1171
The story of the once magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, the city God chose for Israel’s capital.
All that remains of the Temple in Jerusalem is a 187ft section of the western wall, after the rest was destroyed during a rebellion against the Roman Empire in AD 66-74; the heart of the ruined Temple Mount is now occupied by a mosque. The Temple’s history reaches back to the tenth century BC and King Solomon, who first built a House for Israel’s God to dwell among his people.
Posted January 31 2017
1172
The invention of the steamboat was a formidable challenge not just of engineering, but of politics and finance.
Steam power came to rivers and lakes even before it came to railways. Exactly who was ‘first’ is often debated, but the short answer is that a Frenchman was the first to try it, a Scotsman was the first to make it work, and an American was the first to make a profit from it.
Posted January 31 2017
1173
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.
Posted January 29 2017
1174
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.
Posted January 28 2017
1175
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.
Posted January 27 2017
1176
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.
Posted January 26 2017