The AnswerBank Articles

How did Trotsky get it in the neck

A. With an ice-pick. At 45 Viena Street, Coyoacan, Mexico City, on Thursday, 22 August 1940. Q. Why A. Towards the end of his life the first Russian revolutionary leader, Lenin, favoured01:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

Lady Godiva - any truth in her

A. Seems so - although perhaps not the full-frontal version. Q. Huh A. The basic schoolboy-snigger version of the legend is this: Lady Godiva told her husband that the townspeople of Coventry01:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

Where is King Stephen buried

Q. I want to see the grave of King Stephen (1096-1154) one of the Plantagenet kings. Where is he buried I've been told it is in the parish church of St Mary of Charity, Faversham, but that seems01:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

What was the Indian Mutiny

A. The mutiny of 1857-58 began with Indian soldiers in the Bengal army of the British East India Company but developed into a widespread uprising against British rule in India. It is also known as01:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

What was the Mordaunt Scandal

A. A real Victorian scandal which dragged in the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Q. A man noted for his, ahem, excesses A. Got it in one. The Prince - heir to the greatest empire on Earth01:00 Thu 27th Sep 2001

Who was the Earl of Essex

A. Aha! There were three of them. I presume you refer to Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. He was so famous - or infamous, I should say - that that the Tower01:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

What's this newly-discovered treasure ship

A. It is believed to be the wreck of a 17th-century British warship called HMS Sussex that foundered in a violent storm off Gibraltar in 1694. Q. And the treasure A. The flagship's cargo of01:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

What were the Highland Clearances

A. A time of terrible suffering in Scotland. The clearances were blamed, as ever, on the English, although absent Scottish landlords were the true culprits. Q. How did it all start A. After01:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

How did the Great Fire of London start

A. When a baker forgot to turn off his oven. Q. Oh dear. What happened A. It was on the night of 2 September, 1666. Thomas Farrinor (sometimes spelled Farynor), of Pudding Lane, baker to King01:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

Who was Prince Eddy

A. The rather dodgy son of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and grandson of Queen Victoria. Q. Why dodgy A. He was a dissolute idler, believed to be homosexual and was even suspected of01:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

What were the corn laws

A. They were a series of laws and taxes that brought wealth to the farmers and poverty and protest throughout Britain. They were repealed amid fears that they would cause revolution and anarchy. 01:00 Fri 10th Aug 2001

What's going on a Silbury Hill

A. A team of surveyors has started preparing the hill for electronic scans to reveal how much damage has been caused by the collapse of 230-year-old mine shaft in May, 2000. Thanks to Doubris for01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

Who was the last witch to be tried

A. Her name was Helen Duncan (1897-1956). The story, as you may have deduced, is a strange one. In March, 1944, Duncan was charged under the Witchcraft Act (1735), tried at the Old Bailey, found01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

Did Nonesuch Palace ever exist

A. Yes - but not for long. And it was called Nonsuch. Henry VIII started building work on 22 April 1538, at a site once occupied by the manor house, church and village of Cuddington - near what is01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

How did Charles II escape Cromwell

Charles IIA. Charles II became King upon the execution of his father in 1649 and continued to wage war against the Parliamentarian forces. But he was beaten soundly at the Battle of Worcester on 301:00 Mon 20th Aug 2001

Who was Aleister Crowley

A. Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) was a self-proclaimed drug and sex fiend, author of many books on the occult and a leader of a cult called Ordo Templi Orientis. He also described himself as the01:00 Mon 20th Aug 2001

Why are cats associated with witchcraft

A. For thousands of years, cats have been regarded as mysterious creatures with supernatural powers. Thanks to mruczek for the question. During the so-called European witch craze of 1100-1700, the01:00 Mon 20th Aug 2001

Was Alfred that Great

A. In a word, yes. Alfred is the only English monarch in history to carry the title. Even Sir Winston Churchill - not known for his modesty - when told that he must be the greatest Englishman,01:00 Mon 13th Aug 2001

Was there something mysterious about the death of Goering's wife

A. Not her death - but her burial. Carin Fock was born 21 October 1888, the daughter of a Swedish baron and his Anglo-Irish wife. Q. And how did they meet A. Carin was married to a Swedish01:00 Mon 13th Aug 2001

Is there any truth in the myth of the Bisley Boy

A. This is a legend that, essentially, Queen Elizabeth I died young and was replaced by a boy. Thanks to allycotton for the question, but the answer is no. Q. Be specific. A. Bisley in01:00 Mon 13th Aug 2001