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Some 1400 years ago, on 16th July 622, the Islamic calendar began, when Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution (an event known as the Hejira) and established the first Muslim community. The new religion spread quickly: Mohammad’s men attacked trading caravans and in 630 an army of 10,000...

Two hundred years ago, on 20th July 1822, Gregor Mendel was born. The Austrian/Czech friar and botanist discovered the laws of heredity and created what eventually became the science of genetics. Born to a relatively poor but devoutly Roman Catholic farming family in what was then Moravia, in the Austrian empire, Johann Mendel (he became...

One hundred years ago, on 28th July 1922, Jacques Piccard, the Swiss oceanographer and engineer, was born in Belgium. He is best known for developing deep-sea submarines, and for becoming one of the first two people to reach the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth. He came from a family known for daring achievements....

If you enjoy airplanes, why not consider attending The Royal International Air Tattoo this month?  It is the world’s largest military air show, held each year over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The show usually attracts between 150,000 to 160,000 spectators over the weekend, and it is run in...

Bees need your help. And we need their help. Not only do bees help provide the honey, propolis and beeswax, but they also help to keep us all fed and watered. Without bees, more than a third of everything we eat would disappear from our tables. The majority of our honey here in the UK...

How you can make the most of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee All in the month of JUNE A time to stand up for truth? When slavery became illegal Harry Potter Apple’s first iPhone The new marriage laws ** How you can make the most of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee From street parties to jubilee lunches...

 It was: 250 years ago, on 22nd June 1772 that the Court of King’s Bench ruled that slavery was illegal in England and Wales. But it remained legal in British Overseas Territories and colonies until 1833. 100 years ago, on 10th June 1922 that Judy Garland, American actress and singer, was born.  Best known for...

 An important exhibition is running at the British Library in London until August 21st. It’s an exhibition taking a timely look at the news and the role it plays in our society. I’d love many Christians to visit it, writes the Revd Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest and a former communications director for...

It was 250 years ago, on 22nd June 1772, that the Court of King’s Bench ruled that slavery was illegal in England and Wales. It remained legal in British Overseas Territories and colonies until 1833. In the 1772 case of Somerset v Stewart, William Murray, Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, made a very specific ruling that...

Twenty-five years ago, on 26th June 1997, J K Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in the UK. It received massive acclaim, and another six best-selling books and eight hugely successful films followed. The books have been translated into over 80 languages, and have sold more than 500...

Just 15 years ago, on 29th June 2007, Apple released the first iPhone. From the original concept of an efficient, easy-to-use, slick mobile phone, it transformed by the time of its creation into what was described by Brian Merchant, author of The One Device, as the “primary platform for thousands of apps offering streaming music...

‘Marriage should be honoured by all.’  Hebrews 13:4 A new Act of Parliament has introduced no fault divorce to England and Wales. Now one or both parties to a marriage can get a divorce without the need to blame the other person. It was introduced because there were a very small number of marriages where...