We’re quite surprised (and certainly pleased) that our Stonehenge t-shirt is selling well this week. Due to the interest in the design, we thought it would be fun to delve into the history of the place and focus on 10 interest facts and figures that people may not have known.

Date Built?

Much about Stonehenge remains a mystery – the biggest unanswered question is when was it built? Archaeologists believe it was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Radiocarbon dating done in 2008 suggested that the first stones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC, whilst another theory suggests that bluestones may have been raised at the site as early as 3000 BC.

Big Visitor Numbers

Stonehenge has over 1,000,000 visitors from all over the world ever year – making it one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions.

The Stones Are Generally Off Limits

When Stonehenge was first opened to the public it was possible to walk among and even climb on the stones, but the stones were roped off in 1977 as a result of serious erosion. Visitors are no longer permitted to touch the stones, but are able to walk around the monument from a short distance away. English Heritage does, however, permit access during the summer and winter solstice, and the spring and autumn equinox. Additionally, visitors can make special bookings to access the stones throughout the year.

Massive Weight

Some of the stones can weigh up to 60 tons. One of the biggest mysteries is how the builders managed to get them onto the site and lift them in the prehistoric era.

Massive Site

The Stonehenge site is more than just the iconic stones at the center – the land surrounding the henge is a massive burial ground with over 200 people buried on the site.

A Bit of Wales

Some of the stones are Welsh bluestone – which only exists in Wales. The stones have been geologically placed to have in origin in western Wales – which is very far away from Wiltshire!

Who Owns It?

Stonehenge used to be a neglected monument on some absentee landowner’s land (and much damage was done to the monument). Eventually it was decided to be too important to trust to private ownership and the British Crown now owns the site. It is managed by English Heritage and the land surrounding the site is owned by the National Trust (which has a remit to protect its properties forever).

Check Your Sums

Those who built Stonehenge had to have been extremely sophisticated in mathematics and geometry. It was aligned with the midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunset. It was also aligned with the most northerly setting and most southerly rising of the moon.

Multiple Stones

The monument is made of two major types of stone, sarsens and bluestones (mentioned above). Sarsens are the larger ones, some of them reaching 9m tall and weighing over 20 tons. They are thought to have come from the Marlborough Downs, around 20 miles from Salisbury Plain.

Building A Tunnel

You can see Stonehenge from the main road – the A303 – as you drive by. This is also a major problem for the site as it creates a lot of road noise and pollution that damage the stones. The British government has just announced that they’re going to build tunnel under Stonehenge that will make the site almost as it was when it was built – silent to the winds of the Salisbury plain.

In honor of this week’s hit t-shirt dedicated to the iconic British comedy Mr Bean, we present 11 facts and figures about this iconic show you probably didn’t know.

There’s still time left to pick up our design ‘Bean Motors.’ Available in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve and hoodie starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide. All orders must be in by Friday at Noon US Central Time. ORDER HERE NOW!

Mr Bean is known worldwide

It’s highly probably that Mr Bean is the first British comedy that many people are exposed to (I know it was my first). That’s because it has been sold for transmission in a massive 245 territories!

Short Run

Despite the shows popularity – there are actually only 15 episodes of the show in existence (plus the movies we’d rather forget about).

A 90’s Hit

The show only ran from 1990 to 1995. The comedy, however, is timeless.

Not a BBC Show

Despite was most people probably think about the show it was not a creation of the BBC – in fact it aired on the British commercial network BBC Rival ITV.

Mr Bean is a Very Rich Man

On the show, Mr Bean is generally are very poor character. Not so for the man who created him – Rowan Atkinson is reportedly worth $130 Million due to the success of the show, its spinoff movies as well as his other projects that have been big hit (like Johnny English).

Created at Oxford

Mr Bean was developed while Atkinson was studying for his master’s degree in electrical engineering at Queen’s College, Oxford. A sketch featuring the character was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 1980s.

Facebook Loves Him

Mr Bean has over 63 MILLION fans on Facebook. Fans hail from all over the world and show the international popularity of this British buffoon. The page is updated regularly with comics, news videos and more.

