1201
All but forgotten today, the RCH was one of the most important steps forward in British industrial history.
The humble Railway Clearing House (RCH) brought real co-operation to Victorian Britain’s many different private railway companies, and gave yet further impetus to the country’s accelerating industrial revolution. Its success should be a reminder to private companies that they and their passengers actually share very similar interests.
Picture: Railway Clearing House (1914), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted January 29 2017
1202
The tenth-century King of Israel demonstrated his legendary wisdom in a delicate custody battle.
A ‘judgment of Solomon’ is an ultimatum that reveals what someone’s priorities really are. The term comes from a tale about King Solomon, who inherited the throne of his father David in 970 BC.
Picture: From the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted January 28 2017
1203
A former convict told Henry Morley about his debt to Thomas Wright, the prisoner’s friend.
Thomas Wright (1789-1875) was a foreman in a Manchester iron foundry and a father of nineteen, who never earned above £3 10s a week in his life. But he helped hundreds of ex-convicts back into society, using his own money to indemnify their employers against any relapse.
Picture: © Steven Lek, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.. Source.
Posted January 27 2017
1204
Charles Dickens rails at the way Parliament and do-gooders treat the public like an irresponsible child.
In 1855, a Bill to restrict Sunday trading provoked riots in Hyde Park; Charles Dickens hosted his own in ‘Household Words’. His objection was not to Sunday Observance, a venerable Christian custom which he actively encouraged, but to politicians and campaigners who treat the General Public like a helpless child.
Picture: © wfmillar, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted January 26 2017
1205
Thomas Wright never earned more than a foreman’s wage, but he helped hundreds of prisoners back into society.
Thomas Wright (1789-1875) was an ordinary Manchester workman who dedicated his life to helping former prisoners back into society, all on his own time and using his own money. Yet he never earned much over £150 a year, roughly £15,000 today.
Picture: © Steve Fareham, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted January 26 2017
1206
A Japanese swordsman confronts a Russian monk for... actually, he’s not really quite sure.
In 1859, Hakodate in Japan became one of the first Japanese cities to establish trade relations with foreign nations, with the opening of a Russian Consulate. Fear of Westernisation was high, and Russian missionary Fr Nicholas Kasatkin went there determined to ensure that Christianity would be as authentically Japanase as possible, but for one proud warrior that was not sufficient.
Picture: Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted January 24 2017