“Bertie Sheldrake was a South London pickle manufacturer who converted to Islam and became king of a far-flung Islamic republic before returning to London and settling back into obscurity.”

The number of supercentenarians in an area tends to fall dramatically about 100 years after accurate birth records are introduced.

Ukrainian defenders print out giant 1:1 life-size aerial photographs of damaged airfields. Once the site is repaired, they hang the images over the sites so they look damaged and not worth attacking again.

and 49 other things Tom Whitwell learned in 2023