The Barbary Pirates
Would you believe that from the 17th to 19th centuries Africa slave traders came to the coast of Devon and Cornwall and took English people to sell in the slave markets in North Africa! But…
Will we ever learn from Afghanistan?
There are so many examples of history repeating itself, if only we understood the mistakes of history, perhaps we wouldn’t keep making them. I know, it’s some hope! There are so many examples in history, …
When Was the Air first used for war?
As long ago as the 3rd century BC. Yes. That long ago! Chinese Lanterns Yes, those traditional Chinese lanterns, which we still see today, are believed to have been used in Ancient China as military…
There were famous female pirates
We have a show about two famous female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. But first let me tell you about a few other women who became famous as pirates. Queen Teuta of Illyria In…
IK Brunel – was he our greatest engineer?
He has been described as one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history, one of the 19th-century engineering giants. One of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, a man who changed…
The Articles of Confederation
These were the basis for the original constitution of the United States, it took the 13 rebelling colonies, as they were at that time, many months to finally agree them…
Shays’ rebellion of 1786
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”Robert Brault – American Author I bet you never realised that a rebellion by a farm hand called…
Democracy or Dictatorship?
It is interesting to note that authoritarian governments don’t appear to last as long as democratic ones, unfortunately, they tend to be replaced by even more totalitarian regimes. Why is that? Authoritarian systems have a…
To vote or not to vote, that is the question?
Many years ago, in another century, I stood for the local council and I lost by two votes! Almost immediately after this there was a general election and I went out knocking on doors for…
Was this the Start of British Democracy?
The Putney Debates The Putney Debates took place from 28 October to 8 November 1647, and they were a series of discussions over how they would run the country should they, Parliament, win the civil…