The choice of December 25th as the date for Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, is rooted in a combination of historical, theological, and cultural factors. While the exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Bible, early Christians sought to...

On 24th December 1515 King Henry VIII appointed Thomas Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of England. I’m really enjoying the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Wolsey was Thomas Cromwell’s mentor, and is often referred to. Thomas Wolsey (c. 1473-1530) was...

I’ve posted about astronomy before, and here’s another one. On 23rd December 1690 John Flamsteed observed Uranus without realising that it he was the first to observe it. John Flamsteed (1646-1719) was an influential English astronomer, best known as the first...

I have posted about inventors and inventions before. You may, like me, be sitting near a Christmas tree bedecked with baubles and a string or two of electric fairy lights. On the 22nd of December 1882 Thomas Edison created the first string of electric Christmas tree...

On 21st December 1934 the French film Zouzou, starring Josephine Baker premiered in Paris. Josephine Baker was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture. I have posted about her before, focusing on her work as a spy during World War II. Zouzou is a...

On 20th December 1192 Richard I was captured near Vienna by Leopold of Austria on his return from the Third Crusade. Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199), is one of history’s most iconic monarchs. Born to King Henry II of England and...

On 19th December 1686 Robinson Crusoe left his desert island after 28 years of being marooned, according to Daniel Defoe’s famous novel. Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – April 24, 1731) was an English writer, journalist, businessman, and covert government agent, widely...

On 18th December 1965 Gemini 7 splashed down after almost two weeks orbiting the Earth. It was Jim Lovell’s first space flight, Frank Borman was the Pilot in Command. I have posted about my favourite films, and although I named several, Apollo 13 is top. James Arthur...

On This Day tells me that on 17th December 1572 the Spanish set fires in Haarlem, in the Netherlands, during the Eighty Years War. Sir Anthony Standen was sent by Walsingham as a spy during that war. In my account of his incredible life, The Spy who Sank the Armada,...

The choice of December 25th as the date for Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, is rooted in a combination of historical, theological, and cultural factors. While the exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Bible, early Christians sought to...

On 24th December 1515 King Henry VIII appointed Thomas Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of England. I’m really enjoying the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Wolsey was Thomas Cromwell’s mentor, and is often referred to. Thomas Wolsey (c. 1473-1530) was...

I’ve posted about astronomy before, and here’s another one. On 23rd December 1690 John Flamsteed observed Uranus without realising that it he was the first to observe it. John Flamsteed (1646-1719) was an influential English astronomer, best known as the first...

I have posted about inventors and inventions before. You may, like me, be sitting near a Christmas tree bedecked with baubles and a string or two of electric fairy lights. On the 22nd of December 1882 Thomas Edison created the first string of electric Christmas tree...

On 21st December 1934 the French film Zouzou, starring Josephine Baker premiered in Paris. Josephine Baker was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture. I have posted about her before, focusing on her work as a spy during World War II. Zouzou is a...

On 20th December 1192 Richard I was captured near Vienna by Leopold of Austria on his return from the Third Crusade. Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199), is one of history’s most iconic monarchs. Born to King Henry II of England and...

On 19th December 1686 Robinson Crusoe left his desert island after 28 years of being marooned, according to Daniel Defoe’s famous novel. Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – April 24, 1731) was an English writer, journalist, businessman, and covert government agent, widely...

On 18th December 1965 Gemini 7 splashed down after almost two weeks orbiting the Earth. It was Jim Lovell’s first space flight, Frank Borman was the Pilot in Command. I have posted about my favourite films, and although I named several, Apollo 13 is top. James Arthur...

On This Day tells me that on 17th December 1572 the Spanish set fires in Haarlem, in the Netherlands, during the Eighty Years War. Sir Anthony Standen was sent by Walsingham as a spy during that war. In my account of his incredible life, The Spy who Sank the Armada,...