Modern-day UK status symbols include Smeg fridges, Agas and iPhones

 1. A high-performance car (such as a Range Rover, Porsche or Ferrari) 2. A designer watch (Rolex, Cartier, Tag or Omega etc) 3. Your children go to private or boarding school 4. Swimming pool in your home 5. A second home 6. A holiday home abroad 7. An electric car like a Tesla 8. You … Read more

Say cheese! Mayans and modern-day people used the same facial expressions

They were alive thousands of years ago, in a time of frequent war, where people were still sacrificed to the gods. But, incredibly, Mayan civilisations may still have used the same facial expressions we have today. A study by researchers from California has found that modern-day people can still recognise the emotions of those living up … Read more

1947 French film predicts modern-day technology addiction

People using handheld devices at a cafe and driving cars equipped with television screens may sound like our reality, but these scenarios are sketches from a 1947 French film. ‘Télévision: Oeil de Demain,’ or ‘Television: Eye of Tomorrow,’ not only predicts a range of modern-day technologies, but also how human’s behave with the devices. The … Read more

Modern-day ‘Robinson Crusoes’ put desert island up for sale

A man who bought a desert island miles away from civilisation to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a real-life Robinson Crusoe admits it turned into a nightmare – and he’s selling up 15 years later.  In Return to the Wild, airing tonight on Channel 5, Ben Fogle revisits Jim Alston, 48, and Kim Nguyen, 31, … Read more

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE:Laura Carmichael casts off her corsets to star in modern-day thriller 

Downton Abbey turned her into a star, but Laura Carmichael claims she’s ignoring advice given by its creator to stick to period dramas Downton Abbey turned her into a star, but Laura Carmichael claims she’s ignoring advice given by its creator to stick to period dramas. The actress played dowdy middle sister Lady Edith in the … Read more