Iconic Funerals – Stan Laurel (1890-1965)

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Where it all began

With a passion for performing thanks to theatre-dwelling parents, Stan Laurel began his acting career on stage alongside Charlie Chaplin.

By 1927, was well on the way to realising his American dream when he met the man that would be his on-screen partner and closest friend, Oliver Hardy. After massive success as comedy duo, Hardy died in 1957, leaving behind a devastated Laurel, who decided that without his friend and partner, he would retire from acting.

After having starred in nearly 190 films and achieving his lifelong dream, Laurel’s hard work was rewarded in 1961 when he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Academy Award.

Laurel’s final years were spent in a small apartment in a Santa Monica Hotel. He was well-known for dedicating a great deal of his time to his fans, answering mail and even phone calls. A heavy smoker until around the age of … Read more

Burials through time: THE SPARTANS

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Life in Sparta was almost a daily exercise in survival.

Sparta, a prominent city-state in ancient Greece from around 650BC, was largely a militarist state with strict fitness and strength regimes beginning virtually at birth. Newborn babies would be bathed it in wine to see whether the child was strong. If the baby survived it was brought before the Gerousia by the child’s father. If it was considered “puny and deformed”, the baby was thrown into a chasm on Mount Taygetos.

Effectively, this was a primitive form of eugenics – a practice which advocates methods of improving the genetic composition of a population.

At the age of seven, boys entered the Agoge system, which was designed to encourage discipline and physical toughness. They lived in communal messes and were underfed to encourage them to master the skill of stealing food. As well as physical and weapons training, the boys … Read more