On 21 October 1805, smoke filled the skies over the seas west of Cape Trafalgar, a headland in the Province of Cádiz in the southwest of Spain, as a fierce battle raged. After nearly five hours of int

THE TURNING POINTS OF 1812

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, USA 11-15 DECEMBER 1862

In defiance of Neptune: the current fleet of ...

On a cold morning in North Carolina’s Ocracoke Inlet, an infamous career was ending in smoke, blood and fury. Edward Teach, better known as ‘Blackbeard’, the most notorious pirate of his age, was abou