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It was 200 years ago, on 28th November 1820, that Friedrich Engels, the German socialist philosopher, was born. He collaborated with Karl Marx to found modern communism and co-write the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. Although he had revolutionary and even violent views, Engels was also a businessman. His father owned textile factories in Prussia...

German Luftwaffe bombers virtually destroyed the city of Coventry – including its medieval cathedral – 80 years ago this month, on 14th November 1940. Coventry was targeted by ‘Operation Moonlight Sonata’ as an industrial city, but more than 4300 homes were destroyed and about two-thirds of the city’s buildings were damaged. There were many direct...

It was 60 years ago, on 2nd November 1960, that a British jury cleared Penguin Books of obscenity for publishing D H Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover.  This is often considered the beginning of the permissive society in Britain. The book had been published before, though not in this country. But the law had changed...

A quarter of mammals in the UK are at risk of extinction, and this decline will continue unless their habitats are restored and some species are reintroduced. So warns the chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, referring to a recent list of endangered animals issued by the Mammal Society, and approved by the United Nations....

It seems that most of us have bought just four from our supermarket in the last year, which is a drop of 95 per cent since the 5p charge was introduced five years ago. The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs reports that prior to 2015, most shoppers were buying 140 single-use bags a...

School nativity plays will take place differently this year. So warned the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, speaking recently at a school in south London. He stressed that while he wanted to save the much-loved tradition, and “how special and important it is to go along to see your children performing in a nativity play”, safety...

A music manuscript from about 1515 and attributed to King Henry VIII has the words:  Green grow’th the holly, So doth the ivy, Though winter blasts ne’er so high Green grow’th the holly. The next three verses take us through spring, summer and autumn, so this is clearly not a Christmas carol, unlike the familiar...

All in the month of October Discovering the vital route from Atlantic to Pacific Remembering Elizabeth Fry, prison reformer When Oxford accepted women Remembering the Hatfield rail crash Ivy RSPCA launches emergency appeal in wake of Covid Shops dreaming of an early Christmas this year ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable...

Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, OCTOBER) down the years. Here is a range from which to pick and choose, as your space allows. Why not consider putting one date at the bottom of each one of your magazine pages?   It was: 500 years ago,...

Editor:  Some discoveries change world history. By Tim Lenton.   It was 500 years ago, on 21st October 1520, that Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s Spanish expedition to the East Indies discovered the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of Chile. His ships, backed by King Charles I of Spain (soon to become Charles V...

Editor:  Some people make the world a better place for hundreds of thousands of others. By Tim Lenton.   The prison reformer and philanthropist Elizabeth Fry died 175 years ago, on 12th October 1845.  She was widely admired during her lifetime and after, and was depicted on the British £5 note between 2001 and 2016....

Editor:  A significant cultural milestone was passed 100 years ago this month. By Tim Lenton.   A century ago, on 7th October 1920, Oxford University allowed women to become full members and study for full degrees for the first time, and the first 100 women were admitted. Women had been attending lectures, taking examinations and...