22nd May: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, was born on this date in 1859. Here are 10 things you may not know about him:

1. Technically, his surname is simply "Doyle", not "Conan Doyle". Conan, along with Ignatius, is his middle name.
2. Doyle was a qualified doctor as well as an author, and wrote stories while studying. Twice he tried to set up medical practices which didn't attract many patients, allowing him time to write.
3. He served as a ship's doctor on two vessels, the Greenland whaler Hope of Peterhead in 1880 and the SS Mayumba in 1881.
4. Doyle was a keen sportsman. He played Football and was goalkeeper for Portsmouth Association Football Club, using the name A.C. Smith. He played cricket, too, for Marylebone Cricket Club, and although as a bowler, he only ever took one first-class wicket, it just happened to be against W.G. Grace. He was also captain of the Crowborough Beacon Golf Club, East Sussex in 1910.
5. He didn't just write fiction. He supported political causes, such as reform of the Congo Free State, and wrote pamphlets to support them. He believed that he was knighted, not for services to literature, but because of an essay he wrote justifying the UK's involvement in the Boer War.
6. Not all of his fiction had Sherlock Holmes in it, either. He wrote about another character called Professor Challenger, and stories about the mystery of the Mary Celeste.
7. He also took on legal cases - he investigated two cases which he believed to be miscarriages of justice, leading to two men being exonerated of the crimes they were accused of. His work indirectly led to the establishment of the Court of Appeal in 1907.
8. Doyle's interest in spiritualism is believed to have started after the deaths of several members of his family. Although taken in by hoaxes on occasion, such as the Cottingley Fairies, he continued to believe. An American historian called Richard Milner believes that Doyle was behind the Piltdown Man hoax in 1912, his motive being to get revenge on the scientific community for debunking one of Doyle's favourite psychics. According to Milner, there are encrypted clues in the publication The Lost World that point to Doyle's involvement in the hoax.
9. His belief in the supernatural was so strong that he was willing to lose friendships over it. He was convinced that his friend Harry Houdini had supernatural powers and wrote about it. Houdini tried to convince Doyle that the things he did were purely and simply illusions, but Doyle wasn't having any of it. They very publicly fell out after that.
10. The epitaph on his gravestone reads: "Steel true/Blade straight/Arthur Conan Doyle/ Knight/ Patriot, Physician, and man of letters".

May 21st: Elizabeth Fry

On this date in 1780 (two days after Dark Day!) Elizabeth Gurney was born. At 20, she married Joseph Fry and became Elizabeth Fry. She is best known for prison reform. Since 2002, she has been depicted on the Bank of England £5 note. Here are 10 things you may not know about Elizabeth Fry:

1. Her father and husband were both bankers, and on her mother's side is related to the Barclays, who founded Barclays bank.
2. Although most famous for prison reform, she also founded a homeless shelter and a school for nurses. The latter inspired Florence Nightingale, who chose nurses trained at Fry's school to go with her to the Crimean War.
3. Elizabeth Fry found time to do all her humanitarian work despite having eleven children!
4. She was also a Quaker minister.
5. Elizabeth Fry was the first woman to give evidence to Parliament when, in 1818, she spoke to a House of Commons committee about conditions in British prisons.
6. During her lifetime, she had some high profile and influential admirers who took interest in her work, including Robert Peel, the King of Prussia and Queen Victoria.
7. On the £5 note, she is shown reading to prisoners at Newgate prison, and the design includes a key, recognising the fact that she was awarded a key to the prison in recognition of her work.
8. In 2002, on Elizabeth Fry's birthday, the then new £5 note was temporarily suspended by the Bank of England because the serial numbers could be rubbed off the varnished paper.
9. There is a Terracotta bust of her in the gatehouse of HMP Wormwood Scrubs and a stone statue of her in the Old Bailey.
10. When she died in 1845, over a thousand people attended her funeral. Seamen of the Ramsgate Coast Guard flew their flag at half mast, something they had only ever done for reigning monarchs before. Then, the Lord Mayor of London proposed an asylum, the Elizabeth Fry Refuge, in her memory to be built in Hackney.

20th May: Shoe Superstitions

My research threw up two footwear related anniversaries for today. In 1310 Shoes were first made for both right and left feet, and Moccasins were patented in 1825. Looking for information related to shoes, I came across any number of superstitions related to shoes, many of which even seemed to contradict each other.  Here are 10 shoe related superstitions:

