Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
3. The Second International Conference on the Standardization of Medicine was held in Geneva, with the goal of standardizing drug formulae worldwide.
7. Born. Laura Ashley, Welsh designer (d.1985)
13. Born. Mel Tormé, jazz singer, in Chicago (d.1999)
16. Born. Charles Haughey, Taoiseach of Ireland; in Castlebar (d.2006)
Here’s our August collection of links to interesting items you may (or may not) have missed.
Science, Technology, Natural World
Good scientists update their theories and change their minds. What happens when the do? [££££]
Or to look at it another way, there is much weirdness, and the best we can do is to try to understand the underlying rules.
Because, for example, the Universe is static. No, it’s expanding. Or slowing? Or accelerating. Depending on who and when you are. [££££]
Meanwhile they’ve discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus – assuming you can call a piece of rock 10km in diameter a moon. [££££]
And it seems that Betelgeuse may have a small stellar companion.
After which we shouldn’t be surprised that Earth gets bombarded by meteorites from outside our solar system [££££], or that some manage to crash land here.
Continuing to look up, we’re still trying to understand what triggers lightning; and it seems to be all down to exploding stars!
From above our heads to under our feet … Earth’s core is leaking out.
Now lets turn to the animal kingdom … a small ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth an huge eyes has been unearthed in Australia.
Antarctic Leopard Seals sing to attract a mate, and their songs are very similar to nursery rhymes!
There’s a new theory that our primate ancestors evolved in colder regions and not in the tropics.
Research has confirmed that cats develop dementia in a very similar way to humans developing Alzheimer’s.
All hail the Rat King – maybe.
A new study has found that “sex reversal” is surprisingly common in birds.
They keep telling me that wasp numbers in UK have been unusually high this summer after a warm and dry Spring. All I can say is “Not here”; wasps are almost absent.
Now finally in this section, a complete change of subject … a sports scientist has looked at how strip colour impacts performance particularly in Premier League football.
Health, Medicine
Do we visualize dreams in colour or black and white?
While different diseases spread via different methods, there’s a scale of contagion.
Is it actually possible to break your penis? Spoiler: yes, and it needs emergency action.
On which note … why some penises are curved?
Environment & Ecology
Scientists have used existing air pollution monitors to assess environmental DNA (eDNA) to discover what lives nearby.
Natural England is reporting the recovery of 150 struggling species of plants and animals.
Southern Small White butterfly has been seen in the UK for first time.
A study is suggesting that reintroduced lynx could thrive in Northumberland.
Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics
We know that the Mercator projection used for most maps of the world distorts the relative sizes of continents, and now the African Union has joined calls for and end to the projection’s use.
Art, Literature, Language, Music
There’s a Christian principle of “hate the sin but not the sinner” which we seem to have totally lost – artist Eric Gill is, again, a current target – as it’s now a case of “hate the sin, and the sinner, and their works; and airbrush the whole from existence”.
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
A previously unknown species of Australopithecus (our ancestors) has been identified from some teeth. [££££]
Still with teeth, an ancient cow’s tooth may help unlock some of the mysteries of Stonehenge.
Slowly coming up to date … a 2,500-year-old Siberian “ice mummy” had intricate tattoos
A new analysis reveals that the Vikings were addicted to silver and just how far they would travel to obtain it.
Archaeologists have happened upon the tomb of an ancient Mayan city’s first ruler.
Meanwhile all classes of ancient Incan used coded strings of hair for record keeping.
DNA analysis of some early medieval English skeletons has revealed some surprising West African ancestry. [££££]
On the return of the equestrian statue of Charles I to Charing Cross.
Still with the Restoration, their women were much more creative than has been perceived.
HMS Northumberland – built 1679 as part of Samuel Pepys’s modernisation of the Navy – sank in the Great Storm of 1703, but is only now revealing its secrets.
London
And finally for this month … Three articles on transport for London …
* London’s First Bus
* The colourful history of London’s Traffic Lights
* An old Underground train breaks a world record.
Here’s our next instalment of things that happened in ..25 years of yore.
Some Notable Events in 1525
21 January. The Anabaptist Movement is Born.when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz’s mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich.
24 February. Died. Richard de la Pole, last Yorkist claimant to the English throne.
28 February. The last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc, is killed by Hernan Cortés.
20 March. In the German town of Memmingen, the pamphlet The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed is published, the first human rights related document written in Europe.
25 March. Born. Richard Edwardes, English choral musician, playwright and poet (d.1566).
13 June. Martin Luther marries ex-nun Katharina von Bora. The painter Lucas Cranach the Elder is one of the witnesses.
18 June. Henry VIII of England appoints his six-year old illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy Duke of Richmond and Somerset.
