21 August 1612 Diego Sarmiento, 1st Count of Gondomar, was appointed Spanish ambassador to London. His plans to arrange a marriage between Prince Charles and the infanta Maria Anna of Spain eventually came to nothing. 21 August 1689 Although William Cleland, their commander, was killed in the fighting, the Cameronian regiment successfully held the PerthshireContinue Reading
There are few better-known folktales than the story of a gentlemanly outlaw roaming the forest with his band of merry men, robbing the rich to give to the poor. But where did the legend of Robin Hood come from? How come early versions of the story were much more grisly?Continue Reading
Every small child of the modern west can describe a dragon: it is a broadly serpentine creature (colour of choice: green); it has an animalian head; between its longish neck and longish tail it has a fattish body; it has four legs; it has a pair of wings; it canContinue Reading
Set some two centuries before the fantastical events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon takes us back to Westeros for more courtly intrigues and gory deaths, with one significant addition: here be dragons. The series is based on George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire and Blood, a historyContinue Reading
Kristen Green uncovers the life and legacy of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved women trapped within the US domestic slave trade. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Kristen explains how Mary fought for her children’s freedom, liberated the infamous “Devil’s Half Acre” and ultimately founded one of the first historically black colleges andContinue Reading
c20 August AD 14 The day after Augustus’s death, his exiled grandson Agrippa Postumus is murdered on the orders of the new emperor, Tiberius. 20 August 1580 Death of Sir George Bowes. A loyal servant of Elizabeth I, he oversaw the transfer of Mary, Queen of Scots from Carlisle toContinue Reading
19 August 1560 Birth in Dumfriesshire of polymath and soldier James Crichton. His precocious talents earned him the soubriquet of the ‘Admirable Crichton’. He died, aged 21, after being mortally wounded in a street brawl in Mantua. 19 August 1561 After 13 years in France, Mary, Queen of Scots returned toContinue Reading
In the Summer 2022 issue of Education Next, Joshua Dunn looked at the uproar over the McGinn County Board of Education in Tennessee vote to remove Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, from its curriculum. Dunn concluded, an article headlined, “Suits Challenging Book ‘Banning’ May Be Better Politics thanContinue Reading
For twelve years ending earlier this month, Susie Miller Carello led the Charter Schools Institute at the State University of New York—the largest university-based charter school authorizer in the nation, and arguably the most successful. SUNY authorizes some of the most recognized and formidable names in the charter school world.Continue Reading
In the 100 years since his tomb was discovered, Tutankhamun has become the icon of ancient Egypt – a muse for fashionistas and movie-makers, a pop culture staple and a political rallying cry. But what deeper meanings do his glitzy treasures have for us today? In the final episode ofContinue Reading
