Interesting facts from the history of Great Britain in English. Interesting facts about Great Britain

Good afternoon dear friends!

Today I will tell you about one beautiful, small, but beautiful country with its own culture and outlook on life. You have heard about her since school, and almost every second person can speak her language. Guessed? In this article we will talk about interesting facts about England. Sit back and read about things you probably haven't heard of yet.

From this article you will learn:

What do we know about her, and what she does not know about the world

So what do we know? England is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It occupies two-thirds of it, bordering Scotland and Wales. The population makes up 84% of the total UK population. It became an amalgamation of the once warring counties in 927 and takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that settled in the 5th and 6th centuries.
The capital is the largest city in the entire European Union.

As you know, English is now the most popular and recognized international language. And how are things with the British themselves with foreigners? They themselves admit that many people are too lazy to learn other languages. What for? After all, wherever I go, they will understand me everywhere! And the British love to travel, but mostly in nearby European countries: Germany, Austria, France. A very popular destination among young people is Ibiza. Everything is explained by great fun and low prices by English standards. Perhaps for these reasons, few people know geography well.

By the way, every Englishman loves and cherishes his own! So before traveling to England, it is best to check how easy you are.

How do they look

Most of the inhabitants of the kingdom prefer practical, comfortable clothes. Very often here you can meet people in sneakers, and they can even combine them with a skirt. Also, Britain, namely Princess Diana, introduced the fashion for rubber boots. They are called in honor of the creator of Wellington, and abbreviated as Wellie boots (Wally boots). Unlike Russia, absolutely everyone wears them: from children to grandmothers. It's convenient!

Princess Diana in Wally Boots

For many, clothing is a way of self-expression. Moreover, the choice never depends on the season. The British dress out of season. You can meet people in ugg boots and coats in the summer, and in winter in ballet flats and a T-shirt. One of the reasons for the younger generation is that in nightclubs the wardrobe is paid, so some prefer to be patient and not overpay. Don't think about your health? But many of them believe that if you go to bed with a wet head, you can get sick. At the same time, they can go outside with a wet head at any time of the year.

Subscribe to my blog. Find even more useful articles and rules, and you will also receive as a gift - a basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is a Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

There is a so-called "London street style". Its main feature is the combination of the incongruous. A leopard-colored fur coat and sneakers, a leather skirt and a completely inappropriate color top. You say bad taste? Surprisingly, they look very stylish.
What else is sure to catch your eye is the bright defiant make-up of girls. Indeed, the fair sex here do not spare themselves and put tons of makeup on their faces. Moreover, in the north it can be found more often. Solariums and self-tanning are still popular here.

London style

Surely, you have heard about full English breakfast (fried eggs, beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon). But they do not eat it every morning, because it takes a long time to cook, so they treat themselves to it on weekends. On weekdays, they still don’t skip breakfast, they mostly eat cereal or muesli with milk and drink tea. Yes, they are really big fans of this drink and drink it in any free minute.

London style

Full English breakfst

In general, their food is quite fatty, and their diet may not seem the healthiest to you. For lunch, it is customary to snack rather than eat. Usually it is a sandwich, a small package of chips and fruit. But the dinner is quite dense. Often or restaurants, and the portions are huge. One Brit can order a whole circle of pizza! This explains the large percentage of overweight people.

Breakfast in English

Also, the British are big beer lovers. In the bar you will meet not only young people, but also older residents. Even on New Year's Eve it is customary to go there. At home, they are also not averse to drinking a bottle - two before bed.

What to expect from them

Here I will tell you what impression you get about their mood and character. Once in this country, you will admire how friendly and welcoming people are. Especially in small towns, even strangers are greeted here. But do not rush to think that they really liked you so much. Smiling is a sign of politeness, and they will never say anything bad about you, even if something is wrong. But if you need help, for example, you do not know the way, you can be sure that you will be prompted.
By the way, the tea ceremony in England is started for a reason.

If you are invited for a cup of tea or dinner, beware. Perhaps your dog barked loudly at night, interfered with sleep, and they want to politely inform you about this. Or you are simply from Russia, and your neighbor's husband is very interested in the culture and history of Russia and wants to talk to you as a representative.
Young people here are so spontaneous that students like to sit on the floor, then they can be at home in the same clothes.

Of course, it's very clean here!

There are also differences in their cleanliness habits. For example, they wash dishes by pouring water into the sink with detergent. Then, without rinsing the foam, they can leave the dishes to dry. This is how they save water. This happens not only because of money, but also because residents care about the environment and natural resources.

