astronomy

John Iliffe (historian)

John Iliffe (historian) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Iliffe (historian) rather than just read about it. In short: John Iliffe (1 May 1939 – 20 August 2026) was a British historian, who specialised in the history of Africa and especially Tanzania. Life and career Iliffe was educated at Framlingham College and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he completed his BA and PhD.

Key takeaways

John Iliffe (historian) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Iliffe (historian) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Iliffe (historian) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Iliffe (1 May 1939 – 20 August 2026) was a British historian, who specialised in the history of Africa and especially Tanzania.

Life and career Iliffe was educated at Framlingham College and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he completed his BA and PhD. After teaching at the University of Dar es Salaam for several years he was appointed Assistant Director of Research in History at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St John's College. In 1980 he became a Reader in African History at Cambridge, and 10 years later was made Professor of African History, remaining in place until his retirement in 2006. He was awarded the 1988 Herskovits Prize for The African Poor: A History. He was a fellow of the British Academy from 1989 to 2006. Iliffe died on 20 August 2026, aged 87.

Notable works Tanganyika Under German Rule, 1905-1912 (1969) Modern Tanzanians (editor, 1973) A Modern History of Tanganyika (1979) The Emergence of African Capitalism (1983) The African Poor: A History (1987) Famine in Zimbabwe, 1890–1960 (1990) Africans: The History of a Continent (1995; 2nd ed. 2007; 3rd ed. 2017) East African Doctors: A History of the Modern Profession (1998) Honour in African History (2005) The African AIDS Epidemic: A History (2006) Obasanjo, Nigeria and the World (2011)

References

External links Page at St John's College, Cambridge Biography by the Society of Old Framlinghamians Archived 8 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Africans: The History of a Continent (second edition)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Iliffe (historian)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Iliffe (historian) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Iliffe (historian) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Iliffe (historian) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Iliffe (historian)

In research: John Iliffe (historian) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Iliffe (historian) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Iliffe (historian) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1939 births, 2026 deaths, 20th-century British historians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Iliffe (historian) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Iliffe (historian) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Iliffe (historian) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Iliffe (historian) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Iliffe (historian) in simple terms?

John Iliffe (1 May 1939 – 20 August 2026) was a British historian, who specialised in the history of Africa and especially Tanzania. Life and career Iliffe was educated at Framlingham College and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he completed his BA and PhD.

Why does John Iliffe (historian) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Iliffe (historian)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Iliffe (historian).