"Robot" comes from the Czech word robota meaning serf labour or drudgery. It first appeared in a 1921 play by Karel Capek. Wired, 25th January 2011

Bras date back around 600 years; the oldest ones have been discovered in an Austrian castle. The Guardian, 18th July 2012

Seagulls don't actually exist. It is a casual term used to refer to the gull family of around 25 different species. The Telegraph, 18th July 2012

Women in Britain are among the shortest in Europe and wear the highest heel; the average heel height is 3.3 inches. The Express, 20th July 2012

The mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, is a cat called Stubbs. He has held the position for the last 15 years. CNN, 17th July 2012

British holidaymakers spend £118m a year buying things they forget to take on holiday. Mail Online, 19th July 2012

Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, has a cat called Johnny Depp. The Financial Times, 27th July 2012

Approximately 22,000 pub quizzes take place every week in the UK, compared to 2,000 in America. Times of India, 1st July 2012

Climbers can use smartphones to keep in touch from the top of Mount Everest, where there has been 3G mobile service since the end of 2010. New York Times, 29th October 2010