Dorothy Levitt, born Elizabeth Levi in 1882, was one of the first Englishwomen to race cars in public, winning races in Britain, France and Germany and setting a women's speed record of 79.75 miles per hour at the Brighton Speed Trials. In 1909 she published The Woman and the Car, a practical handbook on mechanics, etiquette and driving. It covered everything from checking engine oil and starting a car by flooding the carburettor to advice on carrying a hand mirror to watch the road behind. Her book treats driving as a serious skill that women could master, not just a pastime for chauffeured passengers.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.