History

A simple theft from a street vendor caused a quarrel that led to the deaths of more than a dozen Americans.

We love royal weddings. This article is about the 31st May 1906 royal wedding in Madrid. King Alfonso XIII of Spain married H.R.H. Victoria Eugenie (Ena) of Battenberg, Queen Victoria's granddaughter. The fairytale turned into a nightmare as an anarchist's bomb hit the Calle Mayor.

In the 1850s, a religious sect set up a Utopian society in upstate New York.

Aethelstan (894-939) was the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons. When he was thirty years old he claimed his place in history as the first ever king of all England after defeating the Vikings in York. Aethelstan, King of the English laid the foundations for today's UK.

In September 1920, the heart of America's financial district was the target of a terrorist attack whose perpetrators remain unknown today.

Sir Thomas Bloodworth was the Mayor of London when the Great Fire of London destroyed 75% of the city between 2nd-5th September 1666. His early response to news of the fire left a lot to be desired.

His influence expanded all throughout Europe. Some say perhaps the entire world. He was passionate and driven to achieve the unattainable. But at the same time he was a megalomaniac. European monarchs feared him while the French people and his soldiers loved him. That was Napoleon Bonapart.

How many children decide that they want to be a princess when they grow up? It's not all tiaras and floaty dresses. The life of Louise, youngest daughter of King George II and Queen Caroline, was not as charmed as you might imagine.

Greatly feared for his use of violence as a negotiating told, Si Jayne operated in the very dark underworld of the champion horse business.

The Spanish Armada of 1588 is a very well-known part of British history. Elizabeth I of England versus Phillip II of Spain. He lost. She was proclaimed Gloriana. Meanwhile, the English Armada of 1589 has rarely been spoken of or written about in Britain.

A mother writes to a friend relating the spellbinding story of her son's WWII miraculous escape from death, being a prisoner of war, being freed by the 3rd Army, grand reception in Paris, and much more. It is a fascinating tale of sorrows and hopes.

Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary is often left in the shadow of her brothers Edward VIII and George VI, but she was a trailblazer. From the Princess Mary Christmas Gift Boxes to seeking higher education for women, we owe her gratitude for inspiring later generations.

She rode with the likes of Jesse James, but she was also a villain in her own right although her exploits don't deserve the notoriety she has been given.

Lord Henry Darnley was the ambitious cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Mary, Queen of Scots and of his likely murderer James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. A contemptible character, he married Mary on 29th July 1565, murdered on 9th March 1566 and was dead before his 2nd wedding anniversary.

The fourth son of King George V became known as the “party prince.” His life was marked by sex and drugs, rock and roll having not yet made an appearance.

Bombay and Jinnah have a fond connection and his house is still there on Malabar Hill.

The Irish regalia was stolen from Dublin Castle in mid-1907. The star, badge and collars of the Order of St. Patrick, known as the Irish crown jewels, have never been recovered. The theft remains a tantalising mystery. Whodunnit?

What looks like a lumbering mechanical insect was actually a tank.

Welshman Owain Glyndŵr led a rebellion against English rule that turned him into a national hero. After his death, he gained mythic status.

At least three million people died of starvation in a British colony; who was to blame?

The heart-warming story of Ida and Isidor Straus, the couple who chose to die together on the ill-fated Titanic

During the early twentieth century portrait artist Philip de László (1869-1937) produced works of the elite in society and numerous European royal figures. Despite his connections, during the First World War he faced his darkest hours.

On May 1, 1960, CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down deep inside the Soviet Union. The recovered cameras from the wreckage of a U-2 spy plane along with the capture of the pilot caused an international incident, deepening the Cold War divide between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Princess Victoria of Wales was Edward VII and Queen Alexandra's second daughter. Her life was marked by an air of sacrifice. Not all princesses get a fairytale ending.

Four girls born to an aristocratic British family developed strong-minded opinions that didn't always match contemporary morality.

Madame de Pompadour was born Mlle. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson in Paris in 1721. How did a young girl from the Paris suburbs become King Louis XV of France's mistress and remain a friend to him until she died?

Was it murder or suicide? While Vincent Van Gogh’s life was plagued by multiple things, epilepsy, syphilis, alcoholism, and mental illness, his death is one of the greatest mysteries of the art world. The man remained an enigma in his lifetime and even after his death.

Margaret, Maid of Norway had a short and tragic life. Born in Norway, she was proclaimed Queen of Scotland aged three. Great plans were made for her by her great uncle Edward I of England but they never came to pass. She died aged seven.

Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. During his eight years in office, many important events occurred throughout the country and the world, including: the Korean War, the Space Race, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and much more.

She was a tyrant who tried to rule every aspect of her children's lives.

Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, King of Hanover was cast as a villain by the Georgian people. He was controversial, unlikeable and prone to finding himself in the middle of a scandal. His reputation remains dire.

Hundreds of women, from both North and South, donned male garb and enlisted as men in the American Civil War. They shaved their heads, wore trousers, adopted male aliases, and served in the army undetected by their male comrades.

The larger than life King Edward VII was named Albert Edward by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He decided that he could not rule as an Albert when his time to reign came because of his father.

King George I of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland is often called the “lucky king” because of the string of events that brought the German born prince to the throne of Britain. During his reign the power of the monarch diminished, while the modern system of British government arose.

Edward III of England's eldest son, Edward of Woodstock (aka "the Black Prince"), was the first Prince of Wales not to ascend the throne and the first ever duke in England. He was a celebrated soldier and cast as a villain for his brutality.

This is a brief history of Honey Creek School from its founding in 1838 until closing in the mid-1960s. After describing the first school in 1838, I recall the stone school that was built in 1860. The brick school used from 1915 until the mid-1960s is then remembered in more detail.

The Timucua Nation, a Native American tribe, flourished in Florida until they were no more. Decimated by war and disease, the last of the tribe died in Cuba in 1700, but their legacy remains in St. Augustine.

It was a contest to see who could own the bragging rights to being the fastest steamboat on the Mississippi River.

Serial killing is not a modern phenomenon, it stretches back to Ancient Rome. This is an overview of the macabre history, coupled with profiling of their character.

Prince John was King George V and Queen Mary's youngest son but he has been lost in the annals of royal history. Why?

Being royal has its challenges and when you are head of "the firm," as the British monarchy is known, this includes disloyal subjects taking potshots at your royal self. Queen Victoria managed to cheat death eight times at the hands of would-be assassins.

A lot has been written about Charles I in the English Civil Wars, but his son and heir, the future King Charles II, had an adventurous adolescence fighting for his father with the Royalists. Charles could not save Charles I from his fate of execution but he tried.

The British Empire was frightfully good fun, don't you know, for the country's dissolute upper crust.

The athletic King Henry VIII loved to joust and had suffered injuries before the 24th January 1536. His jousting accident that day changed him forever.

Old West bandits knew not to mess with the African American woman who carried mail on horse-drawn wagons.

Did Britain steal a massive amount of wealth from India during its colonial administration of the country?

Edward II of England and Isabella of France were married, happily at first. His tendencies to have favourites, make unpopular decisions and fight the English barons led Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer to overthrow Edward.

To escape persecution, Doukhobors went to Canada at the end of the 19th century and settled on the Prairies.

From her early childhood, Teresa de Cepeda remained a deeply spiritual soul. She gave generously to others who were less fortunate than she. Her life-long activity was to spend much time in meditation and prayer.

Queen Victoria is well known but the story of her father Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn is less familiar to people. He was a military man, devoted to his long term mistress but compelled to do his dynastic duty.