Sir Peter Scott (left) and his father, Captain Robert Scott

14 September marks the anniversary of the birth of Sir Peter Scott in 1909. Born in London, he was the only son of explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who reach the South Pole but died during the expedition in 1912. His son was a talented artist (following in the footsteps of his mother, sculptor Kathleen Bruce) and sportsman, representing Britain at the 1936 Olympic Games.

Scott became famous to the wider public as a wildlife conservationist and was one of the founders of the World Wildlife Fund and the Society of Wildlife Artists. He became Sir Peter Scott in 1973 and died in 1989.

Many more pictures relating to animals and wildlife can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

A modern, beautifully decorated calendar illustrated by Pat Nicolle

14 September marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in Britain and the British Empire in 1752, which led to riots and the cry from the streets: “Give us back our eleven days!”

The Julian calendar previously used the lunar cycle to calculate Easter but the inexact system meant that corrections the tiny errors accumulated, drifting by a day every 310 years. While some countries adopted the reform in the late 16th century, losing 10 days, Britain held out until the mid-18th century, by which time it was 11 days and Wednesday 2 September 1752 was followed by Thursday 14 September.

A history of the calendar

More pictures of calendars can be found here. Many thousands of illustrations relating to history can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

Hadrian checks on the progress of his wall. Illustration by Peter Jackson

13 September marks the anniversary of  Hadrian’s Wall, the building of which was begun on this day in 122AD. The wall was built during the reign of emperor Hadrian in the days of Roman rule. It stretched across northern England 73 1/2 miles and was as much as 20 foot high, made of stone, turf or whatever other material was locally available.

The fortified wall was built following Hadrian’s visit to Roman Britain and designed to protect the outskirts of the lands he controlled from cattle-raiders and potential invasion.

More pictures relating to Hadrian’s Wall can be found here. Many more illustrations relating to the Roman Empire can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

An early automobile accident. Illustration by Peter Jackson

13 September marks the anniversary of the demise of Henry J. Bliss, a New York real estate salesman, who was knocked down by an automobile as he stepped down from a streetcar in 1899… the first death on the road in America.

Bridget Driscoll holds a similarly unfortunate place in history in the United Kingdom. Crossing the grounds of Crystal Palace on 17 August 1896, she was struck by a car being used to give demonstration rides to excited passengers of the new motorised marvel. She was the first over over half a million people who have been killed on the roads in the UK.

More pictures of early automobiles can be found here. A wider selection of illustrations relating to transport can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

Primative cave painters at Lascaux. Illustration by Peter Jackson

12 September marks the anniversary of the Lascaux Caves in France in 1940. The caves, in south west France, were found by four teenagers and contained examples of artwork dating back to the Upper Paleolithic age, estimated to be 17,000 years old. Most of the almost 2,000 images are of large animals known (from fossil evidence) to have lived in the area at the time.

The caves were opened to the public in 1948 but, by the mid-1950s, it was clear that the 1,200 visitors per day was causing damage to the paintings  and they were closed in 1963. A replica of two of the cave halls was opened in 1983.

More pictures featuring the Lascaux Caves can be found here. Many more illustrations relating to prehistoric man and animals can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

Cleopatra’s Needle, on the Thames Embankment

12 September marks the anniversary of the erecting of Cleopatra’s Needle on the Thames Embankment in London in 1878. The monument, actually the Obelisk of Thuthmose III and lacking any connection to Cleopatra, was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450BC.  The Needle was presented to the UK in 1801 by the rulers of Egypt in commemoration of British victories at the Battle of the Nile and Battle of Alexandria.

The transportation had to be privately sponsored and it wasn’t until 1878 that the obelisk arrived in England.

The history of Cleopatra’s Needle. Illustration by Pat Nicolle

More pictures relating to Cleopatra’s Needle can be found here. Many more illustrations relating to the history of Egypt can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

A panda, symbol of the World Wildlife Fund

11 September marks the anniversary of the foundation of the World Wildlife Fund as a charitable trust in 1961. The organization was initiated by Julian Huxley and Max Nicholson in order to protect the most endangered species on the planet. The mission of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (as the organization became in 1986) is also to protect natural resources and encourage the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

More pictures of Pandas can be found here. Many more illustrations of animals from around the world can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

The planet Saturn – the Cassini Division clearly seen in its rings. Illustration by Wilf Hardy

11 September marks the anniversary of the death of Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1712. Born in Perinaldo, Italy, in 1625, Cassini was a professor of astronomy at the university of Bologna and, in 1671, became director of the Paris Observatory. Over a period of years, Cassini observed four moons of Saturn: Iapetus in 1671, Rhea in 1672, Tethys and Dione (both in 1684). Cassini also discovered the gap between the rings of Saturn that now carry his name.

Many more pictures relating to the history of astronomy can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Illustration by Ron Embleton

9 September marks the anniversary of the birth of Leo Tolstoy in 1828. Count Lyev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born into Russian nobility and was an unhappy student at university, leaving part way through his studies. He ran up large gambling debts and joined the army, around which time he began writing.

Tolstoy’s major works were War and Peace and Anna Karenina, famous for their breadth of scope and realistic depiction of life in Russia.

More pictures of Leo Tolstoy can be found here. Many more illustrations relating to authors and literature can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes her prison at Loch Leven. Illustration by James E. McConnell

9 September marks the anniversary of the Coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1543. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V and was only six days old when her father died. She was crowned nine months later.

Mary’s life was a series of tragedies. She married the Dauphin of France in 1558 but was widowed in 1560; her second marriage to Lord Darnley (in 1565) ended when her husband was murdered; she then married the Earl of Bothwell, a suspect for Darnley’s murder, and popular feeling turned against her. She was forced to abdicate and spent some time imprisoned before escaping to England where she was perceived as a threat to Queen, Elizabeth I, and spent 19 years in custody, eventually being executed in 1587 for treason over her involvement in plots against Elizabeth.

More pictures relating to Mary, Queen of Scots, can be found here. Many more illustrations featuring royalty can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.