" Cunning often outwits itself. "

Back in the day


Wilhelm RÃ¶ntgen Discovers X-Rays

While experimenting with electricity, RÃ¶ntgen, a German physicist, observed peculiar wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that he called X-rays. His discovery, which gave medicine a critical view inside the body and allowed bones to be photographed, remains a valuable tool in the diagnosis of numerous medical conditions and earned RÃ¶ntgen the first Nobel Prize in Physics. Two years before RÃ¶ntgen's discovery, X-rays had been produced, but their significance overlooked, at what US university?



Paddington Bear and His Battered Hat

Michael Bond first introduced Paddington Bear to the world in his 1958 fictional children's book A Bear Called Paddington. Paddington, an anthropomorphized Peruvian bear, is taken in by the Brown family after they find him in a London train station. Fourteen books feature the well-meaning bear, whose adventures have been published in nearly 20 countries. An award-winning TV show helped the series retain its popularity well into the 1990s. How did Paddington influence British fashion?

Born on a day like today


Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker is best remembered as the author of Dracula (1897), a horror story that recounts the adventures of the vampire Count Dracula. Stoker researched European folklore and vampire tales for 8 years before writing Dracula. Although he did not invent the vampire, his novel is singularly responsible for scores of theatrical and film interpretations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Why did Stoker's widow demand that the 1922 film Nosferatu be destroyed?

Last updated on Thursday, 8th November 2007

More sponsors