22 September: 10 Downing Street

Robert Walpole took up residence in 10 Downing Street on this date in 1735. 10 things you might not know about Number Ten:

1. Why is the street called Downing Street in the first place? The street name dates back to the 17th century when King Charles II gave the lease to the land adjacent to Whitehall to Sir George Downing. He was the archetypal greedy developer who had 15-20 houses built there, as cheaply as possible. The deeds to the land eventually reverted back to the crown, so George II could give it to Robert Walpole. There had been buildings on the site before that - a brewery owned by the Abbot of Abingdon (so when we say today's politicians couldn't organise a p*** up in a brewery, it's truer than we think), and after that a house granted by Queen Elizabeth I to her favourite Thomas Knyvet in 1581 (He was later to become the man who arrested Guy Fawkes). This house later became the property of the Hampden family and was called Hampden House.
2. At that time, number 10 was number 5 - it became number 10 when the street was renumbered in 1779.
3. The last private occupant of the terrace which comprises 10 Downing Street was called Mr. Chicken. Robert Walpole persuaded him to move out in the 1730s.
4. The famous Black front door was Green for a while. In 1908, Herbert Henry Asquith had it painted dark green, possibly as a result of the influence of his wife, Emma. However, when Asquith left office, the door was repainted in its original black. More about the door - the "0" in the number 10 on the door is sometimes said to look wonky. Experts believe that this is because it's not a zero but a capital O. There are actually two doors, both steel reinforced blast proof doors following an IRA attack in 1991. When the door needs repainting, every couple of years, it's removed and replaced by the other one.
5. The bricks in the facade were originally Yellow, but years of pollution turned them black. When the building was cleaned as part of rennovations after WWII the original colour was rediscovered. However, because people were familiar with the black facade, the bricks were painted black again.
6. Number Ten is bigger than it looks from the outside. It has 100 rooms and a half acre garden. The original cheapskate house George Downing had built is now no more than a passageway to a grander residence at the back. One room houses an extensive art collection and the name of this room changes every time it gets redecorated. Since Margaret Thatcher's time it has been the Blue Room, the Green Room and the Terracotta Room.
7. Although 10 Downing Street is officially the residence of the Prime Minister, every prime minister from Tony Blair to Theresa May lived at number 11, a trend startes by Tony Blair because the flat above number 11 was bigger and more suitable for his family. When Gordon Brown took over he moved into number 11, although he did move back into number 10 later. David Cameron and Theresa May both lived at number 11.
8. There has been a long tradition of number 10 having a resident Cat. The tradition no doubt began as a way to keep rodents at bay. The cat has a title, "Chief Mouser". At time of writing the present encumbent is Larry, a rescue cat who has been there since 2011, who was the first cat to be given the official title. He allegendly spends more time sleeping and fighting with the cat next door, the Chancellor's Chief Mouser, Palmerston. The cat which clocked up the longest tenure as Chief Mouser was Wilberforce, who served from 1970 to 1988.
9. The front door cannot be opened from the outside. There are back entrances for staff and residents to use. There is a security officer posted to watch the CCTV pointed at the door 24/7, which is why the door always opens whenever a dignitary shows up. The letterbox is just for show, too.
10. One prime minister died there, and another had surgery. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman resigned due to ill health in 1908. He was so ill he couldn't be moved and died at number 10. His last words were "This is not the end of me." William Pitt the younger chose to have a cyst removed from his face at number 10 rather than go to hospital.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

21 September: Red Panda Day

The third Saturday in September is International Red Panda Day. Here are ten things you might not know about red pandas.

