Articles on Events in History
The Beatles? 'They have no future in show business'
In 1962, an unknown group called the Beatles travelled to London for a recording contract audition with one of the major record labels. They were rejected.
January 1, 1962
'The Most Famous of All Streaks'
Erika Roe bounced into the history books on this day when, topless, she skipped onto the pitch at a rugby game to the roar of 60,000 cheering spectators.
January 2, 1982
Master Potter Wedgwood Wows the World
An illness put an end to Josiah Wedgwood’s short career operating a potter’s wheel. But it diverted him into design and the creation of world-renowned pottery.
January 3, 1795
Rise and Fall of the Vanderbilt Empire
When he died on this day Cornelius Vanderbilt allegedly possessed more money than the U.S. Treasury. Much of it was squandered in lavish spending by descendants
January 4, 1877
Gillette, The Billionaire Shaving Pioneer
Safety razor pioneer King Camp Gillette, a billionaire who offered a former President a million dollars to join him in a business venture, was born on this day.
January 5, 1855
Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms
President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his Four Freedoms speech on this day. It would form the basis of the UN Declaration of Human Rights three years later.
January 6, 1941
Getting In a Spin On Saint Distaff’s Day
Distaff is not one of the best known saints; in fact he never existed. But January 7 is Saint Distaff’s Day and once one of seemingly dangerous fun and frolics.
January 7, 1 AD
A Crackdown on Lovers in New York
New York wasn't always a free and easy city. Time was when not only adultery was a crime, but even looking at a lady in the wrong way could land a guy in trouble.
January 8, 1902
Gallipoli: Guts, Glory and Defeat
The horrors of the First World War are encapsulated in the enduring names of its famous terrible battles, such as the Somme, Paschendale . . . and Gallipoli.
January 9, 1916
A Day's Pay – The Cost of Sending a Letter
Sending letters and parcels used to be a highly expensive and difficult process until on this day the “Penny Post” system began, thanks to an English teacher.
January 10, 1840
World’s First National State Lottery
Lotteries have been around for centuries but on this day the world’s first national state lottery was played out – with fabulous and surprising prizes.
January 11, 1569
The Man Who Saved Elton John's Life
Long John Baldry was born on this day - a friend of stars from Rod Stewart to The Beatles and who, in 1969, famously took Elton John aside and saved his life.
January 12, 1941
Theodora: An Emperor’s Anchor and Women’s Champion
Once a child prostitute, Theodora went on to become a Roman Empress who put the backbone into her indecisive husband and championed women’s rights.
January 13, 532 AD
Judge With a Passion For Civil Rights
The name of J. Skelly Wright, born on this day, does not spring to mind as a champion of civil rights. But his contribution to the cause was deep and enduring.
January 14, 1911
British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
January 15, 1797
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927
Prohibition and The Rise of Al Capone
Prohibition began in America on this day. The 13-year ban on alcohol led to resentment, gangsterism, bribery, murder and widespread flouting of the law.
January 16, 1920
The President Who Was Never President
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born on this day.
January 17, 1706
The Name Is Bond – Cary Bond!
They wanted Cary Grant to take the part of James Bond when the film series was launched with Dr No in the early Sixties. But the debonair actor turned it down.
January 18, 1904
War Victim Goes to Bottom of the Pile
One of the first to die in World War I fell not in the trenches of France but in a leafy lane in rural England. So should he be ranked alongside battle heroes?
January 19, 1915
‘My Name is Jimmy Carter and I’m Running for President’
Jimmy Carter is a one-term President but a man who worked tirelessly through a long life to help others and to end conflicts. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
January 20, 1977
The Pain Behind Cleopatra's Needle
First-time visitors to London could be surprised when they see an Egyptian obelisk standing beside the River Thames. It was welcomed to the city on this day.
January 21, 1878
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.
January 22, 1879
Pitman Shorthand: An Invention of Note
Shorthand inventor Isaac Pitman died on this day. Other systems evolved before and after Pitman, but the long and short of it is, his is the most widespread.
January 22, 1897
America’s Agony Is Over: Vietnam War Ends
A ceasefire agreement was signed on this day, heralding the end of the vicious and bitter Vietnam War – America’s attempt to halt the spread of communism.
