Aiken, Conrad. 1889-1973. US poet, short story writer. Silent Snow, Secret Snow 1934.

Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd. 1916. World’s first airline, Britain.

Aix-la-Chapelle, Congress. 1818. Restored King of France. Congress System.

Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty. 1668. Ended War of Devolution between France, Spain. 1748. Ended War of Austrian Succession. Hapsburgs weakened, Prussian power recognized.

Akkad. Ancient region in modern Iraq, north of Sumer. c24C BC; center of Sargon’s Semitic Empire.

Alabama Claims. 1872. US claim damages caused by British built warships in Civil War. $15M=£3.25M awarded by arbitration.

Alba. 843 Kingdom of Picts and Scots, north of Clyde. 1034 +Strathclyde +Cumbria +Lothian.

Alba, Duke of. 1507-82. Tyrannical Spanish Governorof Netherlands 1567-73. Gueux.

Albania. Balkans. 3-5C Visigoth, Huns invade. 6-7C Bulgars, Serbs, Slavs invade.12-15C Bulgar, Norman, Angevin, Serb, Venice contest.15C Ottoman. 1912 Independent republic. 1928 Monarchy (Zog). 1939 Italy occupies. 1945 Communist (Hoxha). 1961 Left Warsaw Pact. 1991 Democratic Constitution.

Albee, Edward. 1928-. US playwright. Pulitzer-Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1962.

Albert, Prince Consort. 1819-1861. Married Queen Victoria, 1840. Responsible for International exhibitions 1851, 62. Moderated Trent Affair.

Albert I. 1875-1932. King of Belgians, 1909. Led army WWI. Introduced universal male suffrage.

Albert of Brandenburg. 1490-1568. First Duke of Prussia, 1525. Ended Teutonic Knights’ rule.

Alberti, Leon. 1404-72. Italian Renaissance Man. Artist, poet, geographer, mathematician.

Alcaeus. c610-580BC. Greek tragic poet.

Alcalá Zamora, Niceto. 1877-1949. President, Spanish Republic, 1931-6. Died in exile.

Alchemy. Magic art of Egyptian origin attempting to transmute metals, esp lead to gold. Based on belief that all metals are a pure base metal + impurities which the philosopher’s stone can remove.

Alcibiades. c450-404BC. Athenian egoist general, Peloponnesian War. Murdered.

Alcock, John. 1892-1919. First non-stop transatlantic flight, 1919, with Brown.

Aldermaston March. 1958-64. Annual ‘Ban the Bomb’ demonstration of CND.

Alemanni. 3-6C. Confederation of Germanic tribes in Swabia defeated by Clovis, 496.

Alembert, Jean Le Rand d’. 1717-83. French philosopher and mathematician, Encyclopaedist.

Alexander, Harold (of Tunis). 1891-1969. British. Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean 1944-45. Directed Dunkirk evacuation. Governor General of Canada, 1946-52.

Alexander I. 1777-1825. Russian Czar, 1801-. Liberal reformer. Defeated Napoleon. Holy Alliance.

Alexander III. 1845-1894. Russian Czar 1881-. Established absolute rule using secret police. Temporary Rules. Franco-Russian Alliance.

3590 more results ...