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THE BREEZER Newsletter

Spend a few minutes each week discovering snippets of history and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week, with a dash of "lots more".

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No. 10 Downing Street

From Norfolk to No. 10: wily Walpole lands Britain’s most coveted doorstep

The King owned a bijou townhouse off Whitehall, and he would like Walpole to accept it as a gift, address: No. 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, London. Ever the politician, Walpole politely declined. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates relating to the podcast, a touch of humour...
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Auschwitz-Birkenhau

The man who volunteered for Hell

But how to get in? Pilecki had a solution. It was elegantly simple and utterly deranged: get himself arrested in Warsaw to be dispatched to Auschwitz, then set up an internal resistance movement, collect intelligence, escape and report back. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates...
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The founding of Fort Salisbury

Rough diamonds on the Rhodes to ruin

By 1891, De Beers had cornered 90% of the diamond market. Rhodes had pulled off a diamond-backed coup within three years and become one of the world’s wealthiest men. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates relating to the podcast, a touch of humour and a dash of "lots more". 7th...
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Napoleon on the way to the Tower of London Menagerie

When Tower admission had teeth - London's original meal deal

However, it wasn’t until sometime in the 1700s that stories from the - newly named - Tower of London Menagerie started to get a little weird - visitors could apparently gain admission by paying threepence or by bringing their live domestic pets to be fed to the lions. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming...
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Gathering of the Thirty-three

Thirty-three men in a boat

After nightfall on 18 April 1825, Lavalleja led the now-revered ‘Landing of the Thirty-Three’. They crossed the Uruguay River in two small boats, carrying a blue, white and red horizontal-striped flag emblazoned with the words ‘Libertad o Muerte’ - Liberty or Death. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming...
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Eleanor of Aquitaine

Courts, crowns and the art of failing upwards

Eleanor promoted the notion of courtly love. This was a revolutionary approach to putting 12th-century knights in touch with their feminine side. It was suppressing the left-brain's desire to ‘grab what you can’ and promoting the right brain’s capacity to think deeper and let curiosity lead the way. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating...
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War Cabinet Room, Whitehall

Winston’s War Rooms and the sweet smell of democracy

Limited ventilation and perpetually occupied rooms left a distinctive staleness in the air, compounded by the constant fog of cigarette and cigar smoke. This wasn’t Givenchy, but it was the authentic aroma of democracy under threat. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates relating...
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The trial of William Wallace

A bridge too far - when The Hammer was put to the sword

Instead of attacking immediately, Wallace and Moray waited patiently. They watched as more and more English troops gathered on the north side of the bridge. The English mistook this Scottish restraint for weakness - perhaps even surrender. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates...
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The death of William Rufus

Red-haired and royally shafted

Tyrrell steadied himself, drew back his nocked bow and fired at the startled stag. The arrow ricocheted off a tree and plunged deep into William’s chest. William fell from his horse and, for a few lingering moments, bled to death on the forest floor. The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from Steve Winduss at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that...
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