Most of the residents, especially the elderly, like to equip their gardens. They spend a lot of effort, time and money on it. Here you will find beautiful flowers, and the national flower of England - a rose, and trees, and fountains, and a swing. And they have enough time for this, because the working day is short. Most are released at 5.

Gardens and parks

Arriving in the north of the country and talking with the locals, you will notice that most people hate London. They consider it too rich and unreasonably expensive city.

England London

I was with you, a philologist of the English language, Ekaterina Martynova.
I wish you good mood!

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to Britain? Surely such words as "rain", "queen", "tea". Actually, this is the main thing that we know about Foggy Albion. Otherwise, this is a mysterious region for us. In fact, Britain is fraught with many interesting things. Here are some interesting and entertaining facts about the UK in general and London in particular.

1. There is no constitution in Great Britain.

Yes, this state lives not only without a constitution, but also without a residence permit - this is truly a surprise for our compatriots! But life in the country is judged here by payments from a bank card, so every Briton has a huge number of bills, receipts and reports.

Almost all parliamentary democracies have a constitution, but the UK does not. The reason is simple and it lies in the age of the country: the evolution of statehood here took place over a long one and a half thousand years. Therefore, there were no founding fathers or a key moment of writing. The constitution here develops gradually.

2. The Queen does not have a British passport.

The passport of every British citizen is formally issued in the name of the Queen, so she does not need to have a passport at all. That is why Her Majesty Elizabeth II does not have a passport - she does not need it.

When she goes somewhere on a visit, she does not go on vacation, but on a diplomatic mission, so customs control and baggage inspection do not apply to her. True, the rest of the members of the royal family were not so lucky: they have a passport. Therefore, they need to go through formalities to travel, but Elizabeth II does not.

3. In the possession of Elizabeth II - a sixth of the land.

As you know, the English queen has no real power. Nevertheless, at her disposal is a sixth of the land. Really, madness? In the possession of Queen Elizabeth II formally there are more than 30 countries and states, except for Great Britain.

Among them are Canada, the second largest in the world, as well as Jamaica and Australia. Formally, it can exclusively own these states - not rule them. Such an association is called the Commonwealth of Nations, which enjoys exceptional authority throughout the world.

4. The shortest war - 38 minutes.

The Anglo-Zanzibar War in 1896 lasted only 38 minutes. The invasion of the imperial troops entered the Guinness Book of Records: it is indeed the shortest war in the history of mankind. Great Britain was dissatisfied with the new ruler of the country, who received power after the death of his cousin barat, and demanded that powers be transferred to his protégé. Quite logically, the refusal followed. After that, on the morning of August 27, 1896, the British squadron headed for the shores of Zanzibar and froze in anticipation.

Britain's ultimatum expired at 9:00 a.m.: either surrender by the Zanzibar authorities or shelling the palace. The refusal of the usurper provoked the shelling at exactly 9.01. As a result, the only ship that made up the entire fleet of Zanzibar was sunk, and the palace turned into burning ruins in an instant: only the flag of the country remained, as the newly-minted sultan fled. According to international standards, the fall of the flag is recognized as a surrender. Exactly 38 minutes had passed before the flag was overturned.

For the history of Africa, this is not so much a comical moment (as the British consider it to be), but a tragic one. In this war, 570 citizens of Zanzibar lost their lives in just 38 minutes. That is, the duration of the war did not become proportional to the bloodshed: war is, in any case, a tragedy that leaves a mark on culture, and not just a mark, but an unhealed scar.

5. In the royal family - a supporter of the Nazis.

The uncle of the current reigning Queen Elizabeth II - Edward VIII, it turns out, was glad that the Nazis came to power. This was before the start of World War II. This fact was well known to members of the royal family.

But the general public also found out about this: a photograph of a young smiling prince was leaked to the press along with the German Nazis. Around the same time, an interesting archival filming of 1933 appeared, where the future queen (then she was only 7 years old) and her sister raise their hands in a Nazi salute - they zigue.

6. The most mysterious mixers.

In order to wash your face with warm water in London, you will have to sweat a lot. Instead of a classic faucet, there are two separate taps for cold and hot water. Therefore, you need to plug the sink, open both taps, adjusting the required temperature, then fill the sink and after that splash around for fun.

