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Hurricane season began on June 1st and more often than not it is a month that doesn’t feature too much tropical storm activity, but back in early June 1966 it was a different story. On June 4th, the first tropical depression of the young season formed near Nicaragua. The tropical depression moved north into the already warm waters of the Western Caribbean and strengthened rapidly into Hurricane Alma as it made landfall on the western tip of Cuba. Typically, when tropical systems make landfall they weaken, but Alma only got stronger as it continued to make its way to the...

In 1066, Duke William of Normandy left France on a fleet of ships to fight his cousin and competitor for the vacant English throne, Harold Godwinson, and at the Battle of Hastings, the matter was settled. Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon claimant, was dead, and a new age for England began.(1) Had the EU existed then, he'd have never had the chance. Given current EU red tape, efforts to make a replica of La Mora, the ship Williams used to become The Conqueror, mean it may still not be ready for the 1,000 year anniversary. Unless Great Britain, having shucked off...

It has stood for over nine centuries as the most celebrated record of the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, its famous images cemented into the mind of every British school child. But for all its enduring power, the 70-metre (230 feet) long Bayeux Tapestry -- held at a museum in the northern French town of the same name -- is a fragile object suffering from wear-and-tear, including thousands of holes. It will now be restored for the first since 1870, two years after an agreement between Paris and London for the tapestry to be loaned to Britain. "The tapestry is...

France on Sunday warned Britain to expect a bitter, bloody battle in Brexit trade talks with the EU, saying the two sides would "rip each other apart".

As well as examining the official battlefield and the alternative site at Caldbec Hill, Time Team also considered the much-publicised theory that the battle took place in Crowhurst. Presenter Tony Robinson travelled to the village to meet local historian Nick Austin, who first made the claims in his 2011 book, The Secrets of the Norman Invasion. Nick told Tony that his evidence is based on written material from the period, typography and archeological evidence. And he added that dowsing had revealed traces of a Turkish-style crossbow on the site - leading him to believe that Turks played their part in...

A campaign has been launched to bring the Bayeux Tapestry, one of the world’s great works of art, back to Britain for the first time centuries, and put it on display in Canterbury Cathedral. The famous embroidery of the 1066 Norman Conquest is the subject of a major conference of world experts being held at the British Museum next month......

A metal detector enthusiast believes he has found a royal crown jewel buried in a field. Peter Beasley, 67, was stunned when he pulled a heavy gold ring from the ground while out with his metal detector near Petersfield. He claims the ring is 900 years old and belonged to Robert, the eldest son of William the Conquerer, whose name is engraved on the ring. Robert, known as 'Short-legs', unsuccessfully attempted to take the English throne when he landed in Portsmouth in 1101. But Mr Beasley is now involved in a dispute over the authenticity of the ring. The British...

Halley's comet portrayed on ancient coin Heather Catchpole ABC Science Online Wednesday, 19 May 2004 Could the star shape on the king's crown be Halley's comet? A rare ancient coin may feature an early record of Halley's comet, researchers say. The coin features the head of the Armenian king Tigranes II the Great, who reigned from 95 to 55 BC. A symbol on his crown that features a star with a curved tail may represent the passage of Halley's comet in 87 BC, say the Armenian and Italian researchers. Their research will be published in Astronomy & Geophysics, a journal...

King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, has long been thought to have been killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But British archaeologists are to test a theory he survived on the anniversary of the famous battle this Tuesday. The battle, on Oct. 14, 1066, marked a turning point in British history as the Normans conquered medieval England. There are different accounts of how he was killed, one of them pictured in the Bayeux Tapestry, which appears to have him gripping an arrow that had pierced his eye. Another account has Harold being killed by knights...

Full headline: Does this skull belong to a soldier of the Battle of Hastings? 1,000-year-old remains found near famous battlefield reveal man was hacked six times in the head from behind Remains were found Lewes, East Sussex - around 20 miles from the famous battlefield - on the site of a medieval hospital They belong to a 45-year-old-man who took six sword blows to the top of his head before dying Scientists used radio carbon dating to conclude that the man was probably involved in fighting at the time of the Norman invasion They think he was likely British because...

TODAY IN HISTORY Bayeux Tapestry – Battle of Hastings The Death of King Harold From British Battles.com: "The Battle of Hastings – 14 October 1066 Account: William, Duke of Normandy, launched his bloody and decisive invasion of Saxon England in 1066. In that year Edward the Confessor, King of England, died without heir, appointing by his will Harold Godwinsson, son of England’s most powerful nobleman, the Earl of Wessex, as his successor. Across the Channel, William of Normandy considered himself rightfully the next King of England, basing his claim on a promise by Edward the Confessor in the early...

It was where King Harold inflicted his devastating surprise attack on Harold Hardrada, the giant of a Norseman who had sided with William the Conqueror, along with Harold’s brother Tostig. The Viking force was annihilated. King Harold showed great qualities as a general. It is an essential element in 1066. Unfortunately part of the battlefield is now under a housing estate. As I toured 500 historical sites for my book Landmarks of Britain, I couldn’t help reflecting on the way we treat our past. Battlefields, in particular, have fared badly. In 1982, I visited Naseby, not only the decisive battle...