The Siege of La Rochelle
I am getting to know Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu through writing The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I expect this book to end in 1617, so the siege of La Rochelle is still ten years distant. It was a defining event for...
Media and Crosswords
The 2nd of November seems to have been an interesting day for media in the past. In 1924 the Sunday Express printed the first British crossword puzzle, and in 1936 the BBC started the first regular high definition television broadcast from Alexandra Palace. This...
Events, Dear Boy, Events
I have posted recently about dining with Harold MacMillan, well we were in the same room, if not on the same table. Events, dear boy, events, was a saying of his, describing the susceptibility of plans to unexpected events. In the vast scope of history, certain dates...
Halloween
As any reader of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, will know I don’t believe in ghosts. But it’s Halloween, so I’ll blog about it. Halloween, or more correctly (according to Chambers) Hallowe’en, celebrated on October 31st, is a...
The Ballpoint Pen
I posted recently about the pencil, so why not celebrate the ballpoint pen which was patented on 30th October 1888, by John J Loud. I know what you’re thinking, wasn’t it Lázló Biró who invented the ballpoint pen? John J. Loud was a Harvard trained lawyer with a...
Leibniz
I usually volunteer to keep the scorecard when playing golf. However sometimes I make mistakes. Despite having three ‘A’ levels in maths and a degree in engineering science, I sometimes joke that maths has nothing to do with numbers. Perhaps it’s the writer in me, but...
Renaissance Lutanists
Yes, I know I said I’d move on to Renaissance physicians, but you won’t have to wait long. I have posted about musicians of Sir Anthony Standen’s era before. The On This Day website tells me that on 28th October 1612, King James I appointed Robert Dowland as court...
El Alamein
On October 27, 1942, the fourth day of the Battle of El Alamein, Allied and Axis forces remained locked in intense combat across the harsh desert landscape of Egypt. This day marked a critical stage in the Allied effort to weaken German and Italian forces and gain...
Renaissance Physician – Guillaume de Baillou
I posted recently about Jean-Baptiste Morin as an astrologer who makes an appearance in my work in progress The Favourite Murder, which will be the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. He was also a physician. So let us continue with another Renaissance...
The Siege of La Rochelle
I am getting to know Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu through writing The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I expect this book to end in 1617, so the siege of La Rochelle is still ten years distant. It was a defining event for...
Media and Crosswords
The 2nd of November seems to have been an interesting day for media in the past. In 1924 the Sunday Express printed the first British crossword puzzle, and in 1936 the BBC started the first regular high definition television broadcast from Alexandra Palace. This...
Events, Dear Boy, Events
I have posted recently about dining with Harold MacMillan, well we were in the same room, if not on the same table. Events, dear boy, events, was a saying of his, describing the susceptibility of plans to unexpected events. In the vast scope of history, certain dates...
Halloween
As any reader of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, will know I don’t believe in ghosts. But it’s Halloween, so I’ll blog about it. Halloween, or more correctly (according to Chambers) Hallowe’en, celebrated on October 31st, is a...
The Ballpoint Pen
I posted recently about the pencil, so why not celebrate the ballpoint pen which was patented on 30th October 1888, by John J Loud. I know what you’re thinking, wasn’t it Lázló Biró who invented the ballpoint pen? John J. Loud was a Harvard trained lawyer with a...
Leibniz
I usually volunteer to keep the scorecard when playing golf. However sometimes I make mistakes. Despite having three ‘A’ levels in maths and a degree in engineering science, I sometimes joke that maths has nothing to do with numbers. Perhaps it’s the writer in me, but...
Renaissance Lutanists
Yes, I know I said I’d move on to Renaissance physicians, but you won’t have to wait long. I have posted about musicians of Sir Anthony Standen’s era before. The On This Day website tells me that on 28th October 1612, King James I appointed Robert Dowland as court...
El Alamein
On October 27, 1942, the fourth day of the Battle of El Alamein, Allied and Axis forces remained locked in intense combat across the harsh desert landscape of Egypt. This day marked a critical stage in the Allied effort to weaken German and Italian forces and gain...
Renaissance Physician – Guillaume de Baillou
I posted recently about Jean-Baptiste Morin as an astrologer who makes an appearance in my work in progress The Favourite Murder, which will be the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. He was also a physician. So let us continue with another Renaissance...