7. Duchess Kate replenishes the British treasury.

The British Duchess Kate (Kate Middleton) is very popular. She is very loved and appreciated. Women - including. That is why they try to copy her style: mannerisms, hairstyle, clothes.

Sociologists have noted that on average, each fan of the future queen spends about 250 pounds in order to look like Kate. Outfits similar to those in which the Duchess comes out are scattered from the shelves! As soon as her new photo appears in the media, outfits are sold out, hairdressers and stylists sign up, and jewelry “like Kate’s” is ordered. This is how the future queen helps the economy of her country.

8. The Queen of Great Britain has no real power.

The Royal Family of Great Britain has hundreds of years of truly exciting history. However, the real power of the monarch today is completely lost. The Queen today is a tool for the majestic reception of the delegation, nothing more.

Of course, you can’t say that the monarch in the UK is not useful at all: it is the queen who has the right to appoint ministers and dismiss them, to issue or not issue passports. Even the queen can declare war. However, if Her Majesty still wants to declare war, then it is unlikely that she will succeed, because the last word is still for the prime ministers.

9. A Brit can legally kill a Scot.

Surely everyone knows that the British and the Scots have a very difficult relationship. Relations with neighbors are so complicated that it turns out that, legally, an Englishman can kill a Scot. Such a zaon has existed in York for a long time.

However, there are conditions: you can only kill the hated "skirt-bearer" if he has arrows and a bow in his hands. Laws in the UK are not accepted to be canceled - they evolve. This one has not been canceled either. So if an Englishman does not like the loss of his favorite football team, and at this time a man in a kilt with a bow and arrow appears on his horizon, anger can be vented legally.

10. Brits can have three parents.

In 2015, the UK passed a bill that allows the DNA of three parents to be used to conceive a child, that is, one man and two women. The British legalized this method of artificial insemination for the first time in the world.

The method is truly unique and is aimed at minimizing or even avoiding the development of genetic diseases transmitted to the child from the mother. Of course, there were a lot of protests. The UK is a believing country, so there were many dissatisfied people who believed that the government was playing God. However, the law was passed and is considered one of the most important steps in the development of technology.

What else to see:

London. Eagle and Reshka. | Reboot. ENG.

In contact with

- the name of the bell, not the clock.

• - the largest royal estate in the world.
• 30 godchildren.
• The Queen owns all sturgeons, dolphins and whales in the sea within 3 miles of the coast.
• Elizabeth II sent her first e-mail in 1976.
• Prince William wanted to be a cop when he was little.
• He also has his own postage stamp.
• If you stick a stamp with the image of the Queen upside down - this is treason.
• Kate Middleton is allergic to horses.
• When Kate was little, boys rated her looks 2 out of 10.
• Prince Harry once got into serious trouble for wearing a Nazi costume to a costume party.

1. When Nelson Mandela met the Spice Girls, he called them "his heroes".
2. J.K. Rowling was the first person to earn a million for writing a book.
   
3. The idea for James Bond came to author Ian Fleming during a bus ride from in London.
4. No portrait of William Shakespeare was painted during his lifetime.
5. The play Macbeth is one of the most frequently played plays. On average, it is played every 4 hours in the world.
6. David Beckham afraid of birds.

• - the highest Ferris wheel in Europe.
• 25% of people living in London were born in another country.
• There are 409 escalators in the London Underground.
• 16% of all restaurants are located in London.
• London Bridge is rumored to be haunted. People claim that sometimes at night they see a woman in black wandering aimlessly.
• London is the first city in the world to have a subway.
• If London were a country, it would be the 8th largest in Europe.

Other facts

1. Around 80,000 umbrellas are lost every year.
2. There are over 30,000 people in England named John Smith.
3. England has the highest rate of obesity in Europe.
4. England brought football, rugby and polo to the world.
5. The highest temperature was recorded in Kent in 2003 - 38.5 degrees.
6. The earliest railways were invented in England.
7. English food is considered the worst in the world.

590 mm of precipitation falls annually, in Rome 760, in Florence 870, in Milan 1000, and in Genoa even 1100. So it can be argued that London is one of the driest cities in Europe :)

Flag of the United Kingdom It has such a complex shape for a reason. Its history began after the announcement of the union of England and Scotland in 1603. The common flag was obtained by superimposing the English flag of St. George (a red cross on a white background) on the Scottish flag of St. Andrew (a white diagonal cross on a blue background). When Ireland was annexed to the kingdom in 1801, the flag of St. Patrick (a red diagonal cross on a white background) was also imposed. It is worth noting that some Welsh people call for placing their symbol, the red dragon, on this common canvas, but this is unlikely to happen.

