Author and magician Mark Mason has a lifelong fascination with trivia – the curious facts that reveal something about the world around us. Take Big Ben: if you stand next to it and listen to the chimes on the Radio 4 news, you hear them over the airwaves before you hear them in real life. It’s a simple demonstration of how radio waves travel at the speed of light.
In this talk, Mark explores how facts make great stories. He’ll reveal why Paul McCartney is the only person allowed to whistle in the Burlington Arcade, why the harp on Irish passports faces left (supposedly because Guinness had copyrighted the one facing right), and which football club in the top four divisions shares no letters with the word ‘mackerel’.
He’ll also demonstrate his corporate team-building sessions, where teams work together to figure out how magic tricks are done. Expect facts, stories, puzzles and a little magic.
