The Eagle's DNA Beer at the historical the Eagle Pub-RAF Bar , Cambridge, England, UK

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"The Eagle, since 1667, has poured pints in gratitude for our patrons' achievements. From Watson and Crick, the regulars who discovered DNA and celebrated that phenomenon here, to the hundreds of WW2 RAF pilots who left behind a wall of messages in the hope they were never forgotten." - www.greeneking...
"The story of the historic Cambridge pub that saw the discovery of DNA and ‘the secret of life’
The Eagle in Cambridge has an intriguing story with it being where scientists first announced they had discovered the structure of DNA.
The Eagle is one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century, and is one of the county’s most famous pubs.
Found in central Cambridge on Bene’t Street, near King’s College, St Catharine’s College and Corpus Christi College, The Eagle is also about a 10-minute drive from Cambridge Railway Station.
It all began normally enough for the pub back in its infant years during the 16th and 17th century as it established itself as a busy coaching inn for travellers coming to and from London.
When the railway arrived in Cambridge in 1850, The Eagle transitioned from coaching inn to regular tavern.
With the influx of coach travellers gone, the pub’s regular guests were swiftly replaced by students, staff and researchers from the colleges of Cambridge University, which would ultimately prove to be the catalyst for it being thrust into the spotlight.
The Eagle proved particularly popular among the staff at the Cavendish Laboratory, which opened in 1874 on Free School Lane near the pub, and was devoted to experimental physics.
Two researchers from this very lab would be the ones to give the pub its biggest claim to fame.
On February 28, 1953, pub regular Francis Crick came to The Eagle to announce to the pub’s guests, some of whom were fellow scientists and researchers, that he, together with James Watson, had discovered the double helix structure of DNA.
Crick stated that he and Watson had "found the secret of life" in one of, if not the greatest, scientific discoveries of the 20th Century.
Guests of The Eagle today can find a blue plaque outside the door commemorating Crick’s 1953 announcement, made possible because of the contribution of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, who were studying DNA using X-rays.
Watson and Crick would later go on to win the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their scientific advancements. Franklin had died four years earlier.
Cavendish Laboratory has since moved to a new location, though science boffins still make pilgrimages to see the storied spot where the discovery of DNA was announced and to strike up a conversation with other science enthusiasts over a pint.
Monumental as the discovery of DNA was, it is not the only interesting chapter from The Eagle’s history.
The pub is also famous for its graffiti-covered ceiling, which is found at the back of the building in the so-called RAF bar.
During World War II, The Eagle was frequented by RAF and American airmen who, during their downtime in between airstrikes, drank and socialised here.
At some point during the war, the military guests began using candles and petrol lighters to burn their names, squadron numbers and other doodles onto the ceiling.
Its attraction remains as popular as ever with tourists still coming here to inspect the vast range of markings, which cover almost every inch of the now-crowded ceiling.
Perhaps inevitably, after the war, the military graffiti gradually disappeared from view, the markings becoming quickly obscured by a build-up of smoke and dirt stains.
Later, when the ceiling was cleaned, the graffiti was rediscovered and preserved for all guests to read and ponder while enjoying the traditional pub experience.
Though the pub is managed by Greene King, the site of the Grade II-listed building is still owned by Cambridge’s Corpus Christi College.
The Eagle still attracts many academics and researchers from nearby colleges, as well as tourists who want to soak up the traditional, old-world atmosphere; to see the site of the Watson-Crick DNA discovery announcement; and to survey the graffiti-covered ceiling of the RAF bar.
It's a pub like no other.
This area of Cambridge exudes history; just across the road from the pub sits St. Bene't's Church, whose tower, which dates back to the 11th century, is said to be the oldest standing structure in Cambridge.
As if all that wasn’t enough, The Eagle is also thought to be haunted.
During a fire that raged in the upper part of the building over 300 years ago, a barmaid is said to have lost her life when she was unable to open a window. Ever since, the window is kept open, with staff reporting a feeling of suffocation if it is ever closed.
" - www.cambridge-...