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FRUITCAKE
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HALIFAX
The Halifax Gibbet was an early type of guillotine that pre-dated the French version by... MORE

BLUE
The Russian blue species of cat was brought to England from Archangelsk, Russia in 1875... MORE

TINS
Tinned food originated with a prize offered by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1795 for a method... MORE

SNOW
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UNEMPLOYMENT
The first Unemployment Olympics were held in New York in 2009 and were open only... MORE

TYPEWRITER
The left hand of a skilled typist does 56 per cent of the work. ... MORE

MERMAID HISTORY
The earliest known reference to a mermaid was in stories from Assyria around 1000BC. The... MORE

TURKEY (BIRD)
In Turkey, the turkey is called the 'American bird'. The correct collective noun for turkeys... MORE

DAFT
In Old English, the word 'daft' meant "mild" or "meek" in Old English. The shift... MORE

TOWER BRIDGE
Tower Bridge, across the River Thames in London, was completed in 1894 at a cost... MORE

DUCK
When swimming, a duck is only a sixth as efficient as an average ship at... MORE

BUTE
In 1750, John Bute was appointed lord of the bedchamber to Frederick, Prince of Wales; in... MORE

BEQUESTS
When David Davis of Clapham, London, died in 1778 he left five shillings to Mary... MORE

BOTTOM
All three of the medalists at a chilli eating contest in the Philippines in 1996... MORE