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It was 25 years ago this month, on 27th January 1996, that the first Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed in Germany. It became International Holocaust Day in 2005 when it was adopted by the United Nations. It marks the day (27th January 1945) when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration/death camp was liberated. The theme for Holocaust Memorial...

A look back over the last 60 years, at 20-year intervals, reveals the following snapshot of the ages of various residents in the White House: 60 years ago, on 20th January 1961, John F Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States. The youngest to become president by election, Kennedy was only 43 years...

All in the month of December BEETHOVEN: ‘from the heart to the heart’ The Arab Spring of 2010 John Lennon – 40 years since his death Remembering Bonnie Prince Charlie Mistletoe ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, DECEMBER) down the years. Here is a range...

It was: 400 years ago, on 21st December 1620 that the first landing party from the British ship Mayflower arrived at what would become Plymouth Colony (now Plymouth Massachusetts). They began building houses there two days later. 300 years ago, on 31st December 1720 that Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ was...

This year, 2020, is a special year for Beethoven: it marks the 250th anniversary of his birth on 16th December 1770. And so it was very fitting that back in August, at the first Live Prom this year in the Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Symphony Orchestra played his 3rd symphony, the Eroica. Beethoven composed...

The so-called Arab Spring started 10 years ago, in December 2010, when Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest at police seizing his vegetable stand over failure to obtain a permit. What was originally Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution became a tsunami of demonstrations, protests, riots, coups, foreign interventions and civil wars throughout...

It was 40 years ago, on 8th December 1980, that John Lennon – rock musician, peace activist and a founder of the Beatles – was shot dead, aged 40, outside his New York City apartment by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan. Lennon is usually regarded as anti-Christian, but he denied being “anti-Christ or anti-religion”. Three...

Three hundred years ago, on 31st December 1720, Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, was born in Italy. He was leader of the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of 1745-46 – a turning point in British history. Charles believed the British throne to be his birthright as the grandson of King James II, a...

This time of year you can see all sorts of traditions played out with regard to Christmas decorations. Strict adherents use holly, ivy and of course, mistletoe. While holly and ivy are to be found in gardens and hedgerows, mistletoe usually only appears in greengrocers’ shops, or high in a tree well out of reach....

All in the month of November Poppy Appeal 2020 Remembering Engels, co-founder of Communism The destruction of Coventry ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ – the beginning of the permissive society? Help our wildlife before it is too late When did you last buy a single-use plastic bag?  Zoom to that stable in Bethlehem?  Green grow’th the Holly...

It was: 500 years ago, on 28th Nov 1520 that the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the South Pacific and named the waters the Pacific Ocean. 200 years ago, on 28th Nov 1820, that Friedrich Engels, German socialist philosopher and social scientist who collaborated with Karl Marx to found modern communism and co-write the...

Look out for the Poppy Appeal again this year, but not so much via street collections. Instead, the Royal British Legion will focus on contactless donations, as a safer way forward during the pandemic. One such method will be ‘point of sale donations’. This means that when you shop at your supermarket and reach the...