The place to learn about the past and present,
The epic quest Keith Byrne, 10, and Noel Murray, 13, embarked on in 1985 when they managed to travel incognito to New York via planes, trains and, er, ferries. A metallic clang echoed down a bleak Darndale street. The clang of a fizzy-drink can being punted along by a young boy. His hair, fair and... Continue Reading →
Click for Part 1 Retreat from Kabul, 1842 During the 'Great Game' Britain greatly feared that the Russian Empire's expansionism could spill into the Asian subcontinent. To counter this threat, they moved to establish a presence in Afghanistan (a buffer between the two empires) and install a pro-British regime. In 1839 a 20,000 strong army... Continue Reading →
'We lose many battles, except the last' - an adage referring to how the British prevailed in a catalogue of conflicts from the British Empire's inception in 1707 until its end in the 1950s, yet were mauled on many an occasion. This article includes the worst military calamity of (almost) every decade - failures little... Continue Reading →
This French General is famous for the many, many wounds he suffered in battle but survived. You'll be amazed the damage this bullet-magnet lived through! Nicolas Charles Oudinot was born in Paris, 1767. He was born to survive against the odds as just one of nine siblings to reach adulthood. He joined the Kingdom of... Continue Reading →
The revealing story of Switzerland's military operations to defend its airspace from Axis and Allied aircraft during World War Two Blotted with deathly-black balkenkreuz wing insignia denoting them as war machines of the German Luftwaffe, droves of bulky Bf-110 twin-engined Messerschmitt fighters droned menacingly in circles. A flock of more nimble craft whizzed in to... Continue Reading →
THE TIME THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM TRIED TO RE-IMPRISON A MODEL CITIZEN THEY HAD RELEASED 90 YEARS EARLY. It was just another day for Rene Lima-Marin in his job helping to transform city skylines by installing glass windows into skyscrapers until an unknown caller buzzed his mobile phone. The woman on the line said she... Continue Reading →
A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water one Summer in Utah. On a hot June day the birds were singing, the bees buzzing, and mum’s voice on the phone wafted through the warm air, so warm after a late start to Summer. Her reassuring tones set her blond-haired toddler at ease... Continue Reading →
The time the US accidently dropped not one, but three nuclear bombs on Spanish soil. The imagery of a nuclear fireball inspires awe and terror in equal doses; we all understand the capacity a massive ball of rising red flame, seen on the horizon, has to turn flesh to dust and obliterate anything in its... Continue Reading →
The hectic goal-fest of Boxing Day, 1963 when 66 goals were scored in 10 games in the English top flight Division One is probably the most epic day in English football history. Some say that 'the beautiful game' isn't the most exciting spectacle, perhaps because it's one of few sports in which a game can... Continue Reading →
In perhaps the greatest 'hold my beer' escapade to date, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a plane to prove he could fly from Jersey to New York in just 15 minutes. Read about how he won his crazy bet. Bulky sedans rumbled sedately along the right-angled streets, and haggard creatures of the night here and there passed... Continue Reading →
History and Things 