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The guidelines for creating the archetypal ‘advertisement’, be it on television or in written form, seemed to me to be relatively straightforward; ensure clear product placement, create an element of desirability and use clear, bold branding.

BBC Two’s newest period drama Banished sheds light on the lives of the first penal colony established in Australia. The likes of Russell Tovey, Julian Rhind-Tutt, and MyAnna Buring portray the lives of convicts and soldiers trying to serve their time and get by in the wilds of New South Wales. Life seems incredibly brutal in this environment and one would imagine the real lives of the first convicts and soldiers would have been terribly difficult.

If, like me, you have been avidly watching the rugby of both the men’s and women’s Six Nations tournaments over the last few weeks, you will no doubt be feeling the tension rise as we approach the grand finales tomorrow. Whether you have been supporting the English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French or Italians, I think you will agree that it has been a cracking spectacle with the players taking centre stage.

A global phenomenon, few patron saints are as enthusiastically celebrated as St. Patrick. Credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland’s pagans in the fourth century, he has since become a symbol of Irish patriotism. And it doesn’t seem to matter much where you are in the world on 17 March ¬– chances are you’ll be encouraged to wear green, don your fanciest shamrock brooch and gulp down gallons of Guinness.

One of America’s most famous battles saw an overwhelming victory for the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. While almost half the entire 7th Cavalry Regiment was wiped out, the Sioux were described by the New York Times as “cruel, cowardly robbers”.

We dive into Barbie's long standing and influential presence on the children's toy market and the research conducted by Ernest Dichter observing children and their mothers to gauge their reactions to Barbie-prototypes.

While the etymology of our own names might be a slightly narcissistic preoccupation, names and naming systems can provide a fascinating insight into cultural history.

Bowling Green State University. At 12.30pm on Friday 22 November 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald fired three bullets from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. Thirty minutes later JFK was dead. That’s the official story...