Cars & Safety
Why am I writing about cars and safety? As an author of historical fiction, I tend to mainly post about history and writing. However, before I retired and began writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I was a civil engineer, project manager, and risk manager. So I...
Cyrus the Great
No, I’m not talking about Miley Cyrus, great artist as she is. Cyrus II, or Cyrus the Great, ruled Persia from 600 to 530 B.C. On this day in 539 B.C. he marched into Babylon, freeing Jewish captives and allowing them to return home. Records of Babylon stretch back as...
Saint Edmund
I recently posted about Oxford’s oldest college, and my own college, Saint Edmund Hall was a contender. So who was Saint Edmund? The first thing is to note that there are two Saint Edmunds. There was Saint Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia in the 9th century A.D....
Longitude
The photograph was taken at latitude 51.39 degrees north and longitude 0.50 degrees east. It’s of the guildhall in Rochester, only twenty-four miles from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, which explains its low longitude. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich. The...
Pogroms, Jews, and Palestine
On the 24th October 1492, the authorities of Mecklenburg burnt twenty-four Jews at the stake. Their alleged crime was to desecrate the Host, that is the bread used in Holy Communion. The Jews were accused of having poured blood on the bread. It is now considered that...
El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between 23rd October 23 and 4th November 1942. It marked the turning point in the Western Desert Campaign and showcased the strategic brilliance, courage, and resilience of the Allied forces. Winston Churchill said that...
Conflict, Rumours & Greatest Hits
How does conflict generate creativity? I was watching programmes about Fleetwood Mac on the BBC last night. Whilst making the album Rumours each member of the band was going through a break-up: John and Christine McVie; Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham; Mick...
Constantine the Great
The On This Day website tells me that on 21st October 335 Constantine the Great ruled that Jews were no longer allowed to purchase and circumcise Christian slaves. Constantine was born on 27th February 272 AD, in modern-day Serbia. He hailed from a noble family, and...
The Battle of Coutras & Name
I shall come to the matter of a name, but let’s start with the Battle of Coutras. It was fought on 20th October 1587 during the French Wars of Religion. The Protestant Huguenots were led by the charismatic Henry of Navarre, and the Catholic League was commanded by the...
Cars & Safety
Why am I writing about cars and safety? As an author of historical fiction, I tend to mainly post about history and writing. However, before I retired and began writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I was a civil engineer, project manager, and risk manager. So I...
Cyrus the Great
No, I’m not talking about Miley Cyrus, great artist as she is. Cyrus II, or Cyrus the Great, ruled Persia from 600 to 530 B.C. On this day in 539 B.C. he marched into Babylon, freeing Jewish captives and allowing them to return home. Records of Babylon stretch back as...
Saint Edmund
I recently posted about Oxford’s oldest college, and my own college, Saint Edmund Hall was a contender. So who was Saint Edmund? The first thing is to note that there are two Saint Edmunds. There was Saint Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia in the 9th century A.D....
Longitude
The photograph was taken at latitude 51.39 degrees north and longitude 0.50 degrees east. It’s of the guildhall in Rochester, only twenty-four miles from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, which explains its low longitude. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich. The...
Pogroms, Jews, and Palestine
On the 24th October 1492, the authorities of Mecklenburg burnt twenty-four Jews at the stake. Their alleged crime was to desecrate the Host, that is the bread used in Holy Communion. The Jews were accused of having poured blood on the bread. It is now considered that...
El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between 23rd October 23 and 4th November 1942. It marked the turning point in the Western Desert Campaign and showcased the strategic brilliance, courage, and resilience of the Allied forces. Winston Churchill said that...
Conflict, Rumours & Greatest Hits
How does conflict generate creativity? I was watching programmes about Fleetwood Mac on the BBC last night. Whilst making the album Rumours each member of the band was going through a break-up: John and Christine McVie; Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham; Mick...
Constantine the Great
The On This Day website tells me that on 21st October 335 Constantine the Great ruled that Jews were no longer allowed to purchase and circumcise Christian slaves. Constantine was born on 27th February 272 AD, in modern-day Serbia. He hailed from a noble family, and...
The Battle of Coutras & Name
I shall come to the matter of a name, but let’s start with the Battle of Coutras. It was fought on 20th October 1587 during the French Wars of Religion. The Protestant Huguenots were led by the charismatic Henry of Navarre, and the Catholic League was commanded by the...