Ratings Hit

Not only is the show popular worldwide, but it was extremely popular on its home turf of Britain. As one point 18.74 million people tuned into the 1991 special ‘The Trouble With Mr Bean.’

Has a Strong Pedigree

The people who created and produced the show have gone on to become icons of British entertainment. Rowan Atkinson has moved on to a successful film career. His series co-creator Richard Curtis has developed some of Britain’s best known movies such as Bridget Jones’ Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually and many more. One of the producers, Sue Vertue is best known as the producer on BBC’s Sherlock – she also happens to be married to Doctor Who show runner Stephen Moffat.

Later Appearances

Since the show ended in 1995, Mr Bean has returned in two movies, which while not very good have made lots of money. He was also the star of an animated series – and there is a new animated series in development. He has also appeared in one off specials and famously made a cameo appearance at the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.

Box Office Gold

Mr Bean last appeared on the big screen in 2007 in Mr Bean’s Holiday, which featured Bean going on vacation in France (an Englishman in France, how can that be funny????). The movie was comparatively cheap to produce but it grossed over $229 Million worldwide. Which makes you understand why Rowan Atkinson was non-plussed by the $1.4 million repair bill on one of his prized supercars involved in a crash.

There’s still time left to pick up our design ‘Bean Motors.’ Available in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve and hoodie starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide. All orders must be in by Friday at Noon US Central Time. ORDER HERE NOW!

This article was written by regular Tardistopia.net contributor John Rabon.

Happy Birthday Doctor Who! Today (November 23rd) in 1963, Doctor Who aired on the BBC for the first time. We’ve now had Doctor Who for over 51 years, and as this series continues to show, there are always reasons to watch. Of course, over such a long and illustrious television history, a programme builds up lots of interest facts about itself. Some of these you may know, others you may not, but in any event, they provide plenty of great moments on screen and behind the scenes.

In celebration of the Doctor’s 51st Birthday, we have a fun Doctor Who T-shirt design available this week called ‘If This TARDIS is a Rockin’… and it’s a cheeky tribute to Doctor Who. Order here now.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Exterminate

Rather than Raymond Cusick, it was very nearly director Ridley Scott who gave the Daleks their distinctive look. Scott worked as a designer at the BBC back in the 1960s and was originally slated to do the design work for “The Daleks” serial. However, before work on the serial began, Scott left to train as a director at Granada Studios and Cusick was tapped to replace him.

Diversity Firsts

For the first episode of the programme “An Unearthly Child”, the BBC had two firsts. Verity Lambert was chosen by head of drama Sydney Newman to be the show’s producer, becoming the first woman at the BBC to hold that position. Similarly, Waris Hussein was the BBC’s first Asian drama director, having directed his first programme in 1962 before moving onto Doctor Who the following year.

Driving Your Own Car

Exactly what the Third Doctor, John Pertwee, did during his tenure on the show. A bit of a petrol head, Pertwee had a special spaceship-looking car commissioned for him and got permission to have it on the show. Dubbed “The Whomobile” by fans, it was never referred to by name on the programme as Barry Letts hated self-references within the show.

Bow Ties are Cool

So cool, in fact, that after Matt Smith started to wear them in 2011 for his Doctor’s costume, the sales shot up 94%. Smith decided to wear the bow tie after doing his research to prepare for the role and taking a liking to Patrick Troughton’s portrayal as the Second Doctor.

Real Life Writes the Show

There have been several instances when actual events dictated what happened on the programme. The first was the rebroadcast of the first episode, as the original broadcast was overlooked by viewers after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The second is the TARDIS itself. Originally meant to change appearance with each episode, the costliness of this caused the TARDIS to become stick in its familiar police box shape. Lastly, the whole idea of regeneration was created when William Hartnell left the programme so that the show could go on with a new actor, explained by the Doctor’s alien physiology allowing him to change form and personalities.

