Fruitcakes were also popular due to their legendary shelf life, which, in an era before mechanical refrigeration, was extremely desirable.

"We were in New Orleans and Kehlani insisted we try out a mechanical bull," says Downer.

Once there, it hovered before being captured mid-air by a pair of giant mechanical arms on the launch tower.

For example, archaeologist Cédric Moulis of the University of Lorraine painstakingly reassembled dozens of wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs recovered from the collapsed vaulted ceiling over the nave to glean insights into their mechanical properties.

The mechanical engineer is now backing calls from doctors and the Welsh government for eligible people to get vaccinated for flu and Covid-19.