Could women compete in the ancient Olympics?
Q&A Could women compete in the ancient Olympics? SHORT ANSWER Not only could they not take part, most women weren’t even allowed into the arena LONG ANSWER Kyniska, a Spartan princess, was the first woman to win at the ancient Olympics, twice claiming the equivalent of a gold medal (a crown of olive leaves) in […]
Is it true that Pepsi once had a navy?
Q&A Is it true that Pepsi once had a navy? SHORT ANSWER While it may not have been the most intimidating flotilla, Pepsi was an unusual naval power LONG ANSWER The fizzy drink giant Pepsi made a bizarre deal in 1990 that put them in possession of a navy, which must have given the folks […]
When was the first blood transfusion?
Q&A When was the first blood transfusion? SHORT ANSWER In 1667, although this turned out to be a bit of a woolly procedure… LONG ANSWER The event that led medical science towards blood transfusions was when English physician William Harvey described, for the first time, the circulation of blood and published his findings in 1628. […]
Why is there a wheel on India’s flag?
Q&A Why is there a wheel on India’s flag? SHORT ANSWER Before the Buddhist symbol seen today, the flag featured a spinning wheel inspired by Gandhi LONG ANSWER In the early 1920s, the independence movement to end British rule in India found a figurehead in a lawyer named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Committed to non-violent civil […]
What was the bonnacon?
Q&A What was the bonnacon? SHORT ANSWER A mythical bull with a malodourous method of attack LONG ANSWER Medieval bestiaries are a delight to look through: wonderful compendiums of real and imagined creatures described as roaming in far-off lands. Inside, you might find beasts such as the leucrocotta, a hyena-like dog capable of imitating human […]
Did you know?
Q&A Did you know? ON THE HOOF When published in 1745–46, Nowe Ateny – the first Polish-language encyclopedia – featured some rather blunt definitions, such as “Goats are a stinking kind of animal” and “Horses: everyone knows what a horse is”. CABBAGE CURES Such was his love for the nutritional and medical benefits of cabbages […]
Why is it called Westward Ho!?
Q&A Why is it called Westward Ho!? SHORT ANSWER A bestselling novel inspired the only place in Britain with punctuation in its name LONG ANSWER The small Devon coastal village got its name from the title of an 1855 novel by Charles Kingsley. Set in nearby Bideford, the bestseller led to a rise in visitors […]
Was there a real spy called James Bond?
Q&A Was there a real spy called James Bond? SHORT ANSWER Author Ian Fleming was less inspired by the real-life Bonds than he was a bird expert LONG ANSWER There has been an ongoing discussion about the real spies that may have inspired the character of James Bond. ey were men Ian Fleming worked with […]
Who invented the bikini?
Q&A Who invented the bikini? SHORT ANSWER A French engineer unafraid of causing a scandal LONG ANSWER Combine a greater sense of liberation and freedom after World War II, the first summer in peacetime for years, and continuing short supplies of materials, and you have the perfect mix for a daring new outfit. On 5 […]
What were ‘Boomers’ and ‘Sooners’?
Q&A What were ‘Boomers’ and ‘Sooners’? SHORT ANSWER This is not a case of “OK Boomer”, more a matter of Boomers in OK LONG ANSWER By signing the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889, President Grover Cleveland opened up nearly 2 million acres of Oklahoma territory for settlement. (The Native American peoples living there had conveniently […]