'History seen through a half-open door' is the way writer Stephen Poliakoff describes his account of the little known and less remembered Prince John, autistic son of George V, who died in 1919. It's also a label that might well be applied to 'Summer of Rockets', a six-part BBC mini-series of twists and intrigue set in the UK of the Cold War

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Brokenheart Singing in her song she died. —Tennyson Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Brokenheart Syndrome. Not blockage. Heart stunned by adrenaline. Left ventricle balloons out. Named for resemblance to Japanese octopus-trap. Chest pains, shortness of breath, often mistaken for attack. Death rare. Reversible. Almost exclusive domain of women, at 90%— Little Ann, in Where the Ferns Grow, Lady […]

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The people behind 'Downton Abbey' have turned back the clock even further, illustrating the big story of America's birth in 1606 via the lives of the little people who brought it about. 'Jamestown' is more fun than high culture or history lessons -- a lush, sumptuous and expensive soap, in other words

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Twain on the Murray I wish that Time could bring again To Letters—and so give to Art— The healthy humour of Mark Twain, The kindly scamps of poor Bret Harte! —Henry Lawson, 1908 Off the plank of the Warrimoo, Stepped Samuel Clemens’ polished shoe, Daughter Clara, arm and arm, His first impressions of Sydney’s charm— […]

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Alcoholic Nose Rhinophyma, subtype of skin condition, rosacea, chronic inflammation, swollen nose, red and bumpy, once thought due to alcoholism— that theory debunked. Definitive cause a mystery. Evidence points to genetics, in family members of English, Scottish, ethnic Eastern European descent. For those with rosacea, alcohol worsens symptoms, enlarging blood vessels, creating a flushed look— […]

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There has been great public fascination with the story of the Plantagenet super-dynasties, and particularly, the House of Tudor, since William Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII (also known as All Is True) and its infamous performance in 1613 when a special-effects cannon-shot started a fire that burned the Bard’s Globe Theatre to the ground. Samuel Johnson […]

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I'm glad friends encouraged me to persevere with the five-part HBO dramatisation. Indeed, I now consider it one of the most important works I have seen this year, despite facts being bent and characters presented as other than their real-life selves. Those quibbles aside, it remains a drama much greater than the sum of its parts

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Helios of Rhodes for Peter Schipperheyn   Its sculptor, Charles of Lindos, took his own life when shown                        a single flaw on the brow of                           Helios of Rhodes.                                             Thirty metres high it towered much taller still it rose                                    than the bronze Zeus at Tarentum,                 Helios of Rhodes.                                 A brilliant skin of brass plate […]

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We were homeward bound one night on the deep, Swinging in my hammock, I fell asleep. I dreamed a dream, and I thought it true, Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew.                     —“Lady Franklin’s Lament”, a traditional ballad How did the HMS Terror, a Vesuvius-class bomb ship, built in Devon, which fought during the War […]

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The mini-series charting to path to war in 1914 isn't without its faults, but they are minor. As one reviewer noted, “this three-parter is little short of a triumph—gripping, complex, superbly performed and as clear as clear could be. On this rare occasion, history is better served by drama than documentary'

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