Robert the Bruce: the never-say-die king (and the spider)
Robert the Bruce, more formally known as King Robert I of Scotland, was born on this day, July 11 1274. He was a fierce warrior-king, who led the Scots in […]
The ambitious Google plan to digitize 100,000 historic texts in Belgium
In September, a fleet of secure vehicles will come to a 17th-century building in Antwerp, Belgium, to receive a heavily protected cargo, and then escape with the goods to a […]
Louis Réard and the birth of the Bikini
Millions of men would come to be grateful that Frenchman Louis Réard, a car mechanic, had an unlikely sideline in the 1940s: he also looked after his mother’s lingerie boutique […]
The Battle of the Somme: the bloodiest day in British military history
The First World War Battle of the Somme began on this day, July 1, 1916. It was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history and the worst ever for […]
Tunguska Event: the mystery that puzzled scientists for almost 100 years
A huge mysterious blast rocked eastern Siberia on this day, June 30, 1908, leaving millions of trees lying on the ground, mostly pointing in the same direction, over an area […]
Scaf: the French artist whose realistic graffiti art seems to Jump off the walls
As lockdowns loosen, people start wandering into the streets to appreciate fresh air, open spaces, but also some more or less decent graffiti on the walls. But there is an […]
In Japan, coronavirus pandemic inspired haunted house drive-through experience
A haunted house tour operator in Japan has announced the world’s first horror drive-through experienced as a responsible way of providing horror enthusiasts with summer scares also during the Covid-19 […]
Henry Hudson and the deadly quest for the the Northern Passage
June 22, 1611: English explorer Henry Hudson was set adrift in a small boat off the North American coast by mutineers. He was never seen again. When the mutiny took […]
Chhurpi: the world’s hardest cheese come from Nepal.
Chhurpi, Nepali: छुर्पी, (or Durkha) is a traditional Nepalese cheese that has been a means of survival for many remote communities for centuries. Made out of the milk of yaks, […]
The unsolved mystery of Ding Wuling, China’s mosquito-free village
Surrounded by lush vegetation and dotted with ponds and pools of water, the Chinese village of Ding Wuling should be a paradise for mosquitoes, especially during the summertime. However, the […]
PooPaint: a toilet paper that lets you use your poop to make art
If you’re bored in this difficult period, this specially-printed toilet paper that lets you use poop as paint to make art may be just what the doctor ordered. PooPaint is […]
Singapore: couple divorce after wife becomes obsessed with pet cats
Singaporean media recently reported the bizarre divorce case of a couple whose separation was largely caused by the wife’s obsession with cats, which eventually drove her husband out of their […]
“Without weapons, violence or hate”: France’s biggest-ever bank robbery
In Belgium exists an old saying that say people who are willing to get their hands dirty can often make money. It was certainly the case for Albert Spaggiari, the […]
Dustyesky: the leading genuine fake Russian choir in Southern Hemisphere
The little Australian village of Mullumbimby is one of the last places on Earth you would expect to find a men’s choir singing their hearts out about the Motherland and […]
D-Day: the day that changed Europe’s history
The biggest land, air and seaborne invasion the world has ever known was launched on this day, June 6 1944. Codenamed Operation Overlord, everybody now knows it simply as D-Day. […]
#June 4, 1940: Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk ends
The so called “miracle” of Dunkirk was completed on this day, June 4, 1940, with the evacuation of over 330,000 troops from the besieged port on the war-torn French side […]
#June 1, 1935: first test for drivers!
In 1934 in Britain there were about one and a half million cars on the roads, but despite the relatively low number, more than 7,000 people were killed in road […]
