The AnswerBank Articles

Why is the Isle of Man called that

A. This lovely island, between England and Ireland, was called Mona by Caesar in 54 BC. Nennius in 858 referred to it as Eubonia, while the Welsh Annals of 1154 call it Manaw and the Scandinavian00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

There's a new Jack the Ripper

A. Yes. Or, rather, suspicions for the Victorian killings have fallen on a new suspect. Q. Who A. The Impressionist artist Walter Richard Sickert, who 20 years after the crimes painted a00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Is this the end of the Taliban

A. It certainly seems so, doesn't it Taliban forces abandoned their last bastion, fleeing the southern city of Kandahar. Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is missing - presumably in00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Who was John Foxe

A. A Protestant reformer who wrote Acts and Monuments of These Latter and Perilous Dayes, better known as the Book of Martyrs. It was an attack on the Roman Catholic church. Q. Background A. 00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Who was Dr Seuss

A. Theodore Seuss Geisel, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on 2 March 1904. His most famous creation was the marvellous Cat in the Hat. Q. Early life A. He graduated from Dartmouth College00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

George Harrison lived in some sort of fortress

A. Sadly, no. The Gothic folly Friar Park failed miserably as a fortress, which a knife-wielding intruder broke into on 30 December, 1999. He stabbed George (click here for AnswerBank00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

What are the Spitting Image people up to

A. The satirical television series came to an end in 1988. Spitting Image - lampooning current events using latex puppets - was created in 1984 by Roger Law and Peter Fluck, and ran for 18 series00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

What was unique about the death of Lieutenant Thomas E Selfridge

A. The question came from HENRY and was soon answered by incitatus: this unfortunate gentleman was the first person killed in a plane crash. I expect you'd like some more details Q. Oh yes. A. 00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

What's happening about Gibraltar

A. Simple. It's British. The Spanish want it. Gibraltar's people want to remain British. Britain needs better relations with Spain, so talks are now going on about the tiny country's sovereignty. 00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

What's happening at Stonehenge

A. The superb monument is getting an 155 million makeover. A replica will be built and the busy A303 road, which passes perilously near the Bronze Age artefact, will be diverted through a tunnel.00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

What is the Great Rift Valley

A. An awe-inspiring valley caused by a world-shattering eruption of the earth's crust which resulted in the double scar that runs over 4,000 miles from Jordan near the Dead Sea and ends near Beira,00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

How long is the Great Wall of China

A. About 4,500 miles. Q. Its course A. The wall is nearly 3,000 years old and stretches from the mountains of Korea to the Gobi Desert. It was built to protect an ancient Chinese empire from00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Who was William Pitt the elder

A. Prime Minister, 1st Earl of Chatham, know as the Great Commoner. He dominated the political scene in the mid 1700s and was a vocal critic of harsh British policy levied against the American00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Who was William Hogarth

A. William Hogarth (1697-1764) was one of the great English artists and a man of remarkably individual character and thought. Hogarth founded a whole genre of moral comment as well as being the00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Is Brighton Pavilion a royal palace

A. It was - but it isn't any more. Q. So what happened A. The magnificent pavilion, with its bizarre and beautiful cupolas and exquisite furnishings, was converted for the Prince of Wales,00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

Who built Hadrian's Wall

A. Hadrian. The wall was constructed on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian, probably during his visit to Britain in 122 AD. Over the next six years, soldiers built a wall 80 Roman miles (73 modern00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

Is Tony Blair the youngest Prime Minister

A. No. That honour falls upon William Pitt the Younger (pictured below and on our home page). Q. Who he A. Son of William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham and a great statesman. (More about00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

How important was Samuel Johnson

A. A tremendously important figure in both history and literature: A writer, a talker, a wit, a dictionary compiler - and one of the most-quoted figures. His name is forever linked to the second00:00 Thu 25th Oct 2001

What's going on at the Rose Theatre

A. Archaeologists at the Rose Theatre, London, say it's in better condition than they thought - so a campaign is being stepped up for full excavation. Q. And how important is the Rose A. 00:00 Tue 23rd Oct 2001

Who named Australia and does the word have a meaning

A. The answer, Judy, appears to be the ancient Greeks. Or the Egyptians. Or a Dutch mapmaker called Ortelius. It means southern land. Q. More please. A. The ancient Greeks were convinced the00:00 Tue 23rd Oct 2001