The AnswerBank Articles

Shrek

Amazon.co.uk Widgets Shrek is the classic fairytale with a twist. There are five films in this hugely successful computer animated series. The title character is an ugly green ogre and is one of the best anti heroes of recent times. The films have an all star cast including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz...14:55 Wed 23rd Jun 2010

London Dungeon

The London Dungeon is a tourist attraction which glorifies various tortures from the Medieval Age. It recreates various gory and macabre historical events in a grimly comedic 'gallows humour' style, which attempts to make them appealing to younger audiences. It uses a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides. ...15:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Farewell to a genuine history-maker

Cornelius Whalen died peacefully in hopsital on September 14, 2003 at the age of 93. Q: How was he a history-maker A: He was the last survivor of the Jarrow March. Q: Which did what A:00:00 Mon 22nd Sep 2003

Who was CB Fry and what did he do

It's easier to say what he didn't do: invent the Internet, split the atom, discover the source of the Nile, appear on Celebrity Big Brother, hitch-hike round South America, DJ at the Ministry of00:00 Thu 03rd Oct 2002

Abraham Lincoln - how unlucky can one President be

Let's start at the beginning. Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 born in a one room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy. Little Abe's00:00 Wed 07th Aug 2002

Independence Day USA

July 4th - that's Independence Day in the USA It certainly is: the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On that day in 1776 the 'United Colonies' declared their resolve to break away once00:00 Tue 02nd Apr 2002

A Monster's What

Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry in Monster's Ball Halle Berry won her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, recently released to widespread acclaim in the UK. It is a dark00:00 Fri 07th Jun 2002

Everything you ever wanted to know about Paraguay

All I know about Paraguay is that they've qualified for the World Cup Don't worry, you're not alone. If Paraguay gets mentioned at all in the UK, it's usually because of their football team and in00:00 Tue 28th May 2002

The Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima has been compared to the siege of Stalingrad and, from another war, to the Somme. It stands as one of the great turning-points of the Second World War, and as testament to the00:00 Mon 29th Apr 2002

I've got a rare £2 coin where the Queen is wearing a necklet. How much is it worth

A. 2. And it's not rare. Q. Don't believe you. A. Try going to see a coin dealer, then. You're likely to emerge with a black eye, too, for wasting their time. It's an urban myth that seems to00:00 Mon 29th Apr 2002

Bubonic plague didn't cause the Black Death

A. No. The Black Death - the pandemic that killed more than a quarter of the population of 14th-Century Europe, was not bubonic plague, according to new research from America. It was previously00:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

So the true King of England is alive after all

A. Steady on - we don't want that sort of treasonous talk on the Answerbank. I think you must be referring to claims in a book that a direct descendant of Bonnie Prince Charlie have been discovered00:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

I'm interested in this new gold cup that's been found.

A. I think you mean old gold cup. The Bronze Age vessel, dating from the same time as Stonehenge, was been unearthed in a cornfield at Woodnesborough, near Sandwich, in Kent. That makes it between00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

American authorities know there's alien life because there's a law against contacting extra-terrestrial beings. So how come they don't tell us about it

A. Sorry. You've been taken in by an urban myth - but rather a good one. The story says that Title 14 (Section 1211) of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on 16 July, 1969, made it00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

Where can I buy this newly discovered perfume of the pharaohs

A. I regret you can't - there are no plans to put it on sale. But I expect you'd like to hear a bit more about it Q. Oh yes. A. An Egyptian perfume used by the pharaohs has been rediscovered00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

There's a new theory over the Turin Shroud

A. Yes. Two academics believe that the face upon it is not of Jesus but of Jacques de Molay. Q. Who's he A. Leader of the Knights Templar, a religious military order established at the time of00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

The Pope pardoned the 'heretic' Templars

A. According to new evidence, yes. Vatican documents have come to light showing that the Knights Templar were massacred in the Middle Ages for 'heresy, idolatry and sexual perversion' even though00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

So the Siegfried Line's still there

A. Yes - and it looks as though it's going to stay that way. The Siegfried Line, 400 miles of Second World War defences built to keep the Allied armies out of Germany, has been granted protected00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Who were the gunpowder plotters

A. A band of at least 13 disaffected Catholics. Some would call them freedom fighters; others traitors. They were: Robert Catesby, Sir Everard Digby, John Grant, Thomas Percy, Robert Keyes, Ambrose00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

There's more news on The Man Who Never Was

A. Yes - and in a sense he's been honoured for work that he did without knowing. Q. Without knowing How A. He was dead. Q. I think you'd better begin at the beginning. A. Good idea. A00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002