37

This Dreadful Innovation

By Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke explained to the Duke of Bedford that in politics there is very great difference between change and reform.

38

The Black Hole of Calcutta

By Edward Fraser

In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal allowed his frustration with British merchants in Calcutta to get the better of him.

39

The Battle of Plassey

By Hari Chahan Das

Before Siraj ud-Daulah became Nawab of Bengal in 1756, his grandfather begged him to keep the English sweet, and put no trust in Jafar Ali Khan. If he had only listened...

40

Sunspots and Wheat Prices

By James Sime

William Herschel showed that variations in the brightness of the sun were causing climate change, but hardly anyone believed him.

41

One Man Army

By Edward Fraser

The fort at Budge Budge near Calcutta proved stubborn against the massed artillery of the East India Company, but a tipsy seaman took it all by himself.

42

The Length of a Horse

By James Alexander Lovat-Fraser

Unlike some of his fellows in Westminster, Scottish statesman Henry Dundas made no attempt to make himself sound more ‘English’.