January 23, 1973
California Gold Rush
At first it was just a glint in James Marshall’s eye. But when he confirmed what he thought he had seen, the frantic California Gold Rush of the 1840s began.
January 24, 1848
Al Capone, Public Enemy Number One
Al Capone, forever associated with Prohibition and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre, has long been ranked as the most notorious gangster in American history.
January 25, 1947
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998
Crippled Kaiser Had Grip of Iron
German Emperor 'Kaiser Bill,' was born on this day, strong-willed and determined to overcome the deformity that afflicted him from birth.
January 27, 1859
Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?
January 28, 1788
Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?
January 29, 1987
Lovesick Prince in Suicide Pact
Two lovers, a pact, then tragedy. But what really happened at Mayerling in 1889 remains a mystery despite 130 years of rumour, speculation – and three movies.
January 30, 1889
DNA Sheds Shocking New Light on Crippen Murder Case
A jury took 27 minutes to convict Dr Hawley Crippen of murdering his wife and burying her remains in his cellar. But shocking new DNA evidence later emerged.
January 31, 1910
How Portugal Lost Its Monarchy
There were few tears – and some uncharitable rejoicing – when King Carlos I of Portugal was shot dead on this day, bringing an end to a 270-year-old monarchy.
February 1, 1908
The Hidden Depths of Mark Twain
Forced to find a new job when the American Civil War struck the Mississippi river, Samuel Langhorne Clemens turned to writing and Mark Twain was born.
February 2, 1863
America’s First Woman Doctor
Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree and the first woman on the British medical register, was born on this day.
February 3, 1821
I'm Not Gay Insists 'Fruit-Flavoured, Mincing' Liberace
Entertainer Liberace died on this day, going to his grave insisting he was not gay. But his death from AIDS told a different story . . .
February 4, 1987
‘Bobbies’ Take To The Streets Of London
Robert Peel, the man responsible for the world’s first modern police force, the UK’s ruling Conservative party – and income tax – was born on this day.
February 5, 1788
Soccer Star Dodges TV Trap
How did a 'This Is Your Life' surprise for footballer Danny Blanchflower backfire so badly and end with the Tottenham Hotspur star storming off the set?
February 6, 1961
2,000-year-old Glass Treasure Shattered by a Drunk
One of the British Museum's treasured pieces of Roman antiquity was shattered on this day by a drunken visitor.
February 7, 1845
Earthquakes and a Book Rock London
In the 18th Century, Englishmen went into a panic when London, of all places, was hit by earthquakes. But was there a stronger force than Mother Nature at work?
February 8, 1750
Cold Or Curse: What Killed The President?
President William Harrison spent just 32 days in the White House, the shortest administration in American history. Was it because of a curse?
February 9, 1773
Why 'SuperMac' was Banished From Number 10
War hero, Edwardian gentleman, academic, friend of the Kennedys, former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was born on this day.
February 10, 1894
Thomas Edison, The ‘Invention Factory’ Wizard
Thomas Edison, hailed by many as America’s greatest practical genius, was born on this day. He went on to become the holder of a world record 1,093 patents.
February 11, 1847
Abraham Lincoln, the Presidential Icon
Abraham Lincoln, hailed by many as the greatest President of the United States, was born in poverty on this day in a one-room rural cabin, the son of a farmer.
February 12, 1809
Ancient Dresden Reduced to Rubble
The blanket bombing of Dresden in East Germany which began on this day, cost thousands of lives and remains highly controversial.
February 13, 1945
Last Adventure of Captain Cook
Explorer James Cook was the first European to set foot on Hawaii, where he was thought to be a god. But he would never leave the island alive.
February 14, 1779
Nat King Cole's Struggle With Racism
Sure, he had unique talent and a golden voice, but as Nat King Cole, who died on this day, was to discover, that wasn't enough for American racists.
February 15, 1965
A Deadly Bite, Or King Tut's Revenge?
It was one of the most spectacular archaeological finds – but was the disturbed Tutankhamun a sleeping tiger?
February 16, 1923
Britain Joins the European Community
British MPs voted on this day to join the European Communities, as it was then known. It was to be a thorny issue, finally leading to ‘Brexit’ in 2020.
