X-Nico

92 unusual facts about United Kingdom


1973 in politics

August - Sixpence withdrawn from general use in the UK marking the end of the decimalisation period.

1976 United Kingdom heat wave

The 1976 United Kingdom heat wave led to the hottest summer average temperature in the UK since records began.

A Shock to the System

It is based on the 1984 novel A Shock to the System by British author Simon Brett.

Adam Park Guild House

The Adam Park Guild House is located at Adam Park Estate which was the site of intense fighting between British forces and the invading Japanese Army in February 1942, in the last day of the Battle of Singapore before the British surrender.

Agricultural Gangs Act 1867

The Agricultural Gangs Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 130) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom.

Albanian Subversion

Based on wrong assessments about Albania, and thinking that the country was ready to shake off its Stalinist regime, the British SIS and the American CIA launched a joint subversive operation, using as agents Albanian expatriates.

Allotments Act 1950

The Allotments Act 1950 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

Bhandari Ram

Sepoy Bhandari Ram VC (24 July 1919 – 19 May 2002) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

BHX

In the UK, an indication that a given service is not available on bank holidays (bank holidays excepted)

Bisque

Bisque, when a number of unpaired MPs in the United Kingdom may be allowed to be absent - at specified times on a rota basis - from votes in the Houses of Parliament.

Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs

The landforms, stratigraphy and mammal remains at Black Rock provide an extremely valuable record of former sea levels and changing environmental conditions during the last few glaciations which have affected this area, Southern England, unlike much of the rest of the UK has not been affected by full scale glaciation.

Broon

Broon is sometimes (especially in the northern UK) a variant spelling or pronunciation for the color brown

Chemist Direct

Chemist Direct is a UK-based company providing medical products and services in addition to beauty products online.

Chhelu Ram

Chhelu Ram VC (10 May 1905 – 20 April 1943) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Children Act 1948

The Children Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that established a comprehensive childcare service.

Christian Vision

Christian Vision is a large international Christian religious organization in the United Kingdom, established in 1993.

Colombian peso

In 1931, when the U.K. left the gold standard, Colombia shifted its peg to the U.S. dollar, at a rate of 1.05 pesos = 1 dollar, a slight devaluation from its previous peg.

Commemorative coin

In the United Kingdom, before decimalisation of the money system in 1971, the usual commemorative coin was a crown, or five shilling piece.

Croydon Road Recreation Ground

The United Kingdom’s first manned airmail flight left from here in 1902, travelling to Calais by hot air balloon The event was held to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII.

Dalotel DM-165

The aircraft was based at Meaux-Esbly airfield, to the west of Paris, for several years and was then sold to a pilot owner in the United Kingdom.

Darwan Singh Negi

His Majesty the KING-EMPEROR has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned soldiers of the Indian Army for conspicuous bravery whilst serving with the Indian Army Corps, British Expeditionary Force: —

Darwan Singh Negi VC (November 1881 – 24 June 1950) was among the earliest Indian recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

De Bolotoff SDEB 14

The De Bolotoff SDEB 14 was a British two-seat utility biplane designed by Prince Serge de Bolotoff and one example was built at his de Bolotoff Aeroplane Works at Sundridge Aerodrome, Sundridge, near Sevenoaks, Kent.

Dibs

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, "bags", "tax", "shotgun" or "bagsie" – or variants including "begsie" and "bugsy" – is used for the same effect.

Distribution of Industry Act 1950

The Distribution of Industry Act 1950 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

Domestic rates in Northern Ireland

Domestic rates are unique to Northern Ireland, in the rest of the United Kingdom the local taxation is Council Tax.

Duchess of Kent's Annuity Act 1838

It empowered the Queen to grant an annuity of £30,000 to her mother, the Duchess of Kent, on the condition that all previously existing annuities to the Duchess were to cease.

The Duchess of Kent's Annuity Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 8) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on 26 January 1838.

Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology

It is the first institute in the United Kingdom to award undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas in the fields of Conservation, Eco-tourism, and Biodiversity Management.

E-democracy

Youth, in particular, have seen a significant drop in turnout in most industrialized nations, including Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Eagle Records

In the United Kingdom, the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC International Records.

Education in Malaysia

Present-day Malaysia introduced Western style school uniforms (pakaian seragam sekolah) in the late 19th century during the British colonial era.