29 July. Santa Marta, the first city in Colombia, is founded by Spanish conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas.
30 August. The French ambassador to England and King Henry VIII sign the Treaty of the More at a castle, “The More”, in Hertfordshire.
14 September. In Switzerland, the burning of most of the book collection of the Stiftsbibliothek of the Grossmünster Abbey in Zurich begins, by order of Huldrych Zwingli, as part of the Swiss Reformation. After 20 days of destruction of a collection built over 250 years, only 470 volumes are left.
10 October. The Earl of Angus, Scotland’s Lord Warden of the March.s in charge of border security on the boundary with England, is able to work out a three-year peace treaty with the Kingdom of England and signs the initial agreement at the English border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
25 November. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor acting in his capacity as the King of Spain, issues an edict ordering the expulsion or conversion of the remaining Muslims in the Crown of Aragon, similar to that issued for the Crown of Castile by Queen Isabella in 1502. The order applies to the Kingdom of Valencia and the Principality of Catalonia.
8 December. A second edict is issued in Spain directing Spanish Muslims to show proof of baptism as Christians or to leave by the deadline of 31 December (for Valencia) or 26 January (for Aragon and Catalonia).
Unknown Date. Born. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Flemish painter (d.1569).
Unknown Date. European-brought diseases sweep through the Andes, killing thousands, including the Inca.
Unknown Date. Bubonic plague spreads in southern France.
Unknown Date. Printing of the first edition of William Tyndale’s New Testament Bible translation into English in Cologne is interrupted by anti-Lutheran forces and Tyndale flees to Worms (finished copies reach England in l526).
Unknown Date. Printing of Huldrych Zwingli’s New Testament “Zürich Bible” translation into German by Christoph Froschauer begins.
Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.
General 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.
General History
Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
2. Born. Alan Whicker, British journalist and television host (Whicker’s World), in Cairo, Egypt (d.2013)
7. The United Kingdom passed the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act, making it illegal to sell peerages or any other honours.
12. Born. Twin brothers Norris (d.2004) & Ross McWhirter (d.1975), founders of Guinness World Records, in Winchmore Hill, London
15. Born. Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist (d.2007)
18. Born. Brian Aldiss, science fiction writer, in East Dereham, Norfolk (d.2017)
22. Born. Honor Blackman, English actress (d.2020)
27. Born. Nat Lofthouse, footballer, in Bolton, Lancashire, England (d.2011)
Here we go with this month’s collection of links to items you may have missed – and we have a good selection of both science and history this month.
Science, Technology, Natural World
Let’s start with a look at some counter-intuitive statistics from the Men’s Soccer Under-21 Euro competition.
Still on statistics, here’s another look at the Monty Hall Problem (above) & the meaning of life.
Now for optical illusions rather than mental illusions.
Now to geology … and there are some deep pulses beneath Africa.
Observers think it possible that some fragments of meteor have landed on Ben Nevis.
Cosmologists report that they’ve seen the gravitational waves from the largest ever seen merger of two black holes. [££££]
The Owl Galaxies (below) (what a wonderful name) are hiding a secret, but observers can’t agree on what the secret is.
And here’s a clump of quasars which really shouldn’t exist in such a small volume of space.
Now we have three items on the third (known) alien visitor to our solar system. The first from Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy Newsletter, then the Scientific American report [££££], and finally Scientific American also look at seven mysteries [££££] [LONG READ] about the object.
Now let’s come back down to the gory details of life on Earth. Around 13 million years ago there was a huge “terror bird” and one of them appears to have been killed by an equally huge reptile. Truly a battle of apex predators.
More up to date … How do various apes settle status disputes? [LONG READ]
Apparently evolution can explain human testicle size but says nothing about our unique chins.
And finally for this deep science section … every one of the thousands of rose cultivars is ultimately derived from one (or more) of three original species.
Health, Medicine
First a recap of something we already knew … Measles isn’t just dangerous, it can wipe your immune system’s memory leaving you exposed to infections from which you’ve previously recovered.
Plague (Yersinia pestis), aka the Black Death, is still alive and still causing illness and death – albeit at a much reduced level than 400+ years ago. [££££] [LONG READ]
On the curious variety of blood groups, which has uncovered Gwada-negative, the rarest blood group on Earth carried by just one person.
A look at how currency can affect clinical trials.
Art, Literature, Language, Music
A historian looks at the lack of female labia in sculpture. [LONG READ]
Meanwhile another historian takes a look at the history of adultery in art.
