by David West | May 26, 2026 | News
On the 26th of May, 1538, John Calvin and his followers were expelled from Geneva. Calvin lived in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years. John Calvin (1509–1564) was one of the most influential theologians of the Protestant Reformation, shaping a branch of...
by David West | May 25, 2026 | News
On the 25th of May, 1982, HMS Coventry was sunk by Argentine Airforce A4 Skyhawks during the Falkland Conflict. I have written a review of Admiral Sandy Woodward’s account of the conflict, One Hundred Days. It is a magnificent book and historical record. Coventry was...
by David West | May 24, 2026 | News
On the 24th of May, 1683, the Ashmolean Museum opened in Oxford. It was the world’s first university museum. Well, I’ll take any excuse to write about Oxford. The Ashmolean Museum is one of the great cultural treasures of Britain and holds a unique place in the...
by David West | May 23, 2026 | News
The Battle of Heiligerlee was fought on the 23rd of May, 1568, opening the Eighty Years’ War, which was the war in which my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, began his espionage career. You can follow his story in The Spy who Sank the Armada, the first book in the Sir...
by David West | May 22, 2026 | News
I have written about Lincoln’s beard, and his Gettysburg Address, but did you know he was an inventor? On the 22nd of May, 1849, Lincoln was issued a patent for his invention to lift boats. This makes him the only US president to hold a patent. Don’t tell Trump or...
