Note:
(a) "Who, what, why" is an irregular column in BBC to explain things.
(b) "When Queen Victoria launched HMS Royal Arthur in 1891 she smashed a bottle of champagne against it. It is believed to be one of the first instances of the drink being used in this way."
(i) HMS Royal Arthur (1891)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Arthur_(1891)
(a cruiser of the Edgar class; Launched: Feb 26, 1891; sold in 1921 for breaking up in Germany)
(ii) Royal Arthur refers to Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn
(1850-1942; the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert)
(c) "The Babylonians would sacrifice oxen, while the Vikings sacrificed a slave to propitiate their sea god."
(d) "Wine became customary in England in the 15th Century when a representative of the king would drink a [silver] goblet of wine, sprinkle wine on the deck and then throw the goblet overboard."
(i) For goblet, see chalice
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalice
("A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony")
(ii) Go to images.google.com and you will see vrious forms of a goblet, including the follwing three:
(A) Lotta Clear Wine Goblet, made by LSA International
us.amara.com/products/lotta-clear-wine-goblet-set-of-2
(B) Jane Water Goblet www.crateandbarrel.com/jane-water-goblet/s381519
(C) rona goblet glass, from CB2 www.cb2.com/rona-goblet-glass/s629006
(e) Says John Graves, curator of ship history at the National Maritime Museum: "It's quite a clear progression. The red of the wine would have looked a bit like the blood from earlier centuries, and the move to champagne would have been all about the celebration - champagne is the aristocrat of wines."
(i) BBC translates this way:
格里夫斯特别说：“不过，红酒的颜色有些像好几个世纪前残留下来的血迹，所以，香槟就看起来更合适。香槟能带来欢庆的气氛，而且也在葡萄酒里，也最有贵族气质。”
(ii) It is wrong, because BBC Chinese neglects the prior sentence: "It's quite a clear progression." The blood refers to that spilled both by oxen in the hand of Babylonians and by a slave, Vikings.
(f) "In 1797 the captain of the frigate USS Constitution broke a bottle of madeira wine to mark her launch."
(i) madeira
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira
(a Portuguese archipelago; just under 400 kilometres (250 mi) north of Tenerife, Canary Islands; claimed by Portugal in 1419)
(ii) Madeira wine
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_wine
(made from grape; Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process which involves heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 60 °C (140 °F) for an extended period of time and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of oxidation)
(g) Graves: "I have been told by many ship builders that cheap cava creates a more spectacular display - it's much bubblier that champagne."
(i) Cava (Spanish wine)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cava_(Spanish_wine)
(section 1 Name: The Catalan word cava (masculine, plural caves) means "cave", or "cellar")
Note it is a Catalan noun, not Spanish.
(ii) The Spanish noun for "cave" is
cueva (noun feminine; plural: cuevas)
(ii) Again BBC translates it wrong: “我跟很多造船厂家说，是不是能用西班牙卡瓦地区生产的起泡葡萄酒来替换香槟？这不仅更便宜，而且卡瓦起泡酒的沫子更多，视觉效果也更好。”