by David West | Aug 20, 2025 | News
On the 20th of August, 1940, Leon Trotsky was fatally wounded in Mexico City when Ramón Mercader attacked him with an ice axe. Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on the 7th of November, 1879, in Yanovka, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), was a...
by David West | Aug 19, 2025 | News
On the 19th of August, 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution defeated HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia. The War of 1812, often referred to as America’s “second war of independence,” was a military conflict fought between the United...
by David West | Aug 18, 2025 | News
On the 18th of August, 1612, the trial of the Pendle witches began at Lancaster Assizes. The Pendle witches are among the most notorious figures in English history, emblematic of the fear, superstition, and judicial practices of the early 17th century. Their story...
by David West | Aug 17, 2025 | News
On the 17th of August, 1549, the Battle of Sampford Courtenay was fought, and the Prayer Book Rebellion was quashed. The Prayer Book Rebellion features in A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Griggs, who I met at the Dartmouth Book Festival last year. I heartily recommend...
by David West | Aug 16, 2025 | News
On the 16th of August, 1328, the House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantua. Claire and I agreed that Mantua was our favourite city on our recent Interrail tour of fourteen European cities. Neither of us had heard of Mantua until I began my research for The...
