Lady Godiva, Coventry’s streaker
On this day in 1040 Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback through Coventry, according to legend, to force her husband, the Earl of Mercia, to... Read More
Bill Haley, twentieth century Shaker
On this day in 1955 the recording Rock around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets reached number one in the Billboard listings. It... 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
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
King Henry VIII – reformation or deformation ?
On this day in 1491 the future King Henry VIII of England was born. The damage that this appalling man did to so many people... Read More
Helen Keller comes out of the dark
On this day in 1880 the American writer and activist Helen Keller was born in Alabama. At the age of nineteen months, Keller suffered a... Read More
Andre Maurois fights the Nazis
On this day in 1885 the French writer and politician Andre Maurois was born. Maurois spent time in Britain before the fall of France in... Read More