Stockton and Darlington Railway
During my career as a civil engineer I worked on a number of railway projects including the London, Tilbury, and Southend Resignalling Project, Great Western Renaissance, HS2, and London’s Elizabeth Line. Hence my pick for today’s historical event. The Stockton and...
Special Relativity
On the 26th of September, 1905, Albert Einstein published the third of his Annus Mirabilis Papers. The third paper introduced his theory of special relativity. Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity revolutionised our understanding of space, time, and motion....
The Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg, signed on the 25th of September, 1555, was a pivotal treaty within the Holy Roman Empire that sought to quell the religious tensions that had simmered and erupted since the onset of the Protestant Reformation. This accord, agreed upon by Charles...
Hagia Sophia
On the 24th of September, 787, the Second Council of Nicaea assembled at the church of Hagia Sophia. The Second Council of Nicaea addressed the iconoclast controversy that had deeply divided the Byzantine Empire. Iconoclasm, the rejection and destruction of religious...
Juan Perón
I’ve posted about South America a few times, such as Rio de Janeiro and Inca Gold, and here we go again. On the 23rd of September, 1973, a general election in Argentina returned Juan Perón to the presidency for the third time. He was certainly very popular, and for...
The War of the Two Peters
On the 22nd of September, 1359, an Aragonese cavalry force defeated a superior Castilian cavalry force at the Battle of Araviana during the War of the Two Peters. The War of the Two Peters, fought between 1356 and 1375, was a protracted conflict that embroiled the...
Tolkien
On the 21st of September, 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was published. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, known widely as J.R.R. Tolkien, was an eminent English writer, philologist, and academic, celebrated for his timeless contributions to the world of literature. Born...
Peter Mandelson
The chancellor of the University of Oxford is elected by a vote of graduates, as is the University Poet. In 2015 my college’s senior tutor in English urged us to vote for Wole Soyinka as the next University Poet. I read a selection of poems by the candidates, who...
Battle of Alma
On the 20th of September, 1854, British and French forces defeated the Russians at the Battle of Alma. This was a pivotal engagement during the Crimean War, which saw an alliance of British, French, and Ottoman Empire forces pitted against the Russian Empire. This...
Stockton and Darlington Railway
During my career as a civil engineer I worked on a number of railway projects including the London, Tilbury, and Southend Resignalling Project, Great Western Renaissance, HS2, and London’s Elizabeth Line. Hence my pick for today’s historical event. The Stockton and...
Special Relativity
On the 26th of September, 1905, Albert Einstein published the third of his Annus Mirabilis Papers. The third paper introduced his theory of special relativity. Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity revolutionised our understanding of space, time, and motion....
The Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg, signed on the 25th of September, 1555, was a pivotal treaty within the Holy Roman Empire that sought to quell the religious tensions that had simmered and erupted since the onset of the Protestant Reformation. This accord, agreed upon by Charles...
Hagia Sophia
On the 24th of September, 787, the Second Council of Nicaea assembled at the church of Hagia Sophia. The Second Council of Nicaea addressed the iconoclast controversy that had deeply divided the Byzantine Empire. Iconoclasm, the rejection and destruction of religious...
Juan Perón
I’ve posted about South America a few times, such as Rio de Janeiro and Inca Gold, and here we go again. On the 23rd of September, 1973, a general election in Argentina returned Juan Perón to the presidency for the third time. He was certainly very popular, and for...
The War of the Two Peters
On the 22nd of September, 1359, an Aragonese cavalry force defeated a superior Castilian cavalry force at the Battle of Araviana during the War of the Two Peters. The War of the Two Peters, fought between 1356 and 1375, was a protracted conflict that embroiled the...
Tolkien
On the 21st of September, 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was published. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, known widely as J.R.R. Tolkien, was an eminent English writer, philologist, and academic, celebrated for his timeless contributions to the world of literature. Born...
Peter Mandelson
The chancellor of the University of Oxford is elected by a vote of graduates, as is the University Poet. In 2015 my college’s senior tutor in English urged us to vote for Wole Soyinka as the next University Poet. I read a selection of poems by the candidates, who...
Battle of Alma
On the 20th of September, 1854, British and French forces defeated the Russians at the Battle of Alma. This was a pivotal engagement during the Crimean War, which saw an alliance of British, French, and Ottoman Empire forces pitted against the Russian Empire. This...