1507
A popular tale of scorched cakes and a scolded king.
King Alfred the Great ruled from 871 to 899. He did more than any other king to unite the English as a nation, but first he had to overcome an invasion of Danes from across the North Sea, and a very cross housewife.
Picture: © Jon Thomson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted November 14 2015
1508
The cruelty of the Ottoman Turks so shocked Europe that the tide of opinion turned against them.
In 1823, early in the Greeks’ desperate fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire, English poet Lord Byron brought welcome public attention to the town of Missolonghi near Corinth just after it had endured two draining sieges. Two years later, however, the Turks came a third time.
Picture: Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted November 14 2015
1509
David’s scheme to steal another man’s wife succeeded, but he could not keep his secret from everyone.
David was King of all Israel early in the 10th century BC. Through Bathsheba, he was a forefather of Jesus, but the marriage was the result of a stratagem unworthy of a King.
Picture: From the 15th century Bedford Hours. Via Wikimedia Commons.. Source.
Posted November 13 2015
1510
Tolkien’s tale of dragons, magic rings and enchanted gold is one of the masterpieces of English literature.
A Hobbit (Tolkien’s own mythological invention) is like a Man but much shorter, with furry feet, and he is content with an uneventful rural life. But Mr Bilbo Baggins was about to be sent on an Adventure, when all he wanted was breakfast.
Picture: © Alex Saunier, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0 France.. Source.
Posted November 13 2015
1511
‘Rule Britannia’ was a discreet way of telling a German prince what was expected of a British King.
The British patriotic song “Rule Britannia” is sadly misunderstood. The short drama ‘Alfred’ from which it comes was not a shrill declaration of British power abroad but a tactful way of telling King George II’s son, a German-speaking Prince, that his job was to defend his people from invasion, and then leave them to enjoy fruits of their own labours.
Picture: © Graham Horn, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted November 13 2015
1512
How appropriate that the comic opera ‘Patience’ should introduce the world to the results of thirty years of labour.
Local boy Joseph Swan (1828-1914) worked for his brother-in-law in the pharmaceutical firm of Mawson, Swan and Morgan in Newcastle. He can claim to be one of the architects of modern living.
Picture: Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted November 8 2015