Winston Churchill
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This phrase was (allegedly) used to the erstwhile Prince of Wales at Gordonstoun in the early 1960s. His younger son, Henry Duke of Sussex, seems not to understand the connections betwen previous Royal family members that well, either. This Express article quotes from his book, where he claims to be DESCENDED from Henry VI. As…
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Sir Ernest Shackleton: “What the ice gets, the ice keeps”
Abraham Shackleton, Antarctic, Arctic, Aristotle, books, Captain Cook, Captain John Davis, Captain Scott, County Kildare, CRVO, Discovery, Dublin, Dulwich College, Elephant Island, Endurance, Fabian von Bellinghausen, failure, Frank Worsley, frostbite, Grytviken, heart attacks, Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Ireland, Irish rebellions, lectures, Lord Frederick Cavendish, Mount Erebus, Nimrod, Polar explorers, quest, reconstruction, Roald Amundsen, Royal Geographical Society, Sir Clements Markham, Sir Ernest Shackleton, South Georgia, South Pole, Stromness, symmetry, Titanic, Weddell Sea, welfare, Winston Churchill“For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” —Antarctic explorer Sir Raymond Priestly For those new to Shackleton, it might seem counterintuitive to celebrate the leader of a failed…
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“….Archaeologists have made an exciting discovery in the Queen Pool at Blenheim Palace prior to dredging work….They believe they have uncovered the remains of a 14th century watermill complex….” So reads the opening of this article. A new discovery at somewhere as historic as Blenheim is very exciting. But maybe it was its Woodstock Palace…
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“The Buildings that fought Hitler” (Yesterday)
Battle of Britain, Bawdsey Manor, Blitz, deception, Dorset, dummy cities, Edmund Ironside, Field Marshal Ironside, Home Guard, Jasper Maskelyne, Military tactics, pill boxes, radar, Second World War, Stanley House, Stanleys, stop lines, Wars of the Roses, Wellington College, Winston Churchill, Yesterday ChannelOnce you have reached beyond the bizarre title, which sounds rather like a Dr. Who episode, this is actually a very good series. Rob Bell, the engineer who is becoming quite ubiquitous, demonstrates how the UK was ready to use ther natural and built environments, together with science, to repel and then restrict a German…
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Elizabeth Vernon, Countess of Southampton.
Constance of York, Diana Princess of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Vere, Elizabeth Vernon, Essex rebellion, Henry Earl of Southampton, Henry IV, Humphrey of Gloucester, imprisonment, maids of honour, Margaret Audley, marriages, Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, Tower of London, William Cecil, Winston ChurchillElizabeth Vernon, who lived from 1572 to 1655, was a maid-of-honour to Queen Elizabeth I. In 1598, while serving in that capacity, she became pregnant by Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton (1573-1624) who is perhaps best remembered as a patron of Shakespeare. Queen Elizabeth was not amused, and had the pair of them thrown in…
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And how they make it is a mystery, as is the rest of this list, which puts together a truly weird collection. I mean, what was so very remarkable about John and Jackie Kennedy? They were good-looking, influential and rich….but does that make them the sixth “best” couple of all time? I think not. Same…
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THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF EDWARD IV
Annette Carson, apoplexy, chill, cold, Commines, Croyland, Easter, Edward IV, Hall, History of the English Speaking People, Jean Molinet, John Ashdown-Hill, malaria, Mancini, Palace of Westminster, poison, R.E. Collins, Secret History, The Maligned King, The Private Life of Edward IV, Thomas More, treaty of Arras, William of Worcester, Winston ChurchillUPDATED POST AT sparkypus.com https://sparkypus.com/2020/05/27/the-mysterious-death-of-edward-iv/ Edward IV 1442-1483 For a king whose reign is otherwise well documented it is curious that the cause of Edward’s death remains a mystery. It would appear that his death was unexpected. It seems he was first taken ill at the end of March and despite having access to some of…