The History Magazine

Read about the Houndsditch murders of 1910 and the subsequent Siege of Sidney Street of 1911 which left three police officers dead and three more seriously injured.

View our list of historic events that occurred in January.

Famous people born throughout history in January

The Folklore Year – traditional folklore and culture of Britain, events taking place every year in January

The inhospitable terrain, the unforgiving and unpredictable weather, fractured tribal politics, turbulent relations with the local population and armed civilians: these are just some of the issues that led to Britain’s downfall in Afghanistan. This refers not to the most recent war in Afghanistan but Britain’s humiliation in Kabul almost 200 years ago…

25th January is St Dwynwen’s Day. St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine …

John Gray joined the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman in 1850. To keep him company through the winter nights John took a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, called Bobby. Together they became a familiar sight on the cobbled streets of the city.

On 28th January 1896 Mr Walter Arnold of East Peckham became the first person to be caught speeding in a motorised vehicle. Mr Arnold was spotted doing a heady 8mph, four times the 2mph speed limit, and was pursued for 5 miles by a policeman on a bicycle…