The year was 1919. On 14 and 15 June the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight was made by John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown. Alcock was the pilot, Whitten Brown the navigator. Their aircraft was an adapted Vickers Vimy bomber fitted with two Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. They took off from St John’s, Newfoundland, and landed, sixteen hours, twenty-seven minutes later, …

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, also Sheikh Mohammed was born July 22, 1949, is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ruler of Dubai. Personal Life & Education He is the third of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s four sons (members of Dubai’s ruling family Al Maktoum and descendants of the House of Al-Falasi, of which …

Laurel & Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. Composed of thin Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and heavy American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), they became well known during the late 1920s to the mid-1940s for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend …

Klaas Jan Huntelaar — Top scorer for the Netherlands in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, the former terror of Eredivisie defences is still pursuing greater recognition for his talents overseas. The AC Milan marksman has yet to enjoy a defining moment in a major competition and remains slightly tainted by a brief and frustrating spell with Real Madrid. A regular …

Joseph De Torre born in Madrid and educated in Spain and Italy, Joseph M de Torre was ordained in 1955. He was with Opus Dei. He spent his first 13 years as a priest in Ireland and England, pursuing pastoral and educational work. He went to the Philippines in 1968 and since then has been serving as a chaplain. Torre believes he …

Wool has kept us warm since very ancient times when man first domesticated sheep, and even in this age of synthetic fibers wool still remains a firm favorite with most of us. Britain, especially, has a lot of sheep grazing on the hills of Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and has a thriving wool industry. Britain was very important when it …

The great stones stand gaunt against the sky in the countryside of Wiltshire, England. What is their origin? There are many theories. One of the earliest recorders of this stone system was Henry of Huntingdon, who died in 1154. But the stones are older than that. Some people thought that Boadicea, a queen of the ancient Britons was buried there. …

Since World War II, many countries have joined common markets. These organizations try to develop the economies of the member countries, especially by removing all trade restrictions between them. The European Economic Community (EEC) was founded in 1957 by Italy, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. Six nations joined later: Denmark. Ireland and the UK in 1973; Greece …

You might think nobody would have the skill or the courage to steal something as precious and easily recognizable as the crown jewels. But on 9 may, 1671, a daring Irishman, Colonel Thomas Blood, made a near successful attempt to steal them. Although he and his accomplices were caught and imprisoned in the Tower of London, they were not executed, …

Gulliver’s Travels. Its title was originally The Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Laemuel Gulliver. The book was so well presented with an illustrated portrait of Gulliver and maps, that many credulous people believed it to be a true story. Indeed, a bishop in Ireland angrily asserted that in his opinion it was full of improbable untruths …