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Four hundred years ago, on 4th July 1623, William Byrd, the English Renaissance composer, died. Regarded as one of the greatest of all British composers, he is best known for his sacred music. However, he wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, and his many-faceted but unique music is still...

Henry Moore, the British sculptor and illustrator best known for his monumental semi-abstract bronze sculptures, was born 125 years ago, on 30th July 1898, in Castleford, a small mining town in Yorkshire. He knew he wanted to be a sculptor from an early age, having heard at Sunday school about Michelangelo’s life and work. But...

The NHS is to roll out a ‘soup and shakes’ diet across the UK, aimed at the tens of thousands of patients who are fighting Type 2 diabetes. Health officials said every part of the country will be offering the regime by next March, as the NHS tries to tackle what has been called Britain’s...

Have you ever noticed the sweet, fresh smell after a downpour of rain? That ‘smell of rain’ is called petrichor, and it fascinates scientists. It was back in 1965 that scientists first named it. Petrichor comes from the Greek for stone, ‘petra’, and the golden fluid flowing through the veins of the immortals, ‘ichor’. Petrichor...

All in the month of JUNE 70 years since the last Coronation 75 years since the arrival of Windrush The leasing of Hong Kong The brilliant Pascal Support National Week of the Ocean 4th – 10th June ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, June) down...

It was: 400 years ago, on 19th June 1623 that Blaise Pascal was born. This French mathematician, physicist, inventor, theologian, and philosopher invented one of the first mechanical calculators. 300 years ago, on 16th June 1723 that Adam Smith was born. The ‘Father of Economics’, this Scottish economist and philosopher is best known for his...

Seventy years ago, on 2nd June 1953, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey. It was the first event where the British TV audience (20 million) was greater than the radio audience (12 million). It helped to make television a mainstream medium, though it did not deter the many thousands –...

It was 75 years ago, on 21st June 1948, that the passenger ship HMT Empire Windrush docked in London, bringing the first large group of immigrants from the West Indies to the UK. It was a result of the British Government’s invitation to people from Commonwealth countries to settle in Britain and help rebuild the...

Just 125 years ago, on 9th June 1898, Britain leased Hong Kong from China for 99 years, and it became a British Crown Colony. It was transferred back to China in 1997. The original contract was arranged to ensure that the territory could be defended efficiently. Claude MacDonald, the British representative in the talks, said...

Four hundred years ago, on 19th June 1623, Blaise Pascal was born in central France. This brilliant mathematician, physicist, theologian and philosopher invented one of the first mechanical calculators – among many other things. Pascal, whose mother died when he was three and who was brought up by his father, was prominent from a young...

The National Week of the Ocean is held each year during the second week of June. It aims to spotlight the threats faced by marine habitats and species, and also to offer some solutions on how to solve them. The health of the oceans is critical to the health of our planet. The ocean makes up...

All in the month of MAY COUNTDOWN TO THE CORONATION Did you know 10 Facts about King Charles III? How an argument over tea led to the founding of America Remembering David Livingstone – missionary and explorer Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in...