Wikipedia tells me that on the 30th of August, 1594, a masque was held at Stirling Castle to celebrate the baptism of Prince Henry, first son of King James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. The masque (courtly entertainment) was written by William Fowler and Patrick...

On the 29th of August, 1831, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction. Michael Faraday, born on the 22nd of September, 1791, in Newington Butts, England, remains one of the most influential scientists in the field of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....

On the 28th of August, 1619, Ferdinand II was elected as Holy Roman Emperor. He succeeded Matthias who was Holy Roman Emperor whose lack of political initiative led to conflicts including the Fettmilch Uprising (central to the plot of Called to Account), and the...

One of the joys of researching my blog is that I learn quite a lot. The Famous Five to me evokes the adventure stories of my childhood, written by Enid Blyton. However, to Canadians it means something much more important.  The Famous Five refers to a group of...

On the 26th of August, 1791, John Fitch was granted a US patent for a steamboat. So often it is warfare that drives technical innovation, take the jet engine and rockets as just two examples. Yet fourteen years after the patent the Battle of Trafalgar was fought...

Wikipedia tells me that on the 25th of August, 1609, Galileo demonstrated his telescope to Venetian lawmakers. Galileo is a key character in Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. But let’s take a look at the development of the...

I recently posted about overcoming the monster as the most basic plot for story telling. I had just read John Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, in which the book’s hero was also the monster. I have now finished reading the next book in the George Smiley...

I have recently given a friend of mine some investment advice. He has had a very poor record of investment in the past, so much so that he thought his investment had, in some mysterious way, brought about the collapse of the companies he had invested in. Of course...

Being British I am perhaps drawn to historical events in which we take pride, Waterloo, Trafalgar, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, etc. So for a change here’s one we can be thoroughly ashamed of. Wikipedia tells me that on the 23rd of August, 1839, Britain seized...

Wikipedia tells me that on the 30th of August, 1594, a masque was held at Stirling Castle to celebrate the baptism of Prince Henry, first son of King James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. The masque (courtly entertainment) was written by William Fowler and Patrick...

On the 29th of August, 1831, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction. Michael Faraday, born on the 22nd of September, 1791, in Newington Butts, England, remains one of the most influential scientists in the field of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....

On the 28th of August, 1619, Ferdinand II was elected as Holy Roman Emperor. He succeeded Matthias who was Holy Roman Emperor whose lack of political initiative led to conflicts including the Fettmilch Uprising (central to the plot of Called to Account), and the...

One of the joys of researching my blog is that I learn quite a lot. The Famous Five to me evokes the adventure stories of my childhood, written by Enid Blyton. However, to Canadians it means something much more important.  The Famous Five refers to a group of...

On the 26th of August, 1791, John Fitch was granted a US patent for a steamboat. So often it is warfare that drives technical innovation, take the jet engine and rockets as just two examples. Yet fourteen years after the patent the Battle of Trafalgar was fought...

Wikipedia tells me that on the 25th of August, 1609, Galileo demonstrated his telescope to Venetian lawmakers. Galileo is a key character in Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. But let’s take a look at the development of the...

I recently posted about overcoming the monster as the most basic plot for story telling. I had just read John Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, in which the book’s hero was also the monster. I have now finished reading the next book in the George Smiley...

I have recently given a friend of mine some investment advice. He has had a very poor record of investment in the past, so much so that he thought his investment had, in some mysterious way, brought about the collapse of the companies he had invested in. Of course...

Being British I am perhaps drawn to historical events in which we take pride, Waterloo, Trafalgar, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, etc. So for a change here’s one we can be thoroughly ashamed of. Wikipedia tells me that on the 23rd of August, 1839, Britain seized...