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A father who was digging a duck pond in a back garden discovered the remains of an ancient grey wolf. Simon Ferguson and his sons Richard and Adam came across the fully preserved skeleton 11 feet beneath Richard and Adam's back lawn in Thornton-Cleveleys, near the seaside resort of Blackpool...

When Andy Green "floors it" in the South African desert later this year, he expects to be able to break his 18-year-old land speed record. His British Bloodhound Super-Sonic Car (SSC) is aiming for 800mph (1,290km/h). To achieve this extraordinary speed, the RAF man will depend on many...

The man who invented the weather forecast in the 1860s faced scepticism and even mockery. But science was on his side, writes Peter Moore. The birth of the weather forecast BBC News Magazine 30 April 2015 Peter Moore FitzRoy's weather forecasts were taken up by Derby race-goers...

In 1464, England's most eligible bachelor, King Edward IV (the grandfather of the future King Henry VIII), shocked the nation by announcing that he had taken a bride: Elizabeth Woodville, an impoverished widow with two young sons. The match brought his queen’s family into the thick of the...

Imagine the year is 2035. Humans have landed on Mars and are about to take their first steps on the surface. After uttering a pre-decided line akin to Neil Armstrong’s on the moon, they set foot and plant a flag in the ground. But this isn’t a US flag, or even a UN flag - instead, it’s...

The Prince of Wales has begun a poignant trip to the Republic of Ireland with a historic handshake with Gerry Adams, one of the most prominent and controversial republican figures of the last 50 years. Charles agreed to the meeting after a request by the Sinn Fein president and former...

The main measure of UK inflation turned negative in April for the first time on record, with the rate falling to -0.1%. It is the first time Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation has turned negative since 1960, based on comparable historic estimates, the Office for National Statistics said...

A 400-year-old botany book contains what could be the only known portrait of Shakespeare made in his lifetime, according to an academic expert. Botanist and historian Mark Griffiths cracked an "ingenious cipher" to identify the playwright in an engraving in the 16th-Century work. "This...

The boss of digger giant JCB says Britain leaving the EU won’t ‘make a blind bit of difference’ to trade with Europe, it was reported last night. Chief executive Graeme Macdonald said cutting ties with Brussels would be better for Britain if Prime Minister David Cameron fails to...

British spooks at GCHQ have decided to show us all how right-on and progressive they are when they aren't spying on our emails, texts and telephone calls by lighting their "Doughnut" building in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire into a rainbow to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia...

In the late 17th Century, an impoverished Kingdom of Scotland, which was then an independent country, was looking at the Kingdom of England (modern England & Wales), also then an independent country, jealously. Scotland was jealous of England's successes, including the burgeoning English...

David Cameron rejected a trio of core SNP demands during 'frank' face-to-face talks with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh yesterday. The Prime Minister ruled out granting Scotland a second independence referendum and also refused Nicola Sturgeon's request for a...

Prince Harry helped capture a saltwater crocodile during his tour of Australia last month, newly-released pictures have shown. The 30-year-old looked relaxed while sitting on the 10ft crocodile, removed from a trap in Darwin Harbour. The pictures, which also show him hauling in the catch, were...

Eaton House, Essex "Mr Blobby" house, Southend, Essex This pink house in the Lake District is, for some reason, actually white:

Britain’s longest-serving poppy seller has been found dead amid concerns that she was struggling to manage her finances after being besieged with begging letters from dozens of charities. Olive Cooke, 92, who has sold as many as 30,000 poppies for the Royal British Legion over the past...

A giant conger eel weighing in at 131lb and measuring 21ft has been caught off the coast of Devon. The monster - which was just 2lbs off the British record - was landed at Plymouth Fisheries, Devon, by the inshore trawler 'Hope'. Proud fishermen posted a picture of them posing with their...

The Scottish government has described talks between David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as "constructive and helpful". The discussions in Edinburgh were dominated by the issue of further powers for the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish government said Mr Cameron...

An impressive stone circle in Dartmoor is the first to be discovered in a century, archaeologists have revealed. The ancient circle would have formed part of a 'sacred arc' of sites on the moor, suggesting a high level of coordination between Bronze Age communities. And the remote...

The 1998 Human Rights Act, which incorporates into UK law the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights, which Britain must be a part of as part of the EU, has been nothing but a criminals' charter which has prevented Britain from deporting foreign criminals and illegal...

Treating gout by drinking ‘plain water with a little good sherry in it’ may not seem like good medical practice in this day and age. But this is just one of the tips given by a physician to patients in the 18th century - among other remedies for common ailments, such as a trip to...