If you were asked to think of the world’s most important and essential inventions, you would probably come up with things like the computer, antibiotics, anesthetics, electricity … things like that.

But without the inventions listed below, many of those innovations would never have come to pass. Mankind has been inventing since the very dawn of man, and many of the things we take for granted today simply did not exist until some bright spark came up with an idea and made them into reality.

Coins

Before the invention of coins, the only way you could exchange something you had for something you wanted was to barter it.

Let’s say you had grain and wanted a pig. If you could not find someone with a pig who wanted grain, you would have to barter your grain for something they did want.

Apart from the time this would take, you would also need to transport the grain and worry about it spoiling before you had made your deal. The invention of coins cut away all of this difficulty and made it possible to save the proceeds of a sale for a future purchase.

Imagine heading down to a shop and trying to barter your crops for some remote control window shades and you will realize just how essential the concept of money is to your daily life!

Alcohol

Alcohol was not always just something that was drunk for fun. Before the development of modern sanitation, germ theory and medicine, drinking water was a dangerous proposition. While people might not have known that water was full of tiny germs, they did know that it made them sick. So, what did they do?

They brewed beer and drank it instead. The alcohol in the beer helped to kill of the bacteria and other microorganisms that made people sick when they drank water. In addition, brewing beer helped to get nutrients out of the grains, so that a drink of beer was almost a meal.

Without the invention of alcohol, a large number of people would have died from drinking dirty water.

Writing

In the western world today almost everyone can write. Indeed, literacy is one of the most important ways to measure how developed a country is. With reading and writing being taught from such an early age, it is hard for us to remember the concept of writing did not always exist – someone had to invent it.

More likely, it was several someone’s working together in communities all across humanity. With writing, messages do not need to be transmitted from person to person, with misunderstandings and confusion. The wisdom of your ancestors can live on after they have died, and you can leave messages for others.

Now that you know more about inventions, you might want to get more acquainted with today’s technology, like remote control window shades.

Post written by guest blogger Shane.

Published in 1937, John Steinbeck’s highly acclaimed novelette/play Of Mice and Men details the tragic and brutally naturalistic story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they find themselves caught up in the unforgiving and bitter wind of the Depression era. Inspired by his own days as a bindlestiff in the 20′s, Steinbeck sought to capture the hopelessness and the isolation that characterized such migrant workers of the time as they moved from one place to another, always hungry for more work and food.

The story begins with George chastising Lennie for causing the two of them trouble in Weed, California where Lennie, George’s simple-minded and mentally handicapped companion, had touched a woman’s blouse out of curiosity and had inadvertently made him and George the near-victims of a lynch mob. George, however, forgives Lennie and tells him about the farm they will one day share and George is overjoyed by the concept of tending the rabbits. Together, the two form a rare bond in a listless world – a theme rampant throughout the rest of the story. As George tells Lennie, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”

When they arrive at their next ranch job, George and Lennie meet a handful of characters such as the wise Slim, the old and handicapped Candy, the racially divided and discriminated Crooks, the hot-headed son of the ranch owner Curley, and Curley’s promiscuous wife. George warns Lennie to behave despite his simple-mindedness or else he will not get to tend the rabbits. Together in the bunkhouse, the boys become weary of Candy’s ancient dog and, despite his reluctance, persuade him to allow the boys to put it out of its misery in exchange for one of Slim’s new pups (one of which is also given to Lennie). Candy then relents in misery, feeling that he should have been the one to do it. The conversation turns again to the farm and the dream suddenly becomes palpable when Candy offers to put in his part of the cost. Curley appears, furious over his wife’s debauchery, and takes it out on Lennie. After getting permission from George, Lennie crushes Curley’s hand with little effort. Later, while George and the boys go out on the town one night, Lennie meets Crooks, a negro man who suffers Lennie until he finds that, like himself, Lennie has been segregated against because of forces outside of his control.

After accidentally killing his pup, Lennie finds sympathy in Curley’s wife. In this moment of sympathy, the theme of loneliness and hopeless dreams pervades even her as she tells her own tragic story of her unwanted marriage and failure to become an actress. She does not sense danger in Lennie and in this tragic mistake allows him to satisfy his love of petting soft things by touching her hair. When his strength becomes too much, she tries to scream and, much like the mouse and the pup, he accidentally kills her and then runs from the ranch. A lynch mob is formed by Curley and the gang while George is forced to ponder a final solution for Lennie’s mistake.

