Weird and Wonderful History Week

Biddenden Maids Cake. (Public Domain)

Sisters of mercy: the Biddenden Maids

c1916: British soldiers sitting around a lamp in their trench. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

First World War

10 First World War slang words we still use today

Coca cola bottles from the 1990s

From Velcro to Viagra: 10 products that were invented by accident

c1930: a man wrestles his tamed bear. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

Bizarre England: 11 of the strangest attractions and traditions in history

6th August 1965: A scene from 'Mission to the Unknown', an episode of the popular British television sci-fi series 'Doctor Who', shows a meeting in the Dalek city on Kembel, 6th August 1965. Representatives of the seven galaxies meet and approve the Daleks' plan to conquer Earth.(Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Doctor Who through the ages

Circa 1170, The reconcilliation between Thomas a Becket and Henry II (1133 - 1189) King of England from 1154. Henry II attempted to bring the church courts under control in the same way as he managed to control the barons, but failed after the murder of Thomas a' Bec (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A brief history of gestures – from the handshake to the high-five

Musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century. (Christophel Fine Art/UIG via Getty Images)

What was life like for a court jester?

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3 curious medieval ghost stories

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A brief history of human filth

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9 eccentric monarchs through history

While young ladies may have been daydreaming of film stars such as Cary Grant, pictured here kissing the cheek of Ingrid Bergman in a publicity still for the 1946 film ‘Notorious’, agony aunts were keen to bring them back down to earth. (Photo by John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

How to be a man: tips from 1930s agony aunts

The arrival of Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), in Virginia, leading to the settlement established on Roanoke Island under John White (c.1540-93 (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke Island?

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Tutankhamun: who’s afraid of the pharaoh’s curse?