Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Alexander P. Kapp, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
It was not just his own family that wanted to know what Samuel Crompton was doing by night in his quaint Bolton workshop.
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By William Powell Frith (1819-1909), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Highwayman Claude Du Vall robbed a carriage on Hampstead Heath in the most courteous manner imaginable.
From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Horatio Nelson decided it was time to turn a blind eye.
© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Cuthbert, struck down by plague, was vexed to find that his brethren had been praying for him all the previous night.
By Richard Paton (1717–1791), from the Royal Museums, Greenwich, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
While inspecting troops in Colchester for duty against Napoleon, the Duke of York came upon one man who gave new meaning to the word Veteran.
By Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1735), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Plutarch tells us how Alexander the Great came to bond with Bucephalus, the mighty stallion that bore him to so many victories.