1939 Invasion of Poland

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded neighboring Poland in what is considered the opening conflict of World War II. Background In the year and a half leading up to the invasion, Adolf Hitler had been expanding Germany’s territory. On August 23, 1939, Germany signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union that had a secret …Read More

1900 Galveston Hurricane

Summary On September 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a category 4 hurricane that decimated the island and killed thousands of people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Great Galveston Hurricane The day before the hurricane struck, heavy swells were noticed in the Gulf, and by the early morning of the …Read More

Birmingham Church Bombing

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the African American 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located …Read More

Episode 3: The Impact of Industrial Disasters and An Enormous Rat

There’s a somewhat sombre tone to episode three, with Brad and Michala each sharing a story and research stemming from the tragic year of 1862 – from a boiler explosion in Leicestershire (reported in the Bury and Norwich Post, 25 Jan. 1862) to the Hartley Colliery disaster (covered by the Newcastle Weekly Courant, 24 Jan. …Read More

Battle of Jutland

On May 31, 1916, the British and German navies clashed in the North Sea, off the coast of Denmark, in the Battle of Jutland, the biggest naval battle of World War I. The battle lasted about 12 hours and engaged more than 100,000 men on 250 ships. Chance Encounter The Battle of Jutland began on …Read More

Episode 2: Old Jane Cakebread, A Near Miss and 19th Century Dentistry

In episode two, Michala tells the story of the colourful life and times of Old Jane Cakebread, who was making her 271st appearance before the North London Magistrates’ Court (as reported in the Huddersfield Chronicle and West Yorkshire Advertiser, Nov 1894) and Brad makes an impressive segue from a near drowning (covered by the Preston …Read More

Episode 1: The Great Bullion Robbery (a love story) and Hazelnut Theft

In the first episode of Series 1, Michala shares the love story behind The Great Bullion Robbery that was reported in the press in 1855, and Brad’s research reveals how the perpetrator of a hazelnut theft, covered by The Hampshire Advertiser in 1877, is linked to Downton Abbey! To round the episode off, this week’s …Read More

Johnstown Flood

On May 31, 1889, South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, collapsed, releasing the entire volume of Lake Conemaugh into the valley below. The ensuing disaster, known as the Johnstown Flood, resulted in the deaths of over 2,200 people. Johnstown In 1889, around 30,000 people lived in the booming steel mill city of Johnstown, located in …Read More

Gallipoli Campaign

The Gallipoli Campaign (also called the Dardanelles Campaign) was a World War I Allied offensive on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It lasted February 17, 1915, through January 9, 1916, and was ultimately unsuccessful, ending in high casualties and evacuation. Background With trench warfare causing stagnation on the Western Front, the British and French decided …Read More