WHO INVENTED SCALEXTRIC? WAS IT THE FIRST ELECTRIC RACE CAR SET?
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QUESTION Who invented Scalextric? Was it the first electric race car set?
In 1912, New York toymaker Lionel Co. launched the first electric slot car racing set, featuring heavy tinplate cars, miniature drivers and a two-lane track. About 1,200 sets were produced by 1916.
Lionel had pioneered electric locomotive toys, producing its first train, the Electric Express, back in 1900.
There is evidence of electric track cars that predate the Lionel version, though these were not true slot cars, i.e. powered miniature cars guided by a groove or slot in the track.
These were connected to a raised rail and had only a single track.
A 1904 German catalogue for Marklin toys featured photographs of this system and there was a 1908 version by the French manufacturer Brianne. Unfortunately, neither of these models survive.
Scalextric was invented by Bertram 'Fred' Francis, a British engineer. Francis had established Minimodels Ltd in 1947. In 1952, Minimodels introduced two tinplate model toy ranges featuring clever clockwork mechanisms, one called Startex and one called Scalex.
Francis realised that hobbyists were fitting small electric motors to their tinplate models and racing them on railed electric tracks similar to those used by model railways of the period.
He set about replacing the clockwork motor in the Scalex range of cars with a small electric motor and, crucially, added a rotary guide under the car, which ran into a slot track made of moulded rubber. This enabled the cars to travel at exciting speeds.
The first car produced by Scalextric was the Maserati 250F, made famous by Juan Manuel Fangio driving one in his legendary final win at the 1957 German Grand Prix. This was followed by a Ferrari 375 and Austin Healey 100/6.
The new Scalextric cars were officially launched at the 1957 Harrogate International Toy Fair and were an immediate success.
Jonathan Wylie, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire.
QUESTION What was the Shah of Iran's 'Great Civilisation'?
The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's Great Civilisation was a proposed series of reforms aimed at modernising Iran and transforming it rapidly into an industrialised and Westernised nation. The reforms included public health services, guaranteed housing, cheap food and free university.
The Shah envisioned Iran as a regional powerhouse and a leader in the Middle East. However, these reforms faced significant opposition; a bizarre alliance between Left-wing students and Islamic militants saw significant political unrest that led to the Iranian Revolution, which resulted in the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of an Islamic Republic in 1979.
Just why the Left continues to align itself closely with a conservative religion like Islam, with traditional attitudes to matters such as the family, homosexuality and women's rights, is one of life's great mysteries.
Guy Hoskins, Thatcham, Berkshire.
QUESTION What was Britain's first passenger ferry service? What was the first hovercraft service?
The Teignmouth to Shaldon ferry is claimed to be England's oldest. It carries foot passengers and cyclists across the River Teign in Devon. It can be dated to 1296.
The first Cross-Channel ferry was instigated in 1821 when a paddle steamer, the Rob Roy, was taken south to Dover. It was purchased by a French company the following year and they introduced a timetabled daily service to Calais.
The first car ferry service was introduced from Dover to Calais in 1928.
Sir Christopher Cockerell patented the concept of the hovercraft in 1955. Gaining government support for the idea, he had a prototype under development by 1958.
However, it wasn't a new idea. John Thornycroft, a shipbuilder, was working on the idea of a ship supported by a cushion of air as early as 1897.
Cockerell's SR-N1 model performed its first engine run on May 29, 1959, and crossed the English Channel for the first time shortly afterwards.
The first commercial hovercraft service was introduced in 1962, carrying passengers from Moreton, Merseyside, to Rhyl in North Wales.
The first regular hovercraft ferry service was introduced in 1965, carrying passengers from Southsea to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. There is still a hovercraft service operating on that route and it is the only remaining commercial hovercraft service in the world.
A Cross-Channel hovercraft service was introduced in 1968, flying from Ramsgate to Calais.
Robert Sutherland, Northampton.
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