This is the October 2023 edition of the fascinating facts Newsletter, which includes a broad range of interesting topics. This includes information about St David, Little Ben and The National Memorial Arbouretum.
Fascinating Facts October 2023 Contents
You can download the full newsletter to read HERE, however some snippets are listed below.
NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
Since 1948, Armed Forces personnel have taken part in more than 50 worldwide operations, often as part of NATO or other coalitions. The Armed Forces Memorial remembers those who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world and is particularly important for many, whose relatives have no grave to visit, or to remember those who are buried in far-off places. Read More…
BIG BENS LITTLE BROTHER
Big Ben is possibly the best known clock in the world. But what about little Ben? Nine metres tall, Little Ben stands outside Victoria Station, decorated in black, red, and gold, looking almost impressive as its big brother. But why does the capital have a Big Ben and Little Ben? Built by Gillett and Johnston, it was unveiled on the 14th March 1892.
Patron Saint of Wales St David
David, the patron saint of Wales, born in Henfynyw (Vetus-Menevia) in Ceredigion, was a Welsh Bishop of St David’s during the 6th century. Even though tradition has preserved a large amount of detail about his life, the date of his birth is uncertain and could range from 462 to 512. Traditionally he is believed to be the son of Non and the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, the king of Ceredigion. While initially, Welsh annauls place his death 569 years after Christ’s Phillimore’s revised this to 601. Read More…
THE DIVERSE TALENTS OF CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGE
Born 1745, Joseph Bologne was the illegitimate son of Guadeloupe settler and planter Georges Boulogne de Saint-Georges and his wife’s beautiful 18-year-old enslaved Senegalese personal maid Nanon. Such was his affection for the boy – and possibly his mother that George allowed Joseph to use the family name – which acknowledged his paternity – but he also paid large sums of money for the boy’s education.
It is likely that Joseph gave signs of his precocious violin playing gifts at an early age. Knowing that, in the colonies, this remarkable boy would be condemned to a life of humiliation and casual brutality his father took him to France where he would have greater opportunities, suffer less overt prejudice and his talents developed. Read More…
HP BROWN SAUCE
Nottingham grocer Frederick Gibson Garton was given a recipe for a brown sauce by one of his suppliers which had been obtained in India. Using as a base for the brown sauce in his pickles and sauces, he included a range of other ingredients and registered the name H.P. Sauce in 1895, because he had heard a rumour that a f Parliament had begun serving it. Read More…
GUARANTEED 2000 YEARS OF DATA STORAGE
Deep in a mountain in the arctic Svalbard archipelago, some of the most important items of the world’s digital memory are preserved in a former coal mine outside Longyearbyen, in conditions optimal for long-term data storage. The Svalbard archipelago, situated north of mainland Norway, about 970 kilometres from the North Pole, is declare’d demilitarised zone by 42 nation’s, established in the Svalbard Treaty signed after World War I which means that the territory cannot be used for military purposes making it one of the most geopolitically secure places in the world. Read More…
THE STENT -THE REVOLUTION IN TREATMENT OF HEART DISEASE
The thought when I was a child of a heart attack was frightening and virtually a death sentence. Then along came surgery to be recently followed by angioplasty. In the 40 years since the insertion of a stent, the procedure has revolutionised treatment of heart disease and saved millions of lives around the world. Mine being one of those. While heart disease remains the leading cause of death, it is not the death sentence it was 40 years ago when one in four people died from a heart attack. Read More…
CLAPPING
A form of universal language clapping, to show appreciation, seems to be limited to humans. Although other mammals clap, it cannot be linked to the same reasoning. Historically, no one knows when it became a common way to show appreciation, but records state that in the 6th century BC, Athens lawmaker Kleisthénes encouraged audiences to clap in approval of their leader, as there were too many people for him to meet individually. This “applause”, became the unified voice of all the people present by together, showing admiration and appreciation. Read More…
