Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Krzysztof Golik, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Dutch explorer ran across two islands in the Pacific of which Europeans knew nothing, but his chief desire was to get past them.
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© Gayatree Tripathy, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
A dozy rabbit gets an idea into his head and soon all the animals of India are running for their lives.
The Yorck Project, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The birth of Jesus Christ fundamentally changed the relationship between mankind and the angels.
© Geolina163, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Several English pianists impressed Joseph Haydn on his visits to London, but Maria Hester Park was a particular favourite.
© Nikolai Karaneschev, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
A woman convicted of a crime she did not commit took her case to a higher power.
By Kate Greenaway (1846-1901), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
The mayor and corporation of Hamelin outsource a rodent problem to a professional rat-catcher.