Non-Fiction

Oscar Wilde is possibly, after Shakespeare, the most famous dramatist in the English language. This is not due of the quality of his plays, although they are very clever and funny, but because of the scandal his relationship with a young aristocrat caused and his imprisonment. Despite his fame, he died poverty-stricken, alone and unable to see his children. (1,750 words)

Voodoo is the subject of many films and the origin of zombies, the ‘undead’ who walk the land after they have been buried. It demands human blood and includes strange rituals. Even now, it has more followers than ever. (1,320 words)

It was not many years ago that a doctor had to decide between operating to save a person’s life but perhaps killing him from the pain or leaving him to die. For this reason, the most important part of the operation was speed. Anaesthesia was, therefore, necessary not just to save a patient’s life but also to allow for longer and more difficult operations. But the development of this science reads like a horror story (1,750 words).

The rose is the symbol of love in many western countries and it grows all over the world. In the ancient world, roses were so important that Rome suffered food shortages because too much land was used to grow the flowers. But the red rose has only been with us for just over 100 years. This is the history of this fascinating flower (925 words).

Lord Lucan went to the best schools and universities in England, got a well-paid job as a banker, was married and had much-loved children. But he became addicted to gambling and lost interest in everything except cards and drink. One night, he went home and tried to kill his wife. He was never seen again. People reported seeing him in Africa and many other places but he had simply disappeared. (956 words)

Did you know that only two hundred years ago, countries in Europe did not only have different times but different days too? When we travel from Britain to France, New York to California, Saudi Arabia to Dubai, we change the time on our watches. Two hundred years ago, people changed the day too. Time seems so easy, but, in fact, it has been – and still is – a huge problem. Read all about it here! (1,190 words)

When Catherine the Great was born in 1729, Russia was not one of the most important countries in Europe. But, when she died in 1796 after thirty-five years at the head of her government, it was one of the strongest and also a centre for art and ideas. Catherine started schools, opened the world-famous Hermitage museum, and tried to make life easier for the poor at the same time as she made Russia larger and more powerful. But Catherine was born an unimportant princess of a poor, small German land. Who was this surprising woman? (1,330 words)

Granada is one of the most beautiful parts of Spain and many tourists visit it every year. It is in the mountains but it is only two hours’ drive from the sea. But Granada’s popularity comes from its rich history. This part of Spain has been home to Muslims and Christians for many centuries and we can see this in the wonderful buildings everywhere (600 words).

Golf is a very popular game these days and it is one that is also very expensive. It’s one of the very few games that old and young people can play, men and women. And so it is surprising that golf was only played in Scotland until the nineteenth century. Read about the history of this game and how it is different from all other sports (600 words).

The history of Nepal is very troubled. Although the country is beautiful because of its mountains – Everest is in Nepal – and rivers, and its wonderful capital, Kathmandu, it has also had a terrible civil war. One evening in the middle of that war, the King was talking with his family about a wife for his oldest son, Prince Dipendra. An hour later, the King and Queen and most of their family were dead, killed by Dipendra. Or were they? (660 words)

The biggest discovery in medicine of all time, the one that saved the most lives, was immunisation. The idea is simple: you put a very small amount of a disease into a body – but not enough to make the person sick. The body’s immune system makes antibodies to fight the disease. If the person catches the disease later, his body is ready and fights it so that he does not become ill and die. This is the story of the history of immunisation (800 words).

The history of zero. It is hard to imagine what life was like before we had the number zero. Numbers were very long and extremely difficult to multiply. Imagine this sum: DCCCLXXVII x MMCCLXIX in Roman numbers, or imagine that you could not use 0 to write 1,000,001. In Europe zero was once thought to be the work of the Devil, because it meant ‘nothing’ and it was impossible to show nothing (1,120 words).

Most people know that the Venus Fly Trap catches and eats insects in its powerful ‘jaws’. But why did this plant develop? What were its origins? And where can we find it? If it grew big enough, could it eat human beings? (765 words).

Forests play a vital role in the life of our planet and everything that lives on it. Read about our relationship with forests throughout history, how much we depend on them and how we are destroying them (930 words).

In the 1960s, the Kray Twins were as famous in London as the Mafia was in the US. They used the same methods too: murder, violence and fear. They knew rich and famous people and appeared in fashionable magazines. In the end, the police put them in prison: one was mad and gay; the other hard and straight. Read their incredible story (1,090 words).