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 communication stations. There is no proof, but it has been suggested that they may even have put a man underneath. […]
There were famous female pirates
For some reason throughout history piracy has been romanticized, feared, and condemned. At times the truth is far more exciting than the myths that surround it, especially when it comes to those female pirates who defied their gentle female lifestyle and went to lead fierce lives on the high seas. Let’s look at the tales […]
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 Victorian England with his designs and ingenious constructions, which we can still see today. Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western […]
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 Shays led to the American Constitution as we know it today. It was all because of high Taxes. You see […]
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 structural weakness, which is that those opposing them are removed, normally not that peacefully! The effect of this is that […]
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 my candidate. I lost count of the number of doors I knocked on and was told they hadn’t voted 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 war. Basically, it was a discussion as to what they would do if they were in charge of the country […]
Who were the Egyptian Gods?
Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods over long periods of time. Some gods changed over the years, while others were forgotten and then rediscovered. Sometimes animals represented gods. The Jackal, Anubis, was the Protector of the Dead. The God of Wisdom, Thoth, and the Moon God, Khonssu, were represented by a baboon. Here is just a […]
Who were the Ancient Egyptians?
Did you know who was the oldest ruling Pharaoh? Pepy II holds the record for the longest reign of any pharaoh. He came to the throne when six years old, and he was still the King of Egypt at the grand old age of 94. How many Gods did they worship? Egyptians worshipped hundreds of […]