Tag: pkar

What if… King Edward VIII hadn’t abdicated?

WHAT IF… King Edward VIII hadn’t abdicated? Historian and author Dr Susan Williams tells Jonny Wilkes about the possible outcomes had the lovestruck king married Wallis Simpson while keeping his place on the throne In 1934, King George V wrote: “After I’m dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.” He was talking of […]

Q&A: Are the Olmecs the oldest American civilisation?

Q&A: YOU ASK, WE ANSWER HISTORY’S GREATEST CONUNDRUMS AND MYSTERIES SOLVED SHORT ANSWER Not by about two millennia: the Norte Chico were the real ancients in the Americas LONG ANSWER The Olmecs certainly were the first major civilisation of Mesoamerica, emerging c1200 BC in the modernday Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, and laying the […]

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 […]