The Slave Trade Act: British Parliament Finally Abolishes Slavery In 1807

April 16, 2021

Sugar plantation in the British colony of Antigua, 1823. (British Library/Wikimedia Commons) The long battle to stop the transatlantic slave tr...

Australia: History And Why It Was Founded As A Penal Colony

January 26, 2021

A kangaroo hops through the outback landscape June 7, 2005 near Marree, Australia. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images) While it stands today as one of the most diverse...

The Conditions On The Mayflower: What Was It Like On The Famous Ship?

January 12, 2021

The replica of the Mayflower under sail on its way back to Plymouth Harbor. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) Our elementary school lessons about...

The Conditions On Slave Ships: What Was It Like On A Slave Ship?

January 11, 2021

1835: Slaves aboard a slave ship being shackled before being put in the hold. Illustration by Swain (Rischgitz/Getty Images) Imagine you're standing on ...

Chimney Sweepers Act of 1788: Child Labor Law That Allowed Eight-Year-Olds To Work Legally

January 5, 2021

The Chimney Sweep, 1843, by Angelo Inganni (1807-1880). Oil on canvas, 46.5x46.5 cm. (DeAgostini/Getty Images) Mary Poppins mi...

The Reign Of King George III And How It Led to America

July 15, 2020

(Allan Ramsay/Wikimedia Commons) In the story of America's birth, King George III is painted as the enemy, an antagonistic monarch who attempted to keep a strangl...

How To Become A Modern-Day Knight: The History Of The Order Of The British Empire

June 15, 2020

Knight from the late 12th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) We may think of knights as those medieval guys with the suits of ...

Queen Elizabeth II: Things You Didn't Know About Her Majesty

April 21, 2020

On this day 94 years ago, the longest reigning monarch in British history was born. Although no one could have known it when she slid into the world on Apr...

Bethlem Hospital: London's Infamous, Horrible, And Terrifying Insane Asylum

October 22, 2019

Mental institutions and real-life insane asylums of the past were essentially real-life horror movies. It shouldn't be a shock that their conditi...

The Nimrod Expedition: Shackleton's Earlier Ill-Fated Antarctic Trek

September 5, 2019

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and two members of his expedition team beside a Union Jack within 111 miles of the South Pole, a record feat. Source: (Pho...

Will-O'-The Wisp: Deadly Fairy Lights

August 12, 2019

For thousands of years, people all over the world, but particularly in the British Isles, have reported seeing ghostly lights in the night forest and fields. It wasn't just the g...

Trees of the Gods: Worshiping The Mighty Oak Tree

August 11, 2019

The Forest Scenery Of Great Britain Oaks In Needwood Forest, UK, Britain, British, Europe, United Kingdom, Great Britain, European. Source: (Photo by: Universal History ...

The Mowing Devil: England's First Crop Circle

July 30, 2019

In the 1970s, strange geometric shapes began to pop up overnight in some of the wheat fields of rural England. The designs, at first, were simple circles, giving rise to ...

James Smithson: Who Was the Guy Who Gave Us the Smithsonian Institution?

July 3, 2019

A view of the Smithsonian Institution building in a field of daisies in Washington DC, circa 1860s. Source: (Photo by Kean Collection/Archive Phot...

What You Didn’t Know About Scotland Yard

June 24, 2019

Scotland Yard Motorcycle Patrols in 1955. Source: (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) The name Scotland Yard has become almost synonymous with detectiv...

What You Didn’t Know About Big Ben

June 10, 2019

Big Ben … that big clock high on a tower is a symbol of London. This 160-year-old landmark keeps Londoners punctual and provides a backdrop for iconic tourist pics, but beyond tha...

Vernepator Cur: A Tale Of Turnspit Dogs

April 12, 2019

Look at the wheel mounted on the wall. You will see a turnspit dog at work in the inn at Newcastle, Carmarthen, Wales, c1800 (1869). Source: (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Ge...