Chosen: Because it's a dark page from human history, but also inspiring. I am also descended of slaves and am moved by the strength of my great, great, great grandparents in the face of such hardship.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p277.html

Submitted by: Zandra

Chosen: This figure is up from 536 in March 2008. This increase is largely attributable to a lowered threshold for intervention since the case of 'Baby P'.

Source: Cafcass http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/default.aspx

Submitted by: James

Chosen: Started in response to women's anxiety about being alone with a male taxi driver late at night, this enterprise has thus far side stepped sex discrimination laws by forming as a private member's club. Only private members can be picked up by the firm's Pink vehicles. The local council are currently taking them to court for operating as an unlicensed taxi firm.

Source: The Guardian 9 May 2009

Submitted by: James

Chosen: Because this number is down from 110 in the previous year. It is a small but startling statistic helping address recent global financial crisis.

Source: The Guardian / Forbes Rich List.

Submitted by: James

Chosen: Outside the Zilkha Gallery office there is a poster advertising courses at Rice University. As I had never heard of it and in an effort to pursue all things Rice, I sat down to do some research.

Source: Rice Unversity's own website.

Submitted by: James

chosen: because I thought it odd.

source: Time Magazine.

submitted by: ChrisM

first name: Heloise Forbes

statistic: Rodney King riots - 53 deaths

chosen: There's a single grain of rice to represent Rodney King in the Birmingham show and the description on the wall says he was beaten to death by police officers - this isn't true, he survived, but people did die during the riots that ensued when the officers were acquitted.

THANK YOU HELOISE FOR SPOTTING OUR ERROR

first name: Graham Rand

This is a query about a statistic I saw in Stan's Cafe during ArtFest.
It implied, if I remember correctly, that there had been a huge population growth in Liverpool between 1770 and 1773. The recently published history of Liverpool has a table which indicates steady growth in Liverpool's population in the 18thC. 1700
(5195), 1730 (11932), 1750 (18400), 1760 (25579), 1770 (34050), 1780 (40000), 1790 (55732), 1801 (77653).I would be interested to discover the source of your data.

source: Liverpool 800 ed J. Belchem p169

THANK YOU GRAHAM FOR SPOTTING THIS - OUR LABEL HAD A TYPO - IT SHOULD HAVE READ POPULATION OF LIVERPOOL IN 1700 NOT 1770

first name: Tim

statistic: Number of writers for 'The Archers' meeting in Birmingham 15/09/08: 10

Number of listeners to 'The Archers': 4,500,000

chosen: 'The Archers' is very proud to be a product of Birmingham having been
recorded in the city since 1951. It is now the world's longest running radio soap
opera. I just thought people might like to know this national institution was being
created where they live!

source: BBC and average RAJAR listening figures

Alfred Bird qualified as a chemist in Birmingham. His wife was a lover of custard but an intolerance of eggs meant that this pleasure often resulted in severe indigestion. This led Alfred to invent his custard powder which enabled lovely custard to be made without the use of eggs. His custard was a big hit and with his 2 sons Alfred set up Alfred Bird and Sons. Their factory was in Digbeth and is now home to the Custard Factory arts and media complex. According to The Custard factory site the Bird's factory employed 1000 people at its height but I haven't been able to verify this so if anyone can let us know.

Sources: various
Submitted by: Craig