The last chapter brings Lennie back to the safe haven George had told him to return to in case of any mishap. Stark imagery of a heron devouring an unsuspecting snake presents an ominous symbol for the fate of the troubled Lennie. Lennie fears he will no longer be able to tend to the rabbits and in his mental anguish is rebuked by hallucinations of his aunt and a large rabbit. When George finally appears, a scene very similar to the beginning is replayed: Lennie under the criticism of George, George forgiving him, and the retelling of the farm to satisfy Lennie’s fantasies. Only this time, George has Carlson’s gun pointed to the back of the head of the unknowing Lennie. George has come to the horrid realization that such an idea of owning a farm in the time he and Lennie are living is utterly hopeless and he knows that he and Lennie must part so that he will no longer find himself attached to such high aspirations. Reminiscent of Candy’s regret over not having put down his own dog, George knows that he must be the one to do it and not Curley. In the bitter end of the story, Slim is the only one to understand George’s pain; his feelings ultimately confuse the others, because in this tragic conclusion to Of Mice and Men, the idealization of friendship and hopes of bettering one’s lot in the time and life of the migrant worker is fruitless and unobtainable, and in the killing of Lennie, George removes himself from an elevated state to that of one like every other migrant worker, where no real bond exists and life is riddled with cheap thrills simply to get by day by day. To end this Of Mice and Men summary and to use an important quote so that it may aid in essay editing, it is crucial to recall Crooks earlier words to Lennie which thus burn bleakly and relentlessly at the end of the story: “Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’… Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.”

John Grant is a professional book reviewer for several websites and UK papers.

There are many different types of action that film makers can utilise to grab the viewer’s attention – guns, swords, fist-fights, chase scenes and more. Sometimes, however, several of these are used in one scene, to great dramatic effect.

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is a fine example of this. As Bond goes after Sebastian Foucan, they begin with a chase on foot through a crowded market place. Leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, the two men leap and bound over stalls, pulling down awnings and scattering produce. Ending up on a building site, Foucan pulls a gun, but Bond goes one better. Stealing a bulldozer, he cuts a swath through the site, and as Foucan’s shots are all deflected by the giant shovel, he turns to run once more. A workman throws dynamite at the two fighters, but they dodge, and leave the explosion behind them. Foucan then proceeds to make a daring climb to the top of a crane, and leap down again in a series of improbable, but not impossible, jumps, leaving Bond hanging precariously many hundreds of feet in the air. Yet another chase ensues, this time through a residential building, and Bond finally gets his man – only to find himself in the sights of no less than six rifle holding men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCA7c0_tO-Q (To embed)

The Matrix: Reloaded

In The Matrix: Reloaded, as Neo, Trinity and Morpheus aid in the escape of a man known only as ‘The Keymaker’, the fight begins in an underground garage. Knives are drawn, and the trio fight the deadly twins, who have the ability to make their forms insubstantial at will. Realising this form of combat is useless against such opponents, Trinity and Morpheus bundle the Keymaker into the back of a car, and the chase is on. Leaving Neo to fend off any enemies who are left behind, the rest begin a crazy chase down the freeway. At this point the guns come out, and the combination of bullets and petrol makes for some pretty impressive explosions. As the car becomes invaded, Trinity grabs the Keymaker and steals a motorbike from an unsuspecting rider. There follows an awesome display of driving skills as she weaves in and out of traffic, dodging bullets and fending off enemies, finally ducking between two lorries where Morpheus is waiting to haul the Keymaker to safety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLtbQLv9-NA  (To embed)

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum is a two hour riot of action of all descriptions. From start to finish, it is jam-packed with fist fights, shoot outs, and chase scenes encompassing entire cities. Jason Bourne must defend himself against hundreds of attackers, in every way, shape and form. With explosions on every corner, martial arts skills not often seen in the West, and a plethora of pistols, rifles and other stolen weapons, Bourne is a hero for the new era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlHwct4D3Pw&feature=fvst (To embed)

Many new movies have tried to emulate this dramatic mixture of action, and Vue cinemas bring you the best of the best.

