The Publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four
On 8 June 1949, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. His final novel, its themes had been present throughout his literary career.
Mathew Lyons
An Exhibition on Rational Dress for Victorian Women
On 19 May 1883 Eliza King and her Rational Dress Association held an exhibition to champion comfortable clothing for Victorian women.
The Death of a Mnemonist
Solomon Shereshevsky died on 1 May 1958. He dreamt of being a hero but achieved greatness of another kind.
The Death of Little Jack the Boy Missionary
On 5 April 1889 John Hore died aged only seven years old. His adventures in East Africa saw him immortalised by Victorian evangelicals as ‘the boy missionary’.
The Vienna Secession is Founded
On 3 April 1897 a young Gustav Klimt led a group of artists in open revolt, seceding from Vienna’s cultural establishment.
The Birth of Ovid
Writing from exile, the Roman poet Ovid revealed his birth date as 24 March 43 BC. But on the cause of said exile, he was unusually reticent.
The Death of Einhard the Historian
Charlemagne’s biographer Einhard died on 14 March 840, his modesty in stark contrast with the story of greatness he wove for his king.
The Original Bonfire of the Vanities
On 7 February 1497, the Piagnoni of Florence set sin ablaze in the original ‘bonfire of the vanities’
India’s Kuka Revolt Ends in Death
On 17 January 1872, 49 Namdhari Sikhs – dubbed ‘Kukas’ by the British – were executed by cannon, supposedly for spreading insurrection.
The Livonian Knights Battle on the Baltic
On 16 February 1270, the Livonian Knights were defeated at the Battle of Karuse.