Franklin's Glass Armonica: A Proper Ghost Note
Ben Franklin built a spinning orchestra of glass bowls that sounded like a haunted music box and, for a spell, people blamed it for fainting and bad nerves.Read More 
Victorian Doctors Invented the Vibrator (and Didn't Mention It at Dinner)
In the late 19th century respectable physicians treated 'female hysteria' with manual pelvic massage, then invented noisy mechanical contraptions to stop their hands aching - and yes, the machine was called a medical instrument.Read More 
When Verbs Argue About Who's Important
Ever had grammar choose a favourite person? Some tongues literally make verbs pick who matters more - and it is deliciously petty.Read More 
When the Victorians Went Mad for Leeches
They bled society dry by sending jars of wriggling leeches to every parlour and pharmacy, and then invented 'leech diplomacy' to explain why the marshes were crying.Read More 
Moon's Secret Weight Pockets
The Moon's been hiding dense 'mascons' under its maria, and they once made early lunar probes wobble like drunks on a ferry.Read More 
No Chainmail In Parliament, Thank You
A medieval rule still lurking in the statute books once made it illegal to wander into Parliament wearing a suit of armour - and honestly, good call.Read More 
We Hid Dead Cats in Chimneys to Ward Off Ghosts (Yes, Really)
Old houses sometimes contain deliberately placed mummified cats in chimneys and walls, used as talismans against witches, pests and bad luck.Read More 
That Cathedral With Giant Stone Scissors
Wells Cathedral shoved a pair of massive stone 'scissors' into its nave in the 14th century to stop the tower falling through the roof and it still looks gobsmacking.Read More 
That Tiny Hole in Your Sternum Nobody Mentions
Some people carry a perfectly ordinary secret doorway in their breastbone and acupuncture enthusiasts should mind their manners.Read More 
When London Drowned in Beer (And Nobody Called A Plumber)
In 1814 a rotten vat at a Tottenham Court Road brewery gave way and released over a hundred thousand gallons of porter, flattening houses, drowning cellars and killing eight people - which is history's most civilised catastrophe.Read More 