7th June: Foundation of the British Museum

The British Museum was founded on this date in 1753. Here are some things you might not know about the British Museum:

1. The British Museum began with the legacy of a physician and naturalist called Sir Hans Sloane, who died in 1753. You could say Sloane was a bit of a hoarder. At the time of his death, he had collected about 71,000 objects including some 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, natural history specimens including 337 volumes of dried plants, prints and drawings including those by Albrecht Dürer and antiquities from Sudan, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Ancient Near and Far East and the Americas. Fond of his collection, Sloane didn't want his collection broken up, so he left the whole lot to King George II.
2. Quite possibly the king didn't really know what to do with all this stuff - but either he or his advisers came up with the idea of founding a museum that belonged to the nation. Included in the new museum was Sloane's collection and also the Cottonian Library and the Harleian library, and later in 1757 the Royal Library, assembled by various British monarchs.
3. The next decision to be made was where to put all the stuff, where it could be accessible to the public. The trustees chose a converted 17th-century mansion, Montagu House, which they bought from the Montagu family for £20,000. The short list of possible museum sites also included some other now famous London landmarks: the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham House, now Buckingham Palace.
4. It wasn't long before Montagu House became woefully inadequate to house the continually growing collection. The original house was demolished and extensions built. 69 surrounding houses were purchased and demolished to make room for more museum buildings. Today, the size of the building is 75,000 m2, the equivalent of 9 Football pitches. Significant amount of the original collections have been moved to the British Library and the National Gallery.
5. Today, the British Museum's collection numbers over 8 million objects. Only 1% of these are ever on display at any one time. Over 3,000 items are lent to other museums each year - over 1,500 to UK museums and museums abroad respectively.
6. The oldest object in the collection is a stone chopping tool which is nearly 2 million years old.
7. 6.7 million people visited the Museum in 2013, making it the most successful year in its history. The most successful temporary exhibition ever was Treasures of Tutenkhamen in 1972, attracting 1,694,117 visitors.
8. Controversy has raged for years about the Elgin Marbles, a collection of marble statues acquired by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon in Athens in 1806. Greece wants them back, arguing that they were virtually stolen by the British and should be in Greece, not England. The Elgin Marbles are not the only items the Museum has been criticised for hanging on to. There are several others, including the Benin Bronzes and the Rosetta Stone. Lord Elgin maintained that if he hadn't removed the Marbles from the Parthenon, the Ottomans would use them for target practice, so nobody would be able to enjoy them. The Museum maintains that if every artefact was returned to its native country, not only would the British Museum be emptied out, but so would many other museums around the world. There has been one exception - the Tasmanian Ashes, Aboriginal human remains, were returned to Tasmania.
9. The Museum is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. A board of 25 trustees is responsible for the general management and control of the Museum. The current Director is Neil MacGregor.
10. In 2005, a hoaxer pulled the wool over the eyes of museum staff and convinced them to display what appeared to be a cave painting of a primitive man pushing a shopping trolley. It was a couple of days before they realised they'd been had and took the picture down. The hoaxer went on to become very famous as Banksy.

6th June: National Day of Sweden

Today is Sweden's National Day. So here are 10 things you might not know about Sweden:

