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All in the month of September Bridge over the Firth of Forth The coming of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer Breaking the land speed record The ‘Father of English Medicine’ England’s largest festival of history and culture – 6th to 15th September Public will be able to feel the tree rings of Sycamore Gap Reading is...

It was: 400 years ago, on 10th Sept 1624 that Thomas Sydenham, English physician, was born.  He became known as the ‘father of English medicine’. His textbook on medicine became the standard medical textbook in England for the next 200 years. 250 years ago, on 4th Sept 1774 that British explorer Captain James Cook became...

Sixty years ago, on 4th September 1964, the Forth Road Bridge opened in Scotland. It links Edinburgh to Fife across the Firth of Forth. (A second bridge, the Queensferry Crossing, opened in 2017 and largely replaced it.) The crossing of the Firth of Forth has a long history. In the 11th century Margaret, queen consort...

Some 75 years ago, on 1st September 1949, the Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was released. It was sung by the American movie-star and singer Gene Autry, nicknamed the “Singing Cowboy”. The song was adapted from a poem/story written by Robert L May for a children’s colouring book:  it was an assignment given him...

Four hundred years ago, on 10th September 1624, Thomas Sydenham, the English physician who became known as the “father of English medicine”, was born in Dorset. His textbook on medicine, Observationes Medicae, became the standard medical textbook in England for the next 200 years. Sydenham came from a Puritan family, and his medical studies were...

One hundred years ago, on 25th September 1924, British racing driver Malcolm Campbell broke the land speed record for the first time. He recorded a speed of 146mph in a 1921 Sunbeam Grand Prix car at Pendine Sands, Carmarthen Bay, Wales. Born in Kent in March 1885, Major Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE was a man...

Members of the public are now able to feel the rings of the felled Sycamore Gap tree, thanks to a new art exhibition. The 200-year-old sycamore was cut down last year in a “malicious act of vandalism”. But it has now been ‘brought to life’ through a series of five prints, created from a disc...

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest community-led festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations. Every year in September (6th to 15th) it brings people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history. Stories are told, traditions explored, and histories brought to life. It’s your chance to see unexpected places and...

Reading is an “invisible privilege,” according to Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the new Children’s Laureate. He was responding to studies which found that children who have not been read to when they were young face “massive barriers” as they go through life. Cottrell-Boyce stresses: “For too long, the life-changing benefits of children’s reading have not been taken...

All in the month of August Explorer 6 – sending the first images of earth from space The one and only Alfred Hitchcock The discovery of oxygen George Stubbs and his horses International Bat Night – 24th August ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, June)...

It was: 300 years ago, on 25th August 1724 that George Stubbs was born. This British artist is best known for his paintings of horses. 250 years ago, on 1st August 1774 that oxygen was discovered by British chemist Joseph Priestley. He was the first scientist to publish his findings on the discovery. 125 years...

Sixty-five years ago, on 7th August 1959, the USA launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back the first images of the Earth from space. The history-making achievement was not impressive at first sight. Described as “crude at best” and a “blocky, blurry mess”, the original picture was in black and white and unclear. But it...