Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© TheTurfBurner, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
The fate of the British army hung by a thread in May 1940, but ships large and small, military and civilian, came to the rescue.
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By Elias Martin (1739-1818), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Harriet Smith’s school gave her a grounding in good sense that even Emma Woodhouse could not quite overthrow.
© JoJan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Great inventions come from those who notice what they see.
© RHaworth, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Samuel Smiles shows us two great achievements inspired by two tiny creatures.
© Chris Downer, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Irish monk St Columba is credited with being among the first witnesses to the ‘Loch Ness monster’.
Imperial War Museums, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Joseph Skipsey’s short poem evokes the last goodbye a Northumberland miner made each morning.