Latest articles by Chris Carter
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2 October 1850: The ‘snail telegraph’ experiment
Features On this day in 1850, French eccentric Jacques Toussaint Benoît attempted to demonstrate a system of communication based on the telepathic abilities of snails.
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30 September 1935: The Hoover Dam is dedicated
Features On this day in 1935, thousands of spectators crowded into Black Canyon to see Franklin D Roosevelt celebrate the completion of “the greatest dam in the world”.
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Four British holiday retreats fit for royalty
Reviews Settling for a holiday in the UK needn’t mean roughing it, says Chris Carter.
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25 September 1237: The English-Scottish border is set in law
Features The border between England and Scotland – having been fluid for many years – was legally defined on this day in 1237 (barring the odd skirmish over Berwick).
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24 September 1841: James Brooke becomes the Rajah of Sarawak
Features Having crushed a rebellion against the Sultan of Brunei, James Brooke was made the governor of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, and was later confirmed as rajah.
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Lego: building profits from plastic bricks
Reviews The popularity of Lego boomed as bored workers twiddled their thumbs at home. Chris Carter reports
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23 September 1889: Nintendo starts making playing cards
Features On this day in 1889, ‘Nintendo Koppai’ began making Hanafuda playing cards. Fast forward 130-odd years, and it's an electronics company worth around £58bn.
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A Christmas away from the madness
Reviews It looks like the festive season will be cancelled in this country. Run for the Caribbean, says Chris Carter
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15 September 1964: The Sun newspaper is launched
Features With reader numbers flagging, the once-popular Daily Herald newspaper was relaunched as The Sun on this day in 1964.
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11 September 1792: The French Blue diamond is stolen
Features On this day in 1792, a riotous mob ransacked the French crown jewels and made off with the famous French Blue diamond.
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10 September 1951: Britain boycotts Iran over the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
Features On this day in 1951, Britain boycotted and blockaded Iran after the latter nationalised the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
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9 September 1839: Sir John Herschel takes the first glass-plate photograph
Features On this day in 1839, Sir John Herschel created the first glass-plate negative – a photographic technique that would remain in use in astronomy until the 1990s.
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8 September 1966: the Queen opens the Severn Bridge
Features Five years after construction began, the Queen declared the Severn Bridge connecting England and Wales open on this day in 1966.
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Matchbox toys are on fire with collectors
News The children of the 1960s are fuelling a boom in collectable model cars, says Chris Carter.
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4 September 1882: Edison lights up Wall Street
Features On this day in 1882, Thomas Edison demonstrated the benefits of electric light to Wall street bankers, ushering in the age of electricity.
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3 September 1843: Greeks revolt against their German king
Features Fresh-faced King Otto, installed after independence from the Ottoman Empire, wasn't a hit with the Greek public. And today in 1843, they rebelled.
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2 September 1666: The Great Fire of London starts on Pudding Lane
Features On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London started on Pudding Lane. The fire raged for four days, laying waste to much of the city.
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Private travel: avoiding the rat race to the Costa del Sol
Reviews Luxury travel agents are beginning to seem like the sensible option, says Chris Carter.
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28 August 1837: Lea & Perrins begins making Worcestershire sauce
Features On this day in 1837, Lea & Perrins started to manufacture its famous Worcestershire sauce for sale the following year.
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27 August 1995: Rugby Union turns professional
Features On this day in 1995, 25 years ago, the International Rugby Board agreed to bring the era of amateur rugby to an end.
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25 August 2012: Voyager 1 enters interstellar space
Features On this day in 2012, the Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed into interstellar space, becoming the first manmade object to explore the space between the stars.
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Sukhinder Singh: get ready for the rum revolution
Advice Rum has come of age and for collectors, the party is just getting started. Sukhinder Singh, co-founder of The Whisky Exchange, talks to MoneyWeek.
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21 August 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre
Features On this day in 1911, Italian outcast Vincenzo Perrugia slipped out of a cupboard at the Louvre and made off with the Mona Lisa.
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20 August 1866: The American Civil War officially ends
Features Over a year after Confederate general Robert E Lee surrendered, US president Andrew Johnson could finally declare the American Civil War over, on this day in 1866.
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