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
The Titanic – sinking of the unsinkable
On this day in 1912 the transatlantic steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. One of the greatest peacetime maritime disasters, around 1500 people perished.... Read More
Yuri Gagarin fell to earth
On this day in 1961 Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space when he orbited the earth. Gagarin’s small size of 5ft... Read More
General Booth’s Salvation Army band
On this day in 1829 William Booth, founder and first General of the Salvation Army was born. After years of work as a travelling Methodist... Read More
Brunel’s dream ticket, from London to New York
On this day in 1806 the engineer and designer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born. His works such as the Great Western Railway, numerous bridges and... Read More
Wordsworth’s French, illegitimate daughter
On this day in 1770 the English poet William Wordsworth was born. A career poet who became Poet Laureate in his later years, Wordsworth is... Read More
Algernon Swinburne, poet, alcoholic and algolagniac
On this day in 1837 the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne was born. Swinburne was a well-born and clever young man who did well at Oxford... Read More