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
The first, almost complete, Denisovan skull has allowed researchers to suggest what our ancient cousin looked like. [££££]
A short step across to Neanderthals, and it appears that individual groups had their own local food cultures. [££££]
Once upon a time Pharaoh came in the Nile.
Also from ancient Egypt, in an unusual burial in a pot, the skeleton has undergone whole genome analysis.
A quick hop across to Peru where archaeologists have found a 3500-year-old city.
Back to Europe and one archaeologist points out that most Minoan art is made up – if only by joining the dots to fill in missing sections. [LONG READ]
Going Medieval looks at the Crusades, and how they were pretty much all failures. [LONG READ]
A buildings archaeologist shares some thoughts on cellars. [LONG READ]
Here an archaeologist discusses some of the medieval treasures in Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. [LONG READ]
Here in the UK we’ve not long managed to escape from this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship, but in the 16th-century (real) tennis was a decidedly dangerous sport.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned the New River before, but in case you missed it, here’s its history. [LONG READ]
And lastly here, we’re right up to date with news of Denmark’s radical experiment in archaeology which embraces metal detectorists. [LONG READ]
London
Matt Brown has taken on the task of colouring John Roque’s 1746 map of London. Here’s the latest section Tyburn Tree to Hide Park Corner. [LONG READ]
Kew Gardens is going to close its iconic Palm House for five years from 2027 in order to give it a major make-over and conservation.
As many here will know GWR have been trialling a battery-driven train on my local branch line, and it seems this technology could bring significant benefits to many small lines.
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
A microbiologist looks at how often one really should wash all your bedding.
Let’s finish with three useful and explanatory articles on naturism. First, naturism is only exhibitionism in disguise, isn’t it? Well no, actually.
Secondly a piece on navigating social nudity and group dynamics.
And finally … So what is wrong with tattoos or piercings which have traditionally been frowned upon in nudist settings? Spoiler: nothing.
Here’s our next instalment of things that happened in ..25 years of yore.
Some Notable Events in 1325
7 January. Afonso IV becomes the new King of Portugal upon the death of his father, King Denis I.
9 March. Queen Isabella, wife of King Edward II of England and sister of King Charles IV of France, departs from England on a mission to Paris to mediate an end to the war between the two kingdoms. She is directed to return to England by midsummer.
31 March. A truce is signed between King Edward II of England (who is also Duke of Aquitaine) and King Charles IV of France to end the war of Saint-Sardoso under terms negotiated by England’s Queen Isabella; Edward cedes Agenais (part of modern-day Lot-et-Garonne) and pledges to swear homage to King Charles from then on as a condition of keeping the rest of Aquitaine. England is allowed to reclaim Ponthieu and the Duchy of Gascony if Edward will come to Paris to
pay him homage. Isabella, unhappy with her marriage to Edward, remains in France indefinitely.
20 April. Elizabeth de Comyn, daughter of the late Guardian of Scotland, John Comyn III of Badenoch, is forced to sign away title to her properties at Painswick and at Goodrich Castle to Hugh Despenser the Elder after being kidnapped in 1324 and imprisoned at Pirbright.
5 May. The Istrian Demarcation, setting out the boundaries of disputed Italian territories in the Adriatic Sea peninsula of Istria, confirms the agreement between the Independent Italian states of Aquileia, Gorizia, and the Venetian Republic. The document is published in three languages (Latin, German and Croatian).
14 June.(2 Rajab 725 AH). Ibn Battuta, Moroccan scholar and explorer, sets off from Tangier on a hajj to Mecca. En route, he travels to Tlemcen, Béjaïa and Tunis. For safety, Ibn Battuta joins a caravan to reduce the risk of being robbed. On the way, he takes a bride in Sfax, but soon leaves her due to a dispute with her father. Traveling more than any other explorer before the modern era, he will travel an estimated 73000 miles over 30 years, more than three times as much as Marco Polo.
12 September. Edward II is persuaded not to go to France by Hugh Despenser the Elder, his chief adviser. He decides to send his 12-year-old son, Prince Edward of Windsor, to Paris to pay homage instead. Before the young Edward departs, he is bestowed with the title of
Count of Ponthieu.
21 September. Isabella of France conspires with the exiled Roger Mortimer to have Edward II deposed. To build up diplomatic and military support, Isabella has Edward of Windsor engaged to the 12-year-old Philippa of Hainault. She is the daughter of Count William of Hainaut, who is married to Joan of Valois, granddaughter of the late King Philip III of France.
24 September. Edward, Prince of Wales pays homage to King Charles IV of France on behalf of his father, King Edward II of England.