1. They're not actually pandas, nor are they even closely related to them. Scientists have only recently decided that they're actually closer relatives of Raccoons and skunks than pandas.
2. So why call it a panda when it's not a panda? It possibly comes from a Nepali word, ponya, which means bamboo or plant eating animal. The scientific name for red pandas is Ailurus fulgens, which means fire-coloured cat. It's possible that the giant panda even got its name because of similarities to the red panda. They go by other names, too. When Europeans first found them, they called them parti-coloured bears, and one naturalist propsed to call the animal the wha. One alternative name for them is firefox - and Mozilla named their browser after them. They'd wanted to call it Firebird but another company was already using that.
3. They are similar to pandas, however, in their diet. They mainly eat Bamboo leaves, and sometimes fruit and flowers. So despite belonging to the Order Carnivora, they are mostly vegetarian, although they have been known on rare occasions to eat eggs, insects or small birds and mammals. They spend 13 hours a day eating.
4. They are native to the temperate forests of the Himalayas and range in the wild as far as Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar and parts of China and India.
5. They seem to be good at escaping from zoos, to the extent that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums states in its official manual "beware: red pandas are escape artists." One escapee, Rusty, got out of his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo when heavy rain pushed a tree branch over the electric fence. His escape caused a storm on Twitter (#findrusty) and he was eventually found safe and well and returned to the zoo. Another, Babu, escaped from a zoo in Birmingham in 2005 and as a result of the media coverage his escape got, he became the first animal to be named "Brummie of the Year". Not all red pandas have been so lucky. Another, which escaped from a Rotterdam zoo in 1978, was found dead. However, even after the unfortunate creature was found, people kept calling in to say they'd seen it. This led to scientists calling the phenomena in which people see something they expect to see, even though it's highly unlikely, the Red Panda Effect.
6. A red panda is about the size of a domestic Cat, with large, round heads and pointed ears. They have long, bushy, ringed tails. They also have a wrist bone which acts like a thumb to help them climb trees and grasp their food. Giant pandas also have this feature.
7. They are solitary and territorial, and mark their territory with a strong odour produced by a scent gland under their tail. Like their relatives the skunks, they can also produce the scent when attacked by a predator.
8. The sound they make is described as twittering, tweeting and whistling.
9. They are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. They mostly sleep during the day, ideally in a sunny spot. If it's chilly, they'll sleep wrapped in their fluffy tails.
10. The red panda is the state animal of Sikkim and the mascot of the Darjeeling Tea Festival. The most famous fictional red panda is probably Master Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda movies.

See also: Pandas

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

September 20: Treat Yourself to a New Toothbrush Day

As today is Treat Yourself to a New Toothbrush Day, here are 10 facts about toothbrushes.

1. Before toothbrushes were invented, people would use twigs, bones, feathers or porcupine quills to clean their teeth. From there, the chew stick was developed. A chew stick was a twig which was frayed at one end for brushing while the other end could be used as a toothpick. In some rural areas of the world, people still use them today.
2. The first toothbrushes as we know them were made in China during the Tang Dynasty. The bristles came from hogs living in cold climates because their bristles were firmer. The handles were made from Bamboo or bone.
3. By the 17th century, the idea had spread to Europe. The first written mention of a toothbrush in the English language dates to 1690, when Anthony Wood wrote about buying one from J. Barret.
4. The Wisdom toothbrush brand began with William Addis who served some time in prison for causing a riot in 1770. In prison, the only way to clean one's teeth was to use a rag with soot or Salt, which Addis decided was far from adequate. He saved a bone from a meal, drilled holes in it and glued tufts of bristles onto it. When he got out of prison, he found a way to mass produce them, using Pig bristles for the cheaper toothbrushes and Badger hair for the more expensive ones.
5. In the US, mass production of toothbrushes didn't start until 1885. People there didn't clean their teeth as a matter of routine until after the second world war, when soldiers were required to clean their teeth every day. Today, however, it's very different. In 2003 the toothbrush was voted the number one invention that Americans couldn't live without.
6. The first electric toothbrushes were produced in 1956 by the Squibb Company in Europe. A good electric toothbrush will remove 11% more plaque than manual brushing.
7. How often should you change them? Every 2-3 months, or when the bristles start to bend or fray. People with gum diseases should change more often - every 3-4 weeks.
8. But, I hear some people protest, toothbrushes are made of plastic, aren't they, so changing them often is contributing to the world's plastic problem, surely? It's possible now to get toothbrushes made from biodegradable materials such as bamboo and pig bristles. Some also have replaceable heads.
9. Experts recommend keeping toothbrushes at least six feet away from the Toilet to help prevent toilet germs from getting onto the toothbrush. If that isn't possible, flush with the lid down, put a cap on the toothbrush when not in use and rinse in an antibacterial solution now and again.
10. The most popular colour for toothbrushes is blue. The second most popular colour is red.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

