England & Portugal: The Oldest Alliance in the World
If you’re enjoying a glass of port during the festive period, you have the world’s oldest treaty to thank.Winston Churchill once described the Anglo-Portuguese alliance as ‘without parallel in world h...
27 Dec 202339min
Bonnie Prince Charlie
In August, 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie led a rebellion that brought the Jacobite cause closer to seizing the throne than any other. He had landed with only a handful of his most trusted supporters, bu...
27 Dec 202345min
Pythagoras' Utopia
What comes to your mind when you think of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek polymath? Some might think of the Pythagorean theorem, a foundational principle of mathematics. But he was also the enigmatic fo...
23 Dec 202328min
The Middle Ages in 5 Facts
Where is the grave of King Arthur? What was the worst year in human history? Who were the most fractious royal siblings? What were the origins of humble pie? Which monsters pre-occupied Medieval minds...
20 Dec 202340min
Saint Nicholas
It's that time of year when the beloved Santa Claus comes around once again. But the celebrated image of this prolific gift-giver is based on an even more fabled figure - that of Saint Nicholas, a 3rd...
19 Dec 202324min
Fighting Hitler's U-Boats
The Second World War is remembered for its colossal battles in the air, on land and at sea. But perhaps the most terrifying were those waged UNDER the ocean, against an unseen enemy. By the end of 194...
18 Dec 202342min
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16th, 1773, a band of American patriots quietly boarded three ships in Boston Harbour, under the cover of night. Armed with axes and hatchets, they pried open the crates on board and poure...
14 Dec 202356min
Sara Forbes Bonetta: Queen Victoria's African God-Daughter
By the age of just 7, Sara Forbes Bonetta had survived a West African war, lost her parents, been enslaved and finally, exchanged as a gift for a far-flung queen. When she arrived in the court of Quee...
12 Dec 202335min
