1460
The 17th-century entrepreneur developed a way of smelting iron with coke rather than charcoal, but the Civil War frustrated his plans.
Seventeenth-century Government fuel policy made English iron-smelting so expensive that the country became dependent on cheap foreign imports. Dud Dudley had just devised an alternative process, when the Civil War put the industrial revolution on hold.
Posted December 10 2015
1461
Nicholas used his inheritance to help three vulnerable girls escape a life of exploitation.
St Nicholas (d. 330) came from Patara in Lycia, now in south east Turkey. The following story is the basis of the ‘Santa Claus’ legend, but there is nothing whatever improbable about it; on the contrary, it fits perfectly with the society and values of pagan Rome at the time.
Posted December 7 2015
1462
A touchy subject, especially when your lover is listening in.
Captain Wentworth once proposed to Anne Eliott, but to her lasting regret her family persuaded her to reject him. Years later, Captain Wentworth is eavesdropping while Anne tells a friend, Captain Harville, that men soon forget such disappointments.
Posted December 6 2015
1463
Fanny Price, eight years after being adopted by her wealthy uncle and aunt, has gone back home for the first time, full of anticipation.
At ten years of age, Fanny Price was taken by her wealthy uncle and aunt to live in Mansfield Park, a country house. Now eighteen, she has gone back home to Portsmouth for the first time, eager to meet her own family once more. They, however, do not seem quite as eager to meet her.
Posted December 6 2015
