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The Story of NASA’s Gemini Program

NASA’s Project Gemini, which launched twelve spacecraft into Earth’s orbit between April 1964 and November 1966, was an intermediate step in the Apollo program’s ultimate goal of achieving a moon landing. The information and experience gained from the Gemini missions was vital for the success of future Apollo missions.

Flames In Notre Dame Shake France’s Rich Heritage

Emmanuel Macron, the French President, has described the fire in the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral as “a terrible tragedy”. At about 6.45 this Monday, a blaze broke out in the roof of Paris’ beloved Notre Dame Cathedral, which is, according to Macron, “the very centre of our lives”. Five minutes later, the first reports of […]

The Germans Invade Poland | WWII Series EP.1

Adolf Hitler’s rearmament program began when he brought the National Socialist German Workers’ Party into power in 1933. This policy was immediately noticed by the Allied powers, but they did little to enforce the Treaty of Versailles and allowed Hitler to expand the German Army beyond the 100,000 combatants that were permitted in 1919. Notably, […]

The Life and Works of Adolphe Appia

Adolphe Appia, a theorist of architecture and theatre living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, had a profound influence on modern theatre – principally the elements of lighting, stage design and music.

Soviet T-34: Best Tank Of WWII?

The Russian T-34 Medium Tank and its variants were certainly the most produced tanks during the Second World War, but the debate still remains over whether it was the most effective. It was easy to maintain, fast and heavily-armoured, and severely shocked the Germans when it first arrived on the front line.

The M3 Lee – Ugliest Tank of WWII?

One might argue that the seemingly ugly, flawed and difficult-to-control M3 and its variants deserved a better treatment from its adversaries. After all, it was neither designed to be superior to the Sherman nor built to any degree of perfection, and was merely planned as an urgent combination of heavy armour and mobility with a minimal production time in […]

AH-64 Apache – Portfolio Piece

Despite existing for a seemingly-interminable four decades since its birth, the AH-64 Apache remains the flagship helicopter of the United States military and continues in active service in Egypt, Japan, the UK, Saudi Arabia and countless more countries around the globe. Designed both to support ground operations and launch intensive attacks in the air itself, the Apache series is crucial for Boeing’s supply and logistical contract with America and AH-64s are the favored combat chopper of choice. Many countries around the world use Apache variants as their main form of aerial attack aircraft.

Five Reasons Why The Spanish Armada Would Never Have Made It

In July, 1588, Philip II of Spain sent out an enormous fleet of 130 ships organised into a crescent formation. They were to head for England to launch an invasion against the Protestant Queen, but would Philip really have achieved his ambitions… or was it doomed to fail all along?

Charles Walter Simpson, 1885-1971

Charles Walter Simpson was a semi-famous painter living in the 20th century, who became known for his colourful depictions of animals, notably horses and birds hunting scenes and landscapes.

Why Napoleon Was Not As Short As You Think

From 1803 to 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte, known also as “Little Boney” conducted his Imperial wars in Europe, hugely expanding French territory and humiliatingly defeating his enemies. Two hundred years later, we still remember him as a rampaging little kid, who couldn’t back down after being exiled to the island of Elba.

Five (More) Commonly Asked History Questions

1. Did the Romans really control a quarter of the world? No, they didn’t. They conquered the majority of Europe, a slice along the North of Africa and mostly dominated the east. This map shows the extent of the Roman Empire in the year 117AD, at around the height of its landmass and power. It […]

The Invention Of The Automobile – Who Made The First Car?

For centuries, humans had believed that there would be a way to move quicker and more easily without the use of animals such as horses or donkeys. They knew that mechanics and scientific innovation would lead to the invention of a carriage which was powered by nature and working parts rather than biological life. But […]

A brief history of Christmas through the ages…

In the oldest, darkest of Ancient Times, there existed a period of great celebration stretching from around late December to the first days of January, known to the pagans and druids of the cold and icy North.

Stop using a diary, start using this war journal

Hello, second episode of “Reviewing History Products”! It is thanks to my kind donor, James at History Gear, that I am able to continue doing these; he has sent me a package of different things to inspect and write upon. I’ve had a look at what has arrived, and it’s fair to say that I’m […]

Hoardes Of 17th Century Cannonballs Found In Stockholm

Archaeologists excavating around Stockholm in Sweden stumbled upon a treasure trove of various military equipment, including “hundreds” of cannonballs dating back to the great age of Newton, Elizabeth I and Bach. Credit: Archaeology Mag

A Short Biography Of William Shakespeare

Arguably the greatest poet and play-wright in English history, William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Untold Terror – Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941

At nearly eight on the calm Sunday morning of 7th December 1941, the first of over three hundred Japanese bombers approached the US Pacific Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Within long, the surrounding area was dive-bombed, strafed and ships destroyed as part of a surprise aircraft and submarine attack. The cause of this ambush culminated […]

Trenches of War Gameplay – Battle of the Somme

Needless to say, this game is not historically accurate nor is designed to be so. Nevertheless it’s really fun to play, if you like World War I, I recommend you download it and try it out 🙂 Sorry if the video is taking a while to load… You can support me here: History Article Writing […]

Armistice Day 11th November 1918

The eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 marked the signing of the Armistice and the end of World War I.

Story Of The Gunpowder Plot And Is There More Than Meets The Eye?

Bonfire night is celebrated by communities all over the UK, but only recently has there been a growth in popularity for a new conspiracy theory about the plot. In today’s blog post, we look at the 400 year old tale and examine “gunpowder, treason and plot”.

I Saw The Wellington Monument

Around a week ago, I visited the Wellington Monument, which is a 19th century obelisk memorial to Duke Wellington of the British army who helped defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

Rise To Power, Wars and Napoleon’s Death In Misery

The man who created the foundation for France’s law and civil code, controlled huge swathes of Europe, rose through the ranks and crowned himself Emperor of France and eventually became the name for his period … Napoleon Bonaparte, the greatest and most ambitious nation leader of the 19th century.

Where Did The American Accent Come From?

We cannot be certain. This is because the first English explorers started establishing colonies on the East coast in the early 17th century, and we don’t have many texts describing what they sounded like after a few decades of living on the new land. Nor do we have audio recordings, because we only started seeing […]

Did The Battle Of Passchendaele Achieve Anything?

Allied forces suffered over 300,000 casualties in the Third Battle of Ypres, and the utterly ruined medieval village of Passchendaele overlooking this ridge and Ypres salient was acquired. However, was it really the start of the “big push” Haig was looking for or was it, in the words of General Currie, “not worth a drop […]

Where Did No Man’s Land Come From?

No matter how terrifying or dangerous the trenches were, they were by no means worse than the so-called “No Man’s Land”. Full of crater holes and constantly surveyed by countless machine guns, snipers and artillery units, it became one of the most difficult battlegrounds to get across.

My Visit To The Normandy D-Day Beaches

Deliverance Day provided passage for 100,000 Allied troops to advance from the beaches of Normandy into Nazi occupied France. This is what I experienced on my visit!

War Caves In The Battle Of Arras

The Battle of Arras, starting on the 9th of April in 1917, was one part of a British assisted offensive doubled with the French in two directions to the North of Imperial Germany. Designed as a distraction to Triple Alliance troops, it required great precision to coordinate troops from all different nationalities, such as Canada […]