Conan Doyle’s initial Holmes stories didn’t sell well enough to encourage him to continue the character. He did receive some fan mail in support but only one fan letter stood out: Lawson Tait, a pioneering surgeon of the time whom Conan Doyle only knew by reputation, wrote to say he and John Duke, the Lord Chief Justice of England, were both...Read more

Elephants and short-tailed shrews get by on only two hours of sleep a day.

The Adelie penguin bears the name of French explorer Dumont d'Urville's beloved wife.

Beef seems so American, but it was actually an import. Spaniards brought the first cattle to the United States in the sixteenth century. Originally, the settlers regarded them as beasts of burden, but the Indians found them delicious. The Indians, in fact, were the first cattle herders, and they were the ones who moved the cattle across the ...Read more

King George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a comfortable family home close to St. James's Palace, where many court functions were held. Buckingham House became known as the "Queen's House," and 14 of George's 15 children were born there. In 1762, work began on remodeling the house to the King’s ...Read more

The Hope diamond was acquired by King Louis XIV in 1668. It was worn 120 years later by Marie Antoinette and it now resides in the Smithsonian Institution. This beautiful natural blue diamond weighs 44.5 carats today.

Overcome with grief over the death of his wife, Dante Gabriel Rossetti placed the only copy of his poems in her coffin when she was buried. Seven years later, however, he claimed her spirit had come to him and told him to reclaim the poems--so he had her dug up.c

Boxers were named after their habit of playing. At the beginning of play with another dog, a Boxer will stand on his hind legs and bat at his opponent, appearing to "box" with his front paws.

Denver has the nation's largest city park system, with more than 200 parks within city limits and 20,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains – an area larger than all of Manhattan Island.

The collection of antique dog collars at the popular tourist site of Leeds Castle, four miles east of Maidstone in England, spans five centuries and is the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world. The collection has more than 100 collars and related exhibits tracing the history of canine neckwear from Medieval times to the present...Read more

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a

When Shirley Temple appeared in her first film, The Red-Haired Alibi, she was three years old.

The average house wife walks 10 miles a day around the house doing her chores. In addition, she walks nearly 4 miles and spends 25 hours a year making beds.

The painting was featured prominently in the 1997 film Bean, when Mr. Bean, played by Rowan Atkinson was sent to the United States from England to oversee the installation of the painting in a Californian art museum. After sneezing on it, Mr. Bean wipes the painting with his handkerchief, but accidentally smears the mother's face with blue ink ...Read more

Residential, economic, or educational qualification gave half a million Englishmen more than one vote in England in 1885. A university graduate who also owned a business in the City of London voted three times -- once at his home, once for his university, and once in the City.

The female pigeon cannot lay eggs if she is alone. In order for her ovaries to function, she must be able to see another pigeon. If no other pigeon is available, her own reflection in a mirror will suffice.

According to the official version, the modern bikini was invented by French engineer Louis Reard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946. It was named after Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear weapon tests a few days earlier in the Marshall Islands, on the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like said ...Read more

Henry Ford was obsessed with soybeans. He once wore a suit and tie made from soy-based material, served a 16-course meal made entirely from soybeans, and ordered many Ford auto parts to be made from soy-derived plastic.

The Sun gives off a stream of electrically-charged particles called the solar wind. Every second, the Sun pumps more than a million tons of material into the solar wind.

The Radhanites were medieval Jewish merchants. Jewish merchants dominated trade between the Christian and Muslim worlds during the early Middle Ages, from approximately 600 to 1000. Trade routes established under the Roman Empire stayed open during that period largely through their efforts. Their trade network covered much of Europe, North ...Read more