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The US singer who became the Soviet Union’s Red Elvis
In 1966, at the height of the Cold War, American singer Dean Reed became the first western rock and roll star to tour the Soviet Union.
His visit was…
2 years, 7 months ago
The birth of Barbie
The first Barbie doll was sold in 1959.
It took Ruth Handler, who created it, years to convince her male colleagues that it would sell.
The plastic cr…
2 years, 7 months ago
Japan surrenders in China
In the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire. The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Be…
2 years, 7 months ago
The ‘Barricades’ of Latvia
In January 1991, more than half a million people protested in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. They wanted to stop Soviet troops taking over importa…
2 years, 7 months ago
Tamoxifen: Breast cancer ‘wonder drug’
The story of how tamoxifen went from a failed contraceptive pill, to being used to prevent and treat breast cancer around the world.
It was the first…
2 years, 7 months ago
Creating the first emoji
In 1999, Japanese software developer Shigetaka Kurita created the first emoji.
The umbrella was one of 176 original images, featuring weather, transp…
2 years, 7 months ago
When disposable nappies were invented
In 1947, after the birth of her third child, Valerie Hunter Gordon, from Surrey decided she was sick of the drudgery of cloth nappies. She came up wi…
2 years, 7 months ago
Inventing Rubik’s Cube
In 1974, a Hungarian architect, Ernő Rubik invented his very popular puzzle.
Nearly 50 years later, more than 450 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sol…
2 years, 7 months ago
Invention of the ballpoint pen
In 1938, László Bíró, a Hungarian journalist, invented the ballpoint pen, because he was sick of smudging the ink from his fountain pen.
Inspired by t…
2 years, 8 months ago
A right royal night out
The tale of an extraordinary night at a legendary British gay pub.
Princess Diana, disguised as a man, along with star broadcaster Kenny Everett and Q…
2 years, 8 months ago