John Meakin

The Battle of Waterloo, which took place ten miles south of Brussels, was arguably one of the most important and historic of all European battles. It ended the French imperialistic ambitions that had convulsed much of Europe in armed conflict over the preceding 20 years and paved the way for Britain’s emerging global dominance as the foremost maritime nation and commercial superpower.

Back in 1940, as Britain faced its “darkest hour” of World War II, the nation's future hung in the balance. During a remarkable and harrowing window of eight days in late May and early June, a series of miracles took place, focused on the evacuation of the British army at Dunkirk. Now, exactly eighty years later, we can still learn much from those miraculous events.

Forty years ago, on 5 June 1975, UK voters went to the polls in Britain’s first-ever national referendum. The aim was to resolve the preeminent question of the day: should Britain remain in the European Economic Community (EEC) it had joined two years earlier? UK voters will face another referendum before the end of 2017 on the same issue: should the UK remain a part of the EEC’s successor, the European Union (EU)?

The last week of January 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the death and burial of Winston Churchill, Britain’s great wartime Prime Minister. Churchill is revered as the leader who galvanized British resistance to Nazi Germany, and is remembered for his indomitable spirit and commitment to fight to eventual victory—no matter how slim the chances may have seemed. He is also remembered for possessing a profound sense of personal destiny, something which colored his entire life.