Latest news with #BritishSoldiers
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
What D-Day Tells Us About How Tech Goes from Niche to Mass
Today is the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France that began the liberation of Western Europe. I always mark the date, but this is the first time I've been able to commemorate it so personally: Last week, I fulfilled a lifelong dream of hiking the Normandy beaches stormed by those unimaginably brave American, Canadian and British soldiers. Like most who visit, I've tried to imagine how they must have felt. Unlike most, I suspect, I also spent the walk thinking about weather forecasting. Why? The first and most important decision of D-Day wasn't made on D-Day. It was made two nights before — based on the weather forecast. And the role it played has something to teach us about how revolutionary innovations change the world.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Kim Jung un unhappy about warship launch
Asia correspondent Erin Hale spoke to Lisa Owen about North Korea's leader Kim Jung un being unhappy about a bungled launch of a warship, South Korea's election prompting a change at Starbucks and how Four British soldiers have set a record climbing Mt Everest without acclimatising and using a special kind of gas. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Secret tunnel discovered beneath US Capitol floorboards as its sinister purpose is revealed
A US congressman has revealed a secret tunnel beneath the Capitol building that may have been stormed by British Soldiers during The War of 1812. In a video, Congressman Tim Moore (R-NC) unveiled the hidden passage in the Lincoln Room, lifting up a floor board to show a staircase spiraling down to what appears to be a dimly lit hallway. Construction of the Capitol building began in the late 1700s, 'and there are all sorts of little hidden passageways,' Moore said. The congressman said that this was one of the staircases that British soldiers used to breach the Capitol in 1814. During that siege, known today as the 'Burning of Washington,' the soldiers used torches and gunpowder paste to set fire to the Capitol, the president's house and other government buildings. This marked a serious blow to the US during the war, and forced President James Madison to arrange for Congress to use Washington's only available building, Blodgett's Hotel, as a temporary meeting space. As representatives gathered in this makeshift legislative chamber to determine the best way forward, construction workers began rebuilding the Capitol. It took nearly 15 years to fully repair it. These hidden stairs are one of the few parts of the original building that remain intact today. 'You can see there's a passageway,' Moore said as the camera pointed down to show the inside of the hidden stairwell. 'These were old stairs that used to be here but were closed off,' Moore said. 'Believe it or not, my big self [has] actually gotten down and more importantly out of this hole.' He explained that small tour groups often have the chance to climb down and explore this underground chamber, which leads outside of the Capitol building. The Lincoln Room served as the House post office during Abraham Lincoln's time in Congress. Before becoming president in 1861, he represented Illinois from 1847 to 1849. During that time, 'he sat by the fireplace in this room to read his letters,' Moore wrote in the X post. In the early days of the Capitol building, the House of Representatives convened in a room right next door called Statuary Hall, which now serves as a gallery devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. Whether the secret tunnel beneath the Lincoln Room was actually involved in the Burning of Washington remains unverified. Moore said he's been told that British troops used these stairs during an attack on Washington in 1814, known today as the 'Burning of Washington' These hidden stairs are one of the few parts of the original building that remain intact today But it is possible that the British troops who sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and up the Patuxent River, then fought their way towards Washington, climbed these hidden stairs to gain access to the Capitol undetected. The War of 1812 acted as a pseudo-Revolutionary War that further solidified US independence from the British Empire. It began in June, 1812 — erupting out of heightening tension and repeated skirmishes between the US and Great Britain — and ended in February 1815. The Burning of Washington in 1814 was a devastating blow to the US that resulted in destruction and chaos. The fires burned for at least a full day until a storm rolled in and doused them. But it also triggered a tornado that caused further damage. After the weather calmed, looters ravaged the city, many of whom were American citizens. Whether the passageway beneath the Lincoln Room was involved in this violent attack or not, they harken back to a time when the US was a burgeoning nation still clawing its way onto the global stage.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Viral video shows secret passage under floorboards of US Capitol
Viral video just posted by a US rep shows a secret tunnel nestled under the floorboards of the US Capitol that, according to legend, was stormed by British soldiers in the War of 1812. Congressman Tim Moore (R-NC) showed off the tunnel's entrance in the Lincoln Room, which used to be the House's post office during the Civil War president's time in office, and explained that it is one of his favourite features to point out on tours, the New York Post reports. 'Construction started in the 1700s, and there are all sorts of little hidden passageways' in the Capitol, Moore explained in a video on his X account. 'As you saw, I just pulled this cover up, and you can see. 'You can see there's a passageway. These were old stairs that used to be here but were closed off,' he said. 'Believe it or not, my big self [has] actually gotten down and more importantly out of this hole.' The secret tunnel leads outside the US Capitol building. During the early days of the Capitol building, the House of Representatives convened in the space next to the Lincoln Room, Statuary Hall, which is now a gallery with statues of iconic Americans. 'I'm told, and I can't verify this … it's one of the staircases British soldiers used when they breached the Capitol during … 1814 when they actually attacked Washington,' he said of the tunnel. The Capitol Building was commissioned in 1793, and President George Washington laid down the cornerstone of the iconic building that year. British soldiers had set fire to the US Capitol and torched the White House during the 'Burning of Washington' in the War of 1812, which erupted over maritime rights and other disputes. The war ended in 1815. Construction of the Capitol was eventually concluded in 1826. Mr Moore noted that the Lincoln Room is one of his favourite places in the legislative complex to take tours through and emphasised its history, including the fact that Lincoln used to read letters by the fire there. Footage of the hidden staircase in the Lincoln Room revealed signatures, presumably from lawmakers and others who wanted to put their names on the historic passage.
Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
British troops could join EU forces under new security pact
British soldiers could fight side-by-side with their European counterparts in the face of Russian aggression under a landmark deal, leaked documents reveal. The UK and the EU will unveil a defence and security pact next week as part of a wide-ranging deal that will bring Britain into the closest alignment it has had with the EU since Brexit. The security pact says that the EU and UK face a 'decisive moment' and the 'greatest threat in a generation' because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and campaign of espionage and sabotage in the West. It says the 'seriousness' of the challenge requires a 'unique and ambitious' new agreement on security. Under the deal, the EU has agreed that it is open to the UK taking part
