Air Raid
On the 15th of July, 1849, Austria launched pilotless balloons against Venice during the First Italian War of Independence. This is the first recorded air raid. I have written about aerial warfare before, and about my pilot training, but I hadn’t known about this...
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, and marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a formidable fortress-prison located in Paris, originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the eastern...
AI – Artificial Intelligence
It’s the 13th of July and I am spoilt for choice for my daily post. I could have written about the Siege of Haarlem, a key battle of 1573 during the Eighty Years War, a war in which my ancestor, the Elizabethan spy Sir Anthony Standen, played his part. I could have...
Catherine Parr
On the 12th of July, 1543, King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr. Catherine was born in 1512. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Green, coming from a noble family with strong connections at court. Known for her...
Hamilton
On the 11th of July, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel. Alexander Hamilton was born on the 11th of January in either 1755 or 1757 in Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock, and his father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him...
William of Orange
On the 10th of July, 1584, William I of Orange was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard in Delft. William is a character in The Spy who Sank the Armada, the first book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. William I of Orange, also known as William the Silent, was a...
Catherine the Great
On the 9th of July, 1762, Catherine the Great became Empress of Russia following a coup against her husband, Peter III. I mentioned Catherine in a post about Elizabeth of Russia. Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, was one of Russia's most prominent and...
Battle of Poltava
The Battle of Poltava, fought on the 8th of July 1709, was a pivotal event in the Great Northern War (1700–1721), a conflict that reshaped the power dynamics of Northern Europe. The battle saw the forces of Tsar Peter I of Russia, also known as Peter the Great (father...
Sliced Bread
On the 7th of July 1928 the first loaf of sliced bread was sold by the Chillicothe Baking Company, of Chillicothe Missouri. I have posted about many inventions and inventors, the printing press, Samuel Colt, Thomas Edison, but every new best thing is compared to this...
Air Raid
On the 15th of July, 1849, Austria launched pilotless balloons against Venice during the First Italian War of Independence. This is the first recorded air raid. I have written about aerial warfare before, and about my pilot training, but I hadn’t known about this...
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, and marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a formidable fortress-prison located in Paris, originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the eastern...
AI – Artificial Intelligence
It’s the 13th of July and I am spoilt for choice for my daily post. I could have written about the Siege of Haarlem, a key battle of 1573 during the Eighty Years War, a war in which my ancestor, the Elizabethan spy Sir Anthony Standen, played his part. I could have...
Catherine Parr
On the 12th of July, 1543, King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr. Catherine was born in 1512. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Green, coming from a noble family with strong connections at court. Known for her...
Hamilton
On the 11th of July, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel. Alexander Hamilton was born on the 11th of January in either 1755 or 1757 in Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock, and his father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him...
William of Orange
On the 10th of July, 1584, William I of Orange was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard in Delft. William is a character in The Spy who Sank the Armada, the first book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. William I of Orange, also known as William the Silent, was a...
Catherine the Great
On the 9th of July, 1762, Catherine the Great became Empress of Russia following a coup against her husband, Peter III. I mentioned Catherine in a post about Elizabeth of Russia. Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, was one of Russia's most prominent and...
Battle of Poltava
The Battle of Poltava, fought on the 8th of July 1709, was a pivotal event in the Great Northern War (1700–1721), a conflict that reshaped the power dynamics of Northern Europe. The battle saw the forces of Tsar Peter I of Russia, also known as Peter the Great (father...
Sliced Bread
On the 7th of July 1928 the first loaf of sliced bread was sold by the Chillicothe Baking Company, of Chillicothe Missouri. I have posted about many inventions and inventors, the printing press, Samuel Colt, Thomas Edison, but every new best thing is compared to this...