Life & Culture

October 13, 2026

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: the Great Eastern beyond the famous portrait

The portrait of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in front of enormous launching chains is a familiar image of Victorian engineering. The

October 13, 2026

History explained: John Snow Image credit: John Snow, historical portrait published in 1887. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (cropped). John Snow’s

October 12, 2026

Edward Jenner helped establish vaccination. Global smallpox eradication came much later through an international programme and collective action.

October 11, 2026

Joseph Lister brought antiseptic methods into surgery in 1865. How carbolic acid cut deaths and why some doctors resisted at first.

October 11, 2026

The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026, when the UK returns to GMT. What changes, what stays the same and the dates for the next few years.

October 10, 2026

Michael Faraday began as a bookbinder and found electromagnetic induction in 1831. What the Royal Institution says about his work and legacy.

October 10, 2026

The British Library Reader Pass is free, but you must register in person with ID. Who can apply, what it gives you and what to check first.

October 9, 2026

Fitness in evolution is not a contest of strength. Natural selection is about inherited differences, reproduction and changing conditions.

October 8, 2026

Her mortality diagrams made a public argument. Reading them carefully also means separating a visible pattern from a complete explanation.

October 4, 2026

Local library services can be useful even when a visit to the shelves is not on the agenda. They include