Explore Orlando

Here, you’ll find randomized material from across the textbase’s author profiles and timelines. To jump to the content of your choice, click on its image card.

1866: Engineer Robert Whitehead invented the t...

National or international item

1866

Engineer Robert Whitehead invented the torpedo.

1693: John Dryden published his edition of Juvenal's...

Writer or writing item

1693

John Dryden published his edition of Juvenal 's Satires, translated into English poetry by various hands, including that of Aphra Behn .

1840: The Schools of Design at Somerset House in...

Building and people item

1840

The Schools of Design at Somerset House in London were established.

17 March 1958: The United States launched another satellite,...

National or international item

17 March 1958

The United States launched another satellite, Vanguard I, into the earth's orbit.

1836: George Routledge established a bookshop and...

Writer or writing item

1836

George Routledge established a bookshop and publishing firm under his own name at 11 Ryder's Court, London, with the help of fifteen-year-old William Henry Warne .

23 January 1895: The Associated Booksellers of Great Britain...

Writer or writing item

23 January 1895

The Associated Booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland was founded at a meeting of booksellers from throughout the UK.

15 November 1922: In the British general election the Conservative...

National or international item

15 November 1922

In the British general election the Conservative Party , under its recently-elected leader Bonar Law , won a majority of 77, ending David Lloyd George 's Liberal -Conservative coalition.

1853: A treaty on copyright stipulations and conditions...

Writer or writing item

1853

A treaty on copyright stipulations and conditions was signed between UK and US, but it failed to be ratified by the American government.

Around 1780: Large, broad-brimmed hats for women came...

Building and people item

Around 1780

Large, broad-brimmed hats for women came into fashion, first in Paris, and then in London.

November 1862: American Richard Jordan Gatling developed...

National or international item

November 1862

American Richard Jordan Gatling developed the first machine gun.

1857: Gregor Johann Mendel, an Augustinian monk...

National or international item

1857

Gregor Johann Mendel , an Augustinian monk in Poland, began the experiments with garden peas that led to his discovery (circa 1860) of the laws of heredity.

18 December 1914: The British protectorate over Egypt was ...

National or international item

18 December 1914

The British protectorate over Egypt was proclaimed.

1977: Penelope Leach's Baby and Child, a classic...

Women writers item

1977

Penelope Leach 's Baby and Child, a classic childcare manual with photographic illustrations by Camilla Jessel , broke new ground in simple instructional books.

February 1979: The Guardian reported on virginity tests...

Building and people item

February 1979

The Guardian reported on virginity tests (gynaecological examinations) being administered at Heathrow Airport to Asian women seeking immigration to Britain, to determine whether their marital status was as they claimed.
Travis, Alan. “Virginity tests for immigrants ’reflected dark age prejudices’ of 1970s Britain”. The Guardian.
8 May 2011

25 October 1917: Sinn Féin, reorganized by Cathal Brugha and...

National or international item

25 October 1917

Sinn Féin , reorganized by Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins , adopted a constitution. Based on its principles, Sinn Féin became a national movement on a platform of Irish national independence and the withdrawal of...

March-October 1914: In the USA birth control activist Margaret...

Writer or writing item

March-October 1914

In the USA birth control activist Margaret Sanger published a periodical called The Woman Rebel. It was reprinted in facsimile in 1976.

31 December 1923: The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast...

Building and people item

31 December 1923

The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast on the BBC to usher in the New Year.

24 July 1707: Isaac Watts published his influential volume...

Writer or writing item

24 July 1707

Isaac Watts published his influential volume of Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

1915: The now famous statue of Eros was installed...

Building and people item

1915

The now famous statue of Eros was installed at Piccadilly Circus, London.

By early October 1963: Jessica Mitford published The American Way...

Women writers item

By early October 1963

Jessica Mitford published The American Way of Death, a satirical work of social analysis. It opens by quoting an advertisement for shoes suitable for a successful man to be buried in.
TLS Centenary Archive Centenary Archive [1902-2012]. http://www.gale.com/c/the-times-literary-supplement-historical-archive.
3214 (4 October 1963): 790

January 1964-May 1968: Abortifacient paste (Utus paste) was used...

Building and people item

January 1964-May 1968

Abortifacient paste (Utus paste) was used in Surrey to induce abortions.

31 December 1930: Pope Pius XI declared abortion sinful even...

National or international item

31 December 1930

Pope Pius XI declared abortion sinful even if it was to save the woman's life.

Martha Hale

MH had the habit all her adult life (during the later eighteenth century) of writing poems about her closest concerns, both private and public. The generic range of her mostly occasional poetry is wide, from...

19 July 1885: A corps of Salvation Army soldiers presented...

National or international item

19 July 1885

A corps of Salvation Army soldiers presented to Parliament a petition to raise the age of sexual consent.

By 1820: Great Britain had over 300 newspapers in...

Building and people item

By 1820

Great Britain had over 300 newspapers in circulation, more than 25 of them in Scotland.