In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise.
Tag: Malta
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.
In 1975, a British RAF Vulcan bomber exploded as it approached the runway of Malta’s airport. That few cilivians died is near-miraculous. This article describes what happened and the view on the ground.
Mentioning exiled Russians these days suggests pro-Ukrainian protesters or anti-Putin demonstrators. Malta’s reputation as a haven for Russians goes back more than 100 years before Putin’s antics.
I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there used to be one anyway.
We are so focused on preserving historical buildings that we often don’t realise how many already disappeared for one reason or another.
Orsi tower used to stand guard at the mouth of Valletta’s harbour, and is one such lost building.
If you ask people how Malta fought against French occupation, most will talk about how the British helped the Maltese out. Few know that the Portuguese navy played the decisive part in this battle. This article sets the record straight.
There are few Roman remains on the island of Malta. Not far from Rabat in the village of Mtarfa, the Romans had built the now-lost Temple of Proserpina.
In Malta, it won’t take long before someone tells you that Valletta is the ‘new’ capital city and Mdina is the ‘old’ one. Few know that the same thing almost happened in Gozo, Malta’s second island.
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.