Interesting fact: motto on coat of arms Great Britain is written in French: "Dieu et mon droit" ("God and my right").

Crown of the British Empire : 2868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies.

In 2008 the name Muhammad became the most popular for newborn boys in London (and in general in the whole world).

2014 was the year for Prince of Cambridge George Alexander Louis significant titles: the most stylish child in the world, the most powerful man in London, the creator of the "Prince George principle", the prototype for the "cutest" doll.

The UK is in the top five the richest people on the planet. In its 5th place, it had 465 thousand millionaires in 2012.

In 1833, Britain spent about 40% of its state budget on freeing slaves throughout the British Empire. The money was mainly spent on compensation for losses to former slave owners (due to the loss of labor).

At the end of the 19th century, the British government, trying to protect the English market from low-quality imported goods, for the first time in history introduced mandatory labeling for goods from Germany - " Made in Germany". However, already in the 1920s, the quality of German goods increased so much that this marking actually turned into a quality mark.

Clothes made in Britain Made in Great Britain) is of very good quality. And things are cheaper here. , than in Russia. There are also seasonal sales (sales) and the price drops by 2-10 times (what is not bought decreases in price until they buy it).

Taxi London for many years in a row wins in the nomination The best taxi in the world.

moment- the so-called medieval English measure of time, equal to 1.5 minutes.

In 1569, the first documented number lottery in history.

In 1845, a law was passed in England making attempted suicide punishable by death.

In the 17th century, the Rain Act was passed in Great Britain, according to which a forecaster was executed for incorrectly predicting rain.

English experts were the first to put forward a theory according to which as many years as its vessels look.

british private medicine ranks among the most advanced in the world. Moreover, according to British law, it is forbidden to pay a commission for referring patients to a certain clinic.

In 2014 British scientist O'Keefe(as well as the Moser couple from Norway) received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. More than 40 years ago, O "Keefe mentioned in his work on the brain of rats the theory of Kant, who had long suggested that each person has some a priori knowledge about the world, built into his mind and independent of experience (like the modern GPS global positioning system ) And in 2005, May-Britt and Edward Moser experimentally confirmed O'Keefe's conclusions and even found that very "map" - not only in rats, but in all mammals, including humans.

Almost every 4th British Internet user regularly accesses the Web from ... a toilet.

In 2010, the British energy company GENeco introduced a new version of the legendary car "Beetle" - VW Bio-Bug. Interestingly, the car is powered by human feces. And in 2014, a regular bus began to run on the Bristol Bath route in the UK. Bio bus, which receives energy from the same source.

Initially umbrella served to protect from the sun. As a shelter from the rain, the umbrella was first used by the Englishman Jonas Henway in 1750.

City nottingham- cultural and historical city of England, Birthplace of Robin Hood , where is Bive Castle(Belvoir, translated from French "beautiful view").

One of most ancient british cities - Colchester(dr. Camulodunon; in the county of Essex in the east of England) at one time was capital of Roman Britain, and it is also believed that it houses the oldest market in the UK.

One of oldest british houses- it's a homearea of ​​50 square meters, built in the Stone Age, excavated at the Kingsmede quarry in the village of Horton, near Windsor Castle (believed to be over 5,000 years old).

« Freak Circus» how fun appeared in England in the 16th century and was very popular for a long time. People with physical defects, such as hermaphrodites, dwarfs, giants, and other strange diseases, began to be considered as an object of entertainment and aroused the interest of hundreds of people.

In the 18th century, the fee to visit the collection of exotic animals in the Tower of London was either one and a half pennies, or a cat or dog to feed the lions.

There are almost no homeless animals in England now.

Every family has a car (and more than one). Cars, like houses, are bought on credit.

Cameras are installed on all streets, crossings, in shops.

I wonder what the British like tea more than anyone else in the world. Tea consumption per capita in England exceeds the same indicator by 3 times and 22 times. Moreover, the tradition of evening tea drinking in England appeared in the middle of the 19th century.

The most expensive soup "Buddha jumps over the wall" made in London with shark fins, shellfish and gold dust. A serving costs about $250.

By the way, scooping soup with a spoon on yourself is considered bad manners in the UK.

