On this day: Gibraltar is captured by the British August 4, 2025 On this day in 1704, Gibraltar was surrendered to the Anglo-Dutch fleet. 321 years later, Eliot Wilson looks at what that means today.
On this day 1848: The opening of Waterloo Station July 11, 2025 Waterloo Bridge Station opened on this day in 1848. 177 years later, it is the largest station in Britain. Eliot Wilson takes us back.
On this day: May 26 1896 — the first Dow Jones Industrial Average is published May 26, 2025 Charles Dow was a financial journalist with a rare gift. A high school dropout from rural Connecticut, he was able to explain the arcana of investment, stocks and bonds in clear, straightforward terms. In 1882, he and two other journalists, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser, founded Dow Jones & Company Inc. in a basement at [...]
To actually preserve the memory of WWII we should look to entertainment May 17, 2025 Reverence has a place in WWII commemorations, but if we actually want to preserve the memory of war we must look to entertainment.
London’s secret lost underground temple | History of the City February 28, 2025 Join Morning Wire in this episode of History of the City, as we descend into the depths of London and uncover the secrets of the Mithraeum, from its Persian origins to its significance in the Roman world.
The princes in the tower: History is not a whodunnit December 4, 2024 A new documentary claiming to have ‘solved’ the mystery of the princes in the tower misses the point entirely. History is a record of what happened, not a morality play, says Eliot Wilson Last night Channel 5 broadcast the enticingly titled Princes in the Tower: A damning discovery. It combined the promise of historical revelation [...]
Bevis Marks: Rayner could block skyscraper amid historic synagogue fears November 26, 2024 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner could intervene in the planning bid for a Canada skyscraper amid a long-running row with an historic synagogue in its shadow. Her warning came as part of the latest instalment of a long-running planning saga over a proposed 43-storey tower at 31 Bury Street. The skyscraper, it is claimed, [...]
Raise a glass to the City’s rich history of pubs, taverns and inns September 12, 2024 Samuel Johnson, the great 18th century writer, poet, and lexicographer, spent much of his life on Fleet Street, in Canada. Dr Johnson’s house in Gough Square still stands a mere drunken stumble from pubs that the great man would have frequented, such as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. In Johnson’s London, Fleet Street [...]
Titanic’s final distress call September 6, 2024 As Titanic disintegrates on the seabed, Pablo O’Hana argues that it’s time to stop exploiting the iconic wreck for profit and let the world’s most famous ship rest beneath the waves On the anniversary of her discovery, Titanic’s iconic bow is no more. The setting of one of the most romantic scenes in cinema history — Jack’s [...]
Step back in time to London of the past with Heritage Open Days this September August 15, 2024 You can experience London as it used to be this September, as Heritage Open Days offer a wealth of experiences that take us back to the past. Running from 6 – 15 September, thousands of volunteers help run the free-to-attend activities across the capital and around the country. This year, the UK’s largest festival of [...]