On this day: Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web November 12, 2025 On this day in 1990, physicist Tim Berners-Lee circulated a memo for a relatively modest information sharing proposal that would go on to revolutionise commerce, writes Eliot Wilson At 35, Tim Berners-Lee was a fellow at the particle physics laboratory CERN. A physicist by training, he had become interested in computer networking and how organisations [...]
On this day: The Gunpowder Plot November 5, 2025 Remember, remember… on this day in 1605 Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament was foiled Today 420 years ago was supposed to see the State Opening of the Parliament for its second session. The 100-day first session had been frustrating and fruitless: a new king from a [...]
On this day: Big Bang hits the Square Mile October 27, 2025 On this day, 27 October 1986: Big Bang hits the Square Mile, and changes the City forever. Eliot Wilson takes us through it.
On this day in 1814: The London Beer Flood October 17, 2025 On this day in 1814, the perils of drink would show themselves in an unexpected but deadly way in the London Beer Flood, writes Eliot Wilson.
On this day: Fox News hits our screens October 7, 2025 On this day in 1996, Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News Channel and changed the American news landscape, writes Eliot Wilson.
On this day: The Bill of Rights is set in motion September 29, 2025 On this day in 1789, the Bill of Rights was sent to the states for ratification. With the right to free speech still hotly contested 300 years later, Eliot Wilson goes back to the start.
On this day: Profumo proves the cover up is always worse than the crime September 26, 2025 62 years ago today, Lord Denning published his verdict on the Profumo affair – a minor sex scandal made far worse by subsequent lies. What lessons does the ensuing collapse of Harold Macmillan’s government have for politicians today? Asks Eliot Wilson Today in 1963, the Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, published his 70,000-word report [...]
On this day in 1888: The Football League kicks off September 8, 2025 Today in 1888, Aston Villa came to an anticlimactic 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Football League’s first season began.
On this day: The worst blazes of the Great Fire of London September 4, 2025 On this day in 1666, the worst blazes of the Great Fire of London engulfed the City. Eliot Wilson tells us more.
On this day in 1968: Moscow crushes the Prague Spring August 20, 2025 On this day in 1968, Alexander Dubček's experiments in "socialism with a human face" with the Prague Spring were met by the force of Moscow.