Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© ruth and johnny, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Young Thomas Arne goes to extreme lengths to conceal his musical talent from his family.
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© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
James Hargreaves’s historic invention was not without its critics when it first appeared.
© Helmut Zozmann. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Samuel Smiles explains how Tudor England was transformed from sleepy backwater to hive of industry.
By Scipione Pulzone (1544–1598), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The Pope and the King of Spain decide that the time has come to rid England of her troublesome Queen, Elizabeth I.
From the Chemical Heritage Foundation, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Humphry Davy pleads with Britain’s scientists not to be bought by Napoleon’s gold.
Photo by Captain Tanner, from the Imperial War Museums via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens took his wartime protest straight to the top.