Death of King Eadwig of the English
Eadwig died on October 1st, 959, still in his teens, in circumstances which remain unknown.
History Today
Death of Pope Adrian IV
Richard Cavendish remembers the death of England's only pope, on September 1st, 1159.
The Castlereagh-Canning Duel
The two politicians fought on September 21st, 1809.
The First Flying Trapeze
The circus act was first performed on 12 November 1859.
Pu Yi, last Emperor of China, is pardoned
The last of the Manchu emperors received a formal pardon on December 4th, 1959.
Birth of Ludwig Zamenhof, creator of Esperanto
The creator of the world's most widely spoken constructed language was born on December 15th, 1859.
Samuel Pepys begins his diary
The diarist began his work on January 1st 1660.
The Saar plebiscite
Richard Cavendish remembers January 13th 1935.
British Prime Ministers: Lord Palmerston
A.J.P. Taylor on one of those surprising outsiders with a touch of mischief – in this case a man whose political career spanned nearly sixty years.
Crisis at Central High
John A. Kirk recalls the dramatic events at Little Rock, Arkansas, when a stand-off over the granting of black students access to integrated education brought the civil rights agenda to international attention.