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It was 175 years ago, on 1st February 1851, that the novelist Mary Shelley died. She is best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein. Her parents were the influential philosophers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, a strong advocate of women’s rights who died 11 days after Mary’s birth from complications. The future Mary Shelley was...

Exactly 125 years ago, on 2nd February 1901, the funeral of Queen Victoria took place. She had died at the age of 81 on 22 January, having ruled for nearly 64 years, and her death took her family, courtiers and subjects by surprise in difficult times. The Boer war was still in progress, and the...

Fifty years ago, on 23rd February 1976, the artist L S Lowry died of pneumonia. He was known primarily for his bleak industrial landscapes of north-west England, populated with matchstick men, but he also painted original and striking seascapes and impressive portraits. Laurence Stephen Lowry was born on 1st November 1887 in Stretford. His father worked for...

If you like snow-sports, you are in for a great month. From 6th to 22nd February, Italy will be hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, officially known as Milano Cortina 2026. The opening ceremony is at football’s famous San Siro stadium. The Paralympic Winter Games follows, from 6th to 15th March. For the first time the...

Keep a close eye on your car this year, because sadly, no one else seems to be able to do so. Recent figures have revealed that more than 121,000 car theft offences were not solved in 2024-25. The British Transport Police, South Yorkshire, City of London, Sussex and Warwickshire police forces reported that more than...

All in the month of January Menai Suspension Bridge celebrates 200 years Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear From slaughter on a beach through gates of splendour Remembering Agatha Christie World Leprosy Sunday – 25th January 2026< Burns Night – 25th January Australia Day – 125 years on Holocaust Memorial Day What makes snow stick?...

It was: 250 years ago, on 1st Jan 1776 that, according to tradition, George Washington raised the first American flag, the Grand Union Flag, at Prospect Hill in Charleston, Somerville, Massachusetts. Also 250 years ago, on 24th Jan 1776 that E T A Hoffmann, German fantasy/Gothic horror writer, composer, artist and judge was born. Offenbach’s...

If you have ever gone to Anglesey, chances are that you used the Menai Suspension Bridge (Pont y Borth, in Welsh).  A lot of people do – an average of 13,300 vehicles a day, or about 4.8 million vehicles a year. The bridge celebrates a big anniversary this month: it is 200 years old. It...

It was 100 years ago, on 13th January 1926, that Michael Bond, the children’s writer, was born. He has an assured place in any literary Hall of Fame, for he created the characters Paddington Bear and Monsieur Pamplemousse. Paddington Bear padded into Michael Bond’s life quite by accident. It was back in 1956 that Michael...

It was 70 years ago, on 8th January 1956, that five young American evangelical Christian missionaries were killed by members of the savage and isolated Auca tribe in the rainforest of Ecuador. The missionaries had been attempting to bring Christianity to the small tribe of about 500 Auca people, and so had spent several months...

 50 years ago, on 12th Jan 1976 that Dame Agatha Christie, crime novelist, short story writer and playwright died. Best known for creating the character Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and for the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap.  Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890, the daughter of wealthy parents. In 1914 she...

We read about leprosy in the Bible and assume it is a disease of the past. But leprosy is very much a disease of today, with more than 200,000 newly diagnosed cases every year. That means that every two minutes of every day, someone hears the words ‘you have leprosy’.  Three short words, but they...