Latest articles by Ben Judge
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27 August 1859: The birth of America’s oil industry
Features On this day in 1859, Edwin Drake struck oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, proving that his pioneering drilling techniques were economically feasible.
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26 August 1768: Captain Cook sets sail on his first voyage of discovery
Features On this day in 1768, Captain James Cook set off from Plymouth on his way to Tahiti and the fabled land of Terra Australis Incognita.
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26 August 1970: the Isle of Wight holds the UK's biggest-ever music festival
Features On this day in 1970, 600,000 people flocked to the Isle of Wight to witness the biggest music festival ever to be held in the UK.
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Graphene: the “miracle material” that will change the world
Analysis Graphene is a layer of carbon one atom wide yet stronger than steel. It could ultimately revolutionise a vast array of industries, says Ben Judge.
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24 August 1947: the first Edinburgh Festival takes place
Features This day in 1947 saw the start of the first Edinburgh Festival – which has grown to become the largest arts festival in the world.
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The charts that matter: gold dips after Buffett buys in
Charts Warren Buffett bought into gold's bull market just as the price slipped again. Here's how the charts that matter most to the global economy reacted.
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20 August 1960: Russia’s ‘space dogs’ recovered alive
Features On this day in 1960, Russian mongrels Belka and Strelka became the first dogs to be recovered alive after having been shot into space.
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19 August 1612: the Lancashire witch trials
Features Ten people were convicted and sent to the gallows on the evidence of a nine-year old girl on this day in 1612, in the infamous Lancashire witch trials.
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18 August 1920: Women guaranteed the vote in the USA
Features On this day in 1920, Tennessee became the last state in America to give women the vote, more than half a century after Wyoming.
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17 August 1896: the motor car claims its first life
Features The unfortunate Bridget Driscoll of Croydon became the first pedestrian to be run over and killed by a motor car on this day in 1896, as she walked in Crystal Palace Park.
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13 August 1521: The fall of the Aztec Empire
Features Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, fell to the Spanish conquistadors on this day in 1521, bringing an end to Aztec rule.
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12 August 1851: Isaac Singer patents his sewing machine
Features On this day in 1851, Isaac Merritt Singer patented the sewing machine that would take the world by storm, and make him a very rich man indeed.
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11 August 1942: Screen goddess Hedy Lamarr invents Wi-Fi
Features Hollywood starlet Hedy Lamarr received a patent in 1942 for her 'frequency hopping communication system' - the basis of much of today's wireless technology.
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10 August 1842: Mines Act bans women and children from working underground
Features The Mines and Collieries Act was passed on this day in 1842, forbidding any female, and any child below the age of ten, from working underground in the mines.
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6 August 1661: Treaty of The Hague cedes Dutch Brazil to Portugal
Features Holland's swashbuckling adventure in Brazil came to an end on this day in 1661, with the signing of the Treaty of The Hague.
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5 August 1976: Big Ben breaks down for the first time in 117 years
Features The Great Westminster Clock, AKA Big Ben, ran smoothly for over 100 years until, on this day in 1976, metal fatigue took its toll and the clock broke down.
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4 August 1704: Gibraltar is captured by the “Grand Alliance”
Features On this day in 1704 Gibraltar was taken in the name of “Charles III of Spain” by English and Dutch forces as part of the 'War of the Spanish Succession'.
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3 August 1792: Richard Arkwright, ‘Father of the Industrial Revolution’, dies
Features Richard Arkwright, barber turned textiles magnate, died on this day in 1792, having revolutionised the manufacture of cloth in England.
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31 July 1703: Daniel Defoe pilloried for seditious libel
Features On this day in 1703, journalist, novelist and English spy Daniel Defoe was sentenced to three days in the pillory for writing a satirical pamphlet.
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29 July 1948: opening ceremony of the 1948 London Olympics
Features Dubbed the 'Austerity Games', the XIV Olympiad opened in London to 85,000 spectators on this day in 1948.
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29 July 1588: England defeats the Spanish Armada
Features On this day in 1588 the English navy and a favourable wind defeated the Spanish Armada at the Battle of Gravelines, with the Spanish ships fleeing northwards.
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27 July 1694: the Bank of England is created by Royal Charter
Features In return for a loan of £1.2m to rebuild the country's finances, King William III granted a Royal Charter to the Governor and Company of the Bank of England on this day in 1694.
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23 July 1952: European Coal and Steel Community is born
Features Forebear of the European Union, the European Coal and Steel Community came into being in 1952 following the Treaty of Paris.
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22 July 1977: Deng Xiaoping takes power in China
Features After the death of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping returned to power on this day in 1977 to lead China in to a new age of reform and prosperity.
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