1279
A sympathetic understanding of the trials of other people is essential for getting along.
In his motivational book Character (1871), Samuel Smiles reminded us that getting along with others requires a willingness to pass over their weaknesses, faults and occasional offences, and gave the example of Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark and Britain, sister of King George III.
Picture: Painted by Francis Cotes (1726-1770). Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted September 21 2016
1280
Within little more than half a century a British penal colony turned into a prosperous, free-trade democracy.
Australia is a partner to be proud of: a sovereign constitutional monarchy with our Queen as Head of State, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and a prosperous democracy built on and dedicated to free trade that gave us priceless support in two world wars.
Picture: © Andy Mitchell. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted September 21 2016
1281
The mother of the Roman Emperor goes to Jerusalem on a quest close to her heart.
In AD 326 Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, went to the Holy Land to search for the cross on which Jesus Christ had been crucified. The story is told in one of the oldest pieces of English literature, the epic Anglo-Saxon poem ‘Helen’ by Cynewulf.
Picture: Photo by Tamerlan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted September 19 2016
1282
The closure of slave plantations following the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833 had a curious side-effect.
One might imagine that slave labour keeps prices down, but the break-up of the slave trade by the British Empire following the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833 demonstrated just how mistaken that supposition is. Low prices come when free people do business together: more freedom, more business, lower prices.
Picture: From the Imperial War Museums collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Source.
Posted September 17 2016
1283
Britain’s desperate defence against a much larger, better-prepared military machine was a costly victory.
The Battle of Britain took place in the summer of 1940, when the German Luftwaffe launched a frenzied attack first on the RAF, and then on civilians in London. In targeting London, however, Adolf Hitler allowed the overstretched RAF time to rebuild, a shift in policy that ultimately cost him dearly.
Picture: © Andy F, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted September 16 2016
1284
Wilfrid Israel used his Berlin department store as cover for smuggling thousands of Jewish children to safety in Britain.
Wilfrid Israel (1899-1943) was a wealthy German retailer, who used his business as a cover to bring thousands of Jewish children to Britain in the run-up to the Second World War, saving them from ‘deportation, extermination and annihilation’ - words thought too melodramatic at the time, but only too accurate.
Picture: © Colin Pyle, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted September 12 2016