Playing with the Weeping Angels

The Weeping Angels, enemies that can only move when not being observed, were based on the game What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? In the game, one player is chosen to be Mr. Wolf and stands at the opposite end of the field, facing away from the other players. The players chant “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” and the chosen player will shout out a time that requires the players to take the announced number of steps (3 = 3 steps, 12 = 12, etc.). Mr. Wolf can also shout out “Dinner time!” and chase the other players. If he tags another player, that player becomes the new Mr. Wolf.

Quite Interesting

Stephen Fry was tapped to write an episode of the second series of the new programme by Russell T. Davies. Fry’s script was a play on the medieval story of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Unfortunately, Davies found the script overly complicated and Fry never got around to doing a rewrite, so it was never used.

Highest Viewing Figures

That honour goes to the Fourth Doctor serial “City of Death” with 16.1 million viewers for the classic series. For the new series, the anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor” brought in 10.61 million viewers in the UK and 3.6 million in the US. The box office figures for the theatre screening of the anniversary earned £1.8 million in the UK and $2.44 million in the US, becoming the second highest grossing that night.

The Master was His Brother?

Well…almost. Rodger Delgado, the first actor to portray the Master, was brought onto the programme in part because he was a friend of Jon Pertwee’s. There were plans for the Master to be revealed as the Doctor’s brother later in Pertwee’s era, but sadly, Delgado died before this could be realised. His death was part of the reason why Pertwee decided to leave the show after 1973. The Master would not reappear as a villain until 1976’s “The Deadly Assassin”.

The Fourth Doctor was a Monk?

At least, when he was at the age of 15. Tom Baker joined a monastery but came to dislike the discipline, chanting, and other hallmarks of monastic life, eventually leaving the church to pursue a career in acting. His iconic scarf almost didn’t happen. The scarf wasn’t meant to be as long as it was, but when the costume designer provided several balls of yarn to the knitter to pick the colors, she ended up using them all.

In celebration of the Doctor’s 51st Birthday, we have a fun Doctor Who T-shirt design available this week called ‘If This TARDIS is a Rockin’… and it’s a cheeky tribute to Doctor Who. Order here now.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by John Rabon and originally appeared on Anglotopia.net.

MI5, otherwise known as The Security Service, is the domestic counterintelligence and security agency for the United Kingdom. While the Security Intelligence Service (otherwise known as MI6) focuses on foreign threats (and where the fictional James Bond works), MI5 focuses on threats within Britain. Though not as buried in secrecy as MI6, MI5 has its own interesting history and facts.

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The Secret Service

MI-5 formed in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau. The first Director General was Major-General Sir Vernon Kell.

Early Mission

As the Secret Service Bureau, MI-5 wasn’t formed to just protect against domestic threats, but to gather intelligence on German Imperial activities. It’s worth noting that this directive occurred five years before World War I. While the SSB handled both foreign and domestic threats, Captain Mansfield Cumming successfully argued for a separation into two departments, leading to the split of the SSB in 1910 in the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

The Cold War is Over?

Accusations of spying continue even today. In 2006, Russia claimed that Britain kept a listening device in a rock on a Moscow Street. The accusation turned out to be true. Meanwhile, MI5 estimates that Russia has as many spies in Britain today as it did at the height of the Cold War.

Setbacks During WWII

Despite the organization’s importance, WWII was one of MI5’s lowest points. The staff had been reduced to 30 operatives and 6 surveillance operatives. The Blitz ended up destroying most of the Security Service’s files and it had to leave its headquarters at Blenheim Palace. Despite all of this, as you can imagine, the Service’s workload increased during the war. Eventually, MI5 was given more resources to combat threats at home.

Not-So-Secret Spy

Michael Bettaney was an MI5 agents who apparently wasn’t so good at maintaining his secrecy. Recruited to the counter-espionage unit of MI5 in 1982, he was eventually convicted of passing sensitive documents to the Soviets in 1984. Besides his frequent boasting of working for “the other side”, he twice admitted to being a spy: once to avoid a ticket master at the station; and a second time to get out of being arrested for public drunkenness. He was arrested for treason when a MI6 agent working inside the Soviet embassy, Oleg Gordievsky, reported Bettaney to his superiors.

