Category Archives: History

Murder In The Library

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Classic locked-room mysteries, tales of murder and mayhem in quaint villages or gritty adventures on mean city streets. You will find all of that and more at the British Library’s upcoming exhibition titled Murder in the Library: An A-Z of Crime … Continue reading →

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Just 150 Years Ago

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Tomorrow January 9th will mark the 150th anniversary of the first official passenger trip on what would become known as the London Tube. On that momentous occasion, the Metropolitan Railway made its inaugural trip of 3.7 miles between Paddington and … Continue reading →

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There’s No Country Called Holland

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Colin Grey is a New Yorker who is now based in Britain. His Youtube channel is a treasure-trove of information on politics, geography, history and science. Quite a while back, we posted one of his clever videos on London. But … Continue reading →

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We Remember

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground. So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind: Into the darkness they go, the wise and … Continue reading →

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It’s A Very Dickensian Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Following an extensive eight month, £3 million restoration and redevelopment project, London’s Charles Dickens Museum reopened on December 10th just in time to celebrate a Dickens Christmas and to top-off the Dickens 2012 Bicentenary year festivities. The beloved author’s Bloomsbury … Continue reading →

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Caught Mapping

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In this era of Google Maps, Street View, GPS and satnav systems, most of us take the humble road map for granted. We don’t appreciate the complex and tedious work that was involved in the production of accurate road maps … Continue reading →

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Above Paris (revisited)

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The first time zeppelins flew over Paris, it was to bomb the city during World War I. Now, a German zeppelin company says it is nearing agreement with a company in Paris that plans to offer flights around the Eiffel … Continue reading →

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Before Baumgartner

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

One hundred years before the Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner took his leap, there was another Austrian daredevil– Franz Reichelt. According to French magazine Nouvel Observateur, this tailor from Vienna had moved to France as a young man and become a … Continue reading →

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Or, the Whale

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday, Google treated us to a neat Google Doodle to celebrate the 161st anniversary of the publication of Moby Dick, or, the whale, the iconic American novel by Herman Melville. If you have yet to meet the challenge of the … Continue reading →

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Ireland, Who Knew ?

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Many thanks to the folks at GoIreland.com for this quirky infographic on Irish inventors and inventions. Take a peek at their website the next time you are planning a visit to Ireland.

Posted in Europe, History, Tourism | Tagged | 1 Comment