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...
Battle of Poitiers
On the 19th of September, 1356, an English army under the command of Edward the Black Prince defeated the French army at the Battle of Poitiers. The roots of the Battle of Poitiers lie in the complex dynastic disputes that fuelled the Hundred Years' War. Edward III of...
Harald Hardrada
On the 18th of September, 1066, Harald Hardrada landed with Tostig Godwinson at the mouth of the River Humber and began his invasion of England. Harald Hardrada, King of Norway from 1046 until his death in 1066, played a pivotal role in the dramatic events of that...
Thomas Selfridge
On the 17th of September, 1908, Thomas Selfridge died when the Wright Flyer, in which he was a passenger, flown by Orville Wright crashed. Thomas Selfridge became the first person to be killed in a powered aeroplane crash. I have written about my own aviation...
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...
Battle of Poitiers
On the 19th of September, 1356, an English army under the command of Edward the Black Prince defeated the French army at the Battle of Poitiers. The roots of the Battle of Poitiers lie in the complex dynastic disputes that fuelled the Hundred Years' War. Edward III of...
Harald Hardrada
On the 18th of September, 1066, Harald Hardrada landed with Tostig Godwinson at the mouth of the River Humber and began his invasion of England. Harald Hardrada, King of Norway from 1046 until his death in 1066, played a pivotal role in the dramatic events of that...
Thomas Selfridge
On the 17th of September, 1908, Thomas Selfridge died when the Wright Flyer, in which he was a passenger, flown by Orville Wright crashed. Thomas Selfridge became the first person to be killed in a powered aeroplane crash. I have written about my own aviation...