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.
Martin Fone delves into the history of the lawnmower and discovers a link to weaving machines.
They're the bane of gardeners' lives, but do they even exist, at least in any consistent and logical sense? Martin Fone takes a step back to think about which plants are and aren't weeds — and how the mystery of fast adaptive evolution means that the 'wrong plant in the wrong place at the wrong time' definition isn't quite enough.
Eighty-three years after it was founded, the RNLI made its largest rescue off the coast of the Lizard, in Cornwall.
Martin Fone traces the history of the Olympics and examines the contribution of Shropshire doctor William Penny Brookes.
Making bread by hand is rewarding, but inconsistent — unlike the stuff you'll get from a decent automatic bread maker. Martin Fone ponders how such a machine, with its artificial kneading, came into existence.
Over 20 million people have been tuning in to watch England's stirring exploits at Euro 2020, and the huge numbers look only set to get bigger as the summer goes on. It's a far cry from the first ever televised sporting event, almost a century earlier, as Martin Fone explains.
Martin Fone wonders whether everyone's favourite pet fish has greater cognitive abilities than we give it credit for.
Houseflies are a health hazard, but attempts to swat them have to contend with the insect's exceptional defense mechanism, finds Martin Fone.
May 9 marks the anniversary of what many have regarded to be the first motor trade show; but was it really the first motorcar show, wonders Martin Fone?
Scientists only discovered the humble pollinator's secret in 2005, says Martin Fone.
Martin Fone discovers nothing is quite as it seems in the world of Jaffa Cakes — including whether they are a biscuit or a cake or whether chocolate sits at the top.
Martin Fone dives into the world of pongy fruits and discovers why durian could be at the charging end of your mobile's battery.
Martin Fone investigates the behaviour of dogs as they grow up and reminds prospective owners that a dog is a lifetime commitment.
As the UK prepares to compile this decade's census, Martin Fone retraces its history.
Martin Fone investigates the scientists so intrigued by cloud formations that they decided to sort them out into different types.
