Adam J. West

William Shakespeare, playwright, author, poet and wordsmith extraordinaire, imparted to the world exquisite exposition and powerful (though at times bawdy) prose. The year 2016 marks the 400th anniversary since Shakespeare's death. Celebratory events are scheduled throughout England in honour of this national icon for his inestimable contributions to English culture, arts and language.

Economist, demographer, and Cambridge scholar Thomas Malthus was born 250 years ago, in February 1766, near Dorking, England. His father is said to have been a friend of the philosophers David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the young man imbibed philosophy, Latin, Greek and mathematics as a student at Oxford.

The summer of 2015 marks 1,000 years since the Viking invasion of England by Canute and the commencement of his campaign to become king of England. What lessons can be learned from the legendary life of King Canute? In what way does Canute's understanding of the true source of power impact our view of the world's modern political system?