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BRANDING
In 1844, Jonathan Walker had the initials SS (for 'Slave Stealing') branded into his right... MORE

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BURIAL
Sir Walter Raleigh was buried with his favourite pipe and a tin of tobacco. Wild... MORE

CENSORSHIP
The Hays Code, which controlled film standards in the US from 1930 to 1967, was... MORE

CHOCOLATE
Montezuma started the myth about chocolate being an aphrodisiac. His cup of cocoa at bedtime... MORE

CUCUMBER
In September 1997, researchers threw 500 cucumbers into the Irish Sea to gain information about... MORE

DODO
The last person to make a confirmed sighting of a dodo was the Dutch mariner... MORE

HAMMURABI
The Code of Hammurabi, formulated in ancient Babylon around 1760BC, is the earliest known set... MORE

HIPPOCRATES
The original Hippocratic oath, as written by Hippocrates, 'the father of Medicine', translates as follows:... MORE

HUDSON
Also known by the name Lord Minimus, Jeffrey Hudson quite literally sprang to fame at... MORE

INDEPENDENCE
The number of soldiers killed in conflict in the American War of Independence was 4,435,... MORE

ISOCRATES
The Greek philosopher and teacher of rhetoric Isocrates believed that the role of education was... MORE

MANGO
There are more than 400 varieties of mango. According to the Oxford... MORE

MAURITANIA
In 1981, Mauritania became the last country in Africa officially to abolish slavery. ... MORE

OSTRICH
The ostrich is the largest living bird. In the UK, ostriches are zero-rated for VAT... MORE

SLAVERY
The word 'slave' comes originally from a Greek word meaning the Slavic people once captured... MORE

VIKINGS
Although the Vikings did their marauding from the 8th to 11th century, the word 'Viking'... MORE

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ENEMA
The tobacco smoke enema, also known as rectal inflation, consisted of blowing tobacco smoke into... MORE

QUEEN MARY
The liner Queen Mary was launched on 26 September 1934 by Queen Mary, wife of... MORE

CATFISH
On June 25, 1987, President Ronald Reagan established National Catfish Day in the US to... MORE

BABOON
The gelada baboon of Ethiopia is the only monkey that lives entirely on grass. According to... MORE

TSETSE
Within one year, a tsetse fly may produce four generations of offspring, turning it from... MORE

WHEELCHAIR
A woman begging from a wheelchair in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2009, leapt to her feet... MORE

LITERATURE
Between 1912 and 1948, medals were awarded at the Olympic Games for Literature, as well... MORE

GUINEA
Until 1816, the guinea, worth 21 shillings, (£1.05) was the main unit of currency in... MORE

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
(Formerly known as the Belgian Congo, 1908-60.) The Belgian Congo covered an area 80 times as... MORE

LAOS
According to the CIA, Laos is the world's third largest illicit opium producer. Its currency... MORE

CHERRY
The official world record for spitting a cherry pip is 93ft 6.5in, set by Rick... MORE

GERMANY
In 2001, the Advertising Standards Agency in Britain ruled that referring to Germans as 'krauts'... MORE

PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT
Details of a prenuptial agreement appeared among court records in a divorce case in Florida... MORE

FORGERY
In October 1997, Czech Police announced that they had found a 1,000-crown note, which they... MORE

PIG
On 17 July 1408, a sow was hanged in the French town of Pont de... MORE