Briton Mark Dorman came up with the idea in 1996 black vodka and was the first to succeed. Blavod brand vodka has a black color due to the black catechu dye, while in all other indicators and organoleptic tests it remains ordinary transparent vodka and does not stain the oral cavity. Especially often Blavod can be seen at Halloween celebrations.

The world's first programmer There was a woman - an Englishwoman Ada Lovelace. In the middle of the 19th century, she drew up a plan of operations for the prototype of the modern computer - Charles Babbage's analytical engine, with the help of which it was possible to solve the Bernoulli equation, which expresses the law of conservation of energy in a moving fluid.

In the English city of Exeter there is a street that claimed the title narrowest in the world. It is noteworthy that the length of this "avenue" with the proud name of Parliament Street is 50 m, and the width at its narrowest point is only 64 cm.

In York City on the street Shambles, mentioned back in the year 900 in the Domesday Book, there are buildings that have been preserved since the 14-15th century, this street is considered the oldest best preserved street in Europe.

There is a place in Wales with the longest name in Europe. This is a big village. Llanwirepullgwingillgogerihuirndrobulllantisiliogogogoh ("Church of St. Mary in a hollow of white hazel near a stormy whirlpool and the church of St. Tisilio near the red cave"). It is believed that this name was coined in the 60s of the 19th century by a local resident specifically to attract tourists.

Located in England smallest operating railway, 22 km long. It is most popular, of course, with tourists, but local residents also use the railway to get to the necessary stations.

Alton Towers Amusement Park is the largest theme and amusement park/water park in England for adults and children. If you compare it with similar places in Europe, then it can only be called the English Disneyland or Port Aventura.

Some of the most confusing intersections in the world are located in the English city of Swindon. Most famous « Magic Crossroads» - it is located at the intersection of 5 roads and consists of a 2-lane ring and 5 small roundabouts "strung" on it.

Bypass in England, in the city Swindon very- a well-known place, which, with its fame, does not become more understandable. An interesting fact is that this ring, which serves to interchange several roads at the same time, includes 6 smaller rings, each of which plays its role, allowing traffic to move normally :)

Spaghetti Crossing is the most difficult interchange in the UK. The 6-level road is installed on 559 reinforced concrete columns, at the crossroads of 18 traffic directions. Without work experience and without an experienced guide, it is impossible to understand these false road vicissitudes.

Gibraltar Civil Airport North Front, owned by the UK, is located on a peninsula of 6.8 sq. km. Due to lack of space, the airport's only runway is laid out in such a way that it crosses the busiest highway - Winston Churchill Avenue. This is the only airport of its kind that crosses the road.

British nanotechnologists in 2014 created the blackest color in the world . A unique material that is 10 times stronger than steel is called Vantablack(VANTA is an abbreviation for Vertically Aligned NanoTube Arrays: translated as vertically aligned nanotube arrays), it is able to absorb 99.96% of the light falling on it.

There are many in London Russians. Russian speech is heard everywhere. There are sightseeing tours in London on.

The tune that gets stuck in my head is called " earworm” (earworm).

Ivan the Terrible proposed to the English Queen Elizabeth I, but was refused.

Among the many inventions of Leonardo da Vinci there is a drawing parachute, made several centuries before its modern appearance. Briton Adrian Nicholas in 2000 proved the efficiency of Leonardo's idea by successfully jumping with a parachute made according to this model.

Color blindness has been named color blind in honor of the English scientist John Dalton, who first described this defect. Interestingly, Dalton himself was colorblind, but did not know about it until the age of 26.

At Queen of Great Britain no passport, but she can move freely around. The official website of the British Monarchy says that since the passports of the United Kingdom are issued on behalf of Her Majesty, the Queen herself does not need this document. All other members of the royal family have passports. The Queen is also the only person in the UK who is allowed to drive without a license.

« Beckham"is a brand that is known all over the world, almost a separate industry in which the former football player himself, and his wife, and even children work: the Beckham family is one of the most recognizable in the UK. At the end of 2015, their fortune is estimated at half a billion pounds (761 million dollars, which is 1.5 times more than that of Elizabeth II).

One of the most outstanding monuments of antiquity in Scotland and Great Britain - Shaft or Hadrian's Wall (the ruins of the wall were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987).

Scotland has 3 official languages: English, Anglo-Scots and Scottish Gaelic. Moreover, in Gaelic Scotland sounds like "Alba".

It is believed that the capital of Scotland - the city of Edinburgh, was the same as Rome, was built on seven hills.