Books and movies about a world after the collapse of civilization (Dune, Farenheit 451, Soylent Green) hold a consistent nihilist appeal, but Hunger Games adds a new modern twist to the theme: citizens in this post apocalyptic world are forced to fight to the death on what must surely be the ultimate reality T.V. show.

After an unsuccessful revolution to oust the leaders in the “Capitol” (modern reality once again?) who have brought the nation to the edge of ruin, the citizens of the rest of the United State haves been defeated and subjugated. The country is divided into 12 districts, and each district must send two young contenders to fight in what is known as the “Hunger Games”, where their fellow citizens are entertained by watching these contestants fight to the death. Sixteen year old Katniss, after her younger sister is chosen as a contestant in a lottery, volunteers to take her place. Katniss is from a tough, poor mining region of Panem, as the new United States is now known.

Katniss is determined to survive, and yet, despite her coldness and nerves of steel, her vulnerability makes her extremely likable. Her teammate, Peeta, refuses to lose his humanity despite the inhuman conditions, but Katniss recognizes that in order to survive, she has to disconnect from her normal human emotions and become a survival machine. In an interesting comment on the superficiality of the games, and most especially of the audience that watches them, Katniss has to be made over to be more photogenic for her T.V. appearances, despite the fact that her death is the ultimate goal. She rises above her emotions towards the game organizers by removing their humanity in turn, looking upon them as odd little pets. There is no way to prepare for these games, since the methods, locations and circumstances change with each contest. And the contestants must not only win the games (survive) but also the approval of the audience. In an age-old theme, Katniss and Peeta are the underdogs, fighting against opponents who are stronger and better trained than they are.

The book and the movie are gripping and tense, with characters who will appeal to audiences who now understand the dynamics of reality shows: surviving and remaining strong while accepted and popular by the group. Except on this island, they get more than voted out.

Since this is the first of a series, it is inevitably a cliff-hanger, with all of the unresolved issues hopefully to be addressed in the sequels.

If you are fascinated by post-apocalyptic worlds and stories then you might want to consider hiring someone to help you write about one.  You should use the best background check available as well as ask your partner to sign a non-discloser and copyright agreement before you hire them.

Throughout cinema history, there have been hundreds of spectacular chase scenes, gripping the viewer as characters race through crowded back street, fight against on-coming traffic and over-turn innocent bystanders’ cars. Often coming to a fiery conclusion, these are some of the most exciting scenes in the world of films.

Ronin – Paris Chase

Take Ronin – a nine minute car chase through the streets of Paris, and unique for it’s time in that one of the cars is driven by a female, this is a car chase never to be forgotten. There is plenty of action to be had, with massive pile-ups being caused on the Parisian motorways, the majority of the chase being conducted against the flow of traffic, and over-turned lorries aplenty. Culminating in a drive over a bridge, an upside-down landing by the protagonist, and a daring rescue by a crew of workmen from a flaming vehicle mere seconds before it explodes, all whilst under fire from De Niro, this is an unforgettable scene of destruction.

Ben Hur – Chariot Scene

Not all chase scenes are about the car though – the chariot race scene from Ben Hur, with teams of horses frantically racing through the gladiatorial arena is outstanding. Capturing the ancient Roman love of the gruesome spectacle, the makers of Ben Hur have outdone themselves. Spinning blades on the wheels of chariots hack at the heels of horses, screaming crowds urge the drivers on to ever greater risks, and thrown riders can only watch helplessly as other teams of horses thunder towards them as they lie prone in the centre of the track. Freedom or death seems to be the order of the day, and the emperor holds the key to both.

Ben Hur – Chariot Race by andybe29

Blues Brothers – Mall Chase

The mall chase from the Blues Brothers must be included here, even if simply for the epic trail of destruction it leaves behind. Possibly the only totally indoor car chase ever seen on the big screen, this scene begins with the brothers driving into a shopping mall through the window of a toy shop. Leading the police a merry dance through store fronts, stalls and windows, shoppers dive out of the way of the old Dodge and its pursuers into the mountains of broken glass, and the scene ends only as the brothers exit the mall – through another window.

Italian Job – The Getaway

The absolute classic car chase scene, however, has to be from The Italian Job. Although this film has since been re-made, nothing can beat that original race through the streets of Italy. The red, white and blue minis never pick up as much speed as their faster pursuers, but are driven charmingly in perfect unison, creating a dance that even the motorbike riders cannot keep up with. Driving on rooftops, leaping across buildings, down steps, through tunnels and even on water, these cheeky little cars are so perfectly in tune with each other that they are an absolute delight to watch.