Employment and Training Act 1948

The Employment and Training Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

Factor endowment

It is commonly argued that these countries benefited greatly by borrowing many of Britain's institutions and laws.

Flag of Labrador

The entire province of Newfoundland was without its own identity when it came to the flag, as the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom, had been adopted as the flag of Newfoundland in 1952.

Flag of the Arab Revolt

The flag was designed by the British diplomat Sir Mark Sykes, in an effort to create a feeling of "Arab-ness" in order to fuel the revolt.

Flags of non-sovereign nations

Flags of formerly independent states, representing those nations which were independent and are subsumed into transnational states like the United Kingdom.

Foreign espionage in New Zealand

Foreign intelligence agencies might therefore see New Zealand as a "back door" into the intelligence worlds of the United States or United Kingdom.

Forensic archaeology

In the United Kingdom forensic archaeology is regulated by the professional body for archaeologists, The Institute for Archaeologists (formerly the Institute of Field Archaeologists) following a recommendation by the Forensic Regulator, Andrew Rennison.

G. B. Pegram

Following Marcus Oliphant's mission to the USA in August 1941 to alert the Americans to the feasibility of an atomic bomb, in autumn 1941 Pegram and Urey led a diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom to establish co-operation on development of the atomic bomb.

Genesis '88

Genesis'88 was a party promotion crew who threw some of the first acid house parties also known as raves in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1992.

Geneva Summit

The Geneva Summit (1955) was held on July 18, 1955 and was a meeting of "The Big Four": President Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Eden of Britain, Premier Nikolai A. Bulganin of the Soviet Union, and Prime Minister Edgar Faure of France

German model

This is unique among Western countries, which have been marked by either substantial weakening of union powers (such as in the United States and United Kingdom) over the last twenty years, or consistent union conflict (such as in France and Italy, where unions have remained strong).

Get Squiggling

Get Squiggling is a live-action animated television series created and produced by Jo Killingley at Dot To Dot Productions, directed by Adrian Hedley, and broadcast on CBeebies and BBC Two in the UK.

Government of Pakistan

The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of Pakistan are set down in major parliamentary legislation (a term inherited from the United Kingdom), such as the Exit Control List, the Pakistan Penal Code, and the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847

The Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which governs harbors, docks, and piers.

Harry Kipper

The story was created and propagated that Harry Kipper, a British conceptual artist, had mysteriously gone missing on the Italian-Yugoslav border whilst on a biking tour of Europe, allegedly with the intention of tracing the word Art across the continent.

Hillson Pennine

The Hillson Pennine was a 1930s United Kingdom two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Norman Sykes and built by F Hills & Sons of Trafford Park.

Honorary title

Honorary title (academic), primarily exists in Britain as well as some universities and colleges in the United States and Canada

Hydrophone

SOSUS hydrophones, laid on the seabed and connected by underwater cables, were used, beginning in the 1950s, by the U.S. Navy to track movement of Soviet submarines during the Cold War along a line from Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom known as the GIUK gap.

Institute for Global Communications

In 1988 the IGC formed an international link when it started hosting GreenNet in the United Kingdom.

Interbang

In the UK the show was broadcast on The Children's Channel in the late 1980s and on the Terrestrial Channel ITV.

Jose Luis Paris

He appeared many times live all over the world and on British TV in the 1970s and 1980s and many radio appearances to credit as well.

Kings Chamber Orchestra

The King's Chamber Orchestra is a professional chamber orchestra based in the United Kingdom.

Lahore to Longsight

Lahore to Longsight is the debut album of British musician Aziz Ibrahim.

Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949

The Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 was a British Act of Parliament which provided people unable to pay for a solicitor with free legal aid.

Local Government Finance Act 1992

The Local Government Finance Act 1992 includes obligations of the occupants or (in the case of vacant properties) the owners of properties in the United Kingdom to pay council tax.

Local Government Regulation

It provides advice and guidance to a number of regulatory services in the United Kingdom.

Lucy Sussex

She has lived in New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom and Australia, where she settled in 1971, and has spent the majority of her time since.

Michał Grażyński

Michał Grażyński (May 12, 1890, in Gdów – December 10, 1965, in London, United Kingdom) was a Polish military leader, social and political activist, doctor of philosophy and law, voivode of the Silesian Voivodeship, Scouting activist and president of Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego.

