Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, statesman and drinker
On this day in 1140 the Chinese poet, statesman and military leader Xin Qiji was born. His life seems to have been one of service... Read More
Jean Paul Sartre’s view of Hell
On this day in 1944 Jean Paul Sartre’s Existentialist play Huis Clos (‘Dead End’) was first performed in Paris. It was a tense time already... Read More
A E Housman, a gay Shropshire lad
On this day in 1859 the English poet Alfred Edward (A. E.) Housman was born. He is best remembered today for his lyrical and evocative... Read More
Ralph Waldo Emerson and the ‘shot heard round the world’
On this day in 1803 American writer and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born. Known today as a leader of the Romantic Movement, he wrote... Read More
Field Marshall Wavell was too kind
On this day in 1950 British Field Marshall Archibald Percival Wavell died. Wavell was a well-known general in the Second World War where he came... Read More
M Scott Peck, spiritual traveller and exorcist
On this day in 1936 the American Psychologist and writer M Scott Peck was born. His best-selling book, The Road Less Travelled, with its unusual... Read More
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle kills his hero
On this day in 1859 English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born. Famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, he was a physician and... Read More
