It took a woman to launch our first daily newspaper?
Elizabeth Mallet was an amazing lady, she published the first national daily paper in Britain, “The Daily Courant”, at her premises next to the King’s Arms tavern 9pictured above) at Fleet Bridge, London in 1702. Yes, it took a lady to launch our first daily newspaper! OK, it was only one page long with a […]
The History of Lotteries
England’s first recorded lottery started on January 11th, 1569, 450 years ago. Where did they start? They started in China around 200 BC, to fund major projects, such as building the Great Wall of China. Then the Romans used them However, to Romans lotteries were a game played at dinner parties. Well, that was until […]
What became of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground?
Well, they became Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland All this happened because a girl called Alice Liddell was being rowed down the Isis, (the name of the Thames at Oxford) for a picnic by Charles Dawson, a friend of her father, who was always telling her and her sisters stories. On this lovely summer’s day in […]
Do you know the story of William McGonagall, the worst poet in Britain?
This story, unlike many others, is an entertaining and humorous tale that demonstrates how being different, even in ways that might not seem positive at first, can still earn a person a place in history. It’s the story of William McGonagall, a Scotsman from Dundee, who, despite having little to no command over the finer […]
About Champagne!
The Romans first planted vineyards in the champagne region of France, it was a pinkish wine. However, there was a problem making wines sparkle, and bottles strong enough to withstand the pressure. In the 19th century Veuve Clicquot cracked it, starting the growth of the famous Champagne houses. During the French Revolution, they tried to […]
Steamboat Willie the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thingthat it was all started by a mouse.” Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954 It was the first Disney Cartoon with sound, with Mickey’s voice provided by Walt himself! This is the reason why on November 18, 1928 the Disney company celebrates Mickey’s birthday, […]
When did we first learn of the Balaclava, the Cardigan and the Raglan Sleeve
Did you know that these three items of clothing were the result of the Crimea War? Some war wasn’t it? This is what makes history fun. 10 questions to discuss: How did soldiers in the Crimea War adapt to the harsh winter conditions? What clothing item, originally improvised by soldiers, became fashionable after […]
Mechanical Turk – a chess machine that could beat anyone
Have you heard of the Mechanical Turk? I do not mean the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) Amazon’s crowdsourcing marketplace, this is not the same. The Mechanical Turk was a creation of Wolfgang von Kempelen. How did it happen? In 1769 when the French illusionist François Pelletier was invited to perform in Vienna at the court […]
The Dutch create a lake
In 1932 the Dutch completed what they call The Afsluitdijk, which is Dutch for “shut off dike”. It stretched across the top of the Zuiderzee and created a large lake and as several rivers were flowing into it, it soon became a freshwater one. It was completed 89 years ago, even though the project had […]
A village, an independent republic!
Perloja – The Village that Became a Republic We have been filled with stories of great empires and powerful nations, but sometimes, the more interesting stories come from the smallest and most unlikely of places. This is the story of Perloja, a tiny village in Northern Europe that, would you believe, against all odds, declared […]