Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
6. Birth. Alan Greenspan, American economist, Federal Reserve Chairman
16. Robert H Goddard launches the first liquid-fuel rocket, at Auburn, Massachusetts .
23. Éamon de Valera organises the political party Fianna Fáil in Ireland.
31. Birth. John Fowles, English writer (d.2005)
Our monthly collection of links to items you may have missed.
Science, Technology, Natural World
How could we even know what came before the Big Bang? [LONG READ] [££££]
Which brings us on to some misconceptions about the universe.
At the other end of the unknowable, there’s growing evidence that some giant “Blobs” of rock have influenced Earth’s magnetic field for millions of years.
Compared with which it seems tame that researchers having managed to isolate antibiotic-resistant ancient bacteria from 5000-year-old ice.
So we’re gradually going down in size to take a look at the jam-packed nature of cells.
Meanwhile our favourite drug chemist, Derek Lowe, takes a look at the parlous state of scientific research literature.
Health, Medicine
A surgeon looks at the protection afforded by bone and hormone health.
Trigger warning … the rare condition that produces a calcified foetus.
It is totally normal for our skin to be home to countless mites.
Was the 1889 “flu” pandemic actually a coronavirus?
Sexuality & Relationships
Why do women Lose interest in sex? On the causes of low libido.
Scientific American takes a long, hard and rational look at the workings of polyamory. [££££] [LONG READ]
NSFW … Just when did penis size become important in Japan?
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
It is becoming increasingly apparent that ancient humans were seafaring far earlier than we thought. [££££] [LONG READ]
The rules of mysterious ancient Roman board game have supposedly been worked out by AI. [££££]
Early medieval swords found in child graves in Kent suggest they were not just weapons.
Another pandemic item … it seems a mass grave in Jordan is providing new light on our earliest recorded pandemic, the Plaque of Justinian.
Our notions of foul drinking water in the Middle Ages are far from accurate.
We hear of heralds, on and off, throughout European history, but what do heralds actually do?
London
Matt Brown is back having coloured another section of John Roque’s 1746 map of London. This time Victoria and Pimlico. And he follows this up with a look at the very soggy state of Pimlico.
Underneath South Kensington (aka. Albertopolis) there’s a subterranean passage.
Back above ground Matt Brown (again) has a bit of fun with London’s street signs, and Katie Wignall goes looking for some of the city’s oldest street signs.
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
A psychologist offers some ideas for staying positive when it never stops raining.
Well it was news to me but it seems there’s a new trend for showering in the dark before bed. Whether or not there’s any scientific justification, I think I’ll pass – thank you.
And finally … By way of puffing her new book, Karin Celestine asks “What is in your pockets?”
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
1. Death. Theodosius of Skopje, Bulgaria Orthodox religious leader and saint (b.1846)
2. Birth. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of France (d.2020)
9. Birth. Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer, politician, and 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (d.2011)
10. Birth. Danny Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer, football manager (d.1993)
11. Birth. Paul Bocuse, French chef (d.2018)
14. Death. John Jacob Bausch, German-born American optician, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb (b.1830)
16. Birth. John Schlesinger, British film director (d.2003)
22. Birth. Kenneth Williams, English actor (d.1988)
25. Francisco Franco becomes General in Spain.
And they’re off … with the first collection for 2026 of monthly links to items you may have missed. This is a short edition (mainly due to the holidays) but it is full of curiosities. As always we start with the hardest stuff …
Science, Technology, Natural World
Let’s start with a really interesting curiosity. A woman who was murdered in China has been found to have varying proportions of male and female cells throughout her body, due to an exceedingly rare form of chimerism. [££££]
Still on curiosities, there’s a fungus (above) in China, and a few other places, which if eaten when not fully cooked causes people to hallucinate dozens of tiny humans – and reliably only this hallucination!
How many holes does the human body have? It’s really all a question of topology and how you define a hole.
Hallucigenia (below) was such an odd animal that we know very little about it, but researchers are beginning to understand what it ate. [££££]
OK, so now let’s think about the sex life of plants, because it is a lot more complicated than we imagine.
And now the land itself … Scientists have now managed to map, in detail, the landscape of Antarctica beneath the ice.
Health, Medicine
The Covid-19 pandemic has left a hidden toll of millions of undiagnosed chronic conditions.
Next up we have two pieces on the curiosity which is synaesthesia:
First a young lady with time-space synaesthesia on how it affects her experience of events like new year.
Secondly, a pair of twins talk about what it’s like to also have the same synaesthesia.
And in an attempt to cap that, here’s a brief piece on the wild history of the hymen.
Environment & Ecology
The iconic green rose-ringed parakeets (below) a have been spreading across the UK since their escape 50+ years ago; and they’re now causing concern in some quarters (although personally I like having them around).
There are naturally stingless bees in the Amazon, and they’ve now been granted legal rights in parts of Peru.
Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics
The interesting story of when the United Kingdom annexed an island in the North Atlantic.