February 17, 1972
The General, The Schoolgirl, And The Famous One-Word Despatch
A magazine hailed General Charles Napier’s battlefield despatch as the finest since Roman times, but it was in fact the work of a clever schoolgirl.
February 17, 1843
Buried at Sea: The Casket That Carried JFK
John F. Kennedy's aides struggling to load the casket containing the slain President aboard Air Force One is an enduring image. But what happened to the casket?
February 18, 1966
Theory That Put The World To Rights
Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born on this day. The Church dismissed as heresy his theory that Earth revolved around the sun and not the other way round.
February 19, 1473
Final Deadly Performance of a Twisted Actor
From a celebrated family of actors came a young man with a twisted mind whose last performance involved the death of a president.
February 20, 1817
Billy Graham, The Peerless Preacher
Billy Graham, one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century and friend to a line of presidents including Obama and Bush, died on this day.
February 21, 2018
Wonder of Woolworths Begins its Meteoric Rise
It was a simple idea: opening a store where nothing cost more than five cents. The idea caught on so quickly that Woolworth’s became a retail phenomenon.
February 22, 1879
Remembering The Alamo
A siege by Mexican forces of the Alamo mission compound in Texas began on this day. It lasted 13 days and led to one of the most famous battles in US history.
February 23, 1836
The Man Who Re-wrote 'Offensive' Shakespeare
Thomas Bowdler, the man who re-wrote Shakespeare to remove the "offensive" bits, died on this day and added a new word – bowdlerise – to the language.
February 24, 1825
My ‘Pretty’ Paintings, by Renoir
Artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on this day. An Impressionist, he created thousands of paintings, refusing to allow crippling arthritis to stop his work.
February 25, 1841
Enter Victor Hugo, Author of Les Mis
Les Misérables is the world’s longest running musical, an achievement that could never have been predicted by the story’s author, Victor Hugo, born on this day.
February 26, 1802
Fire Sparks Hitler’s Rise To Absolute Power
The Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, went up in flames on this day giving Adolf Hitler propaganda in his quest for dictatorship.
February 27, 1933
The 'Baronet' From Wagga Wagga
In the bizarre Tichborne case, a claim by a butcher from Wagga Wagga to be a missing baronet fell apart on this day after the longest trial in English history.
February 28, 1874
Crafty Columbus Plays a Leap Year Trick
Many people born on February 29th curse their fate but it can also bring luck and benefits as explorer Christopher Columbus demonstrated over 400 years ago.
February 29, 1504
Swinging Miller Puts Fans In The Mood
Glenn Miller, the band leader who was born on this day, managed to create a unique sound that put fans In The Mood for his brand of swinging music.
March 1, 1904
Oscar Hopes Sunk for 'Titanic' Movie Cast
Titanic broke all kinds of records after its release in 1997, but the acclaim that it received failed to be reflected on the cast at the Academy Awards.
March 2, 1998
Carmen – the Show that Shocked Paris
Carmen, the opera about a sensuous woman who seduces a soldier, had its premiere on this day and dismissed as a flop. Today, it is performed all over the world.
March 3, 1875
Arise, Sir Charlie Chaplin
He waited a lifetime for it, but on this day silent screen star Charlie Chaplin was finally honoured by the country where he was born.
March 4, 1975
Mass Murderer Stalin Goes to His Grave
Countless millions of Russians were killed by the hand of Joseph Stalin, one of the most feared and brutal dictators of all time. He himself died on this day.
March 5, 1953
Birdseye – the Father of Frozen Food
Indigenous Canadians showed Clarence Birdseye how they preserved fish they had caught. Intrigued, he saw the possibilities and the frozen food industry was born.
March 6, 1930
Telephone Invention Dispute? That Rings a Bell
There was fierce competition among 19th Century inventors to come up with a working telephone. Alexander Graham Bell won and was granted a patent on this day.
March 7, 1876
Sinatra Snaps the Fight of the Century
Sinatra does it his way and secures a ringside seat as a photographer for the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
March 8, 1971
One-Man War Finally Ends
Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda finally surrendered on this day – nearly 30 years after the Second World War had ended.
March 9, 1974
Mr. Watson come here, I want you
Alexander Graham Bell spoke only briefly by phone to his assistant on this day in 1876, but it proved to be a pioneering moment in telecoms history.
