Humanities

In 1838, Grace Darling etched her name into the pages of British and global history with an act of heroism and selflessness that saved 9 seafarers’ lives. Her name is still synonymous with heroic deeds today.

Learn about the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains and how modern historians interpret this vital historical event.

Learn about the Battle of Philippi and its role in the fall of the Roman Republic.

Long before we could email, text or tweet our news to family and friends there was post, snail mail. During the British reforms of the 1830s, the postal system was revolutionised. The first prepaid adhesive stamp in the world was invented: The Penny Black. Did you know that it was quickly abandoned?

The smile of a child, the fragrance of a flower, sunlight on a fresh, spring morning—all these are short-lived glimmers of heaven. The inward spirit longs for undying joy. God places this desire in the soul and seeks to fulfil it. This article tries to answer questions about heaven.

French-born Henrietta Maria was the daughter, sister, mother and wife of kings. In 1625 she was married to the autocratic Charles I in England. She was a Catholic in a Protestant country which made her unpopular. She had to overcome opposition to finally secure Charles' attention and confidence.

In Wales, there is a huge earthwork memorial that honours the lives of horses and ponies that worked in underground coal mines.

The Roman Catholic Church has had 266 popes and a few of them have been rotten to the core.

Learn how emperor Aurelian restored the Mediterranean world by reuniting the Roman Empire.

Matthew's interests include writing, gaming, movies, and pretending to be Irish despite only having one Irish Great Grandparent.

The characteristics attributed to lions include courage, dignity, strength, majesty, pride, and wisdom; no wonder they have been co-opted by humans for many purposes.

Friday the 13th is considered unlucky, but why? The superstitious Victorians added the bad luck of Friday to the misfortune of 13 and the 13th to seal its fate as a shudder-inducing date on the calendar in Western cultures.

Hell is not a typical subject of dinner time conversation. After all, it's unpleasant to consider the notion of eternal punishment. How can it be so? This article addresses some common questions regarding the place we know as Hell.

He was one of the leaders of the opposition to South Africa's racist apartheid system.

A review of Early Roman Warfare, by Jeremy Armstrong, a book detailing a revised model of development for the early Roman armies.

In the 1960s, the CIA thought it could train cats to spy on its enemies. Project Acoustic Kitty was born.

The town of Winchester, Illinois, was once home to Stephen A. Douglas and the site of an important speech by Abraham Lincoln. A number of buildings of historic and architectural significance remain there as well.

Read on to learn how Napoleon defeated the Fifth Coalition, and the importance of the Battle of Wagram.

Why did Jesus establish the Eucharist as a Sacrament? Is it in Scripture? What's a Eucharistic miracle? This article tries to answer such questions.

Albania's King Zog I was a Charlie Chaplin-loving, ruthless dictator who made himself king with Benito Mussolini's backing. He rose from relatively lowly roots to the highest position in the land and yet with one word from Mussolini the dream ended.

From the 15th through the 18th centuries, scientific thought underwent a revolution. The Aristotelian view of nature that had dominated science for almost 2,000 years was cast out. The Scientific Revolution brought forth a more rigorous method of scientific exploration.

Marlborough stops Louis XIV at the Battle of Blenheim, a decisive battle in European history.

How did Julius Caesar, the great Roman military man, manage to get himself kidnapped by pirates, and why did he increase the ransom they demanded?

Explorer, archaeologist, and mountaineer, she played an important role in Britain's Middle East policy-making after World War I.

Gothic novels are dark and compelling. You have to keep reading, no matter what horrors they contain. What are the key elements that define such a novel?

Fine dining in the feudal era was reserved for the rich, while the poor made do with bread and stew. Here is an overview of what people from various classes of medieval society depended on for their daily sustenance.

'Immigrants in Our Own Land' focuses on identity and the hopes and dreams of chicanos (Americans of Mexican descent) and mestizos (mixed race Mexicans) who are 'living without a soul' in prison and society. Jimmy Santiago Baca based his poem on personal experience—an example of Pinto poetry.

This article discusses the battle of Poltava, which was decisive in that it brought about the fall of the Swedish Empire.

Negligence, combined with a culture of corporate greed, took the lives of 193 people.

Lady Jane Grey became known in history as the tragic "nine days' queen" but why did she think of herself as the rightful queen of England when Henry VIII's daughter Mary was waiting in the wings?

Behind every mighty empire of history was an elite warrior order that dominated the battlefield. Learn about the 7 most adept of these here.

Gerard Manley Hopkins’ "Pied Beauty" is an innovative sonnet, dedicated to honoring and praising the Divine Creator for the multitude and variety of gifts He has bestowed upon His children. That varied multitude offers the beauty that keeps the divine drama ever moving on pathways to glory.

By mistreating prisoners under his supervision he signed his own death warrant.

Pastor Marcelo Carcach argues that the book of Revelation appears to indicate that the millennium is in the future.

After hearing sermons and teachings about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ many times, even Christians still have questions about the sacred events. This articles addresses some of those common questions.

Learn about the battle of Pharsalus, a decisive military engagement that ensured the fall of the Roman Republic

In taking Baluchi literature to the next level, a few individuals had to emerge. Here are some of the most notable names in this regional tradition.

Charles II is renowned for his legion of ladies. Despite mistresses including Nell Gwyn and Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland and myriad illegitimate children—several named Charles or Charlotte—this merry monarch didn't captivate his cousin, the beautiful Frances Stuart. It was a shock to his ego.

Chinua Achebe's 'A Mother in a Refugee Camp' focuses on the sad plight of a mother having to bury her son, carefully combing his hair before letting go of her loved one. Based on personal observations during the civil war between Biafra and Nigeria, the poem is a universal message to humanity.

A physics professor set out to embarrass left-wing attackers of scientific inquiry.

Roman Emperor Nero lived for just thirty years but these were tumultuous. He became notorious for his tyrannical behaviour, including the torture and execution of Christians, the burning of Rome and his extravagance. Nero constructed his own downfall.

'I think of thee' is Sonnet 29 in 'Sonnets from the Portuguese', Barrett Browning's groundbreaking sonnets in Petrarchan form which follow her emotional changes in her relationship with Robert Browning. Metaphor and simile combine, as tree and vine, thoughts disappearing as the two become closer.

This article covers the war that decided the fate of the Western Mediterranean.

This article discusses the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Scottish prince who became King Charles I of Britain had an elder brother who died in 1612. It's tempting to wonder whether Henry Frederick would have been a better king than Charles who lost his head and his throne.

Learn about the battle of Gaugamela, which played a large role in the making of the Hellenic World.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is one of the most read pieces of Western writing in history. The story of the prisoners trapped in a cave and their escape to the sunlight (knowledge) is from Plato’s masterwork, The Republic.

Unimpressed with the hard work and low pay of the cowboy he turned to the life of a swindler.

World War I brought an end to the Habsburg dynasty's centuries-long rule over Austria-Hungary and Bohemia. Emperor Karl I never abdicated but his people and parliament deserted him and forced him into exile.

King Henry V is best known as the victorious monarch of the 1415 Battle of Agincourt in France. He had a short life but he cast a long shadow through his achievements.