What does a Puzzle Researcher actually do? Read on to find out!
Hello again! I’m Laura – one of the Puzzle Researchers working in Gareth’s busy office and helping to bring puzzle books of all kinds to life. Recently we’ve been really fortunate to be able to work on longer themed books for kids and adults (such as the Natural History Puzzle Book, and the British Army Challenge Book), all of which require plenty of background research and fact-finding to bring the puzzles to life and give solvers the opportunity to learn along the way. Every day I go home with heaps of new knowledge - every day really is a school day in this line of work!
For anyone who loves a fun fact as much as me (or would like to earn a gold star on their pub quiz team), have a look at the facts below, which are some of my favourite snippets from some of the books I’ve worked on over the past months. There are two things to spot here: Can you tell which fact comes from which book? And which one of the facts is false?
No answers at the bottom I’m afraid – you’ll have to check the books to find out!
Facts
- ‘Lachanophobia’ is the name for a fear of vegetables
- Almost 20% of Wales is designated National Park – more than the relative percentages of Scotland and England combined
- An excavation site in Lark Quarry, Australia, shows fossilized evidence of a dinosaur stampede
- Colchester in Essex was the original capital of Roman Britain
- The names of at least ten herbs and spices can be found in street and building names just south-east of Tower Bridge in London
- The world’s tallest tree is named Methuselah
- There are four islands in Lake Winnipeg named after members of the deer family cervidae
Books
- The AZ Puzzle Book
- The Natural History Puzzle Book
- The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Tour of Britain
- The RHS Gardener’s Quiz and Puzzle Book (with Simon Akeroyd)
- The Times World Atlas Puzzle Book
- The British Army Challenge Book
I hope you enjoy the fun facts as much as we have - happy puzzling!