History Challenge & Journal

[pharvey]

Given the size of the place, Wembley must be a good bet.

Wembley indeed - or "Empire Stadium" as it was often called then....

[pharvey]

The oldest condoms ever found date back to... When? Closest year.....

[lindosfan1]

1594

[pharvey]

1594

Ah, nothing like the Internet and Google.... Unless of course you have a passion?

"The first documented use of a condom in Europe was in 1564 by the anatomist Fallopia (who also gave his name to fallopian tubes).

In the 16th century condoms were used primarily to prevent STDs. Syphilis, for example, was often fatal and raged through Europe for over 300 years. But with the discovery of spermatozoa in the 17th century, the Church became outraged over the use of barriers impeding their progress."

That said, my answer was different: -

"The oldest condoms ever found date back to the 1640s (they were found in a cesspit at Dudley Castle), and were made from animal and fish intestines."

Without searching, let's try this: -

What's the world's oldest Parliament? Two actually vie for the position, so either will do.

[pharvey]

1594

Ah, nothing like the Internet and Google.... Unless of course you have a passion?

"The first documented use of a condom in Europe was in 1564

Oh bugger..... Sorry Lindosfan -got that wrong..... Though you were certainly close enough!!

[dtaai-maai]

What's the world's oldest Parliament? Two actually vie for the position, so either will do.

The Viking one in Iceland, I think. Eric the Red?

Could the other one be the Isle of Man?

EDIT: Incidentally, I have it on good authority that the Dudley Castle "condoms" were actually sausage skins...

[dtaai-maai]

The oldest condoms ever found date back to... When? Closest year.....

I have one in my wallet that dates back to 1979. I live in hope.

[lindosfan1]

I knew they went back a long way was not sure so that was a pure guess..

[lindosfan1]

The oldest parlaiment I think is Iceland. 2nd choice wouldbe one of the scandinavian countries.

[Jimbob]

Faeroe Islands might get a nod for an old parliament.

(England gets a nod for some of the parliamentarian oldest farts)

[pharvey]

The parliament I was looking at was indeed Icelandic: -

"The Alþingi (parliament (Icelandic) and anglicised as Althingi or Althing) is the national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world.[1][2][a] The Althing was founded in 930"

I had a look at the Isle of Man - which has the oldest parliament with an unbroken existence....

"The High Court of Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man and has an unlimited, but not necessarily exclusive, legislative competence. Tynwald is of Norse origin and over 1,000 years old, and is thus the oldest parliament in the world with an unbroken existence."

And just to complicate matters we have: -

Oldest Parliament in the World

"The origin of the Faroese Parliament (the Løgting) can be traced back more than one thousand years. Originally its name was Althing, where all free men had access.

Since 1948 the Løgting has had legislative power over the areas which have been taken over as seperate jurisdiction in accordance with the Home Rule Act. The Faroese Government has the executive power within these areas.

The Løgting is elected for a period of four years and has 33 members. Since 2007 the Faroe Islands have been a single constituency and currently seven parties are represented in the Løgting."

I guess everybody's right!!

[pharvey]

The oldest condoms ever found date back to... When? Closest year.....

I have one in my wallet that dates back to 1979. I live in hope.

[Jimbob]

I know some were made from silk. They probably were reusable? sausage skins once?
Do you buy them at condominiums?

[Jimbob]

Here is an old condom, a very scarey one.
Jean Condom (born August 15, 1960 in Saint-André-de-Seignanx) is a retired French international rugby union player. He played as a lock for Biarritz ...

[pharvey]

Stonehenge: Neolithic Monument Found Near Sacred Site

"Archaeologists have discovered a ring of prehistoric shafts, dug thousands of years ago near Stonehenge.

Fieldwork has revealed evidence of a 1.2 mile (2km) wide circle of large shafts measuring more than 10m in diameter and 5m in depth.

They surround the ancient settlement of Durrington Walls, two miles (3km) from Stonehenge.

Tests suggest the ground works are Neolithic and were excavated more than 4,500 years ago.

Experts believe the 20 or more shafts may have served as a boundary to a sacred area connected to the henge.

A team of academics from the universities of St Andrews, Birmingham, Warwick, Glasgow and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David worked on the project

Dr Richard Bates, from St Andrews' School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: "Remote sensing and careful sampling is giving us an insight to the past that shows an even more complex society than we could ever imagine.

"Clearly sophisticated practices demonstrate that the people were so in tune with natural events to an extent that we can barely conceive in the modern world.""

Full Article: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-w ... e-53132567