Hereās one for you.
Pink/red dye was a very hard colour to produce in quantity, and the first lad to do so made an absolute fortune (one rumour is its where the phrase āin the pinkā came from, he made so much money).
He was based in North Manchester (crumpsall area) and apparently amongst other things did the lobster uniforms for the Brit army.
Anyhow in about 2008 they started to excavate a field for a housing build and about six feet under the surface was a layer about six feet deep of bright vivid scarlet soil, which was, it transpires, the pollution/run off of the original manufacturing site. They called in the environmental agency, and had to place the whole field under a sealed vacuum tent for nearly a year to extract the toxins. Even at that, prospective home buyers were told not to eat anything grown in the garden. I think it was abandoned thereafter due to lack of interest, but I went on the way home one day to look at it before they sealed it, and the colour was remarkable.
Youād need more than that to paint a couple of hundred lampposts
I think youāre missing the point. What colour were the lampposts 17 thousand years ago? cc @TheUlteriorMotive
Sounds like one for the tall tales thread. @TheUlteriorMotive has been bowled a googly here I suspect.
I know that one of the first sources of red paint and dye was from the cochineal insect. They are still farmed on cacti in Mexico and Spain because the vibrant red colour canāt be produced by modern means.
It wouldnāt be the first time Bill Bryson has sent me wrong but lampposts and iron works were not painted black in Dickens time.
E-Scooters are banned from all forms of London transport over fire fears.
One went on fire on a tube last week.
7 people were killed
Covid?
āYoungā Tom Morris, son of the original Tom, had won 4 Opens at the time of his death at 24. He died 3 months after his wife and son died while she was giving birth. He was the original child prodigee of golf.
Interesting. The lamp-posts on Sarsfield Bridge in Limerick are painted in this dreadful light blue and green combination, which I just assumed was a misguided choice by someone in Limerick Corporation many moons ago. Iāve often thought they should be painted in darker colours like, well, black. Little did I realise I was looking at full blown authenticity.
He died of a pulmonary haemorage causing apnea. Some might say a broken heart.
Jeremy Vine and Tim Vine are brothers. Seems like something I shouldāve heard before today.
On the Grapevine
Or as young Tarzan said to his father āIām going out tonight, can I borrow the vineā
The suicide rate in China is higher for women than it is for men.
āYes Sir, I Can Boogieā by Spanish duo Baccara is the biggest selling single worldwide by a female group.
Air force one is longer than the Whitehouse