Dr Zhivago was smuggled out of Russia
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1958 the Russian author Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature... Read More
Jean Paul Sartre refuses the Nobel Prize
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1964 the French philosopher and writer Jean Paul Sartre refused to accept the... Read More
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s opium addiction
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1772 the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born. A huge influence on later... Read More
Yorktown – British army’s day of shame
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1781, the British Army under General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia thus... Read More
The BBC, an Auntie to be reckoned with
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1922 the British Broadcasting Corporation was founded. Originally a consortium of private companies, some... Read More
King Charles II and the Boscobel Oak
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1651 the future King Charles II fled England following defeat of his forces... Read More
Oscar Wilde’s fall from grace
To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1854 the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was born. London’s most popular... Read More