The current royal family’s surname is officially Mountbatten-Windsor.
According to a 14th-century statute, any dolphin fished and caught in British waters is officially the property of the crown.
The royal family’s property portfolio includes six royal residences, almost all of London’s famous Regent Street, and half the British shoreline.
The British monarch is the only person in the United Kingdom who is permitted to drive without a license, without passing a test, and without having plates on their vehicle…but not to worry – because the late Queen Elizabeth ll was a fully trained mechanic and learned how to fix engines during active service in World War ll.
When a member of the royal family is traveling by airplane, it is customary for the plane to be stocked with a parcel of blood matching the royal’s own in case an emergency transfusion is required while the plane cannot land.
From William the Conqueror to King Charles lll, there have been 42 officially recognized kings and queens of England, Great Britain, and now the United Kingdom.
According to historical records at the time, William the Conqueror’s corpse exploded when the attendants at his funeral tried to push it into his coffin.
William the Conqueror’s successor, William ll, died in dubious circumstances that have never fully been resolved: he was shot through the chest with an arrow while hunting in 1100.
Explanation: What is so micro about tonight’s blue micromoon? Just after sunset, a full moon will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. The reason is that the Moon’s fully illuminated phase occurs within a short time of apogee – when the Moon is farthest from the Earth in its elliptical orbit. In fact, tonight’s micromoon will be the farthest, smallest, and dimmest Moon this year. But tonight’s micromoon is notable for yet another reason: it is also a blue moon, meaning that it is the second full moon in the same month (moon-th). Pictured here, a supermoon — when the full moon appears near its largest — is compared to a micromoon as photographed from Kolkata, India in May and December of 2021. Although the next micromoon occurs next month, and the next blue moon at the end of 2028, the next blue micromoon will not occur until 2053.
The Ancient Greek polymath Archimedes invented the compound pulley, the screw pump (also known as an Archimedes screw) for raising water, and a fiendish military device called an Archimedes claw, which used a vast grappling hook to lift enemies’ ships from the water.
The Ancient used to tell the time using the action of falling water: they invented a special kind of water clock called a “clepsydras.”
The word “draconian,” meaning especially severe, is derived from a stern lawmaker from Ancient Greece named Draco.
The Roman emperor Commodus was one of Rome’s youngest serving emperors. He was only 16 when he took over from his father, Marcus Aurelius.
The Romans used to enjoy some bizarre dishes – including larks’ tongues, stuffed dormice, and lamb brains.
The Roman emperor Nero is one of the most bizarre and controversial figures in the ancient world. In his short life (he committed suicide at age 30) he ordered his mother to be killed and his wife to be killed and attempted to marry his favorite male slave.
The infamous Roman leader Caligula’s name literally means “little boot”. Cicero took his name from the Latin word for chickpea.
After Rome was split in two in 395 CE, the Western Roman empire only endured for another century or so – the Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived until the mid-15th century.