In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise.
Tag: 1890-1899
Anti-Jewish sentiment has long been a problem – even before the Nazis. This article describes the infamous Hilsner affair from Bohemia.
In western Czechia, there is a grim reminder of how the Communists treated prisoners. This article explains what the Red Tower of Death is, and why it exists.
There is a Roman Catholic church in Prague which has Egyptian imagery on its walls. Since Catholicism tried to get rid of many pagan rituals, why would they represent Mary and Joseph as Egyptian gods?
In the 19th century, various states on the Italian peninsula united to become a single, new country. While some papal states merged with the others, the Vatican refused to be under the control of an earthly ruler. It even considered moving the seat of the Holy See to Malta.
Many people marvel at European historical sites. Few realise that what we see today may be quite different from what was in use. People restored, rebuilt or enhanced many sites over the years. Sometimes the restoration and re-imagining of some historical sites is a crucial part of the story. This article explains the changes in Bouzov castle, in Czechia.
In the 19th century an offshore British bank in Malta issued its own banknotes. It’s unusual to think of a private company issuing banknotes, more so in a small country like Malta. This article explains why this bank did so and why it was in Malta.