The AnswerBank Articles

What's been going on in Alderney

A. Riotous behaviour in the peaceful Channel Island haven. An angry mob of 30 drinkers besieged the only police station on Alderney after a man was arrested for alleged drink-driving. Stones were00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

It's goodbye-ee to Dagenham Dud

A. Sadly, yes. Dudley Moore, the comic actor whose double-act with Peter Cook heralded the 1960s satire boom, has died after a three-year battle against a rare brain disorder. He was 66. The illness00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Condoleezza Rice - the next president

A. I wouldn't go that far. I think George W Bush probably wants to be the next president. But it seems likely that Dr Rice - known as Condi - will run as vice-president if Dick Cheney steps down. 00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

What happened to the Lost Colony

A. Nobody knows for sure. They probably moved and starved to death, or were killed by Native Americans - or were assimilated into a local tribe. Q. First, I think you'd better explain who they00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

What is the cathedral of Fleet Street

A. It's a fancy name - no doubt given by one of the denizens of Fleet Street - for the magnificent St Bride's Church. It is know as the printers' church and the reporters' church. And it is there00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Who is the Afghan girl

A. Her name is Sharbat Gula - and she's just been found after a long and complicated search. Q. And she's famous A. Yes - but she didn't know it. Her image was captured by Steve McCurry, a00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

What was the house built on guano

A. Not the most elegant turn of phrase, but you must be referring to Tyntesfield, built with the fortune made by William Gibbs, who shipped bird droppings from Peru for use as fertiliser. Q. And00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

So the Black Diaries are genuine

A. So it would seem. The so-called Black Diaries of Sir Roger Casement - British traitor and Irish hero - had for years been suspected as forgeries. Now after 86 years of arguments, they have been00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Who was Little Edie

A. Edith Bouvier Beale, a reclusive model and singer devoted to her mother, who has just died aged 84. Edith was a cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and, most famously, the resident of Grey00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Who was Claire Chennault

A. American hero in the air war against the Japanese. He was recruited with other Americans as an instructor and adviser for the Chinese Air Force in 1937. Q. Background A. Born in Commerce,00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Did Edward II really die so horribly

A. So it would seem. Waterwolf wanted to know: Did Edward II really die from a hot poker shoved up his back passage As Answerbank friend Incitatus replied, he died in the dungeons of Berkeley00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

What really happened to Harold Holt

A. Harold Edward Holt was the Australian Prime Minister who vanished. Most likely he drowned, but some say he was a Communist spy, spirited away to the mysterious East. Q. A bit more background00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Where is Princess Margaret buried

A. It's a delicate question that doesn't seem to have a precise answer at the time of writing. Broadly speaking, the princess left instructions to be cremated and her ashes put next to the coffin00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

How did Bognor Regis get its name

A. The question came from dmbr34937 and was answered briefly by Answerbank pal incitatus. As he says, the royal title was bestowed by King George V. Q. Why A. In January, 1929, Buckingham00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

Who was General Tom Thumb

A. An American entertainer - real name Charles Sherwood Stratton. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on 4 January, 1838, the son of a carpenter. Q. And what was unusual about him A. 00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

What is this 'holy grail' of coins that's just been found

A. It hasn't just been found - but a London coin dealer has just won the right to sell it. Q. So what is it A. It's an American double eagle, a gold $20 piece that was smuggled out of the US00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Salt Lake City - venue for the Winter Olympics. It's an interesting place

A. A lot more interesting than you'd imagine. Salt Lake City - the largest city ever to host winter Olympic games - was built by Mormons and has been tainted with the religious tag for a long time.00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Who invented vaccinations

A. Nobody knows for sure, but the man who made them popular was Edward Jenner, an English doctor. Q. How A. The idea came from the East, where it had been known for centuries. Lady Mary00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Who will be the one to unite and rule Afghanistan

A. The smart money is on Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's interim leader. He is tipped to become the fully-fledged prime minister of the country in a vore by the tribal council - Loya Jirga - later this00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

A tale of two princesses

Q. Why was the Dutch princess's love story so much happier than that of the UK's Margaret asked Seeker. A. They're two different families, I suppose - although there are some blood ties. And00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002