Curious Questions
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The true story of St Valentine, his legend and legacy of love
Whatever the truth of the real St Valentine, the middle of February has been a favourite time for lovers since records began. We take a look at the curious history of St Valentine, and how an ancient martyr came to be remembered as a champion of romantic love.
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The real language of flowers, or how to decode your Valentine's day bouquet
On Valentine's Day, Martin Fone takes a look at the true meaning behind flowers, decoding what each individual bloom says about the receiver - or the sender.
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Curious questions: Why do we use Seville oranges to make marmalade?
Why do we use Seville oranges to make marmalade when there are more than 400 other varieties available worldwide? And do they really make the best preserve? Jane Wheatley investigates.
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From fighting for stockings to flying on the Moon: How nylon changed the world
Almost 90 years after it was first discovered, Martin Fone looks at the history of this mass produced man-made fibre.
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Curious Questions: Why do woolly hats have bobbles?
Some can rock a bobble hat, others will always resemble Where’s Wally, but the big question is why the bobbles are there in the first place. Harry Pearson finds out as he celebrates a knitted that creation belongs on every hat rack.
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Curious questions: how an underground pond from the last Ice Age almost stopped the Blackwall Tunnel from being built
You might think a pond is just a pond. You would be incorrect. Martin Fone tells us the fascinating story of pingo and dew ponds.
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Curious questions: How a horse on a treadmill almost defeated a steam locomotive
The wonderful tale of Thomas Brandreth's Cycloped and the first steam-powered railway.
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'Squopping and squidging': Who invented tiddlywinks?
Today's Curious Question takes a look at one of the nation's favourite parlour games.
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Curious Questions: Did the Victorians pave the way for the first ULEZ cameras in the world?
Martin Fone takes a look at the history of London's coalgates, and finds that the idea of taxing things as they enter the City of London is centuries old.
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Curious Questions: What's in a (scientific) name? From Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides to Myxococcus llanfair pwll gwyn gyll go gery chwyrn drobwll llan tysilio gogo goch ensis, and everything in between
Scientific names are baffling to the layman, but carry all sorts of meanings to those who coin each new term. Martin Fone explains.
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You've got peemail: Why dogs sniff each other's urine
Ever wondered why your dog is so fond of sniffing another’s pee? 'The urine is the carrier service, the equivalent of Outlook or Gmail,' explains Laura Parker.
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Curious Questions: How did a scrotum joke confuse paleontologists for generations?
One of the earliest depictions of a fossil prompted a joke — or perhaps a misunderstanding — which coloured the view of dinosaur fossils for years. Martin Fone tells the tale of 'scrotum humanum'.
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Curious Questions: Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?
The devilishly smiling image of Jack O'Lantern is inseparable from Halloween, but what's the story behind it? Martin Fone explains — and discovers that the festival many complain about as an American import has been this side of the Atlantic for centuries.
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Curious Questions: Margarine used to be pink — but why?
Margarine has been a staple of our breakfast tables for over a century, but it hasn't always had a smooth ride — particularly from the dairy industry, who managed to impose a most bizarre sanction on their easily-spreadable, industrially mass-produced rival. Martin Fone explains.
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Who was the real St Crispin, and what did he have to do with the Battle of Agincourt?
You have questions about Shakespeare's most famous speech. We have answers.
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Curious Questions: Why was the original Euston Station destroyed in one of the greatest acts of cultural vandalism Britain has ever seen?
One of the great masterpieces of 19th century, the original Euston Station, was built in the years after Queen Victoria came to the throne. Less than 125 years later it was razed to the ground; Martin Fone takes a look at the reasons why.
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Curious Questions: We used to fly cars across the English Channel in 20 minutes — why did we stop?
It seems hard to believe, but taking your car across the English Channel to France by air actually pre-dates the cross-channel car ferry. So how did it fall out of use almost 50 years ago? Martin Fone investigates.