The Scottish city of Aberdeen is known as “ oil capital of Europe" or how " granite city”.

An interesting fact: at least 6 American presidents were with Scottish roots. There is also an opinion (however, not proven by scientists) that Lermontov has Scottish roots.

The largest number of people with ginger genome» live in the south-east of Scotland - there they account for approximately 40% of the total earthly population.

famous Scottish inventors are: Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), Alexander Fleming (penicillin), Charles Mackintosh (raincoat), John Boyd Dunlop (pneumatic tyres), John Shepherd-Barron (ATMs), James Clerk Maxwell (microwave oven), William Cullen ( artificial cooling), John Logie Baird (the first mechanical television system + the first color television).

food manufacturing company Kraft Foods uses in the technological process of the coffee factory of the English city of Banbury a power plant, the fuel for which is coffee grounds.

Longest recorded bout of continuous sneezing was observed in 12-year-old Donna Griffiths from England. She started sneezing in January 1981 for 977 days. At first, she sneezed every minute, then the interval increased and at the end was 5 minutes.

English anthropologist Robert Dunbar has identified a relationship between the size of the neocortex of the cerebral hemispheres of primates and the size of their flock. Based on these data, he determined the optimal size of social connections for a person- 150. This number is confirmed in a variety of historical periods and locations: for example, this is the estimated number of inhabitants of a Neolithic settlement or the size of the basic unit of the Roman army. In 2010, Dunbar began researching the social network Facebook and came to the conclusion that his number also works there: despite the fact that some people have hundreds and thousands of friends on social networks, the average person can interact effectively with no more than 150 contacts.

The cities of Cambridge and Oxford are some of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK.

The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the UK are among the top 10 universities in the world.

Winnie the Pooh from the tales of Alan Milne got its name in honor of the she-bear Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.

The prototype of the famous all over the world Sherlock Holmes Joseph Bell became the chief surgeon of the royal hospital in Edinburgh. This man identified signs of illness in appearance, gait, demeanor and even accent, the same doctor taught media students, among whom was Arthur Conan Doyle.

The world's first puzzle was invented by the English cartographer John Spilsbury around 1760. But it was intended not for entertainment, but for study, as it was a map of Europe cut into separate states. This teaching method was very visual and the children really liked it, and only many years later other people came up with the idea of ​​releasing game puzzles.

London has Lost and Found on Baker Street. It was created more than 80 years ago, so there are a lot of interesting things among the finds stored there.

A famous song from Stevenson's novel Treasure Island sings: "Fifteen men for a dead man's chest. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! It is assumed that " Yo ho ho' is the laughter of pirates, but it's not. This exclamation was used by English sailors when they needed to simultaneously make efforts in some kind of work - in Russian it corresponds to the phrase "One, two, they took it!".

In honor of the 50th anniversary Porsche 911 in Goodwood (Great Britain) a sculpture of three real sky-high supercars (1963, 1973, 2013 of release) was opened.

There are many volunteer organizations in the UK called "bloody bikers" . They deliver urgently needed medicines, tools and more to hospitals.

The first weather forecast in media history appeared on August 1, 1861 in the Times. Its author was Robert Fitzroy, who later committed suicide due to the fact that his predictions were not always accurate.

In Liverpool, tropical fish vendors are legally allowed to be topless.

In the town of Aintree (near Liverpool) are held annually Grand National horse racing. They are considered the most spectacular in England; the stands of the hippodrome gather 100,000 spectators every year.

Interestingly, in the UK there is no iPhone mania, that is, they don’t fanate the iPhone here, but they fanate BlackBerry, which almost everyone has.

Scientists from Huddersfield (West Yorkshire in England) found that smell of death similar to the scent of freshly cut grass.

English chemist Dorothy Mary Crowfoot-Hodgkin(born in 1910 in Cairo, Egypt, which at that time was under the rule of England) - determined the molecular structure of penicillin.

Famous researcher and creator of the theory of evolution Charles Darwin (originally from England) was proud to have tasted a piece of almost every living creature he discovered (armadillos, iguanas, cougars, giant tortoises, rhea ostriches, bitterns, various snakes, lizards, owls, hawk, rhea, agouti - whose meat he considered the most delicious).

Vaseline inventor Robert August Chesbrough assured that he eats daily a spoonful of his invention, and at the same time lived to be 96 years old.