1. A common superstition regarding shoes is the one about not putting shoes on the table, not even brand new ones still in their box. The type of misfortune this can attract includes death by hanging, family feuds, quarrels with your partner, loss of your job, or your soul falling off the table and into hell when it climbs onto the table to get the shoes. If you forget and put shoes on the table you can ward off the bad luck by putting the shoes back on the floor before putting them on.
2. Burning old shoes in some cultures brings bad luck - in others burning your shoes brings good fortune, especially if you put salt and pepper in them first. If you're unlucky enough to have had a Voodoo curse put on you then burning your shoes will break the spell. Wafting the smoke through your house will get rid of evil spirits. Breathing in the smoke is said to cure toothache; smoking the ashes in a pipe cures asthma; putting the ashes in water and drinking it cures backache; mix the ash with lard to make salve for sores.
3. You can use your shoes to find out who you will marry. Put a four leaf clover in the heel of your left shoe and you will marry the first man (or woman) you meet. If you can't find a four leafed clover a piece of fern in the toe works just as well. Or, before you go to bed, put the heel of one shoe against the instep of the other, and make the last thing you say before going to sleep, "Hoping this night, my true love to see, I place my shoe in the form of a T" and you will dream about your future spouse.
4. Once you've met the person of your dreams, and have had sex with them, taking a piece of sheet from the bed you did it in, wash yourself with it, and wear it in the toe of your shoe and they will stay faithful to you. Or, you can take a lock of their hair, put it in a piece of cloth, fold it towards you and put that in your shoe, to ensure that they will follow you anywhere.
5. Practitioners of Voodoo use shoes to solve murders, specifically shoes belonging to a baby who is less than a year old; a little girl if the victim was a woman, and a boy if it was a man. After the burial, they would dig down into the grave, close to the heart of the victim, but without touching the coffin. A handful of dirt from the bottom of the hole would be placed in the baby shoe, which would be burned at midnight. with an invocation to the spirit of the victim. They would then dig another hole at the grave and bury the ashes. Within days, the murderer would supposedly reveal him or herself.
6. Throwing shoes at people who are setting out on a journey is supposed to be lucky. A less painful way of ensuring nothing bad happens on your trip is to drop an old shoe outside your front door as as you leave.
7. Wear old shoes for luck on Friday 13th.
8. If your shoelaces come undone while you are walking around it means someone is thinking or talking about you. If it's the right shoe, they are saying nice things; if it is the left, they are speaking evil of you.
9. It is unlucky to give shoes as a gift, because it means that person will walk out of your life.
10. If a groom buckles his bride's left shoe on their wedding day, she will be in control of the marriage.

May 19: Dark Day

Dark Day: On this date in 1780, parts of New England and Eastern Canada experienced an unexplained darkening of the daytime sky. It wasn't an eclipse, but it got so dark that birds went to roost and nocturnal frogs started coming out. Some people thought it might be Judgement Day. Those who worked for Abraham Davenport, a member of the Connecticut Legislature were disappointed if they thought they might get the day off work. He famously commented, "I am against adjournment. The day of judgement is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought." Here are 10 darkness quotes:

1. Maybe you have to know darkness before you can appreciate the light. Madeleine L’Engle
2. God created night but man created darkness.
3. It’s better to light one candle than to grumble about the dark.
4. Even in darkness, a keen spirit discovers light.
5. Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is dark.
6. People are like stained glass windows; they sparkle and shine when the sun is out but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.
7. The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime. Sir Edward Grey (1914)
8. Darkness is caused by things coming between you and the light Mark Shirey
9. When it gets dark enough you can see the stars. Lee Salk
10. The darkest hour only has 60 minutes.

May 18th: Omar Khayyám

This date in 1048 saw the birth of the poet Omar Khayyám, whose philosophy of life seemed to be, don't worry, be happy and drink lots of wine - so here are 10 quotes by him.

1. Drink wine. This is life eternal. This is all that youth will give you. It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends. Be happy for this moment. Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.
2. The moving finger writes, and having written moves on. Nor all thy piety nor all thy wit, can cancel half a line of it.
3. Drinking to the moment is better than weeping for it.
4. Dead yesterdays and unborn tomorrows, why fret about it, if today be sweet.
5. When you have planted the rose of Love into your heart your life has not been in vain.
6. Drink! for you know not whence you came nor why: drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.
7. Living Life Tomorrow's fate, though thou be wise, Thou canst not tell nor yet surmise; Pass, therefore, not today in vain, For it will never come again.
8. When once you hear the roses are in bloom, Then is the time, my love, to pour the wine.
9. The day on which you are without passionate love is the most wasted day of your life.
10. Cast off thy care, leave Allah’s plans to him – He formed them all without consulting thee.

17th May: International Chocolate Day

Today is International Chocolate Day - a good excuse to eat chocolate and read 10 things you may not know about chocolate.

