Today is Victoria Day, a public holiday here in Canada. Queen Victoria, until now, was the longest reigning monarch in the British Empire. Queen Elizabeth is set to blitz that record. When? You’d think that would be a fairly simple answer, but it turns out that it isn’t. Just to begin, Queen Elizabeth’s reign includes […]
Long Live the Queen…but which one? Read More »
I’ve been writing about Vikings in one form or another for quite a few years now. (If you’re curious, there’s a list of Viking related stories I’ve written here.) One of the things that interests me the most is the achievements of the Vikings. They reached as far as America in their open long ships,
Pulse Pause Moments: Vikings Read More »
The Eiffel Tower is probably the most famous French feature in the world. It’s instantly recognizable, it’s the tallest structure in Paris and it makes millions each year from tourists who pay to travel to the top. But the tower actually started off life 126 years ago today as the gateway to the 1889 World’s
The Eiffel Tower Started Life As A Gate Read More »
Star Wars is the reason I’m writing. Han Solo’s infamous “I know” is the reason I’m writing romance. (For the full story, click here and also here.). So it would be almost criminal for me to ignore Star Wars day. I’m so looking forward to the new movie! Han Solo is back! And I tripped
May the Fourth Be With You… Read More »
226 years ago, eight mutineers aboard The Bounty tossed their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and 18 loyal crewmen into a lifeboat and set them adrift. As they made off with the ship, the mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian, dumped boxes of food into the water for the abandoned crew. No one is completely sure why
Fletcher Christian’s Heritage Read More »
The Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in 1986 was part of the Soviet Union, but is now in the Ukraine. On April 26, 1986 the power plant suffered a catastrophic nuclear accident, when a reactor exploded and spilled radiation across most of western Russia and into Europe. Wikipedia says this much better than I can, because I
The Worst Nuclear Accident, Ever. Read More »
The bombing of the Boston Marathon was two years ago. I’m assure this year’s event will go without a hitch, but wanted to pause and remember the injured and killed who only wanted to attend a peaceful, health-oriented and time-honored annual event.
119th Boston Marathon Read More »
This is the 102nd anniversary of the day the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. For seventy years they couldn’t find the wreckage, but it was discovered off the coast of Newfoundland in 1985. Thanks to movies like Titanic, the Titanic is the most famous ship in history. I suspect that is because the events
Women and Children First. Read More »
This is the 401st anniversary of the wedding of Pocohontas and John Rolfe — not John Smith. Unlike the Disney version of the story, Smith was quite a bit older than Pocohontas, although she had a serious crush on him. But when she was captured by the English, John Rolfe told her Smith was dead,
Pocohontas and John Rolfe Read More »
Today, 412 years ago, the Tudor dynasty of England ended, when Elizabeth I (“the Virgin Queen”) died, leaving no heir. A distant cousin, who just happened to be the King of Scotland, stepped into the void, and James VI of Scotland became James I of England. The Tudor dynasty lasted for 118 years. The first
Long Live King James Read More »