On the 11th of February, 1144, Robert of Chester completed the translation from Arabic into Latin of Testamenti Morieni, a textbook on alchemy. Alchemy in medieval Europe was not merely a proto-chemistry obsessed with gold-making, but a rich intellectual tradition...

The feast day of Saint Scholastica is the 10th of February. In Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, Anthony has to solve a series of murders occurring on Saints’ feast days. I don’t think I used Saint Scholastica, but it would have...

On the 9th of February, 1555, John Hooper the Bishop of Gloucester was burnt at the stake. John Hooper (c.1495–1555), Bishop of Gloucester and later Worcester, was among the most resolute and uncompromising figures of the English Reformation. A theologian shaped by...

On the 8th of February, 1950, the secret police of East Germany were established. They were called the Stasi. Having recently read the George Smiley series by John Le Carré, I feel I know a fair amount about the Stasi, but I’m sure there must be more to learn. The...

I heard the term Barbenheimer for the first time yesterday. I haven’t seen Barbie but I watched Oppenheimer on the flight to Lima in 2024. I thought it was absolutely brilliant, and a very worthy Oscar winner. In a rare cultural moment dubbed “Barbenheimer,” Barbie...

I posted yesterday about Singapore. It seems to me that Raffles gets rather too much credit in Singapore’s story, because the day after signing the treaty, Raffles took his leave and left Singapore in the hands of William Farquhar. William Farquhar (1774–1839) was a...

On the 6th of February, 1819, the Treaty of Singapore was signed. I have nothing against Singapore, I’ve never been there, it isn’t on our bucket list, but I would like to visit. If I’m sounding at all negative it’s simply that it has been quite a while since I’ve...

On the 5th of February, 1852, the New Hermitage Museum opened to the public in Saint Petersburg. Claire visited it on a school trip. Perhaps when Russia comes to its senses, I might get a chance too. The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg is one of the world’s...

Well Venezuela has been in the news recently, and on the 4th of February, 1992, Hugo Chávez led a coup against Venezuelan President, Carlos Andrés Pérez. Claire and I have visited several South American countries including Chile (en-route to Antarctica), Peru,...

On the 11th of February, 1144, Robert of Chester completed the translation from Arabic into Latin of Testamenti Morieni, a textbook on alchemy. Alchemy in medieval Europe was not merely a proto-chemistry obsessed with gold-making, but a rich intellectual tradition...

The feast day of Saint Scholastica is the 10th of February. In Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, Anthony has to solve a series of murders occurring on Saints’ feast days. I don’t think I used Saint Scholastica, but it would have...

On the 9th of February, 1555, John Hooper the Bishop of Gloucester was burnt at the stake. John Hooper (c.1495–1555), Bishop of Gloucester and later Worcester, was among the most resolute and uncompromising figures of the English Reformation. A theologian shaped by...

On the 8th of February, 1950, the secret police of East Germany were established. They were called the Stasi. Having recently read the George Smiley series by John Le Carré, I feel I know a fair amount about the Stasi, but I’m sure there must be more to learn. The...

I heard the term Barbenheimer for the first time yesterday. I haven’t seen Barbie but I watched Oppenheimer on the flight to Lima in 2024. I thought it was absolutely brilliant, and a very worthy Oscar winner. In a rare cultural moment dubbed “Barbenheimer,” Barbie...

I posted yesterday about Singapore. It seems to me that Raffles gets rather too much credit in Singapore’s story, because the day after signing the treaty, Raffles took his leave and left Singapore in the hands of William Farquhar. William Farquhar (1774–1839) was a...

On the 6th of February, 1819, the Treaty of Singapore was signed. I have nothing against Singapore, I’ve never been there, it isn’t on our bucket list, but I would like to visit. If I’m sounding at all negative it’s simply that it has been quite a while since I’ve...

On the 5th of February, 1852, the New Hermitage Museum opened to the public in Saint Petersburg. Claire visited it on a school trip. Perhaps when Russia comes to its senses, I might get a chance too. The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg is one of the world’s...

Well Venezuela has been in the news recently, and on the 4th of February, 1992, Hugo Chávez led a coup against Venezuelan President, Carlos Andrés Pérez. Claire and I have visited several South American countries including Chile (en-route to Antarctica), Peru,...