Nick Maxwell By Brian Griffin Thursday 13 November 1856 appeared to be just a day like any other at the Midland Great Western Railway Company’s Broadstone terminus in Dublin. The company’s cashier, George Samuel Little, worked as usual on checking his accounts in his office. The sums of money with which he had to deal were greater … Read more
Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1808–1879) was a baron of the Habsburg Empire and head of the London branch of the prominent Rothschild banking family in the mid-nineteenth century. Apart from his financial undertakings he was also known as a philanthropist. Elected to parliament for the first time in 1847, he was not permitted to take … Read more
The origins of the British Relief Association By Norbert Götz The obituary of Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879) in The Times of London failed to point out the active part the baron played in organising British relief during the Great Irish Famine. This criticism was voiced by John B. Standish Haly, the former secretary of the … Read more
By Shaun R. McCann Blood is indeed a precious fluid that has intrigued man for millennia. Initially believed to contain the soul, memory or bravery, its place in Christian religion was preserved by the words of Christ at the Last Supper: ‘… after the same manner also He took the cup, when He supped saying, … Read more
By James K. Meighan Convicted of sabotage and conspiracy at the Rivonia trials in South Africa, on 20 April 1964 Nelson Mandela, while awaiting a potential sentence of death, proclaimed from the dock his respect for and belief in the Magna Carta by observing that the charter was ‘held in veneration by democrats’ worldwide. The … Read more