Was the buffalo the Native American Indians supermarket?
Basically, the Buffalo was the same to the Native American Indians as the supermarket is to us today. From the animal they got virtually everything they needed, for example, here are just a few things the buffalo gave them: Horns that made arrows, cups, and spoons Fat, they used for cooking, hair grease, and even […]
The remarkable story of a violin
Would you believe that a violin sold at auction for $1.7M or if it’s easier for £1.1M! It was a very special and historic violin, and one that was found in an attic in 2006. How did it get there and why was it worth £1.1M. To understand, you have to go back to April […]
The Three Sisters, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic
Did you know that back in the age of steam, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the RMS Titanic and its two sister ships, the RMS Olympic and RMS Britannic were the biggest ships at sea? The RMS Titanic It was known to the world as “The Ship of Dreams”. It, as every child […]
Who won the Battle of Britain?
Of course, the fighter pilots. But they couldn’t have won without an awful lot of support. For example, at the beginning of the Battle of Britain the RAF had around 1,960 aircraft at its disposal in July 1940, of this only 900 were fighter aircraft. They did have 560 bombers and 500 coastal aeroplanes, all […]
Fairs on a frozen Thames
Behold the Liquid Thames frozen o’re,That lately Ships of mighty Burthen boreThe Watermen for want of Rowing BoatsMake use of Booths to get their Pence & GroatsHere you may see beef roasted on the spitAnd for your money you may taste a bitThere you may print your name, tho cannot writeCause num’d with cold: tis […]
The first self-propelling steam locomotive
Have you heard of Richard Trevithick? Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelling steam locomotive that at the Penydarren Ironworks, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, which made the first locomotive-hauled railway journey. I bet you have never heard of him. You will have heard of Robert Stephenson and his rocket, but that wasn’t until 1829, he wasn’t […]
Singapore, another surrender we need to learn about!
Singapore, which is today an independent city state, but in 1942 was a jewel in the British Empire, and as shown in the map above, was in a strategically important position. This is because the Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. It was, and still is, the […]
A Catholic French Marshal without Royal Blood becomes King of Sweden
Would you believe that Sweden hasn’t been in a war since1818? This is an amazing story, which I think this is due to the Napoleonic wars. Background In February 1808, Russia occupied Finland, while at the same time the Swedish King, Gustav III, refused to block British trade in the Baltic. This led to a […]
The French invasion of Fishgard, yes, the town in Wales!
This is the weirdest invasion ever. Yes, they really did try to invade us through Wales! They made the mistake of trying to land in Wales and then march through the country to London. The Plan 1797 was just after the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte was otherwise involved in central Europe. In his […]
The Dutch invade England – The Glorious Revolution of 1688
The Dutch successfully invaded, in what has become one of the fibs of history, as it wasn’t called an invasion but “The Glorious Revolution”. Basically, the differences are as follows: A revolution is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization. It happens when the population revolts against the government, typically […]