Great Britain, located not far from the very heart of Europe – a state that has for many centuries exerted a significant influence on world politics and the development of civilization. A lot of great scientists are from here, and English has long been unofficially has the status of international, though, mainly because of the United States, not Britain. Nevertheless, it is in English spoken in many countries of the world, most of which were once English Colonies.
The official language of Great Britain for 3 centuries was French.
The world’s first fire service appeared in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
In Scotland, passengers can make the shortest flight from existing on Earth – it takes a little more than a minute to get from Vestra Island to Papa Vestra Island.
The British were the first to use postage stamps.
The national holiday “Birthday of the British monarch” is celebrated on the third Saturday of June, although the current Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II was born on April 21.
The London Underground is the oldest in the world, it started operating in 1863.
In London, subway passengers lose about 80,000 umbrellas every year.
The Scotsman, who refused the offer of a woman to marry her, had to pay a fine in the past.
Raincoat in 1824 was invented by the native of Glasgow Charles Mackintosh.
The parliaments of England and Ireland and now print the documents they accepted on calfskin paper.
In the XVII-XVIII centuries in Britain there was a special post of royal bottle captain with letters, caught in the ocean. The people who opened such bottles autocratically, waited for the death penalty.
In Edinburgh went into the story of skye terrier Greyfriars Bobby – a dog of 14 years, until his own death, sat on the grave of the deceased host. This devoted dog is devoted to several films and books.
The British Queen can not enter the parliamentary House of Commons, since she is not a member.
London’s Oxford Street is the longest shopping street in the world.
Almost the entire body of Scotsman Lucky Diamond Rich is covered with tattoos. Covering a figure in the form of a leopard skin 99.9% of the body surface, he became the most tattooed man on Earth (also, check Interesting facts about tattoos).
The Englishwoman Ada Lovelace was the first programmer in the world.
Big Ben is called a bell, not a clock tower.
At the end of the XIX century Britain won the war against Zanzibar in 38 minutes.
In the Middle Ages, the British courts pronounced sentences against not only people, but also animals.
In the UK, sticking the stamp with the image of the queen upside down is considered treason.
The London Eye is the tallest in Europe.
The Speaker of the British Parliament sits on a sack with wool.
In England, in the XVII century there was the world’s first club of ghost hunters.
In Britain, it is legally forbidden to hang a bed out of the window.
According to legend, the English kingdom will fall if the Tower of London leaves the crows.
The most famous killer of all time, Jack the Ripper, was in the streets of London.
Whales, sturgeon and dolphins living in the coastal waters of Great Britain are considered the property of the queen.
On the last day of August in London, a competition is held between rubber ducks, which are sent to sail on the Thames.
England – the birthplace of table tennis. The role of the grid in this game for high society was originally performed by books.
Scotland owns 790 islands, but only 130 of them are inhabited by people.
At the London Barbican Theater in 2011, they showed the play “Lullaby” – the spectators were placed on beds and peacefully showered, and in the morning they were waiting for breakfast, which was included in the ticket price.
A labyrinth of 16,000 English yew trees, located on the grounds of the Longlith manor, is the longest in the world.
In England, there was a special man who was supposed to shoot a cannon in case Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in the kingdom. The post was abolished only in 1947, although the French emperor died more than a century before that.