Art, Literature, Language, Music
A look at the curious etymology of OK.
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
Archaeologists have made an absolutely stunning find of an iron age war trumpet (modern French reproduction carnyx below) and a boar’s head standard, with possible links to Boudicca.
In another major find, archaeologists have unearthed a hoard of Saxon coins which appear to have been buried on just before the Battle Hastings in 1066.
London
Not a lot of people know that there’s a medieval hall in Holborn.
Matt Brown investigates whether AI is any good at making maps of London. Spoiler: it isn’t.
But finally we don’t need AI as Matt Brown has released the latest panel in his project to colour John Rocque’s 1746 map of London: when Marylebone was all fields
Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.
General Knowledge
Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2025.
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
13. Birth. Michael Bond, English fiction writer, creator of Paddington Bear (d.2017)
16. A British Broadcasting Company radio play by Ronald Knox about workers’ revolution in London causes a panic among those who have not heard the preliminary announcement that it is a satire on broadcasting.
26. Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrates a mechanical television system at his London laboratory for members of the Royal Institution and a reporter from The Times.
29. Birth. Abdus Salam, Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate (d.1996)
And so this year’s final collection of links to items you may have missed …
Science, Technology, Natural World
Let’s start off with some seasonal stars … Here are three stars embroiled in an odd ménage à trois (below).
After which the James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a manger for exomoons. [££££]
There’s a huge, faint nebula near Andromeda, but now researchers have managed to work out how far away it is.
Now down to Earth … Here are two reports on the somewhat surprising story of how we were domesticated by cats. First from Scientific American [££££] and the second from the BBC.
Research into the remains of ancient DNA have revealed the carrier of the world’s earliest known plague.
Here’s a little experiment to do at home: how close you can get to the value of π (pi) by repeating Buffon’s needle experiment.
Lastly in this section, here’s something I actually saw … pink fog. It was very odd and rather eerie.
Health, Medicine
When should we undertake mass screening, and when shouldn’t we?
Sexuality & Relationships
So just how monogamous are humans? And where are we in a league table of species?
Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics
Let’s hope this isn’t the thin end of the wedge … the Danish postal service is to stop delivering letters.
Art, Literature, Language, Music
For those interested in language, here’s a brief look at the history of the word c*nt.
Here’s a look at the 2000+ history of sex workers in art. [LONG READ]
Musicians and scientists are now understanding and recreating the sound of music from the Stone Age. [LONG READ]
Meanwhile shells found in Spain could be among oldest known musical instruments.
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
In Bolivia they’ve uncovered over 16,000 dinosaur tracks – that’s the largest such known field.
It’s being suggested that an ancient hominin called Little Foot may be a newly recognised species.
Still on palaeontology, finds at a site in Suffolk are suggesting that humans made fire some 350,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Ever onward … and a new study is suggesting people arrived in Australia 60,000 years ago.
Archaeologists have found yet another massive structure close to Stonehenge.
While at the other end of the country archaeologists have found a 3,000-year-old mysterious mass burial site in Scotland.
Here’s something I thought we already new … Ancient Roman cement from Pompeii is revealing the secrets of its durability. [££££]
New DNA work on a Roman era young woman found in southern England has revealed that she wasn’t dark skinned after all.
Now here’s an odd one: it is being suggested that the Black Death plague which swept Europe in 14th-century was triggered by a volcanic eruption.
London
Matt Brown is continuing his work on mapping with a big update to his map of Anglo-Saxon London.
In other work Matt Brown takes a look at the forgotten Thorney Island, now know as Westminster.
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
Here are some thoughts on the way in which hospitality can bruise us mentally and emotionally.
Shock, Horror, Ha ha ha!
Finally for this year, two amusements …
First, the Official Naturist Code.
And then a look at the curious biology of Santa Claus’s elves.
Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.
British History
Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2024.
Each month we’re posing six pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. As always, they’re designed to be difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers – so have a bit of fun.
British History
Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
5. Peter Paul Rubens’ portrait of Saint Teresa of Ávila was found in Berlin after being hidden for 200 years.
8. Born. Sammy Davis Jr, American singer, dancer, musician and actor (d.1990)
10. The 1925 Nobel Prize recipients included George Bernard Shaw (Literature).
11. Pope Pius XI promulgated Quas primas, an encyclical introducing the Feast of Christ the King.
13. Born. Dick Van Dyke, entertainer, in West Plains, Missouri
28. Born. Milton Obote, 2nd President of Uganda, in Apac (d.2005)
30. The historical epic film Ben-Hur was released in the United States.
31. The first attempt at a worldwide New Year’s celebration was made via international radio. The United States sent out musical entertainment and New Year’s greetings from the consuls general of various foreign countries in New York. Evening listeners for participating stations across the United States heard a radio announcer in London say, “This is 2LO calling America and sending New Year’s greetings. We have received word that the American stations are broadcasting this program and we hope that it is being relayed successfully.”