Speed limit curbs Mr Toad
On this day in 1861 the first speed limit was introduced in Great Britain of 10 mph (16 km/h) on open roads, reduced to 2... Read More
Independence Day – US Congress hangs together
On this day in 1776 US congress proclaimed the Declaration of Independence from Britain. There is not much more about this event that hasn’t already... Read More
Karl Benz introduces the motor car
On this day in 1886, the first motor car was driven in Germany by Karl Benz. With more than a billion cars in the world... Read More
Ernest Hemingway, for whom the bell tolled
On this day in 1961 the author Ernest Hemingway died by his own hand – he used his favourite shotgun. One of the greatest writers... Read More
George Sand breaks free of convention
On this day in 1804 was born the French writer Armandine Aurore Lucille Dudevant (nee Dupin), whose pseudonym was George Sand. This rebellious, cross-dressing, cigar-smoking,... Read More
John Gay writes The Beggar’s Opera
On this day in 1685 the English poet and dramatist John Gay was born. Gay seems to have been a man who made friends easily... Read More
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the little Portuguese
On this day in 1861 the writer and poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning died aged fifty-five. Considered one of the leading poets of the Victorian era,... Read More