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It was 60 years ago this month, on 22nd November, that the famous writer C S Lewis died.  This Irish-born British academic, novelist and literary critic is best known for his novels on The Chronicles of Narnia, and his books on Christian apologetics. Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast November 1898. He arrived in...

The soaring number of pothole-related breakdowns has been blamed on Britain’s wet summer. There are increasing calls for councils to fix the roads before winter. This past July was the UK’s sixth wettest on record, according to Met Office figures. The AA says that this would have made potholes even harder to spot, in time...

Have you ever been at home, and suddenly smelled something burning in the house?  Most of us react to it immediately – fires spread quickly! Well, now the National Trust has installed ‘electronic noses’ on a Yorkshire Moor to ‘sniff’ out wildfires. The electronic sensors will detect changes in the air at the very start...

All in the month of October Remembering the Beatles A Bear called Paddington Remembering the Marshall Plan strong>The man who created those lions in Trafalgar Square Halloween – some statistics SAD people need our help and understanding ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, October) down...

It was: 150 years ago, on 1st Oct 1873 that Edwin Landseer, artist and sculptor, died. Known for his animal paintings, and for his famous lion sculptures at the base of Nelson’s Column in London. 100 years ago, on 10th Oct 1923 that Nicholas Parsons, radio and TV game show host and actor was born. ...

Sixty years ago, on 15th October 1963, the term ‘Beatlemania’ first appeared in the Daily Mirror newspaper in the UK. It described the intense, frenzied reaction of fans of the Beatles and their music. The group – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – had been attracting wild adulation in the north...

It was 65 years ago, on 14th October 1958, that Michael Bond’s children’s book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published. It marked the debut of the lovable Paddington Bear, who is now a household name after appearing in two irresistible films. Paddington starred in more than 20 books written by Bond, who died aged 91...

Seventy years ago, on 30th October 1953, former US Secretary of State George Marshall was awarded the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize for engineering the Marshall Plan – a massive economic aid programme for Europe in the aftermath of World War Two. Marshall was widely admired at the highest levels, although he had not always been...

It was 150 years ago, on 1st October 1873, that Sir Edwin Landseer, artist and sculptor, died.  He is known mainly for his animal paintings, and for the lion sculptures at the base of Nelson’s Column in London. He was a popular painter in his lifetime, appealing to people across class boundaries, and his death...

We are following the Americans in spending more and more money on Halloween. Since 2013, UK consumer spending for Halloween products has more than doubled. It’s gone from about £230 million in 2013 to about £687 million last year, according to the statistics website statista.com. Of that amount, we spent nearly £29 million last year...

The nights are getting darker, and many people are getting SAD, as the autumn closes in around us. SAD is properly called ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’, and it is a kind of seasonal depression. How can you tell if someone has SAD? The symptoms include: a persistent low mood, a loss of pleasure in everyday things,...

All in the month of September 25 years of Google Remembering the genius of JRR Tolkien Remembering W H Auden North Korea – how it all began Weather by app? Do you like the exterior lights of modern cars? Why car tyres are not good for you ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks...