Tag Archives: History

On 13 June 1920, the United States banned the sending of people by parcel post after a number of instances and a previous unsuccessful attempt to outlaw the bizarre practice It’s fairly common for a new invention to take a little while to iron out its kinks – but one …

This week in royal history saw not one but two first-time overseas visits by British monarchs.  The one that is better remembered began on June 7, 1939, when King George VI visited the United States accompanied by his wife Queen Elizabeth.  The royal couple were warmly welcomed by hundreds of …

Queen Elizabeth II’s glorious Coronation 70 years ago was just one of three crownings that took place at Westminster Abbey this week in royal history. Her Late Majesty’s date with destiny inside Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, came 400 years almost to the day since King Henry VIII’s second …

A NEW project aims to bring Paisley’s radical history back to life as part of a £45 million refurbishment of the town’s museum. About 20,000 people rallied in the Scottish town in September 1819 to show solidarity with workers killed at Manchester’s Peterloo massacre a month prior. When protesters refused to have banners and flags confiscated by …

It was a historic address to a nation which Britain had unwillingly given up in the 18th Century – under the watch of King George III.  On May 16, 1991, George’s distant relative Queen Elizabeth II spoke in the US Congress, becoming the first British monarch to do so. In …

Posed in the present fight against the Communication Workers Union’s pro-company agreement with Royal Mail Group (RMG) is a political reckoning with the union bureaucracy by the rank-and-file. At the start of last summer, after postal workers delivered massive strike mandates to fight Royal Mail’s attacks, the World Socialist Web …

T HIS, I’d say, is the week when we gave up on the post, on letters. That’s how history happens: in unobtrusive ways as well as with bangs and whistles. I had a party, as per usual, for the Epiphany on Friday. All the guests wrote an email to thank …

The Great Train Robbery of 1963 is one of the most infamous heists in history. It has been retold countless times in books and in film and the legend around it continues to grow to this day. The elaborate plan to steal what would amount today to around £58million from …

Formerly homeless tour guides are giving visitors a unique perspective on the city streets they once called home. Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become tour guides of the places they often know better than anyone else. Edinburgh Live reports that the …

In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II made a 45-day visit to Canada. One of CBC television’s top personalities then was Joyce Davidson; during the royal visit, she was a guest on NBC’s Today show in the United States, and was asked what she thought. “Like most Canadians,” she said, “I am …