Friedrich Engels, The Father of Socialism
For much of the 20th century, the image and ideas of Friedrich Engels were eerily familiar as he stood alongside...
28/01/2012
HISTORY
The American War for Independence
Britain’s victory in the Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763) seemed to confirm its position as the dominant imperial power....
22/01/2012
The executioner’s job in 18th and 19th century
Executioners were both heroes and villains. Those who carried out the death penalty on despicable crooks earned the support of...
14/01/2012
General Masaharu Homma and Manila, the open city
The day after Christmas 1941, when his forces left, US Army General Douglas MacArthur had declared Manila an open city...
10/01/2012
Place to visit: Malta
Surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, the city of Valletta is one of Europe’s finest historic attractions. Here visitors...
08/01/2012
Nestorian controversy
Nestorius (c. 386 – c. 451) was Patriarch of Constantinople from 428 to 431, at which point he was condemned...
08/01/2012
When Calamity Jane ‘rides on’
Martha (or Marthy) Jane Cannary was the oldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters, born to Robert...
31/12/2011
Has good King Wenceslas started it?
If you’re looking for something that explains the origins of Boxing Day, well, you’re not going to find it here....
26/12/2011
On this day: Lockerbie tragedy
23 years ago, 270 people died when Pam Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The victims of the terrorist bombing will...
21/12/2011
The portrait of Matthew Henson
Matthew Alexander Henson was born in 1866 to freeborn sharecroppers. When he was four the family moved from Maryland to...
18/12/2011