Coffee spread to Europe by two routes - from the Ottoman Empire, and by sea from the original coffee port of Mocha.

BBC: Coffee and qahwa: How a drink for Arab mystics went global

When the land-based routes became less accessible after the collapse of the Mongol empire, European traders sought a sea-based alternative.

ECONOMIST: World trade

At its height in the 16th century it was a vast multiconfessional empire, stretching to the Black Sea, with no fewer than six legal languages, including Hebrew and Armenian.

ECONOMIST: Vilnius

David Moody was also honoured and will receive the British Empire Medal for services to the Jersey Sea Cadets.

BBC: Jersey charity founders on New Year Honours list

Before the latest Balkan war, all in the region had been hoping for a long period of boredom, in which historical grudges, especially those involving Russians and their former empire, would fade and economic ties across the Baltic Sea would continue their sprightly growth.

ECONOMIST: Russians, Nordics and Balts

Since then Ballard has leveraged his Titanic fame into a small empire that includes education, television and book production and, most important, deep-sea exploration.

FORBES: Pursuits | Found At Sea