This is Fascinating Facts – October 2026 (Issue 45): an unusual edition covering Dirty Dick of Leadenhall Street, historic measurements, Prague’s famous defenestrations, the world’s most valuable companies, goat towers, helicopter prison escapes, historical misconceptions and the curious history of throwing shoes as a protest.
Fascinating Facts October 2026 Contents
Fascinating Facts is a free monthly e-magazine focusing on personal, historical and military interests. Contributions are welcomed, with appropriate credit given. You can download the full newsletter to read HERE; however, some snippets are listed below.
FROM DANDY OF RANELAGH TO DIRTY DICK
The strange story of Nathaniel Bentley, a wealthy and highly educated London merchant once known for his elegant clothes and impeccable manners. After the death of his fiancée shortly before their wedding, Bentley supposedly refused to clean his home, business or himself and became known as Dirty Dick. His increasingly filthy surroundings are also said to have helped inspire Charles Dickens when creating Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. Read More…
LENGTH OVER THE CENTURIES
A look at the many unusual ways people have measured length throughout history. Early measurements were often based on the human body, including the inch, hand, foot, span and cubit, while other traditional units included rods, chains, furlongs and several different versions of the mile. The article also explains how some of these old measurements survive in modern use. Read More…
DEFENESTRATIONS OF PRAGUE
A history of Prague’s notorious defenestrations, when political and religious opponents were thrown from windows. The article covers incidents in 1419, 1483 and the famous 1618 defenestration at Prague Castle, when two royal governors and their secretary were thrown from a window during growing tensions between Protestant estates and the Catholic Habsburg authorities. The incident helped trigger the Bohemian Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War. Read More…
VALUE OF THE WORLD’S TOP NINE COMPANIES
A snapshot of some of the world’s largest companies by market value, dominated by technology and artificial intelligence businesses. The article looks at Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, SpaceX, Broadcom and Saudi Aramco, covering how they developed, what they produce and how companies once started with relatively modest sums have grown into businesses valued in the trillions of dollars. Read More…
GOAT TOWERS
A look at one of the more eccentric forms of garden architecture: multi-storey towers built especially for goats. An early example stands at the Aveleda winery in Portugal, while later versions have appeared in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Norway and elsewhere. England even has its own goat tower at Cholmondeley Castle Gardens in Cheshire for a herd of pygmy goats. Read More…
HELICOPTER – THE GET OUT OF PRISON CARD
An extraordinary history of prison breaks involving helicopters, with more than 50 attempts recorded between 1971 and 2020 and dozens proving successful. Famous escapes include Joel David Kaplan in Mexico, Michel Vaujour in France and repeated escapee Pascal Payet. The article also covers helicopter escapes in Britain and Ireland, including the 1973 Mountjoy Prison escape and the 1987 breakout from Gartree Prison. Read More…
SOME HISTORIC MISCONCEPTIONS
A collection of familiar historical stories that are not quite as accurate as popular culture suggests. Subjects include who built the Egyptian pyramids, galley slaves, Tutankhamun’s supposed curse, the Roman salute, vomitoria, Julius Caesar and the caesarean section, medieval life expectancy, King Canute, iron maidens, chastity belts, spiral castle staircases and the belief that medieval Europeans thought the Earth was flat. Read More…
DUCK! THE SHOE IS ON ITS WAY
A history of shoe throwing as an insult and form of protest, a practice with roots stretching back centuries. One of the best-known incidents occurred in Baghdad in 2008 when journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush. The article also covers later incidents around the world, including political protests in Britain, Pakistan and Taiwan, and some occasions when the person doing the “shoeing” later found themselves on the receiving end. Read More…