1. Sweden is home to the largest shopping mall in Europe (the Nordstan in Gothenburg), the world's largest hemispherical building (The Stockholm Globe Arena, which houses the world's largest scale model of the Solar System) and the world's largest royal palace still used as a royal palace (The Royal Palace of Stockholm).
2. Stockholm, the capital, has been called the “Venice of the North” because it is built around water and has 12 islands and 42 bridges.
3. In August, on the third Thursday, Swedish people traditionally hold Crayfish parties. This dates back at least 100 years when Swedish authorities permitted crayfish fishing in only two months of the year, starting in August. Other traditional foods include the smörgåsbord and Swedish meatball. On a more international note, Sweden has the highest number of McDonalds restaurants per capita in Europe, and the second highest in the world.
4. Sweden has the highest number of patents granted per capita of any European country, with 271 patents per million people. Swedish inventions include the pacemaker, ultrasound, safety match, astronomical lens, marine propeller, refrigerator, tetra pak packaging and computer mouse. Sweden also gave us the games Minecraft and Candy Crush, and the Metro free newspapers for commuters began in Stockholm in 1995. By 2009, there were 56 daily editions in 19 countries in 15 languages across Europe, North and South America and Asia.
5. The world’s first ice hotel was built in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, in the 1980s by architect Yngve Bergqvist.
6. Wooden buildings in Sweden are painted deep red. The paint is Falu Rodfarg, and it contains a natural copper preservative, which protects the buildings from the severe climate.
7. A list of facts about Sweden wouldn't be complete without a mention for ABBA, the fourth best selling music act ever (after Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson). Other bands from Sweden include Roxette, Ace of Base, Europe and The Cardigans. More famous Swedes: Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and instituted the Nobel Prizes; film-maker Ingmar Bergman; actors Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman; Astrid Lindgren, who wrote the Pippi Longstocking books; Stieg Larsson, author of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (second best-selling author in 2008 and an extra bit of trivia is that he based Lisbeth Salander on Pippi Longstocking); tennis players Björn Borg and Stefan Edberg; Carl Linnaeus, who devised the two name classification of plants and animals, and came up with the name homo sapiens; and Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld, the second secretary general of the U.N.
8. IKEA is another famous Swedish name. It was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, and the name is thought to derive from his initials and the farm and village where he grew up. It is perhaps not surprising that the northernmost IKEA store in the world is in Sweden. It opened in 2006. Other well known Swedish brands include Ericsson, the world's largest manufacturer of mobile telecommunications networks, car makers Volvo and Saab, Scania trucks and Electrolux.
9. All the Tsars of Russia were descended from Swedish Vikings.
10. Sweden has the most personal computers per person of any nation in Europe (500 P.C.'s per 1,000 people) and the highest number of choirs per capita in the world.

5 June: Denmark Constitution Day

It's Denmark Constitution Day. 10 things you didn't know about Denmark:

1. Denmark has the oldest national Flag in the world still in use by an independent nation. The flag dates back to 1219. According to legend, it fell from the sky during a battle, and the Danish king caught it before it touched the ground. The Danes went on to win the battle. The truth is probably that it originated as a banner in the crusades. Denmark also has the oldest continuing monarchy in the world.
2. The country consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 islands, of which around 70 are inhabited. The Kingdom of Denmark also includes the self-governing areas of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The ice free part of Greenland is almost 10 times larger than Denmark itself.
3. One of the most famous products to originate in Denmark is Lego. The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. The word LEGO is derived from the Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well." By coincidence, the same word means "I put together" in Latin, and "I connect" in Italian. In 2014 the LEGO Group became the world's largest toy company by market value.
4. The weather isn't always great in Denmark. It rains on average 171 days each year - that's Snow or rain every other day. It gets windy, too: the average wind speed is 13 miles per hour (5.8 m/sec). During Hurricane Allan in 2013, wind speeds of 88 miles per hour (142 km/h) and gusts of 119 miles per hour (193 km/h) were registered.
5. Despite the weather, Denmark is rated as the happiest country in the world in which to live. It is also rated the least corrupt country in the world.
6. The Danish alphabet has three letters not found in the English alphabet: Æ, Ø, Å. They are all vowels and come after the letter Z in the alphabet.
7. The oldest and longest pedestrian street in the world is in Copenhagen. Strøget is almost 2 miles (3.2 km) long.
8. The first Danish newspaper was founded in 1666 and was written entirely in verse.
9. Famous people from Denmark include: Knud Rasmussen, the first European to cross the Northwest Passage by dog sled, fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen; Karen Blixen, also known by her nom de plume Isak Dinesen, author of Out of Africa; philosopher Søren Kierkegaard who is known as the Father of Existentialism; and Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
10. The Great Dane breed of dog originally came from Germany and not from Denmark.

4th June: Tonga Independence Day

It's Emancipation Day in Tonga, which commemorates independence from Britain in 1970. Here are 10 things you might not know about Tonga:

1. Tonga is a Polynesian archipelago consisting of 177 islands of which just 52 are inhabited. It is situated just east of the International dateline, and so Tonga is the first nation in the world to see in the new year.
2. The population is 103,000, seventy percent of which live on the main island, Tongatapu. The capital city is Nuku'alofa. Twice as many Tongans live abroad, mainly in the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
3. Tonga means "south" in Tongan and other Polynesian languages. Tonga was also known as "The Friendly Islands" by Captain Cook, because he received such a warm welcome there - although according to the writer William Mariner, the friendliness was just for show; the chiefs actually wanted to kill Cook but could not agree on a plan.
4. A very important historical figure in Tonga is Tāufaʻāhau, the warrior, strategist, and orator who united Tonga into a kingdom in 1845. He adopted the name Siaosi, which is the Tongan equivalent of George, after King George III. Tāufaʻāhau declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy, and it remains so to this day. He abolished serfdom and limited the power of the chiefs. During a trip to Australia and New Zealand in 1853, he saw beggars, and when he asked about them, he was told that they were unable to work because they had no land. Tāufaʻāhau went home and added a clause to the constitution stating that land in Tonga could only be given to natural-born Tongans and not sold to outsiders. This is still the case today.
5. The highest point in Tonga is an extinct volcano (1,046 m) on the island of Kao.
6. The flag of Tonga is red with a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner, which contains a red cross. The cross reflects the deep-rooted Christianity in Tonga; red represents the blood of Christ and his sacrifice; white signifies purity.
7. Observance of the Sabbath is written in to the Tongan constitution, so by law, no commerce or entertainment is allowed from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday. The constitution declares the Sabbath sacred forever.
8. Flying foxes and small Bats are the only land mammals native to Tonga.
9. Tattoos are traditional for Tongan men - in Captain Cook's time most of the men would have lots of tattoos. The only man who didn't would be the king, because his high rank meant that nobody was allowed to touch him.
10. Men in Tonga traditionally did all the cooking. Cooking was deemed to be too hot and heavy work for women to do. Working the fields was considered men's work as well. Women looked after children, gathered seashells and wove clothing, bedding and mats.

3rd June: Day of the Quail

Today is the Day of the Quail in the French Revolutionary Calendar. 10 things you may not know about these birds:

1. The quail is a relative of the Pheasant. There are 130 types of quail worldwide.
2. Quail produce high pitched sounds, cackles and grunts that are used for communication. Their cries have given rise to a number of folklore tales: hearing quail in the evening means good weather next day. In Tyrol, the number of quail cries you hear is the number of years before you will marry, while in Swabia, the price of corn was decided by the number of times the quail cried.
3. Quail can lay 10 to 20 eggs at one time. If you find a nest with exactly twelve eggs in it, that is a sign of prosperity.
4. They are omnivores. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, leaves, wheat, barley, berries and occasionally grasshoppers and worms.
5. Many species of quail have a crest or plume on their heads, which bobs when they walk. Some species of quail are equipped with heel spurs - bony structures used for protection against predators.
6. They are ground birds, living and nesting on the ground. They can fly, but only short distances and generally choose not to. When threatened, they run. Which can be very annoying when they try to run away from your car, straight up the road ahead of you!
7. Sometimes they are solitary, or they may be found in family groups called coveys. Quail families are strict about mealtimes - 30 minutes after sunrise and 30 minutes before sunset, and in the same place every day. When eating in a covey, one individual acts as a lookout to alert the others to any danger.
8. The state bird of California is the California quail. Quail are also used as clan animals in some Native American tribes. The Mohave tribe has a quail clan. Some tribes, including the Creek and Cherokee, have a Quail Dance.
9. An old wives tale exists that quail meat is so rich that if you ate one every day for 30 days it would kill you. In 1958, a Texas lawyer named Byron Lockhart set out to disprove this. He ate broiled quail for breakfast for 31 days and survived, although he did put on six pounds.
10. In German folklore, farmers would keep quail as protection against Lightning.   

2nd June: Republic Day, Italy

Today is Republic Day in Italy, so here are 10 things you might not know about Italy:

