Related links:

AFGHANISTAN
From 1918 until 1991, Afghanistan was the only country on earth whose name began with... MORE

ALBANIA
The official motto of Albania is: "The faith of the Albanians is Albanism". Probably the most... MORE

ASHES
The concept of the Ashes cricket trophy dates back to 1882, when England's first home... MORE

BASEBALL
According to the paper 'Life Expectancy of Major League Baseball Umpires', published in the journal... MORE

BILLIARDS
The first definite account of the existence of a billiard table was found in a... MORE

FISHING
The most common fishing injuries are sticking a hook through your hand or straining a... MORE

FOOTBALL
The Romans called it 'pila pedalis', which the English translated as 'foot-ball' and promptly banned. The... MORE

GOLF
In 1456, King James II of Scotland decreed that 'futeball and the golfe be utterly... MORE

HAMSTER
Experiments at the University of Massachusetts show that, if an adolescent golden hamster is left... MORE

SEX TEST
The first sporting disqualification on a sex test was of the Polish sprinter Ewa Klobukowska... MORE

SWEDEN
History: In the Middle Ages the Swedish town of Hurdenburg elected its mayor by... MORE

TUG OF WAR
According to international rules, the rope in a tug-of-war contest must be between 100mm and... MORE

URINE
According to Francis Bacon: 'We find also that places where men urine commonly have smell... MORE

You may also be interested in:

CROCODILE
Artemidorus, the ancient Roman grammarian, is said to have lost his wits when startled by... MORE

FRISBEE
The Frisbee gets its name from the Frisbie Baking Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A representative... MORE

METRIC SYSTEM
The metric system of measurements was devised in France in the period immediately following the... MORE

CHILDREN
'Mummy' is the first word uttered by 30 per cent of English-speaking babies, while 45... MORE

ZOO
The first place in the world to be described as a 'zoo' was the London... MORE

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
Although Norway holds the record for scoring no points most often - a feat it... MORE

CINEMA
On 28 December 1895, the Lumiere brothers held the first public screening of motion pictures... MORE

HIPPOPOTAMUS
Britain's first hippopotamus arrived at London Zoo in Regents Park on 25 May 1850. Named... MORE

MOBILE PHONE
The first call on a hand-held mobile phone was made on 3 April 1973 by... MORE

SEX CHANGE
The first case of a prisoner in a UK jail undergoing a sex-change operation was... MORE

SOVIET UNION
The word 'Soviet' in 'Soviet Union' is Russian for 'Council' and came from a verb... MORE

SCILLY ISLES
Since 1986, Prince Charles has received one daffodil a year as rent for land on... MORE

MAPS
The great Flemish map-maker Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594) designed The "Mercator Projection" in 1569, which has... MORE

FREDERICK I BARBAROSSA
Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 - 1190), Duke of Swabia, King of Germany, King of Italy,... MORE

TAPEWORM
Human tapeworms can grow to a length of up to 22.9m.... MORE