19 September: George Cadbury

Born on this date in 1839 was George Cadbury, chocolate manufacturer. 10 things you might not know about him.

1. He was the third son of John Cadbury, the founder of the Cadbury's Cocoa and Chocolate company.
2. He left school at fifteen and was apprenticed to Joseph Rowntree in York so he could learn the grocery trade. He never finished it, however, as his father was suffering from depression after the death of his mother, and the family firm was in trouble.
3. At first, he continued the work his father had been engaged in, which was trying to produce a medicinal drink which was a blend of cocoa and Lichen, but their "Icelandic Moss" wasn't very successful and the company nearly went bankrupt. The turnaround came when George heard about a Dutch invention which removed the fat from cocoa, making it a much nicer drink. He went to the Netherlands to see its inventor, Coenraad van Houten, and brought the machine back to England.
4. He was committted to adult education throughout his life. As a young man he started teaching at a school for adults for no pay, and continued to do so until he was 72. He'd cycle to the school on Sundays to teach a Bible class at 6am.
5. He married twice. His first wife was Mary Tyler, to whom he proposed once the business was secure and he knew he could support her. His proposal letter, however, sounded more like a business proposition, which confused Mary, but they got past that and married in 1872. They had six children, but the last one died and Mary died soon after the birth as well. A year later, he met up with an old friend, Elizabeth Mary Taylor, who was committed to temperence and adult education. He married her, and in between having five children, helped him with his philanthropic activities.
6. He was very concerned about working and living conditions for his employees and in due course purchased some land just south of Birmingham to built a new factory in a more rural setting, and also a village for the workers to live in, providing affordable houses with gardens. Bourneville was named after the nearby river, combined with the French word for town, and was designed by William Alexander Harvey.
7. It wasn't just living conditions that Cadbury was concerned about for his workers. They provided them with canteens, sports facilities, schools, deposit accounts and pensions.
8. In 1901, he bought a newspaper, the Daily News, and used it to campaign against poor working conditions and for ald age pensions.
9. He was a Quaker and a member of the Liberal Party.
10. His family home, Woodbrooke, was donated to the Quakers in 1903 and is now a Quaker study centre. They also donated some park land they owned just south of the city to the people of Birmingham - the Lickey Hills.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

18 September: Greta Garbo

On this date in 1905, the actress Greta Garbo was born. Here are some facts about her. 

