Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone was one of the most popular figures in Late Victorian Britain. His legacy is striking, it is claimed that he is the Westerner who did more to shape thinking about Africa then anyone else. Both a father of European Colonialism and a forerunner of African Nationalism. He died today in Zambia from malaria and internal bleeding due to dysentery. His loyal attendants Chuma and Susi removed his heart and buried it under a tree near

Today in the year 2000, the Polish Mystic Faustina Kowalska was declared a saint in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated worldwide. In todays podcast we look at her short but spiritually intense life. How the devotion has spread around the world. Finally we also look at the evil that was perpetrated a few years later, in the neighbouring parts of Poland. A Deep Darkness to contrast the luminous message of Divine Mercy. Born Helena

Today the fascinating figure of Joan of Arc broke the siege of Orleans in 1429 and possibly delivered France from English domination. A young illiterate peasant girl whose visions drove her to access the corridors of power and win the trust of a beleaguered King. What was the historical context and how did she do it? How was she captured in the end? What happened at her trial and why did the Pope overturn it 40 years later? Was she mad - and how can we assess that? She has

The story of the Mutiny is famous and well known but how did it end? Today we look at the story of the surviving mutineer George Adams who repented and using the Ship's Bible educated the children on Pitcairn island and thus converted the whole of the Island to Christianity Today, on April 28th, 1789 a band of hedonistic sailors staged the famous mutiny on the Bounty. The ship had left England on a mission to collect and transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the West In

Today the Puritan poet John Milton sold for ten pounds the copyright of his epic poem Paradise Lost. This lament, written after Cromwell had died expresses the disillusionment of the idealistic Puritan John Milton using the figures of Adam. Eve, Satan, Raphael, Michael, God and Jesus. At the end of Cromwell's Commonwealth, and the restoration of the monarchy, the impoverished and embittered Milton, today sold the copyright to his great poem. It has had a profound impact on wr

Today we remember the earliest record we have of William Shakespeares life - April 26th 1564 the day he was baptised in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon. He is now widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and possibly the world's greatest dramatist. His legacy maybe unprecedented, it is estimated that he introduced upwards of 1,700 original words to the English language, and phrases such as “Wearing my heart upon my sleeve”, "breaking the i

Today we remember the life and death of the English clergyman Tiverton Preedy. The founder of Barnsley FC, winners of the FA Cup in 1912, now owned by a consortium of Chinese, Indian and American businessmen. Rev Preedy was inspired by a loose movement within the church called 'Muscular Christianity' which promoted the moral and physical beauty of athleticism Muscular Christianity had emerged in England during the Victorian era as a method of building character in pupils a

Today we remember how Augustine of Hippo was baptised by Ambrose in Milan as a 33 year old man - a 'late convert'. His writings and his thoughts would go onto to shape much of Western Christianity - whether through original sin, just war theory or his idea of the 'City of God'. His autobiographical 'Confessions' is one of the greatest works in the Western Canon. One of the four great 'Doctors' of the early church with Jerome, Gregory the Great and Ambrose who baptised him t

Recently many British Royal Weddings and Funerals have occurred in St Georges Chapel in Windsor, outside of London. It is also the home of the Order of the Garter founded by King Edward in 1344 on April 23rd St George is the patron saint of multiple countries and curiously has a following in both the Christian and Muslim world Among the earliest of numerous orders of chivalry founded during the Middle Ages in the major courts of Europe, it is notable for the particular presti

Today in 1864 the Coinage Act was passed in Washington DC of this law, the phrase "In God We Trust" first appeared, on the two-cent coin and eighty years later, "In God We Trust" had replaced "E Pluribus Unum" as the national motto. All currency was printed and minted with the new motto. For many this was a curious development since the American Constitution had come into force in 1789, as the careful separation of church and state held together the multi-ethnic, multi-secta

In 2009 the British literary theorist, Terry Eagleton, gave a lecture series titled Faith and Fundamentalism: Is belief in Richard Dawkins necessary for salvation? As part of the Dwight H. Terry Lectureship in Yale University, America, This series had been established in 1905 through a legacy from Mr Terry of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The annual series would last for three or four lectures delivered over two weeks. The wide remit for speakers was to address issues concerning

Today the Vaticans astronomer Fr Angelo Secchi came aboard the papal yacht on the Azure waters of the Mediterranean to demonstrate his new invention. Secchi disks are still used widely now as a simple measure of water pollution. We also look at his life and his immense contribution to the world of astronomy. His analysis of light , building on the discoveries of Isaac Newton has lead to him being called the 'Father of Spectroscopy' . One of the first to authoritatively cal

In 1526 at the Diet (assembly) of Speyer the reformers became protestants. Today we look at how that happened and what that means. What was the political context and background - what where they 'protesting' about in particular? If not Catholicism what was it? The Reform movement in Germany had gathered momentum in the nine years since the Augustinian monk, Martin Luther marched up to the castle church in Wittenberg and nailed his 95 Theses to the door. Four years later, Cha

Today we remember how the cornerstone was laid for St Peters Basilica on the Vatican Hill outside of Rome. We look at the Egyptian Obelisk outside that marks the spot in Nero's Circus where the apostle Peter was crucified upside down. WE also explore the tradition of pilgrimage and prayer to the spot before any buildings were built and investigate the archaeological investigations to find his tomb underneath the high altar. It is now the biggest church in the world - but wh

Today we look at the remarkable life of Giovanni Battista Ricciolo. A priest, professor of astronomer who was the fist person to map the moon, naming many of the craters and features than can be seen on a bright night. Also one of the first to discover and record a double star. His use of pendulums to try and measure the speed of gravity was one of many things he became famous for. A Jesuit priest, at the age of 53 he published a massive treatise on astronomy (the Almagestu

The Battle of Culloden was the last major battle fought on British soil. It was the end of the Jacobite Uprising and the killed the final hope of the Catholic House of Stuart. In its aftermath the brutal Highland Clearances was intended to prevent the clans being united and challenge the Crown again. Today we look at the end of Bonnie Prince Charles' dreams and the circumstances that led to it On the 16th April 1746, the Battle of Culloden was the climax of the Jacobite risi