March 10, 1876
Read All About It! UK's First Daily Newspaper
There were to be no ‘shock, horror’ stories in the UK’s first daily newspaper published on this day. Readers were asked to judge reported events for themselves.
March 11, 1702
Wave of Doubt over Britannia
The composer who put "Rule, Britannia!" to music was born on this day, but the original words are not quite what they bellow out at the Last Night of the Proms.
March 12, 1710
Sportsman Who Became Larger Than Life
Nothing suggested that Daniel Lambert, born on this day, would evolve from an athletic youngster to the mountain of a man that he became.
March 13, 1770
Boy Wonder Conquers Theatreland
Parliament was adjourned on this day so that MPs could grab their seats for a performance by Master Betty – the theatrical wonder of the age.
March 14, 1805
Nature Blows Gunboat Diplomacy Out of the Water
The world's superpowers were prepared to use the power of their warships to control the Samoan Islands in the 1880s. But nature had other ideas.
March 15, 1889
My Lai: America's Village of Shame
American soldiers fighting in Vietnam entered the village of My Lai on this day. What followed was a massacre of civilians that shames US military history.
March 16, 1968
Snakes Alive! It's St Patrick's Day
Today is St Patrick’s Day – an event celebrated not just in Ireland but across the world, particularly in the United States with its large Irish communities.
March 17, 1776
The First People To Hop On A Bus
It was an idea probably two centuries years ahead of its time, but public buses first took to the streets of Paris on this day in history.
March 18, 1662
Dr Livingstone, I Presume?
Explorer David Livingstone, born on this day, spawned one of the most famous encounters when he was found in Africa by journalist Henry Stanley.
March 19, 1813
A First Lady Goes Shoplifting
While former Panama military dictator Manuel Noriega was awaiting his fate on racketeering charges, his wife Felicidad was having her own run-in with the law.
March 20, 1992
Welcome Shoppers, But No Whistling Please
Burlington Arcade, one of London's finest shopping streets, was opened on this day, partly as a deterrent to litter louts.
March 20, 1819
The Most Expensive Divorce in History
Beautiful and rich, Eleanor of Aquitaine had one fault according to the King of France: she had not produced a son. So on this day they were divorced.
March 21, 1152
Have You Heard The One About Johann Goethe?
With his collected works amounting to 143 volumes, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who died on this day, is considered to be one of the world’s great writers
March 22, 1832
Tsar Goes a Step Too Far
For over 300 years Russia’s famous Romanov family possessed fabulous wealth and power, but it wasn’t enough to keep them out of reach of assassins.
March 23, 1801
John Manningham Notes the Passing of Queen Elizabeth I
John Manningham was an English lawyer and diarist who wrote this especially moving entry on the passing of Queen Elizabeth I.
March 24, 1603
Rebel With a Cause: The Life of Shameless Shelley
A born rebel, the celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled on this day from the University of Oxford. He would go on to lead a short and tragic life.
March 25, 1811
Murder Most Foul in Olde England
Few murders were so horrific as the one that came to light on this day in history. And few punishments so grisly as that which befell Catherine Hayes.
March 26, 1726
Albert's Monumental Legacy
Architect George Gilbert Scott, who designed the Albert Memorial in honour of Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert died on this day.
March 27, 1878
Gucci Chief Falls Prey to the Black Widow
The world of design and fashion was shocked when Maurizio Gucci was shot dead in 1995. His execution would lead to an even greater sensation three years later.
March 27, 1995
Istanbul – The Queen of Cities
On this day the ancient city of Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul, while the town of Angora became Ankara, the new capital of Turkey.
March 28, 1930
Astor, The First Multi-Millionaire Businessman
John Jacob Astor made a staggering fortune by monopolizing the American fur trade, but his methods – ruthless and sometimes illegal – have drawn criticism.
March 29, 1848
When The Bells Rang Out For Freedom
It became known as the War of the Vespers – an uprising by Sicilians against their French oppressors that began at a church and was to leave two thousand dead
March 30, 1282
Margaret Thatcher Tax Triggers Riot
London was rocked by a major riot on this day in history as protests erupted against the poll tax introduced by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
March 31, 1990