Vue cinema hopes that new films 2012 will bring more of the same.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” is one of the most memorable books of the 20th century for a number of reasons. It is a type of book that really resonates with readers. It invites them into an asylum and into the lives of the characters. After the book is completed, the challenges that the characters encountered and either conquered or were defeated by stick with the reader for some time.

Mildred Ratched

One of those memorable themes is the interaction between Mildred Ratched, commonly known as Nurse Ratched, and the patients. Her obsession with power can be compared to those who are in positions of authority in prison settings. In connection with that, the patients can be compared to prisoners as most simply accepted their situations and their roles as prisoners in the hospital setting. This in and of itself could be the basis for some very interesting writing and essay editing.

Randle McMurphy is the main protagonist on the side of the patients. He continuously stood up for himself and for his fellow patients in a manner that the rest of the patients either wished they could or that they were simply unable or unwilling to. Throughout the book, he and Nurse Ratched pushed each other, trying to force the other to succumb to their own way of thinking.

Chief Bromden, the narrator of the book, is somebody who may at first glance appear to be dull and uninteresting as he appeared to be deaf and mute to others at the hospital. However, doing so allowed him to find out much more about the people at the hospital as others simply did not realize he could hear or understand what they were saying. The Chief was in fact a very bright and compassionate individual.

Some of the most memorable scenes from the book have to do with the medical procedures that were done to some mentally ill patients, both in the book and in real life during the time period the book was written.

Lobotomies were performed during the 1950s with an acceptance that can be hard to comprehend nowadays. The procedure has the ability to turn those who may be hard to control into people who are more relaxed, but who also have very low mental capabilities compared to before the completion of the procedure. In fact, this book helped educate the general public as to how often these dangerous procedures were being done at that time.

Another medical procedure used on mentally ill patients in “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” was electroshock therapy. It was also used to control the patients as if they were prisoners. It would change the patients from difficult to manage to timid and easy to control. The primary side effect of electroshock therapy was loss of memory, including for life events that occurred after the use of the therapy.

Those undertaking essay editing and writing relating to this engaging book will find many themes and characters to write about and explore in addition to the above characters and issues.

John Grant is a regular writer for many book sites. He is also writing his very first novel.

Ok I admit it.  I ate up Stephanie Miller’s adolescent series like, well, an adolescent. They were hardly well written literature. And maybe part of me stuck with it to see if it would get better. And the last part of the 4th book did improve once the story’s focus was off of the melodramatic and pained relationship of Bella and Edward.

Despite all of this, the book was very detailed on character, setting etc.  Anyone making a movie should have zero problem creating the world right? Wrong! Somehow Hollywood managed to ruin something that should have been a no brainer. So how’d they screw it up?

Casting

This was their first and biggest mistake.  The director of the first movie actually had several critically acclaimed films under her belt. If anyone could bring this film to its feet it was her.  Unfortunately, she made a huge mistake in casting.  And don’t get me wrong, the actors (in other projects) have all been pretty good.  I don’t even think Kristen Stewart makes a bad Bella. She brought as much as she could to a weakly written 2-dimensional victimized character.  But I wanted heat and passion between her and Edward. And for some reason Robert Pattinson looked more like he was smelling rotted garbage or in excruciating pain whenever he was around Stewart. They had zero chemistry.  How they ended up dating in real life is a mystery.  Rosalie(a latino actress with bleached blonde hair?), Alice (she’s supposed to be short and pixie-like not 5’7) and Jasper round out the craptastic cast.  The only characters that remotely embodied their literary descriptions were Bella’s father and her plucky friend Jessica.

Direction

While the cast was sealed by the time the second director came on for the second film, I was hoping a new director meant a better film.  Alas, it wasn’t so.  While it was a welcome break from the saga of Bella/Edward to watch her with Jacob (hello chemistry), the film still had to weave its way back to the their predicament.  Part of me secretly wished Edward would walk out into the sun in all his sparkly glory and burst into flames.  But of course (SPOILER) he doesn’t. And with the subsequent films, the direction never seems to put anything real into the film.  The sadness and despair seems forced, the attraction seems false and the only thing exciting is the soundtrack.  Why wouldn’t the director(s) fix the obvious lack of relating in a natural way? It had to be obvious.  I almost wish Tim Burton would have given it a go. Or Tarantino. At least it would have been a visual delight. With more blood.

