Wikipaedia tells me that on the 24th of April, 1479 BC, Thutmose III ascended to the throne of Egypt. I mentioned him in my post on pharaohs, but I think he warrants closer examination. Thutmose III was one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt and is often...

I like a beer or two, or three. On the 23rd of April, 1516, the Munich Reinheitsgebot, which specifies the ingredients in beer, came into effect in all Bavaria. The Munich Reinheitsgebot of 1516, often called the Bavarian Beer Purity Law, is one of the most famous...

On the 22nd of April, 1915, chlorine gas was first used as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres. I have written about The third Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele.  In ancient times, armies occasionally sought to poison wells, contaminate food...

On the 21st of April, 1509, King Henry VII, or Henry Tudor, died and Henry VIII became king. I have written about Henry VIII but I don’t think I have written about Henry VII. That’s a poor omission because he founded the Tudor dynasty through which my ancestor, Sir...

On the 20th of April, 1828, René Caillié became the second non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing, and the first to leave alive. Chambers Dictionary defines Timbuktu as a noun meaning any distant place and cites the origin as a town in Mali on the...

Belgium was the last country Claire and I visited on our Interrail trip last spring. In Brussels I posted about a connection between Sir Anthony Standen and Snow White. The fact is that when Sir Anthony was caught by the Don John, Duke of Austria, in an inappropriate...

Lucrezia Borgia was born on the 18th of April, 1480, in Subiaco near Rome. I don’t know much about Lucrezia Borgia other than she was supposed to be rather inclined to poisoning. She predates Sir Anthony Standen so I haven’t previously researched her. She was the...

The event which catches my eye for the 17th of April is the Bay of Pigs in 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion, launched in April 1961, was one of the most dramatic and consequential episodes of the Cold War. Conceived in secrecy, driven by anti-communist urgency, and...

Who is Harriet Quimby? If I tell you that on the 25th of July, 1909, Louis Bleriot became the first man to pilot an aeroplane across the English Channel, you’ll probably say “I knew that.” On the 16th of April, 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to pilot an...

Wikipaedia tells me that on the 24th of April, 1479 BC, Thutmose III ascended to the throne of Egypt. I mentioned him in my post on pharaohs, but I think he warrants closer examination. Thutmose III was one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt and is often...

I like a beer or two, or three. On the 23rd of April, 1516, the Munich Reinheitsgebot, which specifies the ingredients in beer, came into effect in all Bavaria. The Munich Reinheitsgebot of 1516, often called the Bavarian Beer Purity Law, is one of the most famous...

On the 22nd of April, 1915, chlorine gas was first used as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres. I have written about The third Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele.  In ancient times, armies occasionally sought to poison wells, contaminate food...

On the 21st of April, 1509, King Henry VII, or Henry Tudor, died and Henry VIII became king. I have written about Henry VIII but I don’t think I have written about Henry VII. That’s a poor omission because he founded the Tudor dynasty through which my ancestor, Sir...

On the 20th of April, 1828, René Caillié became the second non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing, and the first to leave alive. Chambers Dictionary defines Timbuktu as a noun meaning any distant place and cites the origin as a town in Mali on the...

Belgium was the last country Claire and I visited on our Interrail trip last spring. In Brussels I posted about a connection between Sir Anthony Standen and Snow White. The fact is that when Sir Anthony was caught by the Don John, Duke of Austria, in an inappropriate...

Lucrezia Borgia was born on the 18th of April, 1480, in Subiaco near Rome. I don’t know much about Lucrezia Borgia other than she was supposed to be rather inclined to poisoning. She predates Sir Anthony Standen so I haven’t previously researched her. She was the...

The event which catches my eye for the 17th of April is the Bay of Pigs in 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion, launched in April 1961, was one of the most dramatic and consequential episodes of the Cold War. Conceived in secrecy, driven by anti-communist urgency, and...

Who is Harriet Quimby? If I tell you that on the 25th of July, 1909, Louis Bleriot became the first man to pilot an aeroplane across the English Channel, you’ll probably say “I knew that.” On the 16th of April, 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to pilot an...