1. Europe has only three active volcanoes, and they are all in Italy - Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius. Mount Etna is the world's most active volcano. It has been in quasi uninterrupted eruption for the past 3,500 years, and emits lava on a daily basis.
2. Italy is famous for its food, in particular pasta (dried pasta was introduced to Italy by the Arabs in the thirteenth century and it was originally a sweet dish eaten with Honey and sugar. There are over 500 different types of pasta in Italy); Ice cream (via the Chinese); Pizza (the ancient Romans ate a type of pizza, but it didn't become a popular export until the first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, opened in Naples in 1830) and tiramisu, which isn't so ancient - it was invented in the 1970s - the word means "pick-me-up" or "make me happy".
3. Italy is home to the largest - Christian edifice in the world (St Peter's Basilica in Rome); the largest brick dome ever constructed (Florence Cathedral) and the largest painting on canvas (Tintoretto's Paradise in the Doge's Palace in Venice: 22.6 by 9.1 metres or 74 ft by 30 ft).
4. Italy gave us the word magenta (after the Battle of Magenta in Lombardy in 1859); and the word ghetto (the foundry quarter of Venice, known as the 'ghèto' (slag) in Venetian, where Jewish people lived in the 16th century); and Italian inventions include the mechanical clock, the barometer, the thermometer and optical glasses. Violins and Opera also originated in Italy.
5. Italy is the birthplace of banking as we know it today. Europe's first modern banks appeared in Genoa in the 12th century. The first recorded public bond (1150) and the earliest known foreign exchange contract (1156) both came from Genoa. The world's oldest bank still in business is the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, operating since 1472.
6. Venice was once a country in its own right and holds the record for being the world's longest lasting republic. The Republic of Venice was founded in 697 and was dissolved by Napoleon in 1797, 1,100 years later.
7. The Italian flag is three vertical stripes, Green, white, and red, representing hope, faith, and charity. Some say the green represents the Italian landscape, white represents the snow-capped Alps, and red represents the bloodshed that brought about the independence of Italy. The design of the flag was heavily influenced by the flag of France.
8. The longest river in Italy is the Po. The highest peak is Monte Bianco (White Mountain) is 15,771 feet high. It is part of the Alps and is also the highest peak in Europe.
9. Romans are Cat lovers. In Rome, killing a cat is punishable by a 10,000 euro fine, and up to 3 years in prison. Cats are considered a bio-cultural asset to the city and while people are not allowed to clamber on the ruins, the cats can. The wolf is the national animal, though.
10. Before the 8th century BC, Italy was part of Greece. The city of Syracuse in Sicily was once the largest Ancient Greek city in the world, and even the name of the country arises from its Greek heritage. The name "Italy" comes from Greek "italos", which means calf. because the bull was a symbol of the Southern Italian tribes.

1st June: Mint Julep Day

Today is Mint Julep Day at New College Oxford. 10 things you may not know about mint juleps:

1. In the US, Mint Julep Day is in May - but we Brits have our own celebration on June 1st, dating from 1845, when William Trapier, an American planter from South Carolina introduced Fellows of New College, Oxford to the drink. The tradition continued until 1945. More recently, in 2013, New College passed a motion to reinstate Mint Julep Day and to appoint a Mint Julep Quartermaster or mistress to organise it. The motion passed unopposed although with a few changes - a different name for the role, and a formal interview process.
2. What is a mint julep anyway? It's a cocktail, made from bourbon, Water, ice, and Mint, traditionally spearmint.
3. In the 19th century, mint juleps were often made with Gin.
4. It was originally a drink for medicinal purposes. The word "julep" means a sweet drink, and derives from the Persian word Golâb, meaning rose water. It was prescribed in the 18th century for stomach upsets.
5. Mint juleps were traditionally served in Silver or pewter cups which would be carefully handled - held only at the bottom or the top edges, so that frost could form on the cup. Nowadays, they are usually sold in tall glasses.
6. Mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Racegoers quaff around 120,000 of them, in special collectible glasses.
7. If you're feeling particularly flash you can buy the special $1,000 version - served in a gold-plated cup with a silver straw, made from Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint imported from Ireland, spring water ice cubes from the Bavarian Alps, and sugar from Australia. Proceeds from sales of these drinks support charities which look after retired racehorses.
8. The Kentucky Derby was also the venue for the world's largest mint julep glass in 2008. It was 6-foot (1.8 m) tall (7.5-foot (2.3 m) with the mint sprig added). It had a capacity of 206 US gallons, and had a pumping system inside the "straw" to distribute the drinks.
9. J. Soule Smith, a Kentucky newspaperman, wrote an ode to the julep in the 1890s. Its first verse reads: “Then comes the zenith of man’s pleasure./Then comes the julep - the mint julep./Who has not tasted one has lived in vain./The honey of Hymettus brought no such solace to the soul;/ the nectar of the gods is tame beside it./ It is the very dream of drinks, the vision of sweet quaffings.”
10. There is also a rhythm and blues song called One Mint Julep. The song was written by Rudy Toombs and was a hit for the Clovers. It is about a young man who falls for a woman and suddenly realises he has a ring on his finger a few years down the line. "I don't want to bore you, with my trouble," he laments, "But from now on I'll be thinking double." He reminisces that "it all started with one mint julep."