It’s that time of the year again … — It’s that time of the year again … Looking back over last year’s predictions, it’s safe to say I had a bit of a shocker. If I wasn’t predicting Aston Villa to go down, I was predicting Aubameyang to win the Golden Boot. Of course, I got the big one…

His productivity catapulted him to national stardom. — 22:00, 30 August 1935. A pneumatic pick-operator by the name of Aleksey Stakhanov begins his shift in the coal mines of the Donbass region. Five hours later, he has made history. Stakhanov’s Idea The Donbass region where Stakhanov worked was a notorious underperformer when it came to satisfying the production quotas set…

Legacy claims it was a great revolutionary event. It was no more than a coup. — When you think of the Russian Revolution of October 1917, images of patriotic revolutionaries storming the Winter Palace and forcefully seizing power probably come to mind. Reality sees it differently. The Night of 24–25 October Having gained control of Russia, Lenin and his compatriots decided the time was right to put their mark in history…

The 1930s was a combustion of political extremism, but Britain managed to maintain democracy. — Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, Mussolini’s Italy. The lead up to the Second World War was full of dictatorial regimes and political extremism. There were some threats to democracy in Britain, too, so why did they fail? Political extremism in Britain The British Union of Fascists

The story of a dedicated Suffragette who fought until death. — In the early twentieth century, the women’s suffrage movement in Britain was gaining steam and rising up through the social strata. There was one woman whose actions were pivotal in making this happen, she was Emily Wilding Davison. In…

Russia is synonymous with autocracy and then later communism. But did they have a liberating Tsar in the nineteenth-century? — The Romanov dynasty began in 1613 with Michael Romanov and ended with the dramatic revolution of 1917. This period is — among other things — is well-known for the nationalism, imperialism, orthodoxy, and autocracy conveyed by the Tsars…

Football, particularly the Premier League, is notoriously hard to predict. I don’t expect this season to be any different. However, I am… — Football, particularly the Premier League, is notoriously hard to predict. I don’t expect this season to be any different. However, I am willing to give it a go, albeit potentially looking very silly at the end of the season (yes I was ‘one of those’ who predicted Sheffield United to…

Football’s systemic economic flaws have long been known. The coronavirus pandemic could be the catalyst for some much-needed change. — Football’s systemic economic flaws have long been known. The coronavirus pandemic could be the catalyst for some much-needed change. The superpowers of the football world include the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. These global phenomena are no longer simply football clubs, but rather major international businesses. The attraction of extortionate wage packets, mouth-watering sponsorship deals and lucrative broadcasting agreements have caused those at the zenith…