My Long Walk to Beaver Dams

By Laura Secord

A ‘slight and delicate’ Canadian woman defied twenty miles of rugged terrain in sweltering heat to warn of an impending attack by American invaders.

A Debt to a Hero

By Joseph Boruwlaski

A veteran of the Battle of Salamanca in 1812 was boasting of his lieutenant’s bravery when his wife sprung some unwelcome news upon him.

‘There is No Precedent for Such a Thing!’

By Elbert Green Hubbard

When Elizabeth Fry asked if she could lead prayers for the women inside Newgate gaol, the Governor was momentarily confused.

A Universal Truth

By Jane Austen

From the very first lines, Jane Austen’s classic novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ pokes affectionate fun at Georgian England.

Faraday al Fresco

By Walter Jerrold

Michael Faraday’s tour of Europe included a ‘picturesque’ multicultural event on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

Free Trade, Free Peoples

By William Cobbett

Oldham’s firebrand MP William Cobbett rips into the the City of London for blocking economic and political progress in India.