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It was: 200 years ago, on 25th August 1822 that William Herschel, German-born British astronomer died. He discovered the planet Uranus and infrared radiation, conducted the first deep sky surveys, and was the first president of the Royal Astronomical Society. 125 years ago, on 11th August 1897 that Enid Blyton was born. This enormously popular...

Just 25 years ago, on 31st August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, her close companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, died after a car crash in the Place de l’Alma underpass in Paris. Fayed and Paul died instantly, but Princess Diana survived for nearly five hours. She was conscious shortly after the crash,...

One hundred years ago, on 9th August 1922, Philip Larkin, one of Britain’s most famous post-war poets, was born in Coventry. Often called “England’s other Poet Laureate”, he was also a distinguished librarian. He died in 1985. His first book of poetry was published in 1945, but he came to prominence in 1955 with the...

 It was 125 years ago, on 11th August 1897, that Enid Blyton was born in East Dulwich, South London. This enormously popular British children’s writer created Noddy, the Famous Five, and the Secret Seven. She is among the world’s bestselling writers, selling more than 600 million copies of her books. Enid was the daughter of...

This year marks 75 years of the Edinburgh International Festival. It was in 1947 that the first Edinburgh Festival was held. It was the idea of the then General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera, Henry Harvey Wood, as well as the Head of the British Council in Scotland and leaders from the City of Edinburgh. Their...

What creepy crawlies are lurking in your allotment? This year, National Allotment Week has teamed up with the Big Bug Survey to try and find out. The theme of the week is Bugs, Bees and Broccoli, and the aim is to acknowledge the importance of gardening with nature in mind. As the National Allotment Society...

All in the month of JULY Sea Sunday – 10th July The beginning of Islam The beginning of genetics Reaching the deepest place on earth Royal International Air Tattoo – 15th to 17th July National ‘Don’t Step on a Bee’ Day – 10th July ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates...

It was: 1400 years ago, on 16th July 622 that the Islamic calendar began. Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution (an event known as the Hegira) and established the first Muslim community. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the epoch of the Lunar Hijri...

Look around your home.  How much of the contents in your cupboards, wardrobe, rooms, and even garage came to you over the seas, via the great merchant ships? What would your home be like without them? Yet when did you last give a thought to the people who bring them to you? It is a...

Some 1400 years ago, on 16th July 622, the Islamic calendar began, when Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution (an event known as the Hejira) and established the first Muslim community. The new religion spread quickly: Mohammad’s men attacked trading caravans and in 630 an army of 10,000...

Two hundred years ago, on 20th July 1822, Gregor Mendel was born. The Austrian/Czech friar and botanist discovered the laws of heredity and created what eventually became the science of genetics. Born to a relatively poor but devoutly Roman Catholic farming family in what was then Moravia, in the Austrian empire, Johann Mendel (he became...

One hundred years ago, on 28th July 1922, Jacques Piccard, the Swiss oceanographer and engineer, was born in Belgium. He is best known for developing deep-sea submarines, and for becoming one of the first two people to reach the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth. He came from a family known for daring achievements....