Fairs on a frozen Thames
Behold the Liquid Thames frozen o’re,That lately Ships of mighty Burthen boreThe Watermen for want of Rowing BoatsMake use of Booths to get their Pence & GroatsHere you may see beef roasted on the spitAnd for your money you may taste a bitThere you may print your name, tho cannot writeCause num’d with cold: tis […]
The first self-propelling steam locomotive
Have you heard of Richard Trevithick? Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelling steam locomotive that at the Penydarren Ironworks, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, which made the first locomotive-hauled railway journey. I bet you have never heard of him. You will have heard of Robert Stephenson and his rocket, but that wasn’t until 1829, he wasn’t […]
Singapore, another surrender we need to learn about!
Singapore, which is today an independent city state, but in 1942 was a jewel in the British Empire, and as shown in the map above, was in a strategically important position. This is because the Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. It was, and still is, the […]
A Catholic French Marshal without Royal Blood becomes King of Sweden
Would You Believe Sweden Hasn’t Been in a War Since 1818? It may sound surprising, but Sweden has managed to avoid war for over two centuries a feat few countries have achieved. This amazing tale of peace can largely be traced back to the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars and the unusual circumstances that led […]
The French invasion of Fishgard, yes, the town in Wales!
This is the weirdest invasion ever. Yes, they really did try to invade us through Wales! They made the mistake of trying to land in Wales and then march through the country to London. The Plan 1797 was just after the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte was otherwise involved in central Europe. In his […]
The Dutch invade England – The Glorious Revolution of 1688
England was Confused It is 1688, and England was in turmoil. King James II, who was a Catholic, was becoming increasingly unpopular with both his Protestant Parliament and his people. He believed in the divine right of kings, which meant that monarchs were only answerable to God. This was the problem, as the Parliamentarians were […]
Greek Influence on the US Constitution
Speaking in March 2019 in the White House, President Donald Trump said that“the U.S and the whole western civilization has been shaped by the achievements of the Greek people.” I think he was right. Especially, as it appears that the founding fathers looked at the way the Greek city states ran their democracy. You […]
What do you know of Pericles?
What do you know of Pericles? He was a prominent and influential Athenian statesman, and his story basically tells us that the world hasn’t changed in nearly 3000 years. Does it ever? In the years between 500BC and 400 BC he was the driving force as the Greek democracy was evolving. As it evolved it […]
How do you get out of a maze?
Greek mythology tells the story of Monster in the Maze. It tells of a frightening creature, with the head of a bull and the body of a man, yes, half man and half animal. Now this frightening creature lived in the centre of the Labyrinth, an elaborate maze, under the palace of King Minos of […]
A Victorian Legacy – A special age
When do you think the first public park was opened in England? Today we take our public parks for granted, but it didn’t used to be like that. There were a few pleasure gardens and, of course, the wealthy had their private estates, that were enormous parks, but they weren’t public. This happened was during […]