The names of Goodyear, Dunlop, and Michelin are familiar to motorists and cycling enthusiasts alike, but it is thanks to another inventor that we enjoy comfortable rides on inflated rubber tyres. Martin Fone tells a tale of an inventor's extraordinary ingenuity in creating a design that pre-dated its usefulness by several decades.
Martin Fone takes a deep dive into the world of plant-based milks and discovers that the dairy alternatives have been around for a lot longer than we may have thought.
Martin Fone investigates the all-important role of feline whiskers—including how they contribute to enhancing the species' beauty.
Martin Fone delves into Britain's collective passion for Galanthus and looks at the folklore that surrounds it.
Our intrepid correspondent Martin Fone has put the onions (and his eyes) to the test.
With the Winter Olympics approaching, Martin Fone wonders how we came from sliding across frozen ponds to putting on huge sporting spectacles in great, frozen arenas.
The arrival of St Dwynwen's day on January 25th prompts Martin Fone to recall the tale of a saint whose connection with romance and love predates St Valentine's by centuries.
With the dust having settled on Christmas, there is only one question left to ponder: why are the jokes in crackers so intentionally bad? Martin Fone explains all.
Our houses never look better than they do throughout the festive period, so why do we take down Christmas decorations on January 6? After all we could simply leave them up for a few more weeks, couldn't we? Martin Fone investigates.
This week's Country Life Christmas special is an annual treat, with our special Advent calendar cover. But how did the Advent calendar phenomenon start? Martin Fone investigates.
Our most beloved sponge cake carries a grandly regal name: the Victoria Sponge. But how did it come to be called that? Ahead of National Cake Day on November 26, Martin Fone investigates.
You might take it for granted, but the watering can transformed the art and science of gardening — but who came up with its perfect design, which has been essentially unchanged for over a century? Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, investigates.
Conference pears bear one of the oddest and most incongruous names in the world of fruit and veg. Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, delves deeper to see how they came to be called what they are.
Last year, oak trees shed acorns by the billion — this year, they're almost nowhere to be seen. What's behind the mystery? Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, investigates.
Britain's most famous blue cheese takes its name from a picturesque Cambridgeshire village — yet it's made nowhere near the place, and not even in the same county. Martin Fone investigates this strange culinary anomaly.
Martin Fone retraces the history of the popular pastime from the word puzzle squares of Roman times to today's cryptic grids.
That wonderful scent in the air when the rain stops falling has entranced people since the dawn of time — but what causes it? Martin Fone investigates.
Charles Cruft was a salesman-turned-showman who created the world's biggest dog show — yet Cruft himself owned a cat. So why didn't he do the same for felines and create a Crufts for Cats? Well, it turns out that he did — but it was scuppered by the British weather. Martin Fone tells the extraordinary tale.
Martin Fone discovers the origins of wedding anniversary names and investigates the origins of the Flitch Trial tradition.
Martin Fone retraces the history of the order and discovers the stories of its early recipients.
