On this day in 1990, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in  Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) was consecrated by Pope John Paul II.  The largest Church in Africa (and maybe the world, depending what criteria you look at) has…

On September 1, 1901, French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec died at the age of 36. Despite health problems throughout his short life, he took to a bohemian Paris lifestyle easily, and captured the city's late-19th century life in all its…

Saturday afternoons were never the same after September 8, 1888, when the first games were played amongst the twelve teams in England's new Football League. Among the teams, all from the midlands and north-west, Preston North End beat Burnley 5-2,…

Three hundred and sixteen years ago, Emperor Peter I of Russia was in an ongoing battle with the Slavic elites about modernising the country and making it more 'European'. One casualty of this campaign was … the traditional long beard!…

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, almost two dozen transporter bridges were built around the world. They feature a high gantry - tall enough to allow ships to pass below - carrying a gondola to transport foot passengers…

Google (a company that you may have heard us mention on this site) was formally incorporated on this day in 1998, making the transition from Sergey Brin and Larry Page's research project to an official business. (Although many people prefer…