Author Archive

1192 – Bisexual, occasional cannibal, mostly absent English sovereign King Richard I is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after signing a treaty with Saladin ending the Third Crusade. The ransom paid to Leopold will almost bankrupt his country. But for Richard, no problem. Yet history has…

American humorist, juggler and film star W C Fields was renowned as a big drinker and indeed this was part of his film persona. It was said that his bulbous nose had all the colours of the rainbow. His domestic staff estimated that he drank two US quarts of gin, or 64 fluid ounces, or…