20 June: Oxford University

On this date in 1214, the University of Oxford received its charter. 10 things you might not know about Oxford University.

1. While the charter may have come about in 1214, there had been an educational institution in Oxford since 1096, which makes it the second oldest university in the world (after Bologna). One legend regarding the university's origins is that of a princess named Frideswide who, wishing to become a nun, fled to Oxford rather than let her father marry her off. When her father pursued her, he was struck blind and only got his sight back when he released her from the betrothal. Frideswide founded a convent in Oxford and the first colleges were said to be accommodation for scholarly monks.
2. The university is 200 years older than the Aztecs, 300 years older than Machu Picchu, and 150 years older than the Easter Island heads.
3. There are 38 colleges in Oxford University. Students organised themselves into halls at the beginning. Some of the halls were supported by rich people who gave their names to the college such as Merton and Balliol. The largest hall is Christchurch. If you visit this college the great hall may look a little familiar - the hall was rebuilt at one and a half times its original size at Warner Brothers studios to serve as the dining hall at Hogwarts.
4. In medieval times students at Oxford University were bound by the rules of the church, which meant they were not allowed to marry. This is why first degrees are called ‘Bachelor of Arts’ or 'Bachelor of Science'. Oxford University also gave us the word 'snob' which comes from the Latin phrase “sine nobilitate”, which means “without nobility”, and 'Soccer' as an abreviation for association football.
5. There are way more famous alumni than I can list here, but I will mention a few. More British Prime Ministers were educated at Oxford than at all other British Universities combined. Both female PMs to date, Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May were educated at Oxford. In fact, until 1950, there were always two seats guaranteed for University of Oxford alumni in Parliament. Other alumni include Professor Stephen Hawking, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Edwin Hubble, Alan Bennett, Rowan Atkinson, Fiona Bruce, Emilia Fox, Lady Antonia Fraser and Baroness Shirley Williams. Many overseas students study under the Rhodes scholarship scheme set up by Cecil Rhodes. These include Bill Clinton (and his daughter Chelsea) and the singer Kris Kristofferson. However, Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse, who solves murders in and around Oxford, actually went to Cambridge.
6. Women weren't admitted to the university until 1878 and it was 1884 before they were allowed to take exams. Today, about 45% of the students are women. Today, there are around 24,000 students at Oxford - 11,747 undergraduates and 11,687 postgraduates. 42% of them are from abroad, with over 140 countries represented. Competition for places is fierce with five or six applications for each available place. Oxford was ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The University is Oxfordshire's largest employer with over 30,000 jobs.
7. Before a student can be accepted as a new reader at the Bodleian Library, the main research library at the University, they must sign a declaration that they will not remove any text from the library nor to bring a flame, start a Fire, or smoke in the library. At one time, they had to swear an oath to this effect in Latin.
8. Oxford University had its own police force, which wasn’t abolished until 2003. Perhaps not surprising when you hear that in the 13th and 14th century, the students were known to riot. In 1355, for example, some students took exception to some beer they were served at a local pub and threw a pint at the owner. 63 students and 30 locals were killed in the ensuing riot. In 1209 the disputes between students and locals got so bad that a group of students left and formed their own university elsewhere. In Cambridge, to be exact.
9. At 6am on May 1 every year the Magdalen College choir sings in Latin from Magdalen Tower to celebrate the beginning of spring. A crowd will gather to listen and after the singing there is dancing. The pubs open at 6am on that day for Beer and breakfast. A stranger tradition is a ceremonial hunt for a duck which flew out of the foundations of one of the colleges in 1438. The duck hunt happens every 100 years.
10. The motto of Oxford University is ‘Dominus Illuminatio Mea’ which is Latin for ‘God is my light’.

The Raiders Trilogy

Book One

Book Three

Book Two

   

Power Blaster is a superhero who lives in a dimension not unlike our own, in the mega-nation of Innovia. No-one knows who he is or where his powers come from. 
After saving the life of the President several times, Power Blaster learns that a test of a nuclear warhead to defend the planet against asteroid strikes will have devastating consequences for his world and sets out to prevent it.

Power Blaster's actions lead to an unexpected result - a wormhole opens between his dimension and our own. Anyone in the vicinity is pulled through. People from diverse backgrounds and cultures must co-operate to survive and learn to live with the powers travel through the wormhole has bestowed on some of them.

A stable wormhole is established between the two dimensions. Power Blaster is determined to bring Desi Troyes, the person responsible for the bomb, to justice. Help comes from some rather unexpected sources. Meanwhile, Shanna Douglas sets out on a mission of her own, to find out if there is a cure for the life altering condition the wormhole gave her friend, Benedict Cole. Little does she know that she will stumble upon the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious origins.