by David West | Jul 2, 2026 | News
Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, features Galileo Galilei. Today I shall write about his father. Vincenzo Galilei was an Italian composer, lutenist, and music theorist of the late Renaissance. Vincenzo’s contributions to music and...
by David West | Jul 1, 2026 | News
On the 1st of July, 1523, Jan Van Hessen and Hendrik Voes were burnt at the stake in Brussels. They were the first Lutheran martyrs executed by the Council of Brabant. When Martin Luther heard the news he wrote what is believed to be his first hymn, “Ein neues Lied...
by David West | Jun 30, 2026 | News
The Night of the Long Knives, which took place between the 30th of June and the 2nd of July, 1934, was a decisive and brutal purge carried out by Adolf Hitler to consolidate his power in Germany. Though often described as a single night, the violence extended over...
by David West | Jun 29, 2026 | News
On the 29th of June, 2007, Apple released its first mobile phone, the iPhone. I have checked my CV and I was working for WSP on the new terminal for Delhi International Airport at that point. I probably had a company Nokia. I bought an iPad after being very impressed...
by David West | Jun 28, 2026 | News
The two events which caught my eye for today’s post were Charles V being elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 (because there’s a connection with my ancestor the Elizabethan spy, Sir Anthony Standen), and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. But I’ve already covered...
