Leo Hornak
PRI
United Kingdom
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Past articles by BBCLondon:
Wrong beach? Two British towns may not actually be where Caesar landed in 55 B.C.
New research suggests Caesar's forces may have landed further north — and locals don't want to believe it. → Read More
Britain's strange addiction to a medieval Christmas treat
Christmas in Britain has many similarities to other European and North American countries: Santa Claus, Christmas trees, turkeys and awkward family gatherings. But there is one extra element: mince pies → Read More
London has a unique vigil for its forgotten dead
On a small London backstreet, a few minutes walk from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a unique ceremony takes place every month. The Crossbones Vigil is unlike any other ritual for the dead in this city: It follows no particular religion, and it commemorates no powerful or famous people. It is for the people the city prefers to forget: the outcasts. → Read More
England's new psychedelic renaissance
Back in the '60s, London was one of the centers for a cultural — and chemical — revolution: psychedelia. But now, a new and very British psychedelic culture is reappearing. → Read More
Welcome aboard London's dirty money bus tour!
Anti-corruption campaigner Roman Borisovich does not run a traditional tour of London. → Read More
There are only 15 black students at Cambridge. Here's how their picture went viral.
In 2015, the University of Cambridge offered places to 1,788 male undergraduates. But only 15 of those undergraduates were black. → Read More
The great British taxidermy heist: The animals are back, but the theft is still a mystery
Over the centuries London has had more than its fair share of bank robberies, diamond thefts and even train robberies. This month, police solved something a little more exotic: the great British taxidermy heist. → Read More
London's pigeon problem has a simple solution: a hawk
Fifteen years ago, the center of London was densely populated, not just with people, but with pigeons. But something has changed. One of the reasons can be found every morning in Trafalgar Square. → Read More
Guess what? Shakespeare didn't start the theater scene in England.
Shakespeare's London theater was only one of many open at the turn of the 17th century. A new project is aiming to rediscover some of those forgotten masterpieces. → Read More
That's not a pebble. It's a fossilized dinosaur brain.
Back in 2004 Jamie Hiscocks was taking a walk on the beach in the south of England when he spotted a small brown pebble — just a few inches across. About 130 million years before, it had been a brain. A dinosaur brain. → Read More
There's nothing abstract about this story. It's strictly concrete.
Concrete doesn't get a lot of love in the modern world. You don't hear people admiring the beauty of concrete building work, or small children wanting to grow up to be cement salespeople. Probably the only time that concrete gets a mention in popular culture is as a form of footware for unlucky gangsters. That's wrong. → Read More
How London became obsessed with the golden supercars of a Saudi billionaire
The supercars and their super-rich owners are back. Every spring, certain exclusive neighborhoods of London change. Usually quiet backstreets fill with the roar of revving engines and screeching tires. Parking bays fill with exotic creations. A Rolls in bright purple. A Merc encrusted with thousands of Swarowski crystals. And this year, a fleet of supercars with a matching gold finish. → Read More
Failed rhino heist brings Dead Zoo Gang to justice
Not every criminal gang is content with traditional targets. This week, a jury in Britain convicted thirteen members of the so-called ‘Dead Zoo Gang’ of involvement in a series of highly specialised robberies, with targets including rhino horns, museum treasures and Chinese antiquities. → Read More
How Apple vs. the FBI would play out in Britain and France
The FBI and Apple are battling over whether Apple must help the government gain access to the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter, reigniting America's ongoing debate of the balance between national security and individual privacy. But the same tension is also being felt in Europe. → Read More
How Britain's debate over Europe has opened an old rivalry between former schoolmates
In Britain, a civil war between two old schoolmates and political rivals has broken out. A few months from now, Britons will go to the polls to vote on whether the country should exit the European Union, and go it alone. → Read More
WWI soldiers spent less time in trenches than we previously thought
When you think of World War I, you probably think of trenches. And stalemate. But it turns out that the amount of time British soldiers spent in trenches was less than we thought. → Read More
Enter the Wonder Emporium: London's strange temple to lost property
Paul Cowan is a man who loves his job. He just can't hide it. One of the first items he shows me is the office's collection of novelty umbrellas. → Read More
Don't worry: The Arab world's first Minister for Happiness has been appointed
When the United Arab Emirates officially swore-in a new set of government ministers last week, one of them was wearing some unconventional jewelry. Ohood Al-Roumi wore a necklace shaped to spell out the English word 'happy.' The reason? Al-Roumi is the UAE's first 'Minister for Happiness', one of three new posts created alongside the Minister for Tolerance and the Minister for Youth. → Read More
Young Mr. Kim will not follow orders. How Beijing got used to Pyongyang’s provocations.
This weekend, North Koreans were alerted to the news that their country had completed another technological triumph: the launch of a satellite. "The fascinating vapor of Juche [self-reliance] satellite trailing in the clear and blue sky in spring of February" was how North Korean TV described the launch. But the official response from Beijing, North Korea’s only ally, was muted. → Read More
Visiting the Night Wolves: Russia's ultra-nationalist biker gang
In eastern Ukraine, the scene of Europe’s first civil war in a generation, a new group has found a home. Russia’s infamous ultra-nationalist Night Wolves biker gang has established an armed base near the rebel-held city of Luhansk. → Read More