What Could Us Ever Have Done For The Romans!

[Steven P]

1 hour ago, AHPP said:

Interesting. Didn’t know that. I do know why plumbers are called plumbers though. The scientific name for lead is plumbum, hence Pb on the periodic table. So a bloke who works with plumbum pipes is a plumber. Confusingly, nowadays house water pipes are made of copper but a copper is the big fellow with the moustache and the truncheon (at least according to a film I saw once). 

 

To bring the conversation right down, 2 pages in and it is still 'safe for work', can I borrow your movie collection next time Mrs P is away....

[Steven P]

If it was me I would be telling them not to get too greedy, wanting to rule the world never ends well. Stick to Italy, southern Spain, north Africa, and do that extremely well rather than expanding too much, unable to control the monster you create and collapsing.

[openspaceman]

11 hours ago, Macpherson said:

even used it powdered as finings to clear their wine...

I knew they used lead acetate in wine but assumed it was to sweeten.

 

The early tinned foods were soldered with lead and it caused a lot of poisoning of sailors and  Scott's missiom to south pole IIRC

[Doug Tait]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

The early tinned foods were soldered with lead and it caused a lot of poisoning of sailors and  Scott's missiom to south pole IIRC

 

Same with Franklin's expedition to discover the Northwest passage. They were icebound for a couple of years eating lead poisoned rations, made them loopy enough it was decided to walk out and they loaded a small boat to drag "essential" items with them such as furniture from the captain's dining room.

[AHPP]

 

[Stubby]

I would have asked them not to make the roads sooo strait . Then we could have a few corner shops .