by David West | Aug 12, 2026 | News
On the 12th of August, 1624, Charles de La Vieuville was arrested and replaced by Cardinal Richelieu as King Louis XIII’s chief advisor. Regular followers may be aware that Louis XIII is a minor character in The Suggested Assassin, the third book in the Sir Anthony...
by David West | Aug 11, 2026 | News
On the 11th of August, 177CE, Hadrian was proclaimed Roman Emperor two days after Trajan’s death. Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born on the 24th of January, 76 CE, probably in Italica, near modern Seville in Spain. His family was wealthy and of Roman colonial stock....
by David West | Aug 10, 2026 | News
For much of the 10th century, the Magyar horsemen of Hungary terrified western Europe. Riding swiftly across the continent, they raided Germany, Italy, Burgundy, and even parts of France and Spain. Their armies were famous for mounted archery, speed, and sudden...
by David West | Aug 9, 2026 | News
The Battle of Pharsalus was fought on the 9th of August 48BCE near Pharsalus in central Greece. It marked the turning point in the Roman civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. Caesar’s victory destroyed the political power of Pompey and effectively...
by David West | Aug 8, 2026 | News
On the 8th of August, 1963, £2.61 million was stolen from a Royal Mail train on the West Coast Main Line. I spent around a third of my career working on railway projects and have written about railway events. Sadly there have been a few railway accidents as well as...
by David West | Aug 8, 2026 | News
I have posted about my career as a civil engineer. Thomas Telford was the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers and he was born on the 8th of August 1757. He was one of the greatest civil engineers of the Industrial Revolution, a man whose roads,...
