10 Staggering Facts About WWI

Castor oil didn't fuel the planes, it was a lubricant that accidentally got ingested into the combustion chamber. As it didn't burn, it blew out the exhaust.

While I'm quite happy to celebrate the end of the Great War, I feel uneasy about celebrating its start. I get the feeling the whole thing is driven by media and political imperatives rather than public sentiment, this time round. I don't think my either of my grandfathers (who both survived the Somme and other battles) would be celebrating the beginning - only the end.