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June 1940 – 80 years ago – was a dramatic month in the Second World War, and one which saw two of the most memorable speeches in English. As the evacuation of Allied Forces from Dunkirk was completed, recently appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the House of Commons on 4th June: “We shall fight...

Popular Victorian novelist Charles Dickens died 150 years ago, on 9th June 1870. His books include The Pickwick Papers, A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield. He died of a stroke in Gad’s Hill Place, his country home in Kent, when halfway through writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The last novel he completed...

The first successful ascent of a mountain over 8,000 metres high was achieved just 70 years ago this month, on 3rdJune 1950, when Annapurna in the Himalayas was climbed by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. Annapurna is the tenth highest mountain in the world. It was just three years before the first ascent...

It was 250 years ago, on 11th June 1770, that English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, when his ship ran aground on it. While the aborigines and the Chinese may have found the Reef – the largest structure in the world made of living organisms – before him, Cook made...

Many of us actually like dandelions. Their amazingly cheerful colour always brings a smile to our faces. The not-so-neat-and-tidy gardeners among us can simply enjoy flowers where they grow. The name ‘dandelion’ apparently derives from ‘dent de lion’ – lions’ teeth, owing to the tooth-like shape of its leaves. There are many different varieties of...

One good thing about the lockdown is that you’ll have spent less hours stuck in traffic this Spring. Recent research has found that in 2019, car-using commuters lost an average of 115 hours stuck in traffic. No surprises that London was the most congested, with people losing 149 hours over the year. After all, London...

Having just one soft drink a day in middle-age could increase your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Recent research has found that the sugar-laden drinks raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of clots that cut off blood supply to the heart or brain. It was found that daily consumers of soft drinks...

The National Trust is going to get rid of its plastic membership cards. Replacing the five million membership cards with a paper alternative will save 12.5 tons of plastic each year. The new cards will be made from a strong and durable paper, with a water-based coating. The cards will be recyclable and compostable. The...

When did you last see your elderly neighbour? Seriously: are they okay? During this time of social distancing, it is all too easy to assume that the elderly person you never see is simply safe indoors. But are they? Isolation can be dangerous: it is too easy for them to have had an accident and...

The lockdown this Spring at least gave Nature a brief respite. Wild goats, herds of deer, sparrowhawks, stoats, snakes, badgers, spawning toads and songbirds all seemed to have enjoyed the peace and quiet. We, in turn, have enjoyed watching them from our windows. As Mark Thompson, a presenter on Stargazing Life, said, “This lockdown is...

Editor:   We have made this section ‘timeless’ with regard to the current coronavirus outbreak, because the articles here need to be still ‘usable’ and relevant for your May magazine!  We are doing a WEEKLY coronavirus update on another part of the site.  Please go to:  Resources / Editorial / Coronavirus update.   Any problems?  Please...

It was: 200 years ago, on 11th May 1820 that the British Royal Navy sloop HMS Beagle was launched. This was the ship that took the naturalist Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage around the world (1831-36). Also 200 years ago: on 12th May 1820 that Florence Nightingale was born. This Italian-born British social reformer...