King Charles I's attack on Parliament on 4th January 1642 marked a pivotal moment in English history, leading to the English Civil War. The conflict arose from escalating tensions between the monarchy and Parliament over issues of governance, taxation, and the...

On 3rd January 1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccesfully tested his flying machine. Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance polymath, is renowned for his contributions to art, science, and engineering. Among his many visionary ideas, his fascination with flight...

On 2nd January 1492 Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrendered the city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula The Reconquista began in 711 AD when Muslim forces,...

I have posted about our trip this year to South America. Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon Rainforest were the highlights if Brazil. It was on the 1st of January 1502, that the area now known as Rio de Janeiro was discovered by a Portuguese expedition led by Gonçalo...

I have written about Romans  before, Cicero for example. But the story of Commodus needs telling. On 31st December 192 A.D. the Roman Emperor Commodus survived an attempted poisoning by his mistress only to be strangled in his bath. Emperor Commodus, born on August...

On 30th December 1460, during the War of the Roses, the Duke of York was killed and his army defeated by King Henry VI at the Battle of Wakefield. I’ve written about the final battle in the War of the Roses, Bosworth Field, so here is another. The Battle of Wakefield...

On 29th December 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was slain at the High Alter of Canturbury Cathedral by four knights. His is a story that would have been well known to my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, Elizabethan spy and the hero of my book, The Spy who Sank the...

On 28th December 1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated. Westminster Abbey, one of the most iconic religious structures in the United Kingdom, has a rich history that spans over a thousand years. Located in the City of Westminster, it has been a site of Christian...

On 27th December 1831 HMS Beagle sailed from England with Charles Darwin onboard, heading for South America. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, best known for his contributions to the understanding of evolution. Born on February 12,...

King Charles I's attack on Parliament on 4th January 1642 marked a pivotal moment in English history, leading to the English Civil War. The conflict arose from escalating tensions between the monarchy and Parliament over issues of governance, taxation, and the...

On 3rd January 1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccesfully tested his flying machine. Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance polymath, is renowned for his contributions to art, science, and engineering. Among his many visionary ideas, his fascination with flight...

On 2nd January 1492 Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrendered the city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula The Reconquista began in 711 AD when Muslim forces,...

I have posted about our trip this year to South America. Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon Rainforest were the highlights if Brazil. It was on the 1st of January 1502, that the area now known as Rio de Janeiro was discovered by a Portuguese expedition led by Gonçalo...

I have written about Romans  before, Cicero for example. But the story of Commodus needs telling. On 31st December 192 A.D. the Roman Emperor Commodus survived an attempted poisoning by his mistress only to be strangled in his bath. Emperor Commodus, born on August...

On 30th December 1460, during the War of the Roses, the Duke of York was killed and his army defeated by King Henry VI at the Battle of Wakefield. I’ve written about the final battle in the War of the Roses, Bosworth Field, so here is another. The Battle of Wakefield...

On 29th December 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was slain at the High Alter of Canturbury Cathedral by four knights. His is a story that would have been well known to my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, Elizabethan spy and the hero of my book, The Spy who Sank the...

On 28th December 1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated. Westminster Abbey, one of the most iconic religious structures in the United Kingdom, has a rich history that spans over a thousand years. Located in the City of Westminster, it has been a site of Christian...

On 27th December 1831 HMS Beagle sailed from England with Charles Darwin onboard, heading for South America. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, best known for his contributions to the understanding of evolution. Born on February 12,...