All About History

At what cost do we bring about change? That seems like a pretty pervasive question for humanity. It’s likely one of the major reasons why many people resist a change, even if they think it will be beneficial to them in principle. What will it cost? I

Two weeks after securing victory at the Battle of Inchon, United Nations forces successfully recapture Seoul from the North Koreans. The South Korean capital had been invaded by the North three months earlier, and the progress from Inchon to Seoul by

In a city boasting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame has nevertheless managed to hold its own. Before it was ravaged by the fire of 15 April 2019, which destroyed its spire and melted the roof, this fine example

While the grand scale of Gothic architecture is the most prominent example of the intricacies and detailed work of artists and architects of the era, smaller works could be even more remarkable in the right hands. Boxwood Miniatures, which are believ

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM The Town Hall of Brussels dominates the central square of the city. With a tower 96m tall and topped with a statue of the archangel Michael, the Town Hall was once one of the tallest buildings in Europe. Construction on the Town Hal

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette was born in 1755, marrying Louis- Augustus at the age of 15. Following the start of the Revolution in 1789, Marie became a hated symbol of the French royal fa

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, according to the Guinness World Records, and it’s packed full of tales, some rather fantastic and others actually quite historical. While it has been through many revisions and translations, there is mu

The morning of 11 September 2001 was bright and calm across much of the East Coast of the United States of America. In New York, many city workers began their days as usual with a jog, running beneath a late summer’s blue sky. In Florida, Commander i

The Taiping Rebellion was one of the most violent and important events in the history of China. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, an ethnic Hakka, who had failed the civil service exam several times. After falling sick, he claimed to have a number of visio

During September 1939 to June 1940 the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) achieved three decisive Blitzkrieg (‘lightning war’) successes. First, in just 36 days during September to October 1939 the Germans, aided by the Soviets, conquered Poland. Second

The car is an inescapable fact of modern life. Along with other motorised road vehicles, it can be used for personal journeys, power economies and move entire armies. In transportation terms, it has completely changed the way humanity has administere

One-hundred kilometres from the mainland, Crete is the second-largest of the Greek islands, a strip of land measuring 258km from east to west and just 12km at its narrowest. Dominated by the White Mountains that form its spine, it has a rich history

Split into three, Gruppe West is the largest of the fallschirmjager assaults and is led by the most senior German officer involved in the landings, Generalmajor Eugen Meindl. Casualties are catastrophic, with one battalion of 600 men losing 400 kille

The first railway opened in Britain in 1825, revolutionising daily life by making transportation of goods, animals and people relatively quick and simple. By 1870 almost 22,000km of railway crisscrossed the country. Today, the railway is a part of da

Book Film TV Podcast Games Other A well-intentioned but ultimately flat portrait of a remarkable survivor Certificate: 15 Director: Maciej Barczewski Cast: Piotr Glowacki, Rafal Zawierucha, Marcin Czarnik Released: Out now Tadeusz ‘Teddy’ Pietrzykows

Director: David Lean Starring: Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa Country: USA/UK Released: 1957 Fact versus fiction on the silver screen VERDICT: Described by Colonel Philip Toosey as “good theatre but totally removed from

Bouchee a la reine translates to ‘the queen’s bite’ in English The bouchee a la reine, a vol-au-vent filled with salpicon and a thick sauce that is traditionally served as a starter, was invented and named for Queen Marie Leszczynska, the Polish wife