1. She was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her real name was Greta Lovisa Gustafsson.
2. The family were poor, living in the slum district of Stockholm. Like most girls of her time and class, she left school at 13. Her father died of Spanish flu when she was 14. She went to work, first in a barber's shop and later in a department store, which led to some modelling work for the store catalogue.
3. Her first appearance on film was in 1920, in a commercial advertising women's clothes. Her first acting role was in 1922 in a short film called Peter the Tramp.
4. In 1925, she was spotted by Metro-Golwyn-Meyer and brought to New York. She couldn't speak English. Months passed without any contact from the studio. Greta was homesick and nearly went home to Sweden. If a Swedish friend in the US hadn't helped things along by arranging a screen test for her, she might well have done so.
5. She became a star in silent films, but MGM were reluctant to cast her in talkies because of her strong Swedish accent. When they eventually did, in the 1930 film Anna Christie, and she spoke her first words on screen: "Gimme a whisky, ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy baby." it became the highest grossing film that year.
6. She retired from acting at the age of 36. She never spoke about her reasons. Some say it was because her last film, Two-Faced Woman, got negative reviews. While that probably didn't help, a more likely reason was that she was simply fed up of acting and didn't enjoy it any more. She was offered many roles but either turned them down or dropped out.
7. She was intensely private. Even as a child she hated crowds and preferred to play alone. She refused to go to Hollywood functions, not even the Oscars and not even when she'd been nominated for one. She rarely gave interviews, never signed autographs or answered fan mail. This annoyed her bosses at first, but later they capitalised on it, as it made her seem like a mysterious and enigmatic woman. Her most famous line is "I want to be alone". She lived alone and never married - but she did have friends with whom she would go for walks (sometimes in disguise) around Manhattan.
8. As well as walking, she became an art collector after retirement. She owned three Renoir paintings and some Louis XV furniture, worth millions of dollars.
9. According to rumour, as well as playing spies on screen, she might have been a spy in real life. There are reports that she collected information about Nazi sympathisers in Sweden to pass on to British Intelligence and passed messages from British agents to the king of Sweden. She's said to have received a fan letter from Hitler, and told her friends that she considered breaking the habit of a lifetime and going to meet him - but with a gun in her handbag so she could kill him.
10. She owned one of Rin Tin Tin's puppies.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

17 September: M*A*S*H

On this date in 1972 M*A*S*H, one of the most widely viewed TV sitcoms, made its TV début. 10 things you might not know about the programme.

1. MASH stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
2. It was a book and a film before it was a TV series. The book was written by H. Richard Hornberger, collaborating with W.C. Heinz. It was based on Hornberger's experiences as a surgeon during the Korean War. The book was called MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and was published in 1968. In 1970, Robert Altman made a film based on the book.
3. Screenwriter Larry Gelbart penned the pilot episode in just two days. And was paid $25,000 for it.
4. CBS inisited on adding canned laughter despite Gelbart and executive producer Gene Reynolds not wanting it. It was a comedy show and therefore had to have a laugh track. The only concession CBS were prepared to make was to not have canned laughter during operating room scenes. The BBC, however, didn't include any canned laughter at all.
5. Historical fact was sometimes sacrificed to ensure there was nothing unpatriotic about the show. While there were soldiers who stood outside in the freezing cold trying to make themselves ill so they'd be sent home, scenes showling soldiers doing that on the show were cut.
6. Several people involved in the series had served in the military, including screenwriter Larry Gelbart and actors Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr.
7. Alan Alda wrote 13 and directed 31 episodes. He was the first person ever to win awards for acting, writing and directing on one programme.
8. When the programme came to an end in 1983, the final episode, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen was the most watched TV finale of all time. 121.6 million people tuned in.
9. The series lasted 11 years, longer than the Korean War itself which only lasted three years, one month and two days.
10. As well as the established stars, a number of famous faces appeared as guests, some before they were famous. Patrick Swayze, Ron Howard, Rita Wilson, Teri Garr, Blythe Danner and Shelley Long, to name but a few.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

16 September: Laurence J Peter Quotes

On this date in 1919 Laurence J. Peter, author, educator, famous for The Peter Principle, was born. Here are some quotes from him.

1. Cleaning anything involves making something else dirty.
2. There is no stigma attached to recognising a bad decision in time to install a better one.
3. Do it now. There may be a law against it tomorrow.
4. The man who believes he can do it is probably right, and so is the man who believes he can't.
5. If you can tell the difference between good advice and bad advice, you don't need advice.
6. Every girl should use what Mother Nature gave her before Father Time takes it away.
7. There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
8. You can always tell a real friend; when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job.
9. Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.
10. Don't believe in miracles - depend on them.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle