Österreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft / Austro-British Society (ABS)

12/09/2026

In 1887, John Boyd Dunlop revolutionized transportation by inventing the first commercially successful pneumatic (air-filled) tire. Motivated to give his young son a smoother tricycle ride across bumpy cobblestones, he wrapped inflated rubber tubes inside canvas sheets around wooden wheels.Dunlop patented his creation in 1888. Though an earlier 1845 patent by Robert Thomson invalidated his initial legal claim, Dunlop’s design was uniquely mass-producible. His invention dramatically improved comfort, boosted bicycle racing performance, and ultimately laid the vital groundwork for the modern global automobile and tire manufacturing industries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_Dunlop

12/09/2026

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn was an iconic English singer, songwriter, and entertainer known globally as the "Forces' Sweetheart" during World War II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsM_VmN6ytk

From the album: We'll Meet Again

11/09/2026

The Blue Mauritius is a legendary two-pence blue postage stamp issued by the British colony of Mauritius in September 1847

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius_%22Post_Office%22_stamps

The Mauritius "Post Office" stamps were issued by the British Colony Mauritius in September 1847, in two denominations: an orange-red one penny (1d) and a deep blue two pence (2d). Their name comes from the wording on the stamps reading "Post Office", which was soon changed in the next issue to "Pos...

11/09/2026

Charles Spencer is to publish a book about his sister Diana in September.

In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his sister”, according to the book’s publisher, the Penguin imprint Michael Joseph. The book will be released on 22 September in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/charles-spencer-diana-book-swan-song

Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’

10/09/2026

Roy Horniman (born Robert Horniman; 31 July 1868 – 11 October 1930) was a prolific British playwright and novelist, most prominently active during the Edwardian era. He published many short stories and novels and wrote original plays, as well as dramatic adaptations of novels and plays by other authors. After World War I, he extended his writing to film screenplays. Horniman was a vegetarian and a nature curist. He was devoted to the cause of animal welfare, in particular the protection and care of working horses, and was opposed to vivisection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Horniman

Roy Horniman (born Robert Horniman; 31 July 1868 – 11 October 1930) was a prolific British playwright and novelist, most prominently active during the Edwardian era. He published many short stories and novels and wrote original plays, as well as dramatic adaptations of novels and plays by other au...

10/09/2026

Some of the best and most celebrated UK Shakespearean actors span legendary historical figures and modern masters of the stage and screen

https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/the-top-british-shakespeare-actors

Read more on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

09/09/2026

Department S is a British spy-fi adventure television series produced by ITC Entertainment that aired 28 episodes between 1969 and 1970

Premise: An elite, Paris-based Interpol unit investigates bizarre, seemingly unsolvable international crimes that baffle standard police and military agencies.

https://comforttv.blogspot.com/2025/09/department-s-binging-vintage-british.html

There's a company in Australia called Imprint that has been putting out some impressive blu-ray releases of classic television shows. I’ve ...

09/09/2026

The UK's Equal Pay Day for 2026—the symbolic day when women effectively stop earning relative to men due to the gender pay gap—has not yet been officially announced or reached for late 2026, as the Fawcett Society typically calculates and declares the exact date towards November based on annual hourly pay data

https://bfwg.org.uk/bfwg2/international-equal-pay-day/

International Equal Pay Day, celebrated on 18 September, represents the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. It further builds on the United Nations’ commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against w...

08/09/2026

Victoria Falls is the world's largest sheet of falling water, spanning 1,708 meters (5,604 feet) wide and plunging 108 meters (354 feet) deep!

David Livingstone was the first European to view the falls in November 1855.

He named the majestic waterfall after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Livingstone Island: The landmark spot in Zambia where Livingstone was canoed across to first glimpse the edge of the precipice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls

08/09/2026

Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904) was a Welsh-American journalist and explorer famous for his travels in Central Africa and his search for Dr. David Livingstone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morton_Stanley

Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American[1][2][a] explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missionary and explorer David Livingstone. Besides hi...