Purple Haze released, 1967
In early 1966, Linda Keith, then girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, befriended a guitarist called Jimi Hendrix during a visit to New York. While he was much in…
Conviction of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, 1834
In October 1833, the farm labourer and Methodist lay preacher George Loveless founded the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers along with five other men in Tolpuddle, Dorset. Their aim was…
Abolition of the English House of Lords, 1649
In March 1649, the Rump Parliament passed two acts completely changing the government of England. On the 17th of that month they passed ‘An Act for the abolishing the Kingly…
Tunisian independence, 1956
In 1861, Tunisia became the first country in the Arab world to enact a constitution. Nevertheless, eight years later the former Ottoman possession declared itself bankrupt, partly as a result…
The funeral of Pocahontas, 1617
In 1596 an Algonquian princess with the formal names of Matoaka and Amonute was born in an area known as Tenakomakah (modern day Virginia). She was the daughter of Wahunsunacawh…
Pact of the League of Arab States signed, 1945
The late-nineteenth century saw the emergence of an Arab patriotism that opposed Ottoman rule. The British exploited this opposition during the First World War by sending Captain T. E. Lawrence…
Elisha Otis installed his first passenger elevator, 1857
Man has used hoisted platforms to move materials since ancient times, but the ever present danger of the rope or cable snapping prevented the widespread use of such devices to…
Ludwig van Beethoven died, 1827
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, then part of the Electorate of Cologne, in December 1770. He came from a musical family: his grandfather was musical director at the…
First Rugby Union international, 1871
The issue of the sporting journal Bell’s Weekly published on 8th December 1870 included the following challenge issued by the captains of five Scottish rugby clubs: “with a view of…
First seaplane flight, 1910
On 28th March 1910, Henri Fabre made the first successful flight in a seaplane at Martigues, near Marseilles. Fabre took four years to design and build the Fabre Hydravion, nicknamed…