Non-Fiction

In the eighteenth century, a rich man of mixed Indian and European blood, rebelled against the Spanish rulers of Latin America. We will never know exactly why. Perhaps he was angry that he could never be seen as one of the leaders of the land – because of his Indian blood. We know that he believed he was descended from the first great Inca king, Tupac Amaru, and took his name. But his rebellion was a bloody and racist one that caused the deaths of thousands. Read about him here (1,400 words)

Shaun Greenhalgh couldn't sell his own paintings, so he started forging great artists’ work with the help of his family. Shaun became very wealthy from his forgeries but they never spent the money on a nice house or luxury cars. He seemed happy just taking revenge on the art world that had rejected him. (910 words)

The Ostrich is a vey strange bird. It can't fly and it east stones! (200 words)

When we think of orchids, we perhaps imagine five-star hotels or the wonderful country, Thailand. Because these exotic plants make us think of beautiful places. But orchids have a long and dangerous history. Read about the adventurers who travelled the world to find new specimens of this unique plant and who risked their lives to do so (1,000 words).

There are many stories and legends about the Ninja. They were expert assassins and spies and lived in mountains where their enemies could not follow them. This article is about their final years and battles. (415 words)

The English word 'thug' is used to describe violent criminals and it comes from the word used to describe groups of criminals who murdered and robbed travellers in India for hundreds of years. (300 words)

Percy Toplis was a working class boy who loved to pretend to be from the upper class. He had many schemes to trick the rich out of their money and went to prison for it more than once. His army career was almost as criminal. However, Toplis was involved in a mutiny against his officers and just escaped with his life. He was finally shot while on the run, but many mysteries remain about his life and death (2,130 words).

Perhaps it has always been true that politics is a dangerous business. President Lincoln was assassinated, for instance, and Pope John Paul II was shot at. The killing of Duke Franz Ferdinand started the First World War. But Ingrid Betancourt was held hostage for six years in the jungles of Colombia, nobody knowing if she was alive or dead. How did it happen? (1,290 words)

Britain ruled more of the world than any other country in history and became rich and strong. The best part of the Empire was India, a huge and wonderful country of mountains and deserts, different religions and ancient knowledge. Britain kept India by force and this is the terrible story of Amritsar and the killing of women and children. It illustrates the price India paid for the British Empire. (425 words)

Today, calculus is an essential part of modern mathematics. In the English-speaking world, Isaac Newton is often credited with its discovery, while in Europe, that honour goes to Gottfried Leibniz. Both men seemed to arrive at the calculus from different perspectives and were interested in different areas of it, but that did not stop them arguing bitterly about who was its creator (1,330 words).

Tea has a long history in Asia but was first brought from China to Europe about four hundred years ago. In the beginning, merchants put ready-made tea into barrels and then shipped it from China to Europe. It took them quite a long time to realise that they could pack the leaves and add water back home! After water, tea is the most popular drink in the world, this is its extraordinary history (1,140 words).

Jack the Ripper killed many sex workers on the streets of nineteenth century London, girls who would not be noticed if they went missing. The police had no suspects and nobody was ever charged with the crimes. This made some people think that the killer was someone with power and the police were afraid to act. (500 words)

W. H. Davies led an action-packed life and one that made his family very unhappy as a young man. He got into trouble with the police, lost a leg when he was trying to jump onto a moving train without buying a ticket and lived as a homeless person all over Britain. And all the time he wrote poetry. Read his story (1,425 words).

If you love chocolate – if you are a chocoholic – you will be fascinated by this article. It looks at the history of this drink and sweet, its almost religious quality in Central America, its violent arrival in Europe and the industry that it has generated today. A delicious delight for all chocolate lovers (1,125 words).

Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the world and makes a fortune for the industry that promotes and sells it. But what were its origins? In fact, it started as a way of making water safe to drink. Drunkenness is not a modern problem: two hundred years ago, men, women and children drank beer at breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is the fascinating story of this ever-popular drink (910 words).