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Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) National and local memorials to the casualties were first proposed during the First World War. After the war ended, local committees were set up to plan how to commemorate the sacrifice of their young men’s lives. The committees were not usually run by...

Two hundred years ago this month, on 11th November 1821, Fyodor Dostoevsky, the Russian novelist, short story writer and journalist was born. He is best known for his novel Crime and Punishment, and many critics rate him one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature. His mother used the Bible to teach him...

It was 150 years ago, on 10th November 1871, that Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley located the missing missionary Dr David Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika, in present-day Tanzania. He may or may not have greeted him with the words: “Doctor Livingstone, I presume?” Stanley’s real name was John Rowlands. He was born in...

Some 65 years ago, on 5th November 1956, Premium Bonds went on sale in the UK.  They were designed to encourage people to save, and they offered cash prizes instead of interest. The idea was to persuade people to save again following the Second World War, and on the first day alone, £5 million worth...

A quarter of a century ago, on 30th November 1996, England officially returned the Stone of Scone to Scotland after 700 years. It was the coronation stone of the Scottish and (later) English and British monarchs. Scotland has agreed to loan the Stone to Westminster Abbey for future coronations. Ten thousand people lined the Royal...

National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season (November to March each year). This year, it runs from Saturday 27th November to Sunday 5th December. It is a good time to both celebrate your current trees, and to plant more trees in your area. You...

All in the month of OCTOBER Petition for annual national fundraising day for animals Defender of the Faith Fire! The UK and US in Afghanistan Zebra crossings – saving lives for 70 years ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, OCTOBER) down the years. Here is...

It was: 500 years ago, on 11th Oct 1521 that Pope Leo X granted the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ to King Henry VIII of England and Ireland.  It recognised the King’s defence of the sacrament of marriage, the supremacy of the Pope, and his opposition to the Protestant Reformation and the ideas of Martin...

 A ten-year-old girl has launched a national petition asking the Department for Education to introduce an annual fundraising day for animals in schools across the country. Bailey Woozeer proposes that World Animal Day, held annually on October 4, would be an ideal opportunity for schools to support both British and international animal welfare charities through...

It was 500 years ago, on 11th October 1521, that Pope Leo X granted the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ to King Henry VIII of England and Ireland. It recognised the King’s defence of the sacrament of marriage, the supremacy of the Pope, and his opposition to the Protestant Reformation and the ideas of Martin...

The Great Chicago Fire took place 150 years ago, from 8th to 10th October 1871. A fire in a barn spread quickly, following a long period of hot, dry weather. About 300 people were killed, more than three square miles of the city was destroyed, and about 100,000 people were made homeless. At exactly the...

Twenty years ago, on 7th October 2001, the first US and British forces arrived in Afghanistan to launch a massive military offensive following the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States. The aim of the offensive was to find and neutralise the al-Qaeda militants under Osama bin Laden who had planned the aerial terror attack with...