Mathew Lyons

On 9 March 1522 the Swiss Reformation began with an ‘ostentatious eating of sausages.’

On 5 March 1936 the prototype Spitfire made its maiden flight. Its creator R.J. Mitchell would not live to see its finest hour.

Giovanni Morell—later Morelli—was born in Verona on 25 February 1816 beginning a lifetime of dedication to the art of the connoisseur.

On 23 February 303 Roman emperor Diocletian embarked on his Great Persecution of the empire’s Christians. Why?

On 16 January 1926, the BBC broke the news that a murderous mob was storming the capital. Broadcasting the Barricades wasn’t supposed to be a hoax, but it was an effective one.

There was no law permitting cremation, but there was no law against it either. On 13 January 1884, a Welsh druid took the matter to trial.

On 10 December 1948, after months of negotiation led by Eleanor Roosevelt, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was passed by the UN General Assembly.

William Strickland died on 8 December 1598. He was said to have introduced the turkey to England, but the truth followed him to his grave.

On 23 November 1929 Nigeria’s women rose against the colonial authorities, demanding a return to traditional values and the ejection of the British. 

When paying off the Vikings failed to yield lasting peace, on 13 November 1002 king Æthelred ordered the slaughter of England’s Danes instead.