Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

And here's your 30-second summary. Mary Seacole wasn't afraid of the open ocean or a blank slate.

She went towards war rather than away from it and walked through discrimination as if it weren't there.

She wasn't even stopped by the terrifying force of the British bureaucracy.

Here's a bandage for you and a hug and have another drink. Won't you my son? Because Mother Seacole is going to make it all better.

Let's talk about Mary Seacole.

But first let's drop her into history. In 1855 the first train ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific on the Panama railway.

US citizenship laws were amended and all children born of US citizens abroad were granted US citizenship.

US Congress approved $30,000 to test camels for military use.

Walt Whitman's book Leaves of Grass and John Bartlett's familiar quotations were both first published.

Several things were patented, kerosene, the sewing machine motor, the colliope, and the bestsellermer steelmaking process.

King C. Gillette, who was not a king, but the inventor of the disposable safety razor,

Paul De Chanel, the future president of France and Andrew Mellon in industrialist were all born.

Zarnickles, the first of Russia and Charlotte Bronté both died and in 1855,

entrepreneur and medical professional Mary Seacole arrived at the Chermian War and into history.

Mary Jane, we think Grant was born in the year 1805 in Kingston, Jamaica,

the daughter of an unnamed woman who in the history of tradition, we shall refer to as Mama

and probably Captain James Grant of the 60th Regiment of Foot,

a Scotsman who was based with his men on the island, which is about the biggest first paragraph we have ever had, I think.

Full of disclaimers, because even 1805 is discussed as being possibly incorrect.

It's what's on our headstone, so let's go with that.

The usual details were just lost in the midst of time. Historians think that James and Mama had at least another daughter together, Louisa,

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