Historical
The Crimean War, 1853-6
On 4th October 1853 Turkey declared war on Russia, thus setting in train the events that would lead to the Crimean War. By its end, a quarter of a million men would have died, many of them in appalling conditions from cold and disease, as opposed to being direct battle casualties.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Sir Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the modern Conservative Party, was born on 5th February 1788. Robert Peel’s early years Robert Peel was born at Bury in Lancashire but grew up at Drayton Manor near Tamworth in Staffordshire. This is known today as the site of a popular theme park, although the original house no longer exists. The estate was bought by Robert Peel’s father who had made a fortune in the textiles industry and used his money to buy his way into the social and political establishment.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
James Edward Stuart: "The Old Pretender"
On 4th February 1716 James Francis Edward Stuart abandoned his attempt to seize the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland from the Hanoverian King George I. He is less well-known than his son (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”) although history knows them as the Old Pretender and Young Pretender, respectively.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Pope Julius II
Giuliano della Rovere was elected to the office of Pope on 1st November 1503, taking the title of Julius II. Despite the corruption, double-dealing and other very worldly activities of which he was doubtless guilty, Julius’s reign would leave some remarkable legacies that have lasted to the present day.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Greece in Neolithic times
The Neolithic (New Stone Age) era in ancient Greece must be reckoned to date from around 6800 BCE to 3200 BCE. Climatic changes made it possible for groups of people to settle in fixed locations and for the hunter-gatherer economy of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras to give way to more settled ways of life, including farming, stock-rearing, and the creation of pottery. Around 1,000 sites have been identified that show signs of occupation in the Neolithic period.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
"God Save the Queen": the UK national anthem
The British national anthem was the first in the world to be adopted as such, with every other country subsequently following suit with its own anthem, sometimes even using the same tune as the British one. Like many British institutions it was a matter of evolution rather than deliberate creation, coming about almost by accident.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Napoleon Bonaparte: a short dictator?
There is a general belief that Napoleon Bonaparte was unusually short, and that he is therefore part of the common perception that dictators tend to be short people who make up for it by being particularly unpleasant to everybody else and conquering as many countries as they can. But, in Napoleon’s case, is this true?
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Way down yonder in the Pawpaw patch
When I was a little girl, my maternal great grandmother used to sing various songs throughout the day. One of the lines she often sang was to the tune of Ten Little Indians and was the chorus from a folk song called The Pawpaw Patch. The chorus was:
By Cheryl E Preston5 years ago in FYI
