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Curious Questions: When does summer actually start?
You'd think it would be simple. It's anything but, as Martin Fone discovers.
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Whatever happened to saucy seaside postcards?
Saucy seaside postcards were once a mainstay of British life over the summer, but these days they're rarely seen. Martin Fone asks why, and discovers the history of artists such as Donald McGill who turned wry, naughty humour into a huge industry.
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Curious Questions: Why did the Garden Cities of Tomorrow never catch on?
The worst excesses of the Industrial Revolution prompted some truly forward-thinking urban planning as far back as the 19th century — yet today, precious few of us live in the idyllic 'garden cities' that were dreamed of. Martin Fone looks at what happened, the benefits that came to pass from those fresh ideas, and what got lost on the way.
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Curious Questions: Who was the first person to take a driving test?
For years, all you need to drive a car was to jump behind the wheel — but that all changed. Martin Fone traces the history of the driving test.
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Why does the tax year start on April 6th?
The tax-year calendar is not as arbitrary as it seems, with a history that dates back to the ancient Roman and is connected to major calendar reforms across Europe.
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The kiwi fruit is from China — so how did it get its New Zealand-inspired name?
Martin Fone peels the layers back on the strange tale of how the kiwi fruit got its name.
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Curious Questions: Why was a lifeboat hauled 13 miles overland in the midst of one of the worst storms of the 19th century?
Martin Fone on the brave men of the RNLI, and the tales of Louisa and Forrest Hall.
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Curious Questions: What really happened to the Flying Dutchman?
Tales of phantom ships are as old as time itself, but the story of the Flying Dutchman has haunted sailors for generations.
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Curious Questions: Who created the Oxford English Dictionary?
Martin Fone, who has long been fascinated by words, digs in to the story of how Sir James Murray created the first Oxford English Dictionary — despite having a full-time job and 11 children — and ended up having his own special post box.
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Curious Questions: Why does the weather keep getting colder even when the days start getting longer?
The coldest months of the year in Britain are always January and February — despite the fact that we're getting more sunshine and daylight than we do during December. Martin Fone investigates why the weather gets colder even though the days are getting longer.
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How did they come up with the numbers for shoe sizes?
If you've ever wondered why a six is a six and a ten is a ten, so has Martin Fone. He decided to find out how we came to settle on the shoe size numbers we use today.
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How London nearly had its own Eiffel Tower
England and France competed fiercely for bragging rights in the 19th and early 20th centuries — but no version of France's most famous building ever came to fruition. That wasn't for the lack of trying, though, as Martin Fone discovers.
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How the Leyland Cypress went from botanical accident to taking over the world
The near-ubiquitous Leyland Cypress — or leylandii — is an evergreen with an extraordinary back story. Martin Fone explains.
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Curious Questions: Did English ladies really have a secret 'language of fans'?
Did ladies' fans in 18th and 19th century England carry hidden meanings? Many at the time certainly seemed to think so, and Martin Fone delves in to the history books and discovers that 'so shall each passion by the fan be seen, from noisie anger to the sullen spleen.'
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What is a garden hermit?
Martin Fone takes a look at the curious history of the hermits who spent years living happily in the grounds of country houses, perhaps the ultimate garden folly.
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Curious Questions: Why was absinthe banned?
Absinthe is almost unique among alcoholic spirits for having been outlawed in even some of the world's most liberal countries — but how did that happen? Martin Fone traces back the story to find the tales of debauchery, hallucination and even murder that once gave the drink its bad name — and looks at how it's returned to prominence.
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Curious Questions: What is Linnaeus’s Flower Clock?
Martin Fone takes a look at one of the most ingenious uses of plants ever imagined by mankind: Linnaeus’s Flower Clock.
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Curious Questions: Who came up with Gentleman’s Relish?
Martin Fone takes a look at one of the all-time great toast toppers: Gentleman's Relish.
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Why are there so many magpies?
Magpies seem to be flourishing, so much so that seeing 'one for sorrow' is more often closer to '11 for a football team'. Martin Fone looks at why these hugely intelligent birds are thriving, and considers why they're so often at the centre of our superstitions.