The Makeup

I can accept that the first film had a much smaller budget than the rest.  And that the vampires looked like they dumped their heads in flour (especially Rosalie) was probably due to lack of funds.  And the sparkling- well it was awful.  However, the second film had more money.  The art department should have stepped it up.  Instead, the vampires still looked awful.  And it stayed this way through the next two films.  I can only hope that the last film someone, anyone, said something.  I want my vampire to look like Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire or Gary Oldman in Dracula.  Is that too much to ask?

Lisa Coronado is a content writer for Custom Magnets.

Enjoy this fabulous guest post. I’m one of those nerds who enjoy good science fiction.

When considering what the future might hold, many people think of science fiction, those fantastical visions that we’ve created of the far-flung future where technology has advanced to a point that seems magical to use. Science Fiction gives people hope in a future. So why exactly has the popularity of Science Fiction based television shows decreased so dramatically in recent years? And what exactly, if anything could be done to stem the tide of science fiction shows, one after another being canned after only a season (or less)?

The Ascent of Science Fiction

To find why science fiction died on television, we need to go back and discover why it initially came into being. During the 1950s and 1960s, the world was enjoying a time of exponential technological development, on a very noticeable level. While this development was prevalent throughout culture, nowhere was it more noticeable than in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. This extremely fast expansion outside existing boundaries instilled this massive and overarching belief in the possibility that mankind represented, and spawned television shows like Star Trek, which ended up pushing outside societal boundaries in and of itself.

The Fall

And then, after making it to the moon, our dreams of space as a society collapsed. As funding for space travel further space development shifted to military programs, society as a whole realized that we were not going to be able to sustain this exponential rate of technological development, and people became somewhat cynical about science fiction, forcing a bit of a “recession” in science fiction TV.

Short-lived Resurgence

After a while though, the United States finally went back to space in a big way during the 80s with the Space Shuttle, and sci-fi television exploded back onto the market, with a new Star Trek series, The Next Generation, leading the charge. Science Fiction came back in a huge way to the television market during this period, and at one point they even considered building a full sized starship Enterprise in Las Vegas to act as a tourist attraction.

The death of this wave is actually not directly attributable to real life scientific developments though, and we’re still sitting at the tail end of it. What more or less happened was the genre was just milked dry. So many science fiction television shows were being produced and aired at the same time that the market became saturated to the point at which no one could make an advertising profit.

So how exactly do you bring Science Fiction television back into the forefront? Honestly, I don’t know if it is possible. The few science fiction television shows left that are considered good by critics and the general public, like Fringe, get very mediocre ratings, which, while enough to keep the TV show alive, are not making a huge profit. To realistically bring back Science Fiction TV to television you need to be able to market to people that aren’t your traditional science fiction fans, but by doing that you risk alienating your main market. It’s a very tricky thing to try and do, but to bring back sci-fi television, it needs to be done.

Matthew Warren is a science fiction fan who runs Sci-Fi Stuff a website that offers gifts and collectibles from some of TV’s best science fiction series.

‘Sambhala’ or ‘Shamballa’ as it is sometimes referred to in the West today is a spiritual place, a place mentioned in Buddhist Kalachaklra Tantra texts and claimed to exist in the physical world. Many ideas about where Shamballa and its capital city ‘Kalapa’ were actually located exist but all are focussed around the central Asian area. From near Tibet to South Siberia, the accounts vary widely.

Shamballa is or was ruled over by a King or ‘Kalki’ and its population is said to be made up of only enlightened individuals. Only people who have amassed the right amount of Karma can reach the place. It’s a pure land, a pure Buddhist land, but appears to have its roots in an earlier Hindu myth. It is said that it can be found in outer, inner and alternative states, outer being a physical place, inner being in the mind and one’s self and alternative being reached through meditation.

There have been many attempts in the 20th century to find the physical place of Shamballa but none have been successful. A soviet expedition went to Tibet in 1924 and an expedition was sent on three occasions to Tibet during the 1930′s by the Nazi party to find Aryan links and in turn Shamballa.

