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Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants' Revolt, was murdered by the Crown today, 15th June, in 1381. His death is the founding sacrifice in the radical history of England. Image source: Wikimedia Commons Today in 1381, a lion was killed by snakes.

Today is the anniversary of the Merthyr Rising in South Wales, an all too familiar story of an oppressed people who’d simply had enough. Merthyr Tydfil by French artist Alphonse Dousseau (between 1830 and 1869).

Born today in 1868, James Connolly is the founding figure of the modern Irish Left. James Connolly Memorial in Dublin, Ireland In Britain it was , in America it was . In Ireland, it was James Connolly.

Walt Whitman, born 31st May in 1819, rendered the ordinary magnificent. A poet and a humanist, his vision of culture was free from snobbery and open to all.

The radical abolitionist, John Brown, was born 220 years ago today. The execution of John Brown (Image: The New York Public Library) Made famous by his leadership of the fateful in 1859, John Brown has become somewhat synonymous with futile courage.

The General Strike of 1926 began 94 years ago, showing the immense power which belongs to workers when they come together and fight for the world they deserve. Unity is strength. Never has this been clearer than during the General Strike of 1926.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, remember the radical part played by moms in the story of the United States. Fatherhood has been written into the American story with an energy like no other.

This May Day, the importance of ordinary workers is clear for all to see – let’s build a world which never forgets this again Over the last month, I’ve been writing to you about isolation and the types of radical history it’s produced over the years.

Our radical past is home to many characters who have actively chosen an isolated way of life… It’s hard to imagine right now, but plenty of people have happily opted for isolation over the centuries.

In the fourth part of our series, we take a look at the isolating experience of exile and the great wealth of radical history which it has produced. "Exile is terrible to experience.