When Napoleon Conquered Malta in 72 Hours
Think the fall of powerful nations takes months? Napoleon Bonaparte dismantled 268 years of Knights' rule over Malta in three days. If you want to understand how empires truly fall, keep reading.
ORP Kujawiak: From Britain to Malta
During World War II, the Polish Navy operated under the auspices of the British Navy. One destroyer escort, the ORP Kujawiak, helped supply the island of Malta where it hit an Italian mine.
This article explains the short life of ORP Kujawiak, its final moments and its current status as an underwater diving site.
The independence of Ħal-Għargħur
In the 16th century, the rural village of Ħal-Għargħur became an independent parish for 3 brief years. It’s unusual that someone thought it should be independent and changed their mind a few years later.
This article explains the village politics behind the situation, and how Ħal-Għargħur became a parish.
The Icelandic anomaly
In geopolitical terms, Iceland is a bit of an anomaly. It gained independence from Denmark, but found itself unable to defend itself. It joined NATO even though it doesn't have a standing army of its own. It's crucial to North Atlantic security but is it that crucial?
This article examines Iceland before NATO, and how it, and NATO, evolved together.
St James’ Church, Valletta
St James' Church on Valletta's bustling Merchants' street never attracted my eye the same way the other churches in the city do. When I found out my ancestors married there so I thought I'd take a closer look at this historical building.
The bombing of RAF Kalafrana
On 9 May 1942, at the tail end of the Siege of Malta, an unexpected switch in Axis tactics led to loss of life at one of Malta's airfields. This article describes the situation at that point, and the details of the men who lost their lives that day.
How the 1602 famine hit Malta and Sicily
We often don't think of how explosive and violent Mother Nature can be. In 1600 a volcano exploded in Peru, affecting life around the planet in many ways. In Malta, it led to a diplomatic spat with Sicily and caused a riot in the south of Malta.
This article explains how one led to the other.
The story behind a Maltese galleria
Maltese has adopted lots of Italian words over the years, much to the amusement of Italophones. It is rather curious then that some Italian words have a different meaning when used in Maltese. One of them is our word for balcony which is gallerija. Why don't we use the Italian word for balcony? How does a borrowed word's definition change so much?
HMS Orwell
In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise.
The Maltese Rosetta Stone
The Cippi of Melqart, discovered in Malta, are priceless because they were the key to deciphering Phoenician script.
This article explains who Melqart was, what cippi are and what this Maltese Rosetta Stone is all about.