Sir Francis Ronalds
I have posted about inventors like Gutenberg, Edison, and Colt. Today I am drawn to Sir Francis Ronalds because on the 5th of August, 1816, the British Admiralty rejected his invention of the electric telegraph, preferring to stick with semaphore. Sir Francis Ronalds...
Kitkat
No not the chocholate bars, or even the Berlin club featured in Cabaret, but Lt. Col. Terence Kitkat CBE DSO MC. He was born on the 16th of July, 1908, the son of a Stepford vicar. I decided to write about him today because it’s a very windy and wet day and we came...
Champagne
The 4th of August, 1693, is the date ascribed to Dom Pérignon’s invention of champagne. While I work on The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I have had to do a lot of research into wines of the early 17th century. Anthony has had...
La Scala
On the 3rd of August, 1778, Milan’s La Scala was inaugurated with the premiere of Europa riconosciuta, by Antonio Scalieri. Teatro alla Scala, commonly known as La Scala, stands as one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. Located in the heart of Milan,...
Bayezid II
Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, features anti-semitism as its theme. The seemingly endless conflict between the Jewish state of Israel and its Islamic neighbours is on our minds and TV screens. Yet it hasn’t always been that...
Order of Saint Michael
On the 1st of August 1469, in Amboise, King Louis XI of France founded the chivalric order he named the Order of Saint Michael. This event attracted my attention for today’s post because Amboise features in my work in progress, The Favourite Murder. Leonardo da...
Passchendaele
I have written about the Eighty Years War because my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, was an Elizabethan spy during it. I’ve written about World War II because my father fought in it. But I have written very little about World War I. The Battle of Passchendaele, also...
Defenestration
I have written about a number of key players in the reformation, such as Martin Luther and John Wycliffe. The event which strikes me for 30th of July from history is another key event in the reformation. The First Defenestration of Prague, a pivotal event in European...
Lord Darnley
On the 29th of July, 1565, the widowed Mary Queen of Scots married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at Holyrood Palace. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was born on 7 December 1545 at Temple Newsam in Leeds, Yorkshire. He was a significant figure in 16th-century British history,...
Sir Francis Ronalds
I have posted about inventors like Gutenberg, Edison, and Colt. Today I am drawn to Sir Francis Ronalds because on the 5th of August, 1816, the British Admiralty rejected his invention of the electric telegraph, preferring to stick with semaphore. Sir Francis Ronalds...
Kitkat
No not the chocholate bars, or even the Berlin club featured in Cabaret, but Lt. Col. Terence Kitkat CBE DSO MC. He was born on the 16th of July, 1908, the son of a Stepford vicar. I decided to write about him today because it’s a very windy and wet day and we came...
Champagne
The 4th of August, 1693, is the date ascribed to Dom Pérignon’s invention of champagne. While I work on The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I have had to do a lot of research into wines of the early 17th century. Anthony has had...
La Scala
On the 3rd of August, 1778, Milan’s La Scala was inaugurated with the premiere of Europa riconosciuta, by Antonio Scalieri. Teatro alla Scala, commonly known as La Scala, stands as one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. Located in the heart of Milan,...
Bayezid II
Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, features anti-semitism as its theme. The seemingly endless conflict between the Jewish state of Israel and its Islamic neighbours is on our minds and TV screens. Yet it hasn’t always been that...
Order of Saint Michael
On the 1st of August 1469, in Amboise, King Louis XI of France founded the chivalric order he named the Order of Saint Michael. This event attracted my attention for today’s post because Amboise features in my work in progress, The Favourite Murder. Leonardo da...
Passchendaele
I have written about the Eighty Years War because my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, was an Elizabethan spy during it. I’ve written about World War II because my father fought in it. But I have written very little about World War I. The Battle of Passchendaele, also...
Defenestration
I have written about a number of key players in the reformation, such as Martin Luther and John Wycliffe. The event which strikes me for 30th of July from history is another key event in the reformation. The First Defenestration of Prague, a pivotal event in European...
Lord Darnley
On the 29th of July, 1565, the widowed Mary Queen of Scots married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at Holyrood Palace. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was born on 7 December 1545 at Temple Newsam in Leeds, Yorkshire. He was a significant figure in 16th-century British history,...