Showing results by author "Liam Dale" in All Categories

Do you want to learn more about the great author D.H. Lawrence, but don’t have time to read huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. D.H. Lawrence is one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century; his novels have caused public outcry, been banned and even taken to court. Yet perhaps Lawrence is also the most misunderstood of British authors.

The bright lights and city bustle of East London make it hard to imagine that only a century ago, the inhabitants were gripped by terror - the infamous Whitechapel Murders - or reign of terror of Jack the Ripper...Step back in time to the 1880’s where the scene was a maze of dark, foggy alleyways and narrow cobbled streets lit only by a few flickering gas lights.

Do you want to learn more about Charlie Chaplin, but don’t have time to listen to huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Charlie Chaplin’s legacy lives on forever in the films that have been left behind, bringing the gift of laughter to viewers of every generation, past, present, and future.

As a poem ‘The Raven’ is without doubt more famous and widely known than the troubled author who penned it. His name was Edgar Allan Poe, and his work was directly responsible for shaping the modern horror industry as we know it. He was the Godfather of Gore, the Father of Fear, the Master of the Macabre, and the Guardian of the Gruesome. Poe was also one of the best mystery writers of all time, however the most fascinating puzzle he left us was that of his own life, and in this journal, we will follow in the great man’s footsteps to turn detective.

Once upon a time, as all good stories with happy endings begin, a penniless young mother walked the streets of Edinburgh with her beloved baby daughter, hoping to make her fortune. In truth, “fortune” is probably over-exaggerating; enough money to feed and clothe the two of them and put a decent roof over their heads was all this young mother asked, but it was proving to be incredibly difficult.

Of all the legends of Ancient Greece, the story of Troy and the great battle for the beautiful Helen has to be the most famous, known and loved the whole world over. This is a tale suspended somewhere between fact and fiction, though few of us would ever be prepared to let the truth get in the way of this truly romantic, heroic story.

It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its body.

If I asked you how many Robin Hoods you could name, what would the list be like? I’m sure you’d reel off a whole host of famous actors, like Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks, Kevin Costner, Michael Praed, Sean Connery, and John Cleese, to name but six. All of these men have played the role of Robin Hood in various television and movie adaptations of the famous story. But that’s not what I meant.

Despite the fact that Hitler’s position was worsening by the day, the Nazis were still capable of inflicting terrible damage, and when the Germans attempted a breakthrough in the Ardennes region of France, the ensuing Battle of the Bulge resulted in terrible US casualties. Even so, the Germans failed to achieve their objectives, and as the year came to an end, so did Hitler’s last hopes of victory.

One of the main reasons for the success of the D-Day landings was the element of surprise, as the huge invasion force, congregating along the south coast of England, went undetected by German Intelligence. Hitler’s Generals believed the stormy weather meant it would be mission impossible, and it almost was.

As winter gave way to spring the world watched and waited as the Allied forces prepared for Operation Overlord. Brave and daring, risking all, US General Dwight D Eisenhower took charge of the campaign to deliver the fight for freedom directly to Adolf Hitler.

As the liberation of France got underway, the citizens of a nation oppressed since 1940 celebrated the Allied arrival with rapture. But there was still much to be achieved, on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. For Hitler, the writing was on the wall, and when one of his own, Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to assassinate the Fuhrer, he very nearly succeeded.

Worldwide, the conflict continued to escalate as Japan made their presence felt as signatories of the Tripartite Pact, giving Hitler’s Axis of Evil more power than ever. Britain stood alone as the nightly bombing raids of the Blitz devastated major cities, while overseas British troops joined the Allied campaign for supremacy in North Africa.

Hitler’s “Desert Fox”, Rommel pushed forward at El Alamein, but with the arrival of the maverick British General, Bernard Montgomery, to take charge of the Eighth Army in North Africa, the wind of change was about to blow. Meanwhile on the Russian Front Hitler’s troops advanced their Stalingrad campaign, with the Fuhrer boasting that this key city would soon be his.

The only option for the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad was surrender, while all across Russia the Red Army consolidated their advantage. Also, as German cities encountered the kind of bombing that Britain faced back in 1940, courtesy of the RAF, the Allied commanders planned a return to France at the Casablanca Conference.

As the New Year dawned and the people of Britain faced the introduction of rationing, all eyes turned northwards to Scandinavia, where Adolf Hitler was preparing for full-scale invasion. U-Boat attacks increased and at Scapa Flow a German Air Raid claimed the first British casualties.

If Hitler had expected a decisive victory in Russia, at speed, he was thwarted at every turn and while the Luftwaffe bombed Moscow and the Siege of Leningrad began, the Soviet Red Army refused to capitulate as they watched and waited for the winter snows. Trouble was also brewing in the Pacific as America took diplomatic action against the Japanese.

The Luftwaffe continued its attempts to bomb Britain into submission, while the German Afrika Korps strengthened its position as Rommel, Hitler’s “Desert Fox”, took charge. At sea the naval forces battle each other and the elements, as the Japanese embark upon a spy mission to gather information about the American Fleet at Pearl Harbour.

From the moment Adolf Hitler marched his troops into Poland on the 1st of September 1939, the Second World War was inevitable, and as the opening skirmishes are played out, see for yourself the events that shaped the escalating crisis.

When Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the wartime coalition government in May 1940, he pledged his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat”, and within days of his appointment, he was called upon to honor his promise.