January 23rd - 29th
“The birth of television; the horrors of Auschwitz are discovered; kings named Henry have a busy week; and Australians around the world celebrate all things Australia...”
On 23rd January…
1963 - Kim Philby the infamous double agent defected to Russia. He was a high-ranking British intelligence officer (spy) who leaked secrets to Russia during both World War II and the Cold War. His actions led to the deaths of many Western agents during the 1940s and early 1950s.
On 24th January…
Henry I marries for the second time
1121 - King Henry I of England married his second wife Adeliza of Louvain at Windsor Castle. Henry’s first wife had died three years before and his only male heir William the Atheling had died in the White Ship tragedy in 1120. It was important for King Henry to marry and to try for another son, unfortunately their marriage remained childless.
1965 - Winston Churchill died aged 90 years. He was British Prime Minster from 1940-1945 and 195-1955. As Prime Minister he led the nation to victory during World War II and kept the population upbeat and positive despite being in the midst of a war with his famous speeches.
On 25th January…
Henry VIII marries his second wife
1533 - King Henry VIII married his second wife, Anne Boleyn in a secret ceremony at Whitehall Palace in London.
On 26th January…
Australia Day
1788 - The British established a settlement in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Eleven ships containing 778 convicts arrived to set up a penal colony in an attempt to relieve overcrowded prisons in England. The day has now become known as Australia Day, a day on which Australians recognise and celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity.
Television makes a public appearance
1926 - In London, John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gave the first public demonstration of a television system.
On 27th January…
Soviet troops make a terrifying discovery as they rescue prisoners
1945 - Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. It was only then that the world realised the full extent of the horrors of the camps. The Soviet Army found 648 corpses, more than 7,000 starving prisoners, and storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of items of clothing that the German army had not had time to burn. During its time, Auschwitz had been the site of over one million murders.
On 28th January…
A future king is born in Pembroke Castle
1457 - Henry Tudor was born in Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field ending the Wars of the Roses to become King Henry VII. He was father to Henry VIII who died on this day 90 years later.
Henry VIII dies leaving his sixth wife a widow
1547- King Henry VIII died. He was king of England from 1509-1547 and is famous for having six wives. He is responsible for turning England into a Protestant nation just so that he could divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. There is a simple phrase for remembering the fate of his six wives - divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Do you know the names of all of his wives and the order they were married?
Man responsible for singeing the King of Spain’s beard dies
1596 - Sir Francis Drake died of a fever and was buried at sea off the coast of Panama. Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe; he was one of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourites; and is famous for ‘Singeing the King of Spain’s Beard’ when he set light to the Spanish Armada which was headed for England, sinking 20 -30 Spanish ships.
On 29th January…
Mad King George dies
1820 - King George III of Great Britain died at Windsor Castle. He reigned from 1760-1820 and at the time was the longest serving English monarch. He had fifteen children with his wife Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and he suffered with serious bouts of mental illness. He got the nickname ‘Farmer George’ because of his agricultural interests. During his reign America gained independence from Britain following the American War of Independence.
Did you know that he collected over 65,000 books which he donated to start the British Library?