Q&A

A typewriter. (Photo by Dreamstime)

Q&A: Who invented the ‘QWERTY’ typewriter layout?

(Photo by Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo)

Who were ‘Stella’ and ‘Fanny’?

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Q&A: Could Roman slaves buy their own freedom?

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Q&A: How did the Normans learn to build castles?

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Pyramids at Giza. (DEA/A Vergani/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Ancient Egyptian family trees: are present-day Egyptians the descendants of the ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids?

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How could the son of Henry VIII become Edward VI?

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What religion was practised by the people of Lithuania before their conversion to Christianity in the 14th century?

19 November 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers arriving on the Mayflower and landing in New England, where they founded the Plymouth Colony. Original artwork: painting by Charles Lucy. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)

It is claimed that the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth but I’ve also heard that they started in Boston, Lincolnshire. Which is correct?

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Why are kissing gates so called and what is their significance as entrances to graveyards?

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First World War

What is the origin of the phrase ‘to blow smoke up someone’s arse’?

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Who was the first ever teenage heartthrob?

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Q&A: Why is Portugal known as Britain’s oldest ally?

Gaol fever illustration.

What is gaol fever and how was it caused and spread?

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Q&A: Who was Eadnoth the Staller?