CHRISTMAS TREES AND THE BANK OF ENGLAND?

1. Christmas trees were introduced to Britain by King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1800, but they didn’t become fashionable until Queen Victoria’s reign. Today, 60 million are grown in Europe each year. 2. Electric fairy lights became a popular way to decorate Christmas trees from around the 1930s onwards. Before then, small candles were often used – a health and safety nightmare! 3. The Chemical History Of A Candle was the title of Michael Faraday’s 1848 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Faraday initiated these lectures in 1825, and delivered 19 of them in total – more than anyone else. 4. Faraday’s immense contributions to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry led to his commemoration by the Bank of England, who pictured him on their £20 note issued between 1991 and 2000.

Don’t despair. Monopoly does involve a large degree of luck, but there’s still scope for making the most of what fortune comes your way. Computer analysis by US Monopoly expert Tom Friddell has shown that Trafalgar Square is the most landed-on property, and thus worth bagging as soon as possible. The most landed-on colours are red and orange – partly because they often catch people coming out of jail – so these are always good properties to own. But don’t get too picky or focus on saving your money for later: Friddell’s analysis shows it’s better to own squares as soon as you can. And when you own a colour group, put three houses on all properties before buying any more. Rushing to get a hotel on one property will lower your chances of recuperating your building costs. If this all sounds like too much effort, then just remember this: if your mum has bagged most of the red and orange squares, there’s little chance of you winning, so just make your excuses and quit.