English actor Sean O'Connery , the constant performer of the roles of the secret agent James Bond, in January 1963 in the Italian casino "San Vincent" won about 30,000 dollars in roulette in three games in a row. All 3 times he bet on the number 17.

English designer Christopher Shellis(Christopher Michael Shellis) is famous for creating the most expensive women's accessories and shoes in the world. In the summer of 2014, he presented another masterpiece - a pure gold clutch Le Palais (weighing 500 g, guaranteed for 1000 years!), the creation of which was inspired by the masters ... the front gates of Buckingham Palace.

Margaret Ann Bulkley(better known as Dr. James Barry) went down in history as first female doctor. She received her medical degree in 1812. Britain's first female doctor was forced to pretend to be a man for 46 years, and her secret was revealed only after her death in 1865.

In February 2015, the University of Edinburgh unveiled a plaque as part of a project that will honor the heroes of biology, to honor dolly the sheep(The first mammal cloned from an adult cell was born in 1996 and died in 2003). This is one of a series of 10 commemorative plaques launched by the biology society across the UK to celebrate the outstanding but sometimes overlooked heroes of science.

In the UK in the summer of 2015, according to the results of experiments by chef Heston Blumenthal, ice cream that doesn't melt. It will be sold at Alton Towers amusement park in Staffordshire.

In 2012, a 12-year-old girl from Liverpool Olivia Manning was recognized smartest child and one of the most intelligent people (the number of which is approximately 1% of the total population of the Earth). Her IQ was 162, 2 points higher than Einstein and Hawking, and 100 points higher than the world average.

But the self-proclaimed "asparamant" and mystic Jemima Packington, who lives in England, claims to be able to predict the future using asparagus shoots (and she even has success in this area!).

The record for a British woman is that she has 2,520 piercings on her body, including a hole in the tongue where you can stick your finger.

motherland Harry Potter- England. In 2012, the Harry Potter Museum was opened in Leavesden (30 km from London). And the day of May 2 is recognized as International Harry Potter Day- it was on this day, at the behest of the magic keyboard of the writer JK Rowling, that the hero boy destroyed the dark villain Volan de Mort, that is, in fact, good once again triumphed over evil.

13-year-old Hogwarts student Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films was played by a Scottish actress Shirley Henderson who was 37 at the time of filming.

A resident of the UK, Evan, the young host of his own YouTube channel, as of 2014, has an income of about $1.32 million a year. Number of channel subscribers EvanTubeHD has exceeded half a million, and the total number of views of video games and toys - over half a billion.

In the southwest lives " YouTube star- "live Barbie" Venus Palermo, born in 1997), she collects more than 30 million users with her "guides" on how to look like a doll.

In London, designer Elizabeth Lecourt sews outfits from geographical maps. Bright and colorful "materials" are used, and even maps of fictitious objects compiled for films, computer games, literary works and comics.

Many residents and visitors to London watch movies in bubbling baths! AT Hot Tub Cinema customers are offered top-class service: the latest movies, delicious food and drinks, a fun atmosphere. Moreover, in summer the cinema is located on the street, and in winter it moves to a warm building. Hot Tub Cinema is in the TOP-5 of the most unusual cinemas in the world.

The custom of celebrating kiss day invented in the UK, and then the UN established it as an international holiday with the date of celebration on July 6 of each year.

French Kiss some French people call it an English kiss.

somewhat clean English proverbs :

It is difficult to meet a person who has not heard anything about England. Especially now, when there is so much news around the English political situation. But let's put politics aside! Below we present you with 10 facts about England that you might not know.

1 Foggy Albion

How many times have you heard the phrase "foggy Albion"? We are sure a lot. In fact, it's not all that vague. Yes, you can find fog on the islands, but it’s as if it never happened in your city. The climate of England is much milder than in other countries. It is due to the fact that it is surrounded by water that the temperature does not change as much as on the continent. In summer, the average temperature will not exceed 30 degrees, and it will hardly reach this mark (average temperature is 26-27 C). And thanks to the rains in the first half of summer, you will not die from the heat.

As for winter, it is better for lovers of snowy and frosty weather to move closer to the poles. And all because the temperature is unlikely to drop below zero. If we have -18 - this is a normal temperature in winter, then in England it means a terrible frost. The average winter temperature is usually 2-3 degrees Celsius, and snow can fall only around Christmas, and even then a little.

In general, if you decide to move to England, then you can not take thick fur coats with you, but it’s better to stock up on jackets and jeans, because it doesn’t get too hot here either.