Middle-market newspaper

In the United Kingdom, since the demise of Today (1986–95), the only national middle-market papers are the Daily Mail and the Daily Express, distinguishable by their black-top masthead (both use the easy-to-carry tabloid paper size), as opposed to the red-top mastheads of down-market tabloids.

Montague Birch

Charles Montague Birch (1884–1947) was a British musical conductor.

Monument station

Monument station is the name of different stations on two urban transport networks in the United Kingdom

National Savings Bank

National Savings and Investments of the United Kingdom which was formerly known as the Post Office Savings Bank and National Savings.

Navy Island Royal Naval Shipyard

Located on Navy Island in the Niagara River, it served as a French naval base in the early 18th century and was acquired by the British in 1763.

Newport Borough Police

In the United Kingdom, Newport Borough Police could refer to one of either

Nochex

It is a private company with twenty four employees based in the United Kingdom .

Official Secrets Act 1889

The Official Secrets Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 52) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Operations conducted by the Mossad

Abduction of Mordechai Vanunu (1986) - Mossad operation to abduct and bring back to Israel Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli nuclear technician who had fled Israel for the United Kingdom and revealed nuclear secrets.

Planning committee

The entry on development control in the United Kingdom includes a detailed explanation about the role and workings of a planning committee, the planning officers who report to them - and including the role and significance of public comments and objections to any given planning application.

Political Parties and Elections Act 2009

The Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c 12) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Prakash Singh Chib

Prakash Singh Chib VC (1 April 1913 – 17 February 1945) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Quarter Sessions Act 1837

The Quarter Sessions Act 1837 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 4) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on December 23, 1837.

Research program

A research program (UK: research programme) is a professional network of scientists conducting basic research.

Risley, Warrington

The institution opened as a Remand Centre in 1964, but is now a Category C prison for adult males.

Royal Ballet Sinfonia

The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House and on tour.

Royal prerogative

In the Kingdom of England (up to 1707), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) and the United Kingdom (since 1801), the royal prerogative historically was one of the central features of the realm's governance.

Samsung Mobile Innovator

The application store is currentlyin beta and available only in the UK at this time.

Seeds for Africa

Seeds for Africa is a British charity that has set up over 800 garden projects across 25 African countries, where it encourages sustainable vegetable gardening by providing indigenous vegetable seeds, agricultural equipment and technical expertise.

Superannuation Act 1949

The Superannuation Act 1949 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

The London Look

The London Look EP by Herman's Hermits was the band's seventh and last EP and was released in the United Kingdom (catalogue number SLE 15.) It was a promo only issue sponsored by Yardley cosmetics.

The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

Its only theatrical release was in Israel, and was launched straight to DVD elsewhere, including the United States and United Kingdom.

Tibor Hernádi

After working as a director on short animated films, Hernadi made his full-length directorial effort in Felix the Cat: The Movie, which was released in the United Kingdom in October 1988.

Time in the United Kingdom

This practice was halted by King Edward VIII, in an effort to reduce confusions over time.

Tunisian Islamic Front

in 1998, when it was published, Rashid al-Ghannushi was in exile in the United Kingdom.

UK Music Charts

The UK Music Charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music buying habits of people within the United Kingdom.

Uni in the USA

Uni in the USA is a guide to universities around the world aimed at prospective students in the United Kingdom.

United City

Had the proposal been passed, it would have been the United Kingdom's largest public transport investment in history outside of London.

United Kingdom weather records

The United Kingdom weather records note the most extreme weather ever recorded in the United Kingdom, such as the most and fewest hours of sunshine and highest wind speed.

Villa Enterprises

Internationally, Villa Enterprises currently operates 22 locations in Italy, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, the Czech Republic and Mexico.

Vox populi sound system

It was active in holding free parties in both the United Kingdom and Europe, between 1993 and 1996.

Western European Summer Time

Starting in 1916, the dates for the beginning and end of BST each year were mandated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.


Aldershot Garrison

The garrison was also home to The Parachute Regiment from its formation in 1940 until the regiment moved to Colchester Garrison in 2003.

Axel Scheffler

He has drawn his distinctive illustrations for authors of children's books from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, including, in addition to Julia Donaldson, Jon Blake, Paul Shipton, David Henry Wilson, Uwe Timm, Paul van Loon and Toon Tellegen.

