Vladimir Nabokov chased butterflies, not nymphets
On this day in 1899 the novelist Vladimir Nabokov was born. After an idyllic childhood in a leading St Petersburg family, Nabokov’s world was upended... Read More
Queen Elizabeth II did not expect the Throne
On this day in 1926 Queen Elizabeth II was born, in Mayfair, London. Her father had never expected to become monarch and nor did she.... Read More
Tiananmen Square rally shakes China
On this day in 1989 a pro-democracy student rally began in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Popular support for the rally grew rapidly and there were similar rallies,... Read More
Albert Einstein wanted to die elegantly
On this day in 1955 Swiss physicist Albert Einstein died of an aneurism aged 76. He could have had surgery but refused, saying: “I want... Read More
Chaucer the Canterbury pilgrim, was he murdered?
On this day in 1397 Geoffrey Chaucer recounted the Canterbury Tales at the court of King Richard II of England. The Canterbury Tales put him... Read More
Broadway continues what Sophocles began
On this day in 1787 the first play by an American writer was performed at the John Street Theatre in New York City. Entitled ’The... Read More
Sartre, De Beauvoir and “Hell is other people”
On this day in 1980 Jean Paul Sartre, philosopher and Existentialist, died in Paris. He refused the 1964 Nobel Prize for Literature saying that he... Read More