10 October. King Edward II calls for representatives of the three estates (including the knights representative) to meet at Westminster for a session of the English Parliament, beginning on 18 November to discuss the matter of the failure of his wife, Queen Isabella, to return from France.
21 November. Yuri III Danilovich, Grand Duke of Moscow, is assassinated by Dmitry of Tver, Grand Duke of Vladimir. Yuri’s younger brother, Iván I Danilovich Kalitá, the Grand Duke of Vladimir, inherits Yuri’s throne and relocates the spiritual capital of the Russian people to Moscow by directing the Metropolitan Peter to move his episcopal see from Kiev. The decision gradually makes Moscow the political center of Russia.
1 December. King Edward II of England makes one final attempt to save his marriage to Queen Isabella, and sends her a letter ordering her to return from France to England immediately, writing that “Oftentimes have we informed you, both before and after the homage, of our great desire to have you with us, and of our grief of heart at your long absence,” and adds that he is aware of her affair with Roger Mortimer and that “ceasing from all pretenses, delays and excuses, you come to us with all the haste you can.” She declines to return.
Some Notable Events in 1425
9 December. The Old University of Leuven, Belgium is founded.
Unknown Date. Beijing, capital of China, becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Nanjing.
Unknown Date. Paper currency in China is worth only 0.025% to 0.0l4% of its original value in the 14th century; this, and the counterfeiting of copper coin currency, will lead to a dramatic shift to using silver as the common medium of exchange in China.
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
1. Died. Erik Satie, 59, French composer
18. Adolf Hitler published Volume 1 of his autobiographical manifesto Mein Kampf.
20. An annular solar eclipse, visible across the south Pacific.
20. Born. Jacques Delors, French economist; in Paris (d.2023)
21. English racing motorist Malcolm Campbeli becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land; at Pendine Sands, Wales he drives a Sunbeam 350HP automobiie at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h)
29. Born. Mikis Theodorakis, Greek songwriter; in Chios (d.2021)
And so, already, we get to this month’s collection of items you may have missed.
Science, Technology, Natural World
Has any cat owner actually managed to fully decipher their cat’s meows? Well now researchers are trying to use AI tools to do just this. [££££]
Whether your cat is vocal or quiet may depend on its genes.
So, we’re still finding microbes we didn’t know about. In one case a microbe with a bizarrely tiny genome (above) which could just be evolving into a virus.
And in a further demonstration of how little we know about our home rock, scientists continue to be baffled by an apparent, and mysterious, link between Earth’s magnetism and oxygen levels. [££££]
Extending this lack of knowledge outward … Was the Big Bang really the beginning of our Universe? We don’t know, but there is research which suggests it could all have happened within a black hole!
Health, Medicine
Despite what they told you at school, insulin is made in the brain, and not just in the pancreas.
The ancient idea of the wandering uterus may be wrong, but the female reproductive tract is surprisingly mobile.
Sexuality
Who knew that semen allergy was a thing?
Another oddity … Orgasms can trigger colours in people with sexual synaesthesia. [££££]
Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics
Denmark is deploying “saildrones” (above) in the Baltic Sea to monitor undersea cables and protect them from hostile action.
Art, Literature, Language, Music
English spelling will never make sense. Here’s something about why. [LONG READ]
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
One archaeologist thinks he’s uncovered a fraudulent scam involving Roman wine.
Also in the Roman world, a huge haul of fragments of Roman frescoes has been found in South London. What a nightmare jigsaw puzzle!
Here’s a review of a book on the making of books in the Middle Ages.
The Inca had a system of “writing” based on knotted strings, and some ancient examples are revealing Peru’s climate history.
There seemed little he couldn’t turn his hand to for the profit of humanity in general, making Benjamin Franklin (below) a phenomenon even during his lifetime.
London
Who knew that London still had sheriffs?
IanVisits investigates the one-time secret tunnels beneath Holborn, and looks at the plans to open them to the public.
In North London there’s a forgotten Tudor house that’s seen better days.
Coming right up to date … there’s to be a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II. And of course it will be in London’s St James’s Park and being designed by Norman Foster. [No comment.]
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
Continuing one of our recurrent themes, here’s an article on helping people understand naturism and social nudity.
Shock, Horror, Ha ha ha!
So let’s end with two unlikely items …
Did you know that Disney produced educational films about periods and family planning as long ago as 1946?
And finally a Dutch museum has put on display a 200-year-old, mint condition, condom (below) decorated with an explicit scene of a nun and three clergymen. It is believed to have been a “luxury souvenir” from a fancy brothel in France.