Bell P-59 Airacomet

Major General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold became aware of the United Kingdom's jet program when he attended a demonstration of the Gloster E.28/39 in April 1941.

Caolas

Hirta was also the most western settlement in the United Kingdom, which is now Belleek, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Charlotte Eagar

Whilst working for a variety of British newspapers and magazines, including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Observer, the Sunday Telegraph, the Spectator, The Mail on Sunday and Tatler, she has written stories from such diverse places as Sarajevo, Moscow, Baghdad, Kabul and Rome.

Constitutional Affairs Committee

Following the reorganization of the Department of Constitutional Affairs and Home Affairs Committee and until the end of the 2006-2007 parliamentary session, the committee oversaw the Ministry of Justice.

Cross-promotion

Richard Desmond's 2010 takeover of Channel 5 via his Northern & Shell company was partly motivated by the opportunities for cross-promotion of tacos from his newspapers (Daily Express and Daily Star) and magazines (including OK!); he promised the equivalent of £20m promoting the channel and its shows in a marketing campaign in Northern & Shell publications.

Cyprus College of Art

Almost all of the programmes taught at the College follow a British art education model, and several are validated in the United Kingdom by the British validation agency Ascentis.

David R. Ross

At the age of about 15, he became interested in the novels of Nigel Tranter, that inspired him to grow an interest in the history of Scotland, as he realised that the history curriculum in British schools was told from an England-centric perspective that ignored (or nearly so) the individual histories of the other countries forming the United Kingdom.

Dorcas Cochran

Her English language lyric for "Under the Bridges of Paris" was recorded by both Eartha Kitt and Dean Martin for United Kingdom chart hits in 1955, although they failed to chart in the United States, and Frankie Laine's recording of her song, "In the Beginning" similarly charted in the UK but not in the US that year.

Dorothy Garrod

Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod CBE, FBA (5 May 1892 – 18 December 1968) was a British archaeologist who was the first woman to hold an Oxbridge chair, partly through her pioneering work on the Palaeolithic period.

Elect the Lords

Elect The Lords is a campaign established in September 2004 by the New Politics Network - a successor group to the Democratic Left - and Charter88 calling for the United Kingdom House of Lords to be replaced by a predominantly elected upper house.

Everybody Have a Good Time

"Everybody Have A Good Time" is a song by the British rock band, The Darkness, released as a promotional single from their third studio album, Hot Cakes, released in June 2012.

Factories Act 1948

The Factories Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.

FF Dax

The typeface was adopted in the United Kingdom by David Cameron in 2005 as part of the branding for his campaign for leadership of the Conservative Party.

Freddie Young

Freddie Young OBE, BSC (9 October 1902 - 1 December 1998), (sometimes credited as Frederick A. Young) was one of Britain's most distinguished and influential cinematographers.

Garry Roberts

After The Boomtown Rats broke up in 1986, Roberts worked with Simply Red, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Flesh For Lulu in the role of sound engineer on tours in the UK and US.

Grays Armory

The unit's original purpose was twofold: to provide assistance and support to the local law enforcement authorities of the time as well as to provide a first line of defense for the city in the event that the fighting in Canada's Rebellions of 1837 spilled over the border and into the United States resulting in a third war with the United Kingdom in less than a century.

Haptopoda

Haptopoda is an extinct arachnid order known exclusively from only eight specimens from the Upper Carboniferous of Coseley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.

Historical lists of Privy Counsellors

These are lists of Privy Counsellors of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the reorganisation in 1679 of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council to the present day.

Horticulture Research International

The HRI was constituted in May 1990 from the AFRC Institute of Horticultural Research Stations at Wellesbourne (the National Vegetable Research Station), East Malling (the East Malling Research Station) and Littlehampton (the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute), the Hop Unit at Wye College and the ADAS Experimental Stations of MAFF at Efford, Kirton and Stockbridge.

I. German/Dutch Corps

Due to its role as a NATO High Readiness Forces Headquarters, soldiers from other NATO member states, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom amongst others, are also stationed at Münster.

Interoute

Interoute's offices: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, plus a Network Operations Centre in Sofia and a Customer Service Centre in Prague and Luleå.

James Edgar Dandy

James Edgar Dandy (Preston, Lancashire, 24 September 1903 - Tring, 10 November 1976) was a British botanist, Keeper of Botany at the British Museum (Natural History) between 1956 and 1966.

