Henry VI (Penguin Monarchs)

By James Ross (2017)

Succeeding to the throne at the age of only nine months, Henry VI had a turbulent reign: he inherited a war with France and, in time, found himself at war with his own nobles. James Ross surveys this eventful life, including Henry's deposition at the hands of Edward IV and his eventual return to the throne.

Fact of the Day

In 1621, a peer spent £3,000 on one day's meals.

Quote of the Day

"He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death. "

~ Thomas Paine

On This Day

1846 Scottish surgeon Robert Liston was the first European to use anaesthesia during an amputation. He could amputate a leg in two and a half minutes.

1898 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium.

1937 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', the world's first full-length animated film, premiered in the USA

1946 A tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake killed at least 1,362 and left thousands homeless in Japan.

1967 Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, died in Cape Town, South Africa, 18 days after his operation.

1988 Pan Am Flight 103 exploded as it was flying over Lockerbie, Scotland. All 243 passengers and 16 crew, and 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed