Historical Fun

On this day in history in 1953 Winston Churchill is knighted.   Humorous History News Report from April 24th, 1953 And, as we watch, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is walking slowly down the aisle of the throne room at Buckingham Palace.   To be honest, the geezer doesn't look well. But what should we expect, he's getting on a bit. And fighting the Second World War almost single-handedly can't have been easy.   He is passing the half-way point now. He looks unsteady on his feet. He isn't walking in a straight line. He's leaning to the right, and his legs are following. And straight into the chairs. Oopsie daisy.   There's a small commotion. But we're all British, so we pretend like nothing has happened.   Churchill is  back on his feet, and continues towards the throne where the young, new Queen Elizabeth II is waiting to receive him.   After an hour, he makes it, and kneels at the queen's feet in preparation to ...

21 Fun Facts About The London Marathon 1. April 24th, 2016, sees the 36th annual London Marathon take place.   2. The London Marathon is the Guinness World Record's largest annual fundraising event in the world.   3. The London Marathon has raised over half a billion pounds for charity since the first race back on the 29th March 1981.   4. The initial race had 7,741 entrants , and 6,225 completed the course.   5. In comparison, last year's event (2015) had over 38,000 participants , including the professional runners, the fun runners, a few Members of Parliament, plus Formula One racing driver Jenson Button. And a dinosaur.   6. Last year 37,740 crossed the finish line.   7. This year (2016), 247,069 people sent in applications to enter the London Marathon.   8. However, not everyone who enters gets to start the race.   The organisers draw a ballot at random to decide who...

Unbelievable Facts About St George You Might Not Know St George is the Patron Saint of England and today is St George's Day.   1.   The national day of England is celebrated every year on the 23rd April -- the anniversary of St George's death in 303.   2. George became England's patron saint in 1348 when Edward III adopted him as the principal Patron of the new order of chivalry, the Knights of the Garter.   3. Edward the Confessor, former King of England , was the Patron Saint of England before St George.   He pointed the gun at me and told me to confess my sins. "Yes, I like One Direction."   Edward spat in my face. "You make me sick."   4. Although St George is the patron saint of England, he isn't English.   5. He also never stepped foot on English soil.   6. George was a Roman born in AD270ish in Cappadocia, now Eastern Turkey.   Bonus Round: Wh...

The Myth and the Legends: St George and the Dragon St George slayed a dragon.   Well, that's the myth about St George, but can we really believe he was able to take down a dragon? Dragons are too awesome to be taken down by a bloke with a really tiny sword. Yes, St George had a really tiny sword. All the girls said so.   There are two stories surrounding the myth of St George and the Dragon.   Story One:   George took an all inclusive booze-cruise to Silene, Libya. Whilst there, he discovered there was a lake, within which a mighty dragon resided.   Apparently the dragon was annoying the locals with renditions of various Cliff Richard songs. Or, you know, eating people.   To appease the dragon, the locals fed it sheep. Then they fed it their children.   Perhaps there should have been another stage between sheep and children. Oh, I dunno, perhaps cows. Or goats. Maybe chickens or pigs. Throw in a curry or ice crea...

A Humorous History Fact for April 22nd   On this day in history in 1519, the Spanish adventurer, explorer, Conquistador, and total git, Hernan Cortes, established a settlement in Mexico called Veracruz.   Cortes had invaded Mexico with his Spanish army in the hope of finding some gold. Or a decent cigar. Or semi-decent massage parlour.   In his efforts to find some treasure, Cortes deposed or killed all the kings in and around Mexico, and anyone he met on his way. Even the bloke selling bananas by the pond.   The guy was a git. It's a fact.   To give an example: Cortes was out walking through the jungle one night, perhaps as part of an expedition, perhaps as part of a mating ritual with the local gorilla population, who knows.   He saw King-Now-A-Hostage Cuauhtémoc having a laugh with two of his fellow former-kingies. It seems the famous Spanish Explorer and Conqueror, Herman Cortes, didn't like laught...

Humorous History Fact April 21st   News Report April 21st 1509 The King is Dead. Long live the King.   Henry-The-Father-Of-The-famous-One, seventh of his name, died today after swallowing a hedgehog dipped in ear wax.   King Henry VII was the last king to win the crown on the field of battle. That field of battle was The Battle of Bosworth Field, both a battle, and an actual field. He was fighting against the child and nephew killer, Richard III.   Because of his death, the son of Henry-The-Seventh-Not-The-Last, called Henry-Of-The-Many-Numbers, became King of England. Wow, that's like fifteen Henrys.   Upon ascending to the kinglyshop of the land of Eng, Henry climbed on top of the tallest pauper and sang, "I'm Henry the 8th I am. Henry the 8th, I am I am. I've been married to the girl next door, she's been married seven times before. But I'll only be married once, as I'm a loyal and trustworthy husband."

Humorous History Fact - April 20th   News Report - 20th April 1912   Bram Stoker was brutally killed by a vampire today, whilst trying to get to sleep.   Five minutes before his death, he was heard whispering, "One sheep. Two sheeps. Three sheepies? Two sheep. Three sheeps. Three sheps? Ships? Oh, sod it. I'll Count Dracula instead."   His body was found in the morning completely drained of blood.

On this day in history in 1770 , Captain James Cook, intrepid English explorer, cheated at a game of I-spy. It was a day like any other. The first round went well for the crew.   B is for Barnacle.   They congratulate each other.   Captain Cook guessed correctly in the next round.   M is for Mast.   It was time for the decider.   Captain Cook picked up his I-spy-glass, looks around the ocean, and says, "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with A."   The crew took it in turns to guess.   "A is for Apple."   "Nope."   "A is for Apple."   "Nope, you just said that."   "Anyone else wanna guess?"   Spock piped up, "Is A for Apple, Captain?"   Captain Kirk, oops, I mean Captain Cook, shook his head. "No, Commander, A is for Australia."   The crew are aghast. What the heck was Australia?   Blow me down with a gassy hedge...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - APRIL 17th On this day in history in 1973, George Lucas began writing Star Wars.   It was a simple story: Boy lives a boring life with Aunt and Uncle. Boy meets droid. Boy falls in love with droid. Pushes his buttons. Cleans his insides.   Droid tries to communicate his reservations about this level of contact, but can only manage some beeps.   The beeps get quicker.   Boy tinkers some more. Droid ejaculates a hologram of a pretty woman. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope.   Droid is embarrassed.   This has never happened before.   It panics and escapes.   Boy chases droid. Whilst he's away "not" fixing the generators like he'd been asked to do, Boy's Aunt and Uncle get killed.   Boy captures droid.   Then Boy meets old man.   Boy is groomed by old man. Would you like to see my Lightsaber? Whoosh it around a bit? Yep, ...

Unbelievable Facts You Might Not Know About Daffy Duck   Daffy Duck is everyone's favourite Looney Tunes character, so long as we don't include Bugs Bunny and the other one. You know, the Pig.   Daffy Duck is a crazy, looney, zany and devious little duck. Both the arch-nemesis of Bugs Bunny and his best friend. Mostly depending on how many cups of coffee he had that morning.   But, did you know, he originally was normal. Well, mostly normal. Okay, not normal. He was a duck, after all. His character didn't develop into the fun-loving whacky character until a few years later.   Daffy Duck didn't originally have a lisp. He also more resembled an actual duck when he made his first appearance.   Daffy Duck made his first ever appearance on April 17th, 1937, in Porky's Duck Hunt.   Daffy Duck is the 3rd most featured character in Looney Tunes . Only Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig featured more.   Of course, ...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - APRIL 16th   On this day in history in 1319, John II, the future King of France, was born.   Instead of being fed breast milk, his mother raised him on a diet of frogs legs and snails. This may account for what happened after he was captured and imprisoned by the English.   During his captivity, France suffered. And it suffered a lot. Not least with the Black Death, which eliminated half the population.   King John (which really doesn't sound very French if you ask me), enjoyed a regal lifestyle as a prisoner in London. He was given the freedom to travel and was even allowed to buy his own horses, pets, clothes, and was fed five course banquets at every mealtime.   He even had his own astrologer and court band. Not kidding. That was all true. His people starved and died by the tens-of-thousands, but he partied until the early hours of the morning and then slept all day.   The prison ...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 15th April On this day in history in 1865 Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.   The 16th President of these here United States of America was shot dead by the actor John Wilkes Booth whilst he attended the theatre.   Booth, a confederate sympathiser, was known to be an evil git who, as a kid, enjoyed kicking puppies.   Abraham Lincoln, before becoming President of those there and all over here United States of America, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie ago, was famous for giving the Gettysburg Address, endorsing the killing of vampires, something he was passionate about in his youth.   Also on this day in 1955, Mc Donald's is founded when it opens its first franchised restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.   Celebrity Birthday: On this day in history in 1990, Emma Watson was born. She is famous for being the girl wizard, Hermione, in the Harry Potter films.   Yesterday's Quick History Fac...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 12th April News Report for the 12th of April - 1945 The American President is dead. It has just been announced that the second most famous Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has died at the age of 63.   Franklin Delano Roosevelt was only 3 months into his 4th term of office as President and has been replaced by the Vice-President, Harry Truman.   Franklin D. Roosevelt has consistently been rated in the top 3 of American Presidents, along with President Martin Sheen, who had a seven year term in the West Wing of the White House, and Morgan Freeman who head butted an asteroid. David Palmer, friend of Jack Bauer, tends to always come fourth. News Report on the 11th of April - 1960 Reports are just coming in that Jeremy Clarkson has just been born.   Jeremy Clarkson, future host of the BBC car show, Top Gear, sped out of his mother at over 90 miles an h...

Just posted another Youtube video about Fun Facts on April 10th. Please check it out.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - April 10th On this day in history in 837, Halley's Comet came closer to Earth than at any point in history. It managed a near miss of only 3.2 million miles.   Although Halley's Comet is named after the astronomer Edmund Halley, he didn't discover it. Although he did predict its orbit and observed it more than once.   The oldest record of Halley's Comet is from Records Of The Grand Historian in China, in 240 BC. It even appeared in the Bayeux Tapestry, the embroidery, not an actual tapestry, depicting the invasion of England by the Normans in 1066.   Halley's comet orbits the sun every 75-76 years. The last time it was seen in the skies above Earth was in 1986. It won't be seen again until 2061.   On this day in history in 1858, Big Ben was re-cast after the original bell suffered a crack on testing.   Big Ben is the name of the Great Bell that resides in Elizabeth Tower. It's not the name of the tower,...

5 Fun Facts About Paul McCartney   1)  A little known fact about Paul McCartney: He can count backwards from 2,000 to Zero faster than any person on Earth. Might come in useful at parties if he ever needs a few extra quid.   2)  Paul McCartney auditioned to be a choir boy when he was a kid - twice . And twice he was rejected for not being a good enough singer.   3)  In 1960, Paul McCartney was arrested and jailed for setting fire to a condom .   The Beatles were in Hamburg, Germany, playing a concert. They had more than a few complaints from the local residents and were asked to leave the country.   As they were packing up in their darkened room, he lit a condom to aid them. It was quickly discovered, and they were accused of trying to set the building on fire.   4)  Paul McCartney sang to the largest paid audience in history.   It was in 1989 in Brazil and the concert was in front of a paying crow...

A new project. I've created an On This Day video on Youtube for April 9th. Would love if you'd watch and offer any feedback as to whether this is something you'd like to see more of.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 9th April On this day in history in 193, Lucius Septimius Severus was proclaimed Emperor.   The previous year on 31st December 192, Commodus, Russell Crowe's nemesis and the evil Emperor who diddled his sister in the movie Gladiator, was assassinated.   Strangely, he wasn't killed by Russell Crowe, but the movie wasn't that far off the mark. He was originally poisoned by Marcia, his favourite mistress, but this just made him ill instead of dead. He vomited it up. All of it. And then kept going.   Marcia and her co-conspirators then sent Narcissus, the Emperor's wrestling partner, to strangle Commodus in his bath. So, yeah, the film was pretty close. To a degree. If looking through a really dirty telescope.   After the death of Commodus, Pertinax was acclaimed Emperor by the Senate. His reign didn't last long, and ended about as well as his predecessor. He was assassinated as well. This time...