Some questions look simple and turn out to have no answer. How long is the coastline of Britain is one of them, and the discovery of why is one of…
For most of recorded history, ancient Egypt was legible only in fragments. Its monuments, tombs and papyri were covered in writing, and the knowledge of how to read that writing…
A spice blend is a solved problem: someone worked out the proportions long ago and the recipe stuck. Here are twelve from around the world, what goes into them, and…
Long flights are endured rather than enjoyed, and the difference between arriving functional and arriving wrecked usually comes down to a handful of small decisions. Here are twelve.
1. Choose…
A cave developed for visitors is called a show cave, and the good ones manage to be accessible without being diminished. These twelve have walkways, guides and lighting, and are…
Military research has a habit of producing things nobody anticipated, which then outlive the purpose they were built for. These twelve are all in ordinary use now, and all began…