Peering into the peerage
In an article called the English Aristocracy, Nancy Mitford declared that: “the English aristocracy may seem to be on the verge of decadence, but it is the only real aristocracy…
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Last words from Nuremburg
On 16 October 1946 some of the most notorious German war leaders were hanged in Nuremburg. Their execution followed a lengthy trial at which 23 of the most important leaders…
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Strangers in their own land
What connects Wales to Wallachia (in Romania) and Scotland’s Galloway with Gaul (an ancient name for France)? The answer is a shared etymological root – the single Proto-Germanic word –…
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Juche couture – North Korea and the fabric of the future
The economic sanctions placed on North Korea have forced the People’s Republic to develop novel ways to sidestep western technology. Step forward Vinalon, a fabric made from the unlikely source…
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Are you U or are you non-U?
Does the way you speak give away your background in an instant? Do you pop to the loo or go to the toilet? Do you live in a house or…
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Premier rewards
The Prime Minister is the political leader of the country and at the apex of Britain’s power pyramid. Whilst in office, they benefit from the perks of the position –…
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The ultimate grudge match
The legendary Bill Shankly once drolly summed up how important football had become: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that…
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Estate of the Union
The United States started life as colonies strung along the Atlantic seaboard of the North American continent and barely extending 50 miles inland. By the time of the Declaration of…
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The great Romford and Harringay cheetah races!
The Greyhound Racing Association faced a grave problem in the late 1930s. The British seemed to have fallen out of love with dog racing, leaving stadia half full and the…
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Lord Bowring and the Great Bakery Incident
In the midst of this turbulent chapter of Asian history came the Great Bakery Incident of 1857, a plot so devious and underhand that only a foreigner could have carried…
