It is widely believed that a disproportionate number of disasters take place during the festive season. We used our data on major historical events to put that theory to the test.
More frequent: Train and plane crashes, sieges and earthquakes.
Less frequent: Stock market and banking crises, riots, fires and terrorist incidents.
The train and air crashes are unsurprising due to staff shortages and poor weather conditions, at least in the northern hemisphere, where the majority take place. An increase in sieges make sense too - if your aim is to starve out the enemy, then picking a time of low food availability is obviously sensible.
Westerners might also expect terrorist incidents to increase at Christmas for maximum impact. But the figures cover incidents from all over the world, including many countries where Christmas isn't widely celebrated. In fact, February appears to be the most popular month for them.
More surprising is the apparent increase in earthquakes. Tor Nørretranders, author of Danish popular science books, gives a plausible explanation. "The increased number of earthquakes may be explained by the fact that any incident of the kind is more likely to get into the media when society goes on vacation", he said.
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December 2010
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17 December 2010
Food and Movies
Two major threads in our recent updates are food and film. Both are pretty good subjects at this time of year - when the weather outside is horrible there's nothing better than curling up in front of a dvd with something yummy.
So, food:
- Recipe for Christmas Pudding
- How do you make adobo?
- Where can I get breakfast near True Knowledge?
- Is liver pate high in iron?
- What vitamins are in brie?
And movies:
- How good is Pulp Fiction?
- What is Schindler's List's certification in Australia?
- How long is Fight Club?
- Is The Pianist worth watching?
- Who starred in A Clockwork Orange?
- What actors have played in Francis Ford Coppola's movies?
- What movies did Stephen Spielberg release in 1982?
So now you can resolve those family arguments by getting a direct answer to Who was in Four Weddings and a Funeral? and even combine your two favourite topics by asking for movies directed by chefs!
