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Let's Build A Language
Episode 902
Rerun: Linguist L. L. Zamenhof published ‘Dr. Esperanto's International Language’ on 26th July, 1887 - and in so doing launched Esperanto, the most p…
1 year, 8 months ago
When Mao Went Swimming
Rerun: Chairman Mao Zedong swam in the Yangtze River on 25th July, 1966. Despite being in his Seventies, the leader was said by party propagandists (…
1 year, 8 months ago
Finding Machu Picchu
Episode 900
American professor Hiram Bingham "discovered" Machu Picchu on 24th July, 1911 - though he initially misidentified it as Vilcabamba, the last strongho…
1 year, 8 months ago
Who Invented The Ice Cream Cone?
Episode 899
The world’s first ice cream cone - credited by thousands of thrilled visitors was said to have occurred at the St Louis World’s Fair, on July 23rd, 1…
1 year, 8 months ago
The Roanoke Mystery
Episode 898
What happened to the ‘Lost Colony’ at Roanoke? It’s a mystery that’s intrigued American historians for centuries - and one that began on 22nd July, 1…
1 year, 8 months ago
Marathon Begat Snickers
Episode 895
Rerun: The world’s biggest-selling chocolate bar underwent a name-change in Britain on 19th July, 1990. Until then - concerned that Brits might refer…
1 year, 8 months ago
Making Voting Secret
Episode 895
Rerun: Before the Ballot Act of 18th July, 1872, the British electorate were expected to declare their preferred candidate publicly at hustings, ofte…
1 year, 8 months ago
Publishing Punch
Episode 894
Punch Magazine published its first edition on 17th July, 1841. Subtitled ‘the London Charivari’, the weekly periodical aimed to carve a niche in the …
1 year, 8 months ago
The Birth Of The Parking Meter
Episode 893
The world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16th, 1935.
Park-O-Meter No. 1 was the brainchild Carl C. Magee, who’d moved to…
1 year, 8 months ago
When London Stank
Episode 892
The ‘Great Stink’ - when the stench of untreated human and industrial waste was amplified by a particularly hot Summer - reached a peak on 15th July,…
1 year, 8 months ago