Although you can take T-shirts and T-shirts with you if you do not want to stand out from the crowd. The English wear summer clothes until the frost sets in. Severe people, do not say anything.

25 o'clock

Are you familiar with the stereotype that the British always drink tea every day and at exactly five o'clock in the evening? Now, this is not entirely true. Yes, the British are madly in love with tea, but they most often drink tea after every meal. And yes, they will definitely invite you to drink a cup of tea with them, and it will not be very polite of you to refuse.

As for tea itself, contrary to popular belief, delicious tea is scarce in England. To drink a really good cup of tea, you need to look for a specialized store, because tea in supermarkets is mostly rather mediocre. And yet, contrary to the stereotype, the British do not like tea with milk, and do not drink it in liters. And in general, the question “Do you add milk to your tea?” you will be asked last.

3 Winter in England

By the way, because of the climate (see point 1), lakes and rivers in England do not freeze in winter, so there are many photographs of winter landscapes that look a little unusual, but no less beautiful. And due to the fact that there is little snow, a peculiar, but no less fabulous atmosphere is created, which all photographers will surely fall in love with.

Well, since we are talking about snow, then 10-15 cm of snow already means that you can safely stay at home. Transport will stop, you will be told to stay at home and the city will patiently wait for the snow to melt, because there are no snowplows here and will not be. That's it.

4 England is an animal paradise

Queen Elizabeth with her dogs

The British are big animal lovers. You won’t find homeless cats or dogs on the streets, and if you do, they will be well-fed, healthy and clean, they are probably regularly looked after by employees of some cafe where the animal lives, so technically they are not homeless. By the way, back in 1824, the Society for the Protection of Animals from Cruelty was created, and it has royal status. So cats and dogs have been living in safety for almost 200 years. By the way, the Society for the Protection of Children in England was founded in 1884. Therefore, children in England live in safety. The British set their priorities.

5 Foxes on the streets of London

Royal fox hunting in England

These animals can be found even in cities. Although they usually live in parks, they go out at night and scare passing cyclists by throwing themselves under their wheels. Perhaps this is how the foxes take revenge on the British for the fact that they are still arranging a fox hunt. In the previous paragraph, we said that the inhabitants of England are very fond of animals. Well, they love traditions more.

6 Censorship in England

With something, but with censorship on English television, everything is in order. She just doesn't exist. Yes, in English, obscene expressions have already become the norm and do not cause such violent indignation as among Russian speakers, but if for us to hear obscene expressions on television - something out of the ordinary, in England this will be treated normally. "The F Word", as they put it, can be quite calmly pronounced by announcers, especially if a person is being quoted.

7 Polite English

The stereotypical Englishman is courteous, correct and meek. Actually, it has some similarities with reality. The English are really very polite and will apologize, ask for forgiveness or say “please” to everyone and always. For example, if you pushed a person on the street, or stepped on someone's foot in transport, they will immediately say “Oh, sorry” to you and in no case will they make a scandal or look askance. However, do not flatter yourself, because it's not about you. In modern England, "thank you-sorry-please" is just an interjection. They will apologize to the bedside table if they hook you.

8 A bit about languages ​​in England

Unlike Americans, the British are very ashamed of the fact that everyone knows their native language, and they usually only speak English. So, when communicating with a native Englishman, you will surely hear that you speak English very well. But don't be so proud of yourself. Even if you only say “London is the capital of Great Britain” with a strong Russian accent, you will still be praised and told that you speak pure English.

9 Red phone booth

The same symbol of London as the double-decker bus. However, not everyone knows that before becoming the way we know it, the booth went through many deformations. Here, for example, its first version (on the left) and the last one (on the right):

And here's the inside of the booth.
Now you've definitely seen everything.

10 "Boxes" in which the British live

Probably, this is how one could call apartments, pubs (which the British love very much), shops, restaurants and so on. Everything in England is so cramped and narrow and tiny that you could almost step on someone's foot, so it's understandable why they apologize so much. If you do not like to be in a crowd or constantly touch some people, then we do not advise you to go to England, because this cannot be avoided there. However, this somehow unites the British. Unfamiliar people can sit down with you if there is an empty seat at your table, and this will not be considered rude. You will not even be interested in them, they just want to sit.

Speaking of pubs! The British really love them madly, so it is in pubs that every evening you can find a huge number of Englishmen who relax after a hard day with friends.

That's what it is - England! We hope you were interested in this little "journey".