by David West | Apr 24, 2026 | News
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...
by David West | Apr 23, 2026 | News
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...
by David West | Apr 22, 2026 | News
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...
by David West | Apr 21, 2026 | News
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...
by David West | Apr 20, 2026 | News
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...
