George Stubbs

They were one of his afternoon radio shows, snippets of trivia from around the world so bizarre that listeners were never quite sure if they were correct or false. These 'factoids' were such a hit feature that the legendary DJ, who died this week at the age of 69, that he wrote two books of his favorites, whether it was discovering the immense shoe size of a celebrity chef or revealing the name of the film with the first flushing toilet.

Since arriving in 1914, Winnie the American black bear (pictured left with his rescuer Harry Colebourn) was a fixture at London Zoo. AA Milne and his son Christopher Robin were among the entranced visitors. Milne wrote Winnie the Pooh, which later became a global phenomenon. By European kings, King Henry III was given three lions, an elephant, and a polar bear, leading to the construction of the Tower of London's menagerie (inset top, lions, and tigers fighting in the 19th century). King George III was the lucky owner of a cheetah that was named Miss Jenny and prominently depicted by artist George Stubbs. Egyptian emperor and son George IV was one of three European monarchs to be presented with a giraffe (right) by the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt. However, both were dwarfed in terms of gifted animals by late Queen Elizabeth II, who was given hundreds of animals throughout her reign. Many, including two pygmy hippopotami, were immediately put into the care of London Zoo. Inset bottom: Obaysch was Europe's first living hippo since Roman times. He appeared in 1850.

The gold seal dates back to the 1780s and may have been used in the Russian royal court as a official seal. In the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, it was commissioned at the same time as a seal. It belonged to Catherine the Great, the empress of Russia from December 25, 1761, until her death in 1796.