Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Luca Baggio, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
The more that pioneering engineer George Stephenson understood of the world around him, the more his sense of wonder grew.
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From the Imperial War Museums Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Hubert Parry was delighted to see teachers and pupils pushing each other to do better.
© Mike Smith, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Jane Loudon introduces us to two dogs getting on with their busy lives.
© mdprovost, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
With the aid of a slice of beef, a Perth puss takes feline scheming to a new level.
© NWalesWanderer, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Richard Cobden saw Britain’s international standing in terms of peaceful trade rather than military interventions.
By Nicholas Pocock (1740–1821), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Georgian Britain braced for war as relations with France in North America, India and mainland Europe took a turn for the worse.