Horatio Nelson: from frail guy to National Hero
Often maggot-infested, the food was often uneatable, living quarters were tiny and discipline was extremely strict, with the threat of lashing punishment by the cat-o’-nine-tails ever present. Winston Churchill would […]
Grace Darling, the Lighthouse Heroine
Maybe not everyone knows her, but It would be wrong to describe Grace Darling as an unsung heroine: songs have been composed about her right up to 2017, but also […]
Stamford bull run: a custom demised after 700 years of cruelty
If you are lucky enough to own a castle you want to enjoy the fine views on your lands from your windows. And that, according to legend, is just what […]
The true story of Lord Lucan, the British aristocrat who killed his maid and disappeared forever
In 1974, Britain, and later much of the rest of the world, was captivated by the brutal murder of a 29-year-old nanny named Sandra Rivett, and the disappearance of the […]
The tragedy of Aberfan: what happened that fateful October 21, 1966
A terrible tragedy known across the world by the name of the South Wales village where it happened, Aberfan, occurred on this day, October 21, 1966, when millions of cubic […]
The sad history of London’s Speakers’ Corner
Free speech laws in United Kingdom include some notorious exceptions: Saying anything to incite religious and racial hatred, threaten the monarchy, or endorse terrorism may be considered unlawful. But there […]
Edith Cavell: the heroine nurse of England
Every year, two chosen nurses lay a wreath on the statue of such as Edith Cavell near Trafalgar Square in central London. Meanwhile, some 320 km north-east of the capital, […]
Lepanto: the battle that saved Europe
Considered by many to have been the most important naval engagement in human history, the Battle of Lepanto was fought on this day, October 7, 1571. In short, It saved […]
Phet and Ploy: the most expensive cat wedding in the world!
On this day, October 5, 1996, a beautiful bride wore a pink satin dress and arrived by helicopter. And the groom, dressed in a pink tuxedo with precious lacy cuffs, […]
The days that vanished and the switch to the Gregorian Calendar
As all we known, Julius Caesar was a brilliant Roman general. Born of a patrician family, he rose through the political and military ranks of Republican Rome to become Consul […]
September 27, 1825: the first time in history that a steam locomotive carry passengers on a public railway
For the first time in history a steam locomotive carried passengers on a public railway on this day, September 27, 1825. The engine was called Locomotion No. 1 and in […]
What was the first country to grant women the vote?
Saudi Arabia, in 2011, became the most recent country in 21st century to grant women’s suffrage (and also lifted the ban on women’s driving in June 2018…). But which country […]
Tomás de Torquemada: the mad monk burns 2,000 at the stake
On this day, September 16, 1498 a frail, 78-year-old Dominican monk offered his final prayers to God, turned his face to his pillow, then died.And thousands rejoiced. He was Tomás […]
The boy who made one of the most stunning archaeological discoveries of all time…
On this day, September 12, 1940 a French teenager took his dog for a walk. Well, a simple everyday event, surely nothing special. However, this event lead to one of […]
The ghosts of Cold Harbor battlefield – Mechanicsville, Virginia
For believers and ghost enthusiasts, Most Civil War battlefields are haunted by the restless souls of fallen soldiers. And of all the battles of the war, Cold Harbor located in […]
When London burned: 1666’s Great Fire
Thomas Farriner was a baker who served King Charles II, supplied bread to the Royal Navy, and lived in Pudding Lane, London. All regular, until he went to bed on […]
Battle of Cajamarca: how 200 conquistadors conquered an empire of 10 million
The Inca people named their empire “Land of the Four Quarters” or Tahuantinsuyu and in 1533 it was the largest in the world: It covered 2,500 miles and stretched from […]
Krakatoa: the story of the world’s mightiest explosion
The biggest explosion the world has ever known (try to imagine: an estimated 13,000 times greater than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima during WWII) happened on this day, August 27 […]
Buried at 2,000 meters high: the inaccessible sarcophagi of Karajia in Peru
Between the steep gorges of the Andes and the immense rainforests of the Amazonas region in Peru, there are surprising historical sites that document the history of the Chachapoya people, […]
#August 14, 1936: America’s Last Public Hanging
On this day, August 14, 1936 a crowd estimated at 10,000 to 20,000 gathered at Owensboro, Kentucky, to watch the last ever public hanging in the United States. The fact […]
The incredible story of the balloon expedition to the North Pole
For obvious reasons, S. A. Andrée’s balloon polar expedition of 1897 seems foolhardy and doomed to failure in modern times. The aim was to cross over the North Pole in […]
The incredible story of the woman who fell 75 storeys in a lift (and survived)
This incredible woman probably had to defy the laws of gravity after she survived a fall of 75 storeys trapped in an elevator. This is the stuff of nightmares for […]
Light and air for everybody: the window tax imposed on English citizens in 1696
The Victorian era was one of enormous transformation for British industry and architecture, popular also for its weirdnesses, including funerals for pets, hospitals for dead that prevented the fear of […]
Robert the Bruce: the never-say-die king (and the spider)
Robert the Bruce, more formally known as King Robert I of Scotland, was born on this day, July 11 1274. He was a fierce warrior-king, who led the Scots in […]
The colonial era ghosts that still haunt the streets of Yorktown, the landmark village of the American Revolution
It is said that the town of Yorktown is haunted. From Cornwallis’ Cave on the banks of the York River, to Crawford Road, the town is a magnet for urban […]
Louis Réard and the birth of the Bikini
Millions of men would come to be grateful that Frenchman Louis Réard, a car mechanic, had an unlikely sideline in the 1940s: he also looked after his mother’s lingerie boutique […]
July 4: It’s Independence Day for the U.S.
One of the most significant dates in the calendar of the United States, on this day, July 4 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, […]
The Battle of the Somme: the bloodiest day in British military history
The First World War Battle of the Somme began on this day, July 1, 1916. It was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history and the worst ever for […]
Tunguska Event: the mystery that puzzled scientists for almost 100 years
A huge mysterious blast rocked eastern Siberia on this day, June 30, 1908, leaving millions of trees lying on the ground, mostly pointing in the same direction, over an area […]