public debates with British historians after the war, partly conducted on the airwaves of the BBC. A prolific writer and an early example of a ‘public intellectual’, Geyl remains one of the most influential thinkers on history of his time. The present volume re-examines Geyl’s relationship with Britain (and the Anglophone world at large) and sheds new light on his multifaceted work as a historian, journalist, homme de lettres and political activist.

The Utrecht University professor of Chemistry, Ernst Cohen (1869-1944) gave lectures illustrated with an optical lantern between at least 1899 and 1938. His presentations addressed different audiences, from colleagues at chemical conventions to members of societal and professional associations and audiences at adult education centres. The range of topics he covered was equally broad: from lectures on the use of photography in the sciences to chemical issues and entertaining presentations on caricature and the natural sciences. Cohen used the projected image for a variety of purposes that were linked to his outreach activities as an academic who wanted to address audiences both inside and outside academia. This contribution retraces Cohen’s activities as a lecturer using the lantern to reach diverse audiences and discusses the topics that he chose for his illustrated lectures.

Ernst Julius Cohen (1869-1944) fue un destacado químico e historiador de la química holandés de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX y la primera mitad del siglo XX. Contribuyó a los campos del polimorfismo, termoquímica, electroquímica y piezoquímica. También estudió isomería física. Sus estudios experimentales sobre alotropía se han publicado en un gran número de publicaciones. El propósito de este artículo es familiarizar a los lectores con los acontecimientos importantes en la vida de Cohen y sus actividades de investigación, en particular con sus publicaciones seleccionadas, así como con sus actividades de escritura, en particular con sus libros

Cornelis (“Kees”) de Jager, the co-founder of the journal Solar Physics, passed away on 27 May 2021. He was an exemplary human being, a great scientist, and he had a large impact on our field. In this tribute, we first briefly summarize his life and career and then describe some of his solar activities, from his Ph.D. thesis on the hydrogen lines in 1952 to the book on cycle–climate relations that he completed last year.

'Verplicht onderwijs tot en met het zeventiende levensjaar dient een basis te scheppen voor de ontwikkeling van een menswaardig geestelijk leven in een wereld met korte arbeidstijden en automatisering van productieprocessen', luidt opvallend de laatste van vijftien stellingen in het proefschrift Collections of Maps and Atlases in the Netherlands. Met deze dissertatie promoveerde veertig jaar geleden ingenieur Cornelis Koeman tot doctor in de wiskunde en natuurwetenschappen. Twee decennia later - hij was inmiddels hoogleraar geworden - zou hij met emeritaat gaan. Een mooie gelegenheid dus om eens stil te staan bij de bevlogen grondlegger van de leerstoel historische kartografie aan de Universiteit van Utrecht.