Curious Questions

Curious Question: Did the limerick originate in Limerick?

Before workers wasted time scrolling Twitter or Instagram, they wasted their time writing limericks.

The ship that was in two different centuries, two different years, two different months, two different days and two different seasons, all at the same time

On December 31, 1899, the SS Warrimoo may have travelled through time — but did it really happen?

You rang, your majesty? What it was like to be a servant in the Royal Household

Tending the royal bottom might be considered one of the worst jobs in history, but a life in elite domestic service offered many opportunities for self-advancement, finds Susan Jenkins.

Curious Questions: Why do so many animals have bright white bottoms?

Why do so many animals have such obviously flashy appendages, asks Laura Parker, as she examines scuts, rumps and rears.

Curious Questions: Why do we still love pirate stories, 300 years on from Blackbeard?

Tales of swashbuckling pirates have entertained audiences for years, inspired by real-life British men and women, says Jack Watkins.

The 1930s eco-warrior who inspired David Attenborough and The Queen, only to be unmasked as a hoaxer and 'pretendian' — but his message still rings true

Martin Fone tells the astonishing story of Grey Owl, who became a household name in the 1930s with his pioneering calls to action to save the environment — using a false identity to do so.

What the Monopoly board would look like at 2024 property prices

In the 88 years since the first British edition of Monopoly, a lot has changed. But how much should the various properties be worth today? And where should they be on the board?

Curious Questions: Why is race walking an Olympic sport?

The history of the Olympics is full of curious events which only come to prominence once every four years. Martin Fone takes a look at one of the oddest: race walking, or pedestrianism.

Curious Questions: Why do all of Britain's dolphins and whales belong to the King?

More species of whale, dolphin and porpoise can be spotted in the UK than anywhere else in northern Europe and all of them, technically, belong to the Monarch. Ben Lerwill takes a look at one of our more obscure laws and why the animals have such an important role to play in the fight against climate change.

Curious Questions: What is mock turtle soup? And did it come before or after 'Alice in Wonderland'?

Martin Fone delves into the curious tale of an iconic Victorian delicacy: mock turtle soup.

Curious Questions: Why are there so few smiles in art?

Centuries of portraits down the ages — and vanishingly few in which the subjects smile. Carla Passino delves into the reasons why, and discovers some fascinating answers.

Curious Questions: Where does the phrase 'daylight robbery' come from? It's literally about the theft of daylight

Martin Fone tells a tale of sunshine and tax — and where there is tax, there is tax avoidance... which in this case changed the face of Britain's growing cities.

Curious Questions: Is there a way to win at rock, paper, scissors?

Tanks, tulips and taxidermy: The strange lives of Britain's most eccentric collectors

Five collectors of unusual things, from taxidermy to tanks, tulips to teddies, explain their passions to Country Life. Interviews by Agnes Stamp, Tiffany Daneff, Kate Green and Octavia Pollock. Photographs by Millie Pilkington, Mark Williamson and Richard Cannon.

One of the cleverest pictures ever made, and how it was inspired by one of the cleverest art books ever written

The rules of perspective in art were poorly understood until an 18th century draughtsman made them simple. Carla Passino tells the story of Joshua Kirby.

Curious Questions: When does summer actually start?

You'd think it would be simple. It's anything but, as Martin Fone discovers.

Curious Questions: Is being left-handed an advantage?

Curious Questions: Were Mallory and Irvine the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest?

It’s now 100 years since George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine disappeared high on Everest; speculation about their achievements has been rife ever since. Robin Ashcroft takes a broad perspective

A game of two halves — how the sandwich went from humble fare to a country-wide lunchtime obsession

What started life as a way to eat and play cards at the same time (so the story goes) is now the lunch of choice for the working world.

Whatever happened to saucy seaside postcards?

Saucy seaside postcards were once a mainstay of British life over the summer, but these days they're rarely seen. Martin Fone asks why, and discovers the history of artists such as Donald McGill who turned wry, naughty humour into a huge industry.