Q. Did Mussolini <em>really</em> make the trains run on time? Everyone knows the old quip that goes something like 'Say what you will about Mussolini, at least he made the trains run on time'. But is it true?

A. No. The Italian railway system was in pretty poor shape before Mussolini came to power in 1922, it's true. But the major overhaul that was needed to bring them up to scratch (possibly in the literal sense, since a hot climate like Italy's can a fantastic breeding ground for small biting insects) had already begun before Il Duce clawed his way to power. Besides, there are plenty of contemporary accounts that suggest the train times were no better regulated after 1922 than they were before. However, the 'trains run on time' story was a convenient one for Mussolini and he did nothing to discourage it.

Q. Is it true that airport clocks are set ten minutes fast to cut down on delays caused by dawdling passengers?

A. Probably not. Although slippage in flight times is a major concern to carriers and airport authorities alike, everyone concerned hotly disputes that they are guilty of this kind of subterfuge. You can see the temptation, though - looking at the problem from the airport managers' point of view, every delay costs money, and lots of delays cost lots of money. In modern, high-turnover airports the problem takes on quite surprising proportions. Imagine that the typical aeroplane takes off five minutes late. For that one plane, no problem. But for that plane times 500, or whatever the daily throughput of the airport in question, you have a significant problem - perhaps 42 hours of delays in total in a single 24-hour period. Some of it runs concurrently, of course, and it is partly mitigated by juggling the departure times of late planes with others that are not so late. However, the last thing the airport authorities want is to have lackadaisical passengers strolling up to the departure gate at whatever time they choose, adding further to the delay problem. Even so, delays cause lost throughput and that means lost profits. Setting the clocks forward a bit to make passengers pick up their bags and run, rather than stroll, to the gate might seem a legitimate ploy in the circumstances. But airport spokespersons insist they don't do it.

Q. What is the world's longest burning light bulb?

A. By common consent, the longest lived light bulb is located in the fire station at Livermore, in Alameda County, California. The bulb, manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company, was first installed in 1901 and not only is it still in working order, but it has actually been burning almost continuously ever since it was put into its socket. The average lifespan of a light bulb is normally reckoned to be between 750 and 1,000 hours, but the Livermore bulb has been going strong for something like 902,280 hours. One of the bulb's nearest competitors for the longevity title, the bulb in the gents' toilet at ironmongers Martin and Newby in Ipswich, Suffolk, burnt out in 2000 after a mere 70 years in service, for most of which it was not switched on.