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Eagle Pub, Cambridge, UK

If you ever get a chance to visit Cambridge, in England, UK then I can guarantee you a wonderful time full of interest, entertainment, and much, much history!

The city itself dates back to 875AD when the Danes conquered Eastern England and created a fortified town there, and in 1209 the university of Cambridge was first established, making it the 2nd oldest university in the UK (after Oxford) and the 4th oldest in the world.

This month I was able to spend a day in the city and for me, the only place I wanted to have lunch was in the Eagle Inn in Benet Street, which first opened its doors to the beer drinking public in 1667. It was at the Eagle one lunchtime on the 28th February 1953 that two scientists first announced to the world that they had "found the secret of life". James D Watson & Francis Crick had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), a breakthrough that would later earn them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

The discovery of DNA, its structure and function is arguably one of the most significant biological discoveries of the 20th Century. It made possible improvements in disease diagnosis, detection of genetic predisposition to disease, enabled the creation of new drugs, as well as the possibility of gene therapy based on individual genetic profiles, plus many more social impacts such as proving paternity and better criminal detection through DNA evidence.

If you ever find yourself in Cambridge, then take the opportunity as I did, to go along to the Eagle Inn and sit at the table where Watson & Crick regularly sat - perhaps you will be inspired to discover the next great breakthroughof the 21st Century!
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