Why did the Modern Olympics start?
Because of one man, Pierre de Coubertin. It came about in 1889 when he had the concept of reviving the Olympic Games. Then, he spent the next five years just trying to get a meeting of athletes and sports enthusiasts, and, of course, when they finally got together, they loved it! That was in June […]
Why in 1588 were there 30,000 soldiers in Calais?
The Spanish Armada failed because the Duke of Parma was late on his meeting with the Spanish Fleet? The Spanish King had a clever plan. He built an armada of ships that were enough to bring 30,000 soldiers across the channel. His plan was to sail the fleet up the English Channel to Calais, there […]
The benefites of Republics over Monachies in the 17th Century?
In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the Rampjaar (The year of Disaster). In that year the Dutch found themselves at war with all their surrounding countries and even, across the North Sea, with England! They were fighting the French, in what was naturally called the Franco-Dutch War, at the same time […]
Stories about ancient Rome?
Did you know that: The Romans had built a road network of 53,000 miles by the early fourth century. Each Roman mile was about 4,800 feet and marked by a milestone, giving birth to the saying “All roads lead to Rome.” In Ancient Rome, only free-born men were allowed to wear togas, a sign of […]
Letter of marque- legal pirates
Yes, there were legal pirates. A letter of marque was given by governments in the 16,17 & 18th Centuries as a license for that private person to attack and capture ships of a nation with which that the government was at war . The best way to describe it was that it legalised piracy. Some […]
Steamboat Willie
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954 Do you know that Walt Disney himself was Mickey Mouse’s voice in the the first Disney Cartoon with sound? This is why on November 18, 1928 the Disney company celebrates […]
Odd sayings that come from The 1500s
Do you know where the tradition of the bride carrying a bouquet on her wedding day came from? It was because in the 1500’s people got married in June. They chose June because they took their annual bath in May, so they still smelt pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell a […]
Henry VIII’s daughter takes her mother’s side!
It all happened because a daughter was unhappy because her dad left her mum! The Acts of Supremacy On the 3rd November 1534 the First Act of Supremacy was passed. It was meant to be the only one, but it wasn’t. It was followed in 1537 when the Irish Act of Supremacy was passed by […]
How dangerous was Henry VIII court
It is estimated that 57,000 could have been executed during the reign of Henry VIII. I understand that this was over his 37 years on the throne, however, we must remember this is difficult to prove, but I do think it shows that being part of his court was dangerous. What happened after the Break […]
Singapore, another failure we need to learn about!
Singapore, today is 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 main […]