No License to Kill

MI5 has vehemently denied such a thing actually exists. Of course, if MI5 and MI6 agents killed as often as Bond, they wouldn’t be very good at staying secret.

Transparency

Much like MI6, MI5 has made a transition from being a super-secret organization to being more open to the public. In 1989, the Security Service Act gave the Service legal standing within the government for the first time, but also forced it to become more accountable. The Security Service could no longer tap phones or install bugs without a warrant. In 1993, it published a book, aptly titled “The Security Service” described the six branches of the organization: counter-terrorism, counterespionage, counter-subversion, protective security, security intelligence, and record keeping.

Shifting Focus

With the Cold War winding down in the early 90s, MI5 went from catching Soviet spies to preventing terrorism at home, specifically acts of violence committed by the Irish Republican Army. The Metropolitan Police officially handed over the intelligence effort against Irish terrorism to the Security Service in 1992. In addition to preventing several bombings, MI5 was responsible for at least 21 successful prosecutions of Irish militants.

The “Military” in Military Intelligence?

Though MI5 began under the Directorate of Military Intelligence, in 1952, Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill transferred the Service over to the Home Office, under whose authority MI5 remains to this day.

America Isn’t the Only One Spying on Its People

In 2006, MP Norman Baker accused MI5 of “hoarding information on people who pose no danger to this country.” The accusations proved well-founded, and it came out that MI5 had secret files on 272,000 people. It also revealed a “traffic light” system governing the files: “Green” referring to active files (10% of the files), “Yellow” meaning “enquiries prohibited, further information may be added” (46%), and “Red” meaning “enquiries prohibited, substantial information may not be added” (44%).

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally written on Anglotopia.net by John Rabon and is being republished here.

“Bond. James Bond.” Though they may not refer to their agents as “00” anything, MI6, more officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service, is still a crack intelligence agency. MI6 actually stands for “Military Intelligence, Section 6” and is comparable to the C.I.A. in America. It’s sister organization, MI5 is the security service responsible for protection from domestic threats, much like the F.B.I. or Department of Homeland Security. Of course, any intelligence agency builds up its share of secrets and interesting facts over many years of service, and MI6 is no different.

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Wrong Letter

Though the head of MI6 in the James Bond films always uses the letter “M”, in the real world, the head of the service is actually referred to as “C”. This originated with the first leader of the organization, Sir Mansfield Cumming, who signed everything “C”. All subsequent heads of MI6 are also referred to as this, regardless of what his or her real name is. “C” always writes and signs every document in green ink.

Different Branches

At one point, there were 19 different Military Intelligence branches. MI1 handled the management of information, MI11 was responsible for codebreaking, MI2 for Russian and Scandinavian Intelligence, MI4 for aerial reconnaissance, and so on. Eventually, many of these branches were absorbed into MI5 or MI6.

Headquarters

MI6 Headquarters is in Vauxhall Cross, first seen as the home of MI6 for the Bond films in “The World Is Not Enough”. It was completed in 1994 and the price tag was rumoured at £130 million. Much of the building is underground to protect more sensitive materials and the layout is protected by the Official Secrets Act.

Out of the Shadows, Into the Light

MI6 was born as the Secret Service Bureau in 1909 and its existence was not fully disclosed until 1994.

Undisclosed Age

The official retirement age for senior MI6 staff is a secret. Only the Intelligence and Security Committee know what the age is.

Smiley’s People

John le Carre, the author responsible for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “Smiley’s People” was himself a MI6 agent. “TTSS” is based on the infamous Cambridge Five: Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt, John Cairncross, and Kim Philby, who were recruited as university students by the Soviets and became moles for the KGB. Le Carre changed his name from David John Moore Cornwell as agents aren’t allowed to publish under their own names. In addition to la Carre, author Graham Greene was also an MI6 agents. Ian Fleming was not with MI6 but with Naval Intelligence during the war which inspired his creation of James Bond.

Make Cupcakes, Not Bombs

MI6 agents hacked an Al-Qaeda online magazine and replaced instructions for bomb-making with cupcake recipes.

