This Week in History: First Novel by an African American Published in the States

In this week, over 150 years ago, the first novel by a person of colour was published in America.

Károly Takács, the One-Handed Olympic Sharpshooter

The 2016 Paralympic Games opened in spectacular fashion last night, which means it’s the perfect time to talk about an athlete that’s, for my money, one of the greatest in history. Károly Takács, a sergeant in the Hungarian Army in the 1930s, was a world-class pistol shooter who dreams of competing in the 1940 Olympics were […]

This Week in History: The New York Sun Starts a Newspaper Revolution

This week in 1833 saw the first publication of the Sun. No, not that Sun – this was the New York Sun, and its ground-breaking reporting, simpler style of writing and lack of political bias shaped the lives of Americans for decades to come.

This Week in History: Romania Enters World War One

In this week, 100 years ago, the Kingdom of Romania entered World War One on the side of the Allies. Most people remember World War One as Western Europe tearing itself apart, with Russia leaving early and the US coming late. But we shouldn’t forget the hundreds of thousands of brave Romanians who also fought […]

The King of the Pacific

At a time when empires ruled the world, David O’Keefe created the most successful trading company in the Pacific with little more than a sharp business mind and a willingness to win the trust of those he worked with. Oh, and the exploitation of centuries-old stone coins.