The AnswerBank Articles

What was the Beltane Fire

A. An intriguing question there from jayne b-t, answered by modge: 'Beltane is a Celtic festival, celebrated on the last day of April. It marked the end of winter and the beginning of summer. All01:00 Mon 30th Apr 2001

Where does the Maypole come from and what does it signify

A. Thanks to jayne b-t for this question. Maypole dancing takes places on and around May Day. May Day is the only major festival of pre-Christian Europe not adapted by the Christian church for its01:00 Mon 30th Apr 2001

Why didn't Hitler invade Britain

A. Peter.griff wanted to know why Hitler pulled back from invading Britain after he conquered France during the early days of the Second World War. He also asked: Would he have been able to conquer01:00 Tue 24th Apr 2001

Which two Roman emperors are back in the limelight

A. You must mean Trajan and his successor Hadrian. Their faces have emerged from the past with startling clarity after the restoration of a magnificent arch in southern Italy. Q. What and where 01:00 Mon 23rd Apr 2001

Thomas Paine is in the news. Who was he

A. A political writer (1737-1809) who inspired the American Revolution. He is considered a hero in the USA, less so in his native land, England. Q. So why is he in the news at the moment A. 01:00 Mon 23rd Apr 2001

Which Corinthian king was punished eternally

A. This question comes from lizzie and the answer came from Sir Rooke. It's Sisyphus. Q. The chap after whom the expression Sisyphean task is named A. The very same. Q. And what was his01:00 Mon 16th Apr 2001

What are the origins of Anzac Day

A. Anzac Day is on 25 April. Anzac was the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in the East Mediterranean early on 25 April, 191501:00 Thu 26th Apr 2001

Which city was saved by honking geese

A. Rome. Thanks to gwilliams for that little tester. Q. What happened A. The Gauls were invading Rome and tried to storm a garrisoned settlement. A Roman soldier, Marco Manlio, who was sleeping01:00 Mon 16th Apr 2001

Why are black cats considered unlucky

A. The question comes from Chrischudley. Almost in the same breath, bazzer asked why it was considered unlucky to open an umbrella indoors. Let's deal with cats first. Here's an answer from Tophat,01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

Where does the necktie originate and what was its purpose

A. Thank you for your sartorial query, Tads. Short answer is: Croatia, fashion item. Q. And the long answer A. Well, despite man's current fixation with the tie as an item of polite wear, they01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

Who was the Catholic soldier Patrick Sarsfield

A. Saint Don's question is answered, in a nutshell, by Tophat: He was a Jacobite soldier who played a leading role in the Irish Roman Catholic resistance (1689-91) to England’s King William III.01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

What s happened to Joanna Southcott s box

Joanna SouthcottA. You often saw advertisements in newspapers asking for Southcott's box to be opened. Whatever happened to it asked Doubris. I'd better give a little background. This sounds a01:00 Fri 09th Feb 2001

How many monarchs sat on the throne in Pepys s life

A. Good question from GrahamQ. As comeleon said: Samuel Pepys was born in 1633 when Charles I was on the throne. Charles was beheaded in 1649. From 1649-1658 Oliver Cromwell ruled a Commonwealth; He01:00 Tue 27th Mar 2001

Who were the Greek wise men

A. Blythe wanted to know more about the Greek wise men called Dias and Chilon. In fact, Dias is called Bias. Q. So, who were they A. They were two of the Seven Wise Men of Greece, a list of men01:00 Tue 27th Mar 2001

What was the population of Rome when the Colosseum was built

A. The Colosseum was built over ten years and finished in 80AD. Very few documents exist which would give Rome's population then, so Abots's question is a tough one. Q. Any rough idea, though A. 01:00 Tue 27th Mar 2001

Who was the spy Cicero

A. He was valet to the British ambassador in Ankara, and he sold top-secret documents to German agents in the Second World War. Why do you ask Q. I've just heard he could have been unmasked01:00 Thu 22nd Mar 2001

Where did the term Iron Curtain originate

A. The question came from MissDon and was ably answered by Piljim. Winston Churchill first described an Iron Curtain falling across Europe. He was describing the forming of two distinct power blocs01:00 Thu 22nd Mar 2001

Who was Henry VIII's father

A. The simple question came from fank52 and the equally simple answer, Henry VII, came from AdminMan. Beerman expanded it with: Henry VII also known as Henry Tudor. He was married to Elizabeth of01:00 Fri 08th Jun 2001

Who or what started the Crimean War

A. In answer to Gutlord1's question, in many ways it was an earlier re-run of the Cold War. It was to stop what the West perceived as the advance of Russia. Q. Where was it fought A. The Crimean01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

Which king was called Lionheart

A. Richard I (1157-99), son of Henry II. Thanks to crjoy for the question. Q. So how did he get the name A. The name of Richard Plantagenet, the warrior king, was earned through bravery, mainly in01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001