Cicero, Rome’s fearless statesman, marked for assassination
On this day in 106BC Roman Statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero was born. The surname Cicero means ‘chickpea’, probably his family were dry food merchants and... Read More
Isaac Asimov admired Tennyson’s Sci-Fi poetry
On this day in 1920 the author and academic Isaac Asimov was born. A brilliant thinker and leading science fiction writer, he was fascinated by... Read More
Samuel Pepys mistakenly hit his wife
The New Year officially begins today. We all want to make a good start to the year, a new beginning, but we don’t always get... Read More
Hogmanay or the ‘Daft Days’
Today is known in the Northern regions of Britain as Hogmanay. The origins of the word and its surrounding customs are uncertain. In Scotland, Hogmanay... Read More
Rudyard Kipling, poet of the Empire
On this day in 1865 the English writer and poet Rudyard Kipling was born. The name Kipling is almost synonymous with the British Empire and... Read More
Thomas Becket’s martyrdom
On this day in 1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his cathedral by followers of King Henry II of England. It was... Read More
King Herod gets himself a bad name
On this day in AD 1 it is said that King Herod of Judea ordered the massacre of all children under the age of two... Read More
