Random Fact

Telephones have up to 3,900 germs per square centimetre; computer keyboards have 510 and computer mice 260. Yuk!


Geek of the week

Nominate someone...

Nominate a Geek. Email news@null- hypothesis.co.uk

St Bernards' keg of brandy


St Bernard dogs were first bred by monks at the Hospice of St Bernard high in the Swiss Alps to help them rescue pilgrims who got trapped trying to make their way from France into Italy. The dogs were bred to be ideally suited to the weather and rescue work – huge, energetic and loyal with thick fur and keen smell and hearing.

However, the St Bernards of St Bernard’s have never and most likely will never carry small kegs of brandy around their necks – this popular conception is thanks entirely to the overactive imagination of an English painter, Edwin Landseer. In 1820, when just 17 years old, Landseer produced a painting called “Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller”. The dog he painted wore a small barrel around its neck – a barrel which he claimed contained brandy. The public’s imagination was caught and the image endured.

Brandy would actually be a pretty shoddy tool for an alpine rescue dog – a slug of alcohol will cause your outer blood vessels to dilate, blood will rush to your skin and your body temperature will decrease more rapidly. It’s best to save the booze until after the rescue.


Back to Top Ten Things You Wouldn't Think Were British
Top ten image: Shannon Barnes

Return to the top »

Share this

Bookmark this article at Digg Bookmark this article at del.icio.us Bookmark this article at Slashdot Bookmark this article at StumbleUpon Email this article to a friend

LATEST CONTENT

Search




RSS FEED

Register with The Null
11 Jan 2011
Website by Forward Slash Media and Bristol Developers