
Nero gives fiddling a bad name
On this day in AD 37 the Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar was born. The last of the Julio Claudian emperors, a dynasty that mainly... Read More

George Washington crosses the Delaware
On this day in 1799 the greatest American statesman George Washington died, ‘First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his... Read More

Gustave Flaubert’s caged bird
On this day in 1821 the French writer Gustave Flaubert was born. His reputation really comes from Madame Bovary, his amazing debut novel that tells... Read More

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s life of exile
On this day in 1918 the Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was born. Soon after the war he was arrested for disparaging remarks made about Stalin... Read More

Emily Dickinson, reclusive poetess
On this day in 1830 the American writer and poet Emily Dickinson was born. Eccentric and reclusive, with a penchant for white clothing, she spent... Read More

John Milton, a ‘cow ready for milking’
On this day in 1608 the English poet John Milton was born, 16 years before the death of Shakespeare. His Republican views brought him into... Read More

Horace brings humanity to the classics
On this day in 65 BC the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus was born. Affectionately known by classicists as Horace, he is loved for his... Read More