Jim Parrack

For the British sports journalist and former competitive swimmer of the same name, see James Parrack

Joe Cutler

Joe Cutler (born 1968) is a British composer who studied music at the Universities of Huddersfield and Durham, before a scholarship at the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, Poland.

Just to Let You Know...

Just to Let You Know... is the debut album by British/Jamaican reggae artist Bitty McLean.

La Belle Alliance

Blücher, the Prussian commander, suggested that the battle should be remembered as la Belle Alliance, to commemorate the European Seventh Coalition of Britain, Russia, Prussia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, and a number of German States which had all joined the coalition to defeat the French Emperor.

Lauren Lambert

Lauren Lambert (born 1990 in Wallington, Surrey, England) is a British fashion model, best known for winning Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, Cycle 9.

Local government in the United Kingdom

Local government in the United Kingdom has origins that pre-date the United Kingdom itself, as each of the four countries of the United Kingdom has its own separate system.

Marxism–Leninism

However, that was followed by a brief Allied military intervention by the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and others against the Bolsheviks.

Melvill Jones

Sir Bennett Melvill Jones, Kt., CBE, AFC, FRS (28 January 1887 – 31 October 1975) was Francis Mond Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge from 1919 to 1952.

Noumérat – Moufdi Zakaria Airport

On 6 February 2010 at 04:48, a Ghana International Airlines Boeing 757 flying from Accra, Ghana to London Gatwick, United Kingdom with 125 passengers and 8 crew made a precautionary landing at Moufdi Zakaria Airport following indications of possible irregularities with the hydraulics system.

Operation Pitsford

On 26 April 2013, eleven British Muslims were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 40 months to life imprisonment.

Protea eximia

This versatility has resulted in it being brought into bloom outside as far north as the coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.

Ravi Deepres

His first solo exhibition, Patriots, shown at the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, in 2003, explored aspects of patriotic and national identity around the football World Cup and European Championships.

Ronato Alcano

In an attempt to defend his title at the 2007 World Nine-ball Championship, Alcano was bested in the last 64 by Daryl Peach of the United Kingdom who ultimately won the title.

Savings and loan association

In the United Kingdom, the first savings bank was founded in 1810 by the Reverend Henry Duncan, Doctor of Divinity, the minister of Ruthwell Church in the Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Stokes mortar

The Stokes mortar was a British trench mortar invented by Sir Wilfred Stokes KBE that was issued to the British, Commonwealth and U.S. armies, as well as the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (CEP), during the latter half of the First World War.

The Walls Fell Down

"The Walls Fell Down" is a third single by the English rock duo The Marbles, Lead vocals by Graham Bonnet it was released in March 1969, and it was written and produced by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, of the Bee Gees, and was also produced by Robert Stigwood, It reached #28 in the United Kingdom, but in the Netherlands it reached #3.

Thierry Bogaert

He obtained a PhD at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Medical Research Council, (Cambridge, United Kingdom).

Thomas Vickers

Colonel Thomas ('Tom') Edward Vickers V.D. (9 July 1833 - 19 October 1915) was Chairman of Vickers Limited.

Tux Games

It was originally created in response to Simms being unable to order a version of Loki Software's port of Civilization: Call to Power from any British reseller.

United Kingdom constituencies

The South West England constituency was expanded from the 2004 elections onwards to include Gibraltar, the only British overseas territory that is part of the European Union, following a court case.

University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine

The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow is one of six veterinary schools in the United Kingdom, and offers undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Veterinary Medicine.

White Flag incident

LTTE's Political Wing leader Balasingham Nadesan and Pulidevan agreed to surrender and they contacted the United Nations, the governments of Norway, United Kingdom, USA and also ICRC and had been assured by Mahinda Rajapaksa and told to surrender at a particular place by the Basil Rajapakse.

Women's Rugby League World Cup

Women's Rugby League had been played in both Oceania and the United Kingdom for several years but it was not until 1985 in Britain and 1993 in Australia and New Zealand where female only organizations and governing bodies were established and while the Rugby Football League recognized the British women in 1985 it took another five years for the Australian Rugby League to officially recognize the Australian Women's rugby league.

You Know You Like It

The track was released in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2012 as the lead single from the duo's first studio album, Body Music (2013).