Hearts… flowers… Cupid… Valentine’s Day is so much a part of our culture little thought is given to from whence it actually came. We take for granted that it’s to do with love, and that St Valentine would have been into chocolate if he’d known about it. But as is often the case with very…

Success, incredible wealth, and philanthropy… counterbalanced by ruthless commercial practices and monopoly. All words appropriately associated with the oil magnate that was John D. Rockefeller. But if questionable collusion and predatory pricing tarred his empire for many years, his extraordinary benevolence coats it too. He was a man of opposites and his legacy still impacts…

11th December, 1936, King Edward VIII officially abdicated. 12th December he announced this to the nation via broadcast on the radio, and the next day his younger brother was proclaimed king. Loyalty vs love Edward was the first English monarch to abdicate voluntarily. And yes, his decision was significant then and still is now, despite…

Everyone’s heard of Guy Fawkes. Let’s face it, we’ve all chanted, “Penny for the Guy…” and watched fireworks popping in the sky because of him. However, what many people forget is that he wasn’t the only person involved in the Gunpowder Plot. Far from it! In fact, the real mastermind behind the conspiracy was a…

King John, a royal well known for losing things… including much of England to the French, the respect of his barons (leading to his signing of Magna Carta), and… some believe… the crown jewels. Add to the mix that he’d been excommunicated too, and one starts to get the picture of a king out on…