Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
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By D. M. Duggan Thacker, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The invention of the steamboat was a formidable challenge not just of engineering, but of politics and finance.
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Railway Clearing House (1914), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
All but forgotten today, the RCH was one of the most important steps forward in British industrial history.
From the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The tenth-century King of Israel demonstrated his legendary wisdom in a delicate custody battle.
© Steven Lek, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.
A former convict told Henry Morley about his debt to Thomas Wright, the prisoner’s friend.
© Steve Fareham, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Thomas Wright never earned more than a foreman’s wage, but he helped hundreds of prisoners back into society.
© wfmillar, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Charles Dickens rails at the way Parliament and do-gooders treat the public like an irresponsible child.