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Which famous work of natural history divided fish into four unorthodox categories; those that have a pebble in their heads; that hide in winter; that feel the influence of the stars and those which fetch extraordinary prices?

Answer: ‘Natural History’ by Roman author Pliny the Elder, published in 77 CE. Though these distinctions seem bizarre, they show one of the first attempts to distinguish animals clearly by their characteristics.

Source: The Book of Barely Imagined Beings by Casper Henderson

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1908 – King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe are assassinated by Republican sympathizers in Lisbon.

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