On a cold, wet night in February 1820, an intoxicated man staggered out of a Dublin bar and collapsed nearby. By the time the drenched and shivering man was discovered the following morning, he was in a bad way. Within a few days he was dead. So it was that pneumonia had claimed the life… Read More

On Saturday 30th January 1649, King Charles I was led to the scaffold erected outside Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. Apparently it was a cold day, and so the King wore two thick shirts to ensure he didn’t shiver from cold, and so avoid giving the impression of being afraid. Charles asked the executioner to… Read More

Have you ever wondered, as you sip your mineral water in a pub garden on a warm summer’s evening, who first thought that it would be a good idea to start drinking the stuff that flows down mountain streams? Well, possibly not. If you are anything like me, you are more likely to be wondering… Read More