HeyJaredThe Ministry of History | Tom Daly
Mostly posts about historical stories and people. Occasional posts about other interests
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 29, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 9, 2026
Latest issues
This Month in the First World War: September 1916 (opens the original)
Read excerpt
William Leefe Robinson was becoming frustrated. After being scrambled to intercept a German zeppelin raid around London, he had spotted airship SL11, only to lose it in the clouds. Commanded by Wilhelm Schramm, the airship had dropped bombs over Hertfordshire, killing two young women and destroying several buildings. Flying for hours in his B.E.2c plane, which offered little protection from the driving rain, Leefe Robinson was losing hope that
The Importance of Randomness (opens the original)
Read excerpt
History is shaped by many things – social forces, economic forces, great and famous individuals. But perhaps one underappreciated driver of history is pure randomness.Accidents, weather or simple timing have always had a more significant role in history than we may like to imagine. Winds in the English Channel have provided mixed fortunes for England - in 1066 they changed for William the Conqueror at just the wrong time for Harold Godwinson’s Anglo-Saxon army, but they famously favoured the Eng
This Month in the First World War: August 1916 (opens the original)
Read excerpt
August 1916 saw continued fighting around Verdun and the Somme, as the opposing sides traded attacks and counter-attacks with little hope of sustained success. Meanwhile, Italy finally scored a victory at the Isonzo, and it would all be downhill for Russia from now…The Somme and VerdunIn July, the British and French had launched a huge offensive against German positions around the river Somme, with limited success. It had been a harrowing month for the British especially, with 1st July 1916 bein
Henry Wainwright and the Murder of Harriet Lane (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Alfred Stokes squinted in the London sunshine as he made sure that Henry Wainwright had turned the corner at the end of the road. It was Saturday, 11th September 1875. Wainwright, who had once employed him in his shop, had asked him to keep an eye on some parcels while he hailed a cab, and two things about the parcels made Stokes uneasy. The first thing was their weight – he had almost fallen over when Wainwright had handed him one to carry. The second was their awful stench; a reeking, putrid s
This Month in the First World War: July 1916 (opens the original)
Read excerpt
‘My officer then had another look over the top, it was his last - an explosive bullet blew half his head off.’‘I could not see far ahead, but above me I could feel the hot sun. The ground underneath my feet was like powder…my state of mind was of bewilderment and I felt woolly headed .’'I saw his putty coloured face which convinced me he was mortally wounded. This German, lying, brought up an arm and actually saluted me…all fear of him had gone from me, and all fear of me had gone from him. I un
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.