The myths of Shamballa have had an influence on the modern world too. Some brands have adopted the word ‘Shamballa’ to describe their products such as the Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches. Shamballa in this sense describes bracelets that contain semi-precious stones which are thought to contain therapeutic attributes. This ties in well with the idea of the place of Shamballa as the practice of Shamballa bracelets like those that make up the Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches have their routes in ancient traditions of meditation and spirituality.

Atlantis

I think it’s okay to say that Atlantis is the most famous mythical city / continent in the world. It is said that throughout history, the story of Atlantis has been considered a myth and that it is only in more modern times that anyone has taken the claims seriously. In recent years Atlantis had received a lot of press. There was the Disney film ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ in 2001 and the possible sighting of the city on Google Ocean in 2009 which featured prominently in many tabloid newspapers. The latter claimed to show a grid structure the size of Wales off of the coast of West Africa.

Atlantis is said to be an island or a group of islands, home to an advanced civilisation that was wiped off of the face of the Earth by an earthquake and subsequent floods nearly 12,000 years ago. Many people have theorised as to the exact location of the mythical city since Plato mentioned it in 360 BC. He said “the pillars of Heracles”, a term referring to the strait between modern day Spain and Morocco with the northern pillar being generally accepted as the Rock of Gibraltar. There is still some dispute as to the identity of the southern pillar however. This would tie in with the theory that the continent was located off of the coast of Africa. A quick Google search of “Atlantis location theories” will throw up a long list of sites that have been theorised and make for a good read.

One of the sites mentioned is Santorini. Santorini an island in the Mediterranean and was hit by a large eruption which devastated the Minoan island and the city of Akrotiri. Much has been learnt of the devastation through archaeological excavations at Akrotiri. It is thought by some that this was in fact Atlantis, whilst others believe that it was served as the inspiration for a myth, started by Plato in his writings.

Citations:

• Photography by U.S. Navy, R. CATALANO

iclikd.com have a great selection of Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches available in a multitude of colours.

Hope you enjoyed this guest post! I think this kind of stuff is fascinating and can always spark an idea for a novel.

Known for his touching story of The Snowman, and an insightful tale of what Santa Clause does between Christmases, Raymond Briggs is an author and graphic artist who is at the heart of British children’s literature. Back in the 60s and 70s, before illustrated storybooks were called graphic novels, Raymond Briggs began to make a name for himself thanks to a host of extraordinary characters and stories.

Born in 1934, Raymond Briggs had shown a talent for art, particularly cartooning. His father, Ernest, believed art to be a fruitless pursuit. This led young Raymond to make his own way through art school. He did, studying at the Wimbledon School of Art, Central School of Art and Slade School of Fine Art, spending a spell in the military as a draghtsman. With this experience and natural gifts, Briggs began to illustrate children’s books, but his own ability to tell stories soon took over.

Adopting a comic strip style, his first original book was ‘Father Christmas’ about a grumpy Santa Claus, who hated snow and grumbled through the work of delivering presents. This curmudgeonly Father Christmas was a big hit when the book was published in 1973, and a follow up, ‘Father Christmas Goes On Holiday’ was published in 1975.

From Father Christmas to international success

After ‘Father Christmas’, Raymond Briggs unleashed ‘Fungus the Bogeyman’ to instant appeal to young children. With a finger in the nose, clothing held together by dirt and terrible smells, Fungus the Bogeyman was a gross hero for kids. Despite the popularity of Fungus, the artist was just about to experience his biggest success.

Without any words, and a million miles away from the filth and grim of ‘Fungus the Bogeyman’, Raymond Briggs released ‘The Snowman’ in 1982. The reaction was remarkable, as this touching story followed the adventure of a young boy and his snowman for one night. It became an Oscar winning, animated film that is still shown on British TV each year, now a British tradition.

Briggs not only released stories for children, but also tales with serious political messages too. ‘When The Wind Blows’ is such a piece, following the lives of Jim Bloggs and his wife Hilda in the aftermath of a Nuclear bombing and the effects of radiation poisoning. The story is terrible affecting, as these warm and adorable characters face the effects of nuclear fallout.

The artist still works to this day, and his characterful crayon pieces will always be remembered as being part of the backbone of British children’s fiction.

Citations:

• Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs

I Dream Elephants brings you the best in kids outfits and accessories from brands such as Finger in the Nose clothing.