The Digital Age

Much like the CIA finally signing up with Twitter, MI6 has gone online with its own webpage. There visitors can learn about the history of the agency, search for jobs, and take a virtual tour of the organization.

Cool Gadgets

Super spy gadgets were a very real thing, though maybe not to the extent of having magnetic watches and grenade pens. Real spies used technology like cameras in matchboxes and brushes with secret compartments.

Whoops

Social media nearly lost the current “C”, Sir John Sawers, his job when his wife posted a great deal of his family’s personal information to her Facebook profile. The information included the couple’s home address and the locations of their three children. Fortunately for him, the data was later removed.

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This article was originally published on our sister site Anglotopia.net on August 18th, 2014. It was originally written by John Rabon, an Anglotopia contributor. 

There’s still two days left to get our exclusive Jane Austen themed t-shirt! Available in men’s, women’s, long sleeve, hoodie, v-neck and tote bag starting at $16.99. Also available in pink or white options.

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Jane Austen was an amazing writer and woman for her time. She penned a total of six novels, all of which are still studied in classrooms to this day. Her keen insights into social customs paint a picture of life in the Georgian era and all the delights and pratfalls that life entailed. While not a famous name in her own time, her works made her a literary celebrity in the 19th Century, a status she maintains today. Have a look below at some things you may now know about this great author.

Big Family

Jane was one of eight children in the Austen family and the youngest girl, though not the youngest child. Despite all her siblings being literary, Jane was the only one who became a published novelist. She honed her writing skills mostly as a way of entertaining her family members. Her father, George Austen, was a clergyman and her mother Cassandra was from a higher social class. Her mother actually experienced a social fall in marrying George, but it did nothing to dampen her spirits.

Young and Accomplished

By the age of 23, Jane had already completed original versions of Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Auto-Biographical

Many of Austen works reflect situations in her own life. When her father died, Jane, her mother, and her sister experienced a financial crisis similar to Sense and Sensibility. The family’s financial situation also led to a fall in Bath society. The novel Northanger Abbey portrays Bath society in a very positive light, but Persuasion, which was written after George Austen’s death, is very cynical, reflecting Austen’s attitude towards the socialites who shunned her.

Not a Fan

Mark Twain hated Austen’s works, once stating that that an ideal library is one “that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book.” Of course, this may have all been an attempt to troll fellow author and critic William Dean Howells, who was an ardent Austen fan.

Fan Nickname

Jane Austen’s fans refer to themselves either as Austenites or Janeites. Pemberley.com is one of the foremost fan sites, and across the Atlantic Ocean, there’s the Jane Austen Society of North America. JASNA holds an annual meeting in the fall in Canada or the United States.

Modern Adaptations

Though there are many period film and television adaptations of all six of her novels, there are several modern adaptations as well, mostly of Pride and Prejudice. Helen Fielding’s novel Bridget Jones’s Diary and its three sequels are based on it, even going so far as cast Colin Firth as Darcy expy Mark Darcy in the films. YouTube also has its own adaptation in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a video diary web series that ran for 100 episodes from 2012 to 2013. The film Clueless with Alicia Silverstone is actually an adaptation of Emma as well.

Home School

While Jane’s brothers all attended Oxford University, Jane and her sister Cassandra were home schooled by their father and mother. Because of his education, George Austen also educated other boys in the area and some of them lived with the Austen family.

Anonymous

Of the four novels published during her lifetime, none bore her name. Sense and Sensibility bore the byline “By a Lady” and Pride and Prejudice simply stated that it was by “The Author of Sense and Sensibility”. Her father had tried to get Pride and Prejudice (then called “First Impressions”) and Northanger Abbey published, but there was no success until Sense and Sensibility was printed in 1811.

In the Navy

Her brothers Charles and Frank both served in the British Navy and were a source of information for her to write Persuasion and the character of naval officer Frederick Wentworth.

Kennedy Connection

Jane suffered from a mysterious disease that was never diagnosed accurately, starting around 1816 until her death in 1817. Today it is believed that she suffered from Addison’s Disease, a rare chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones that also affected President John F. Kennedy.

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