1. It's not entirely certain whether the word "chocolate" comes from the Aztec word for "bitter water" or the Mayan word for "hot water". It is known that both civilizations consumed chocolate as a drink. The Mayans liked it hot and bitter while the Aztecs drank it cold and added spices, chilli peppers, vanilla and honey. Archaeologists have found evidence that cacao beans were fermented to produce an alcoholic drink.
2. Chocolate is made from the cacao bean. The cacao bean naturally contains almost 300 different flavours and 400 separate aromas. To make a pound of chocolate, you'd need 400 of them. White chocolate isn't technically chocolate at all because it doesn't have any cacao in it.
3. Cacao trees can live to be 200 years old - but only produce marketable beans for 25 years. The trees need a tropical climate - 75% of the world's cacao trees grow within 8 degrees of the equator. Today, most of the world's chocolate is grown in Africa - 66%. Cote d'Ivoire is the single largest producer of cocoa, providing roughly 40% of the world’s supply.
4. The Aztecs weren't able to grow cacao in the Mexican highlands where they lived, so to them, it was an imported luxury, while the Mayans could grow the trees in their gardens. Cocoa beans were often used as currency - with forgeries sometimes made from painted clay. You could buy a turkey for 20 beans.
5. The cacao crop was so important to the Mayans that chocolate became almost a religion. They used chocolate at baptisms and marriages, and as a substitute for blood in some ceremonies (is that where Alfred Hitchcock got the idea of using chocolate syrup in the Psycho shower scene, I wonder?) Kings would be buried with jars of chocolate. The notorious Mayan human sacrifices were frequently for the purpose of ensuring a good cacao harvest. The victim would have to drink a cup of chocolate mixed with blood so that his or her heart would turn into a cacao pod.
6. According to Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatl brought cacao to earth, but wasn't supposed to give it to the humans. He was cast out of heaven for doing so. The legend says that as he was cast out, he vowed to return one day as a fair-skinned bearded man who would save the earth.
7. Never feed chocolate to your dog! Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, cats and probably birds. The reason? Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which dogs and cats cannot digest quickly enough. If your dog scoffs your chocolate supply, take it to the vet (the dog, not the chocolate!) Cats cannot taste sweet food, so they're unlikely to be attracted to the chocolate in the first place.
8. The people who eat the most chocolate are the Swiss, who eat 22lb each every year. Australians eat 20lb and in Ireland people eat 19lb a year.
9. Dark chocolate is good for you. Research has found that it increased blood flow to the brain and so improves memory, attention span, reaction time and problem solving skills; improves vision in low contrast conditions and lowers blood pressure. One study concluded that women who eat chocolate have a better sex life (although I wonder if they actually eat chocolate because of the good sex life - because they have a really nice partner who buys them lots of chocolate...)
10. The biggest chocolate sculpture ever made was a 4,484 lb, 10 foot high Easter egg, constructed in Melbourne, Australia.

16th May: The first Academy Awards

The first academy awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. It was at a private dinner for just 270 people (now it's estimated that 700 million people watch it around the world). Tickets cost $5 (equivalent of $65 today). The ceremony lasted just 15 minutes. Here are 10 things you may not know about the Oscars:

1. An Oscar statuette's vital statistics are - 34cm (13 and a half inches) tall, five and a quarter inches is the diameter of the base, and it weighs 3kg (eight and a half pounds). It depicts a knight standing on a film reel and holding a sword. The reel has five spokes, which represent the five original branches of the Academy (writers, technicians, producers, actors and directors). They are made from gold plated britannia metal although the first ones were gold plated bronze. During World War II they were made out of plaster because of the metal shortages.
2. The designer of the statue was Cedric Gibbons, who was the Chief Art Director at MGM. He persuaded actor/director Emilio Fernandez to pose nude for his design. Gibbons went on to win 11 of the statuettes himself for design.
3. The youngest Oscar winner was Tatum O'Neal, who won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon in 1973, when she was ten. The oldest is Christopher Plummer who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Beginners in 2010. He was 82. The oldest person ever to be nominated was Gloria Stuart, who was 87 when nominated for playing the old Rose in Titanic in 1997.
4. The most nominated films are Titanic and All About Eve with 14 each. The most Oscars to be won by a film is 11, which has been achieved by three films: Ben-Hur, Titanic and Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.
5. Katherine Hepburn is the actress who has won the most Oscars - she won four. Meryl Streep has been nominated the most times for acting awards - 16. The male actor to receive the most nominations is Jack Nicholson with 12. However, the person to receive the most nominations ever is a composer - John Williams, who has been nominated 49 times. The person who won the most is not an actor, either - it's Walt Disney, who won a whopping 32.
6. Songs from stage musicals are not eligible for a Best Song Oscar.
7. In 2000, 55 Oscars were stolen. 53 of them were returned or found, but two of them are still out there.
8. The first winner was Emil Jannings, who won Best Actor for The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. It was 34 years before the first black actor won - Sidney Poitier, for Lilies Of The Field in 1963, although the first black actress winner was a few years before that - Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for Gone With The Wind in 1940.
9. Since 1950, winners are required to sign a form promising not to sell their Oscar without offering it to the Academy first for a measly one dollar. However, pre-1950 winners have no such restriction, and Harold Russell sold his in 1992 for $60,500. He used the money to pay his wife's medical bills.
10. The opening of a sealed envelope to find out the winner dates from 1941, and was introduced because the year before, the LA Times had broken the embargo and published the names of all the winners before the ceremony.