1501
The story of an unexpected escape through the heart of a hill.
This tale is not as far-fetched as it may sound. The hills about and the ground beneath the chapel of St John are riddled with spectacular caves and passages leading away from the church.
Picture: © Vitum, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted November 28 2015
1502
‘Goodwill’ was on everyone’s lips, but the Roman Emperor and the God of Israel had very different ideas about it.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the ancient birthplace of his distant ancestor King David. He would have been born in Nazareth, had Joseph not been summoned to Bethlehem to swear loyalty to the Roman Emperor.
Picture: From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted November 27 2015
1504
Alfred Bird’s wife could eat neither eggs nor yeast. So being a Victorian, Alfred put his thinking-cap on.
Alfred Bird (1811-1878), a Birmingham pharmacist, did not invent egg-free custard powder to make a fortune (though he did), or because dietitians disapproved of eggs. He did it so he could enjoy eating pudding with his wife.
Picture: © Peter Smith, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted November 18 2015
1505
A Victorian children’s book inspired the birth of modern electronics.
Sir Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945) was a Lancashireman who invented the vacuum-tube diode or ‘valve’, for fifty years the essential component of modern electronics.
Picture: © Christopher Brown, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted November 18 2015
1506
An excited English gentleman hires a ship for a treasure-hunt, but doesn’t check his crew’s credentials.
When a treasure-map falls into his excited hands, Squire Trelawny can’t wait to go treasure-hunting on distant seas. So he hires a crew of experienced sailors, without asking what kind of ship they gained their experience on...
Picture: © John Sievert, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted November 16 2015