Khalil Gibran became an alcoholic
On this day in 1883 the Lebanese poet, painter and mystic writer Khalil Gibran was born. A Maronite Christian, Gibran believed in universal spirituality and... Read More
Francois Villon, bad boy French poet, banished for murder
On this day in 1463 the French poet Francois Villon was banished from Paris. He was born in 1431, the year that Joan of Arc... Read More
T S Eliot, heavy-smoking banker poet, died of emphysema
On this day in 1965 the poet Thomas Stearns Eliot died aged 76. A sickly child, born in St Louis, Missouri, he discovered poetry at... Read More
Cicero, Rome’s fearless statesman, marked for assassination
On this day in 106BC Roman Statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero was born. The surname Cicero means ‘chickpea’, probably his family were dry food merchants and... Read More
Hogmanay or the ‘Daft Days’
Today is known in the Northern regions of Britain as Hogmanay. The origins of the word and its surrounding customs are uncertain. In Scotland, Hogmanay... Read More
Rudyard Kipling, poet of the Empire
On this day in 1865 the English writer and poet Rudyard Kipling was born. The name Kipling is almost synonymous with the British Empire and... Read More
Thomas Becket’s martyrdom
On this day in 1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his cathedral by followers of King Henry II of England. It was... Read More