A. An ancient right of liberty. Mr Blunkett, the home secretary, is planning to detain terrorists without trial. It is an emergency measure that would make Britain safer, but - say its critics - a
00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001 A. A lawless lot who roamed the Scottish borders for 350 years. They gave the word bereaved to the English language. Q. Explain. A. Reivers were bandits whose profession was raiding their
00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001 A. Beautiful name, terrible deed. Kristallnacht means The Night of the Broken Glass - the start of all-out Nazi attacks on Jews - on 9 November, 1938. Q. How did it start A. The attack came
00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001 A. Thanks for the question, Pussing. As Incitatus points out, the Germans knew where it was, but are having a big problem knowing what to do with it. In October, however, another section was
00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001 A. A daring raid by the Dutch up the River Medway, In Kent, in June, 1667. It was a great embarrassment to King Charles II and a terrible disaster for the British navy. Q. The Dutch They're
00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001 A. Thanks to Cynthia Dyke for the question. The answer is yes to both. The Battle of Kent is arguably the most important battle apart from Hastings. It lasted two days and the Roman legions, under
00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001 A. Well, it's not a local paper that you'll see on the news-stands - that's for sure. It started as a king's private publication and is now the official voice of the government. You can log into it
00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001 A. It's a question of interpretation. The last two men to receive the highest British honour were Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones and Sergeant Ian John McKay. Both died in the Falklands War. Q.
00:00 Thu 25th Oct 2001 A. Born 4 March, 1778; executed 20 September, 1803. He was an Irish hero or traitor, depending on your point of view. Q. Is this all to do with the 1798 Rebellion A. Yes. In 1798, Ireland was
00:00 Tue 23rd Oct 2001 A. Cynthia Dyke asked the question and Janetx correctly answered: Anne Stuart, Queen of England. Q. But why square A. Because Anne (1665-1714) - Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1702-14),
00:00 Tue 23rd Oct 2001 A. An attempt by the Nazis to seize power at a rally in one of Munich's large beer cellars in 1923. A putsch is an uprising. Q. A bit of background first A. OK. The Nazis grew in power after
00:00 Mon 22nd Oct 2001 A. Thanks to poppy for the question and MistyLady for her answer. The three wise monkeys in question were carved over the door of the Sacred Stable, in Nikko, Japan, in the 17th Century. One covers
00:00 Mon 22nd Oct 2001 A. An interesting question there from gill girling. This is a memorial service, held at St Andrew's Undershaft, near the Lloyd's building in the City of London, every year on 5 April. John Stow
00:00 Mon 22nd Oct 2001 A. It would seem so. Adolf Hitler had numerous homoerotic friendships in the 1920s and the dictator's later life can be understood better by taking into account his gay preferences, according to a
00:00 Mon 15th Oct 2001 A. John Wycliff (also spelled Wycliffe) was a religious reformer, Bible translator and a cleric used by the King to attack the Pope. Q. How did this all come about A. Wycliff, born in
00:00 Mon 15th Oct 2001 A. An old one actually. A mummy left to gather dust in a Canadian corset factory that became a museum has now been identified by scientists as the long-lost remains of King Rameses I. Q. Who was
00:00 Mon 15th Oct 2001 A. There were two of 'em. Simon de Montfort (c1160-1218), also known as Simon IV de l'Amaury, was created Earl of Leicester by King John in 1206. In 1218 he captured Toulouse, south-east of
00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001 A. Lambert Simnel (about 1475-1525) was pretender to the English throne. He, like Perkin Warbeck (click here for a feature on him) impersonated Richard, Duke of York, presumed to have been murdered
00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001 A. What do you mean Q. Oh come on, you must have read the verse that Nostradamus wrote in 1654. It's doing the rounds everywhere on the internet: In the year of the new century and nine
00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001 A. A decisive moment in English history. The day that the monarch's right was challenged. The Battle of Edgehill was the first major clash of armies of the English Civil War. It ended in a draw
00:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001