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In the mid-nineteenth century the American financial system was facing an existential threat from counterfeit currency. Something had to be done and so the Treasury established a secret service to go after the counterfeiters. But at the turn of the century, it was a threat to democracy itself that galvanised the service into the one […] The post In the line of fire appeared first on Turn the Page.

I recently found myself in conversation with someone bemoaning their experience of going to a church that was a bit ‘happy clappy’. They were not a regular churchgoer but had gone for the baptism of their second child. Their first child had been baptised in a more traditional church and this had clearly been more […] The post Happy clappy appeared first on Turn the Page.

In 2014 ‘Cheka’ Tsybukh was 16 years old when she first volunteered as a medic in eastern Ukraine helping those being wounded in the fight against Russian aggression. She served for three years but returned again in 2022 after the full-scale invasion. She still had her whole life before her but was quoted as saying, […] The post The greatest of loves appeared first on Turn the Page.

When the Michelin brothers started making car tyres, they weren’t thinking about fancy restaurants but how to feed themselves. To do that they needed to sell as many tyres as possible either on new vehicles or as replacements. So it was that they hit upon the idea of a free guidebook including recommendations about where […] The post Fancy food appeared first on Turn the Page.

When Jesus was telling his friends what to look out for as signs of his imminent return, I wonder if he had Taylor Swift in mind? Amongst the things Jesus mentioned were earthquakes and once again Taylor’s enthusiastic ‘Swifties’ have made the earth move. During her recent concerts in Edinburgh seismic activity was detected 6km […] The post When the earth moves appeared first on Turn the Page.

With the UK general election in full swing the political parties are starting to publish their manifestos. They will be full of promises to cut taxes, create jobs, spend billions on healthcare and housing and generally make us all feel richer and happier. The problem is we’re all rather cynical, convinced that politicians promise the […] The post Manifesto promises appeared first on Turn the Page.

Robert Cumming was not the first art critic to be puzzled by Filippino Lippi’s famous 15th century painting Virgin and Child. It depicts Mary cradling the infant Jesus on her knee with two saints, Dominic and Jerome, praying in the foreground. But the picture’s perspective seems all wrong. The hills in the background look as if […] The post Viewpoint appeared first on Turn the Page.

In the blockbuster movie Gladiator, Maximus is a Roman General betrayed by Caesar’s son Commodus. Reduced to slavery Maximus fights to survive and eventually comes face to face with Commodus once more at the Colosseum in Rome. He has worn a mask to fight but Commodus commands him to reveal his identity. Maximus turns, removes […] The post Hidden hero appeared first on Turn the Page.

While he may have jumped before he was pushed it was refreshing to hear Humza Yousaf’s speech as he stepped down as First Minister of Scotland. Firstly, he admitted that he had made a mistake and secondly, he said he wasn’t willing to trade his values or principles simply to stay in power. He also […] The post Servant hearted leaders appeared first on Turn the Page.

How on earth did St George end up as the patron saint of England? Legend has it that he was born in the third century to Greek Christian parents. A soldier in the Roman army he rose to become a member of the Praetorian guard under Emperor Diocletian but was then martyred for refusing to […] The post Why George? appeared first on Turn the Page.

At the beginning of William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies a party of school children are stranded on a desert island without any adults. For the first time in their lives, they can do as they please. The prospect of being able to indulge in unbridled freedom brings a previously unknown joy. Sadly, their […] The post Building paradise appeared first on Turn the Page.

Being in the right place at the right time is all it takes to lift someone from obscurity to fame. Take for example Wyckoff van Derhoef. He happened to be in Belfast and needing passage home to New York at the same time the RMS Titanic was preparing to leave for Southampton. Setting sail on […] The post Famous by association appeared first on Turn the Page.

On the morning of 16th March 1912, Captain Lawrence Oates walked out of his tent in the Antarctic and into temperatures of -400C. He was suffering from frostbite and gangrene and was slowing the expedition down. His parting words were “I may be some time”, but he knew he was going to die, and this act […] The post I may be some time appeared first on Turn the Page.

Made famous by Kevin Costner’s film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, the Sycamore Gap tree stood for 300 years. That was until persons unknown decided to cut it down. Over the years thousands had made the journey to Hadrian’s Wall to take its photo and to have their photo taken with it. So, the shock […] The post Life from death appeared first on Turn the Page.

Where I live I am surrounded by beautiful countryside and there are lots of walks to choose from. So over the years my family and I have developed a short hand way of referring to them. If I return from a walk and say that I have been ‘Under the A23’, or that I did […] The post Short hand appeared first on Turn the Page.

With depressing regularity, we discover the devastating impact of our failure to look after God’s creation. With our backs turned toward God and His image in us faded, we exploit rather than steward His wonderful world. This time it is the turn of the humble donkey. First domesticated in Kenya and the Horn of Africa […] The post King of beasts appeared first on Turn the Page.

This week Dr Georgia Carroll is preparing to deliver the keynote address at a conference in Melbourne, Australia. The conference has attracted global interest from academic institutions across the globe. The subject of this symposium? The stunning popularity and influence of the pop star Taylor Swift. With world leaders begging her to tour their countries […] The post Godlike superstars appeared first on Turn the Page.

Last week a lawsuit was lodged in the Delhi High Court. The case in question concerns a dispute over which family can lay claim to direct lineage to the creator of one of India’s most popular dishes – butter chicken!  Over seventy years ago the owner of an open-air diner needed to use up leftover […] The post Taste and see appeared first on Turn the Page.

For prospective homeowners nothing beats the sight of watching a new-build house rise from the ground. Rather less exciting is watching it disappear again. Such was the experience for many of those buying houses on the Darwin Green estate on the outskirts of Cambridge. Of dozens of houses that were built 83 were found to […] The post Firm foundations appeared first on Turn the Page.

With freezing temperatures I’m wondering whether I might wake up one morning to a blanket of snow outside. Only it wouldn’t be a blanket but billions of individual ice crystals lying together. And while they might all look the same each one would in fact be unique. The atmospheric conditions through which they had fallen […] The post You’re a snowflake! appeared first on Turn the Page.