X-Nico

100 unusual facts about Birmingham


1772 in Great Britain

21 September - Birmingham Canal Navigations main line open for traffic, linking Birmingham to the River Severn via the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

Agyenim Boateng

He worked as an Assistant Professor in Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama and also at Daniel Payne College in Birmingham, Alabama where he served as Assistant Professor of Political and Social Science.

Angela V. Shelton

Angela V. Shelton was born on 4 March 1970 and attended the Roeper School in Birmingham, Michigan.

Anthony William Hall

He also made many speeches, in Birmingham and elsewhere, in which he set out his claim and challenged the King to a duel, with the loser to be beheaded.

Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act

State Representative John Rogers of Birmingham has repeatedly introduced legislation to repeal the ban, but each bill has been defeated.

Argent Centre

The Argent Centre is a Grade II* listed building on the corner of Frederick Street and Legge Road in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, England.

Arthur Blyth

His formative years were spent in Birmingham, England and he was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, and arrived with his parents in South Australia in 1839 on the "Ariadne" at the age of 16.

Arthur Pentelow

He later went on to work in repertory theatre at the Bristol Old Vic, Guildford and Northampton, before joining the company at Birmingham, where his fellow actors included Derek Jacobi, Rosemary Leach and Albert Finney.

B.L. Harbert International

B.L. Harbert International, LLC, based in Birmingham, Alabama, began construction operations in 2000 under the leadership of Billy L. Harbert.

Barrie Lynch

Born in Northfield, Birmingham, Lynch played youth football for Rubery Hill School and Cross Castle, before playing professionally in England and the United States for Aston Villa, Oldham Athletic, the Atlanta Chiefs and the Portland Timbers.

Bill Fitzgerald

Prior to joining MSNBC, Fitzgerald served as weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for the NBC owned-and-operated station WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama.

Birmingham Blitz

The Bull Ring, New Street, High Street, and Dale End all suffered heavy damage.

Birmingham Journal

The Birmingham Journal was the name of two separate and unrelated newspapers published in Birmingham, England.

Birmingham Street Commissioners

The 1773 Act gave powers for the widening of Moor Street, Smallbrook Street, New Street and parts of Colmore Row (previously called Ann street).

Birney Imes

Some of his work is exhibited in the permanent collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama and the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Bobby Humphrey

As of 2012, Humphrey is vice president of business development for Bryant Bank in Birmingham, Alabama.

Bradley Garmston

He was educated at The Cathedral school Lichfield and King Edward's School, Birmingham.

Brewers Investment Corporation

Its registered offices were at Nos.3-4, County Chambers, Corporation Street, Birmingham.

Brian Webber

Brian Webber (December 19, 1967) is an American actor from Birmingham, Alabama.

Bridge Day

In 1983, Michael Glenn Williams from Birmingham, Alabama, drowned when his gear was caught in the current after he made a successful jump.

Bromford Group

Bromford Housing Association Limited, named after Bromford Bridge railway station in the Bromford area of Birmingham, was formed by a group of housing sector professionals in 1963.

Carding

In 1748 Lewis Paul of Birmingham, England invented the hand driven carding machine.

City region

The New Local Government Network proposed the creation of city regions as part of on-going reform efforts, while a report released by the IPPR's Centre for Cities proposed the creation of four large city-regions based on Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Greater Manchester.

Constance Bache

Bache was born in Edgbaston, the daughter of Samuel Bache (1804-1876), a Unitarian minister at the Church of the Messiah, Birmingham; an uncle on her mother's side was James Martineau.

Copperphone

Teasley was unaware of the incident until he arrived at his residence in Birmingham, Alabama where he was approached and questioned by members of the FBI.

Corfe Castle railway station

This locomotive was in use until 1955, and then displayed in the now defunct Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry until 2000.

Corrupt practices

One of the most high-profile cases of corrupt practices in recent years was that of the local government elections in the Bordesley Green and Aston wards of Birmingham in June 2004.

Cross Country services

South West - Birmingham - the North West (CrossCountry): PenzanceBirminghamGlasgow direct (ceased after the change of CrossCountry franchise in 2007)

DeDee Nathan

LeShundra "DeDee" Nathan (born April 20, 1968 in Birmingham, Alabama) is a retired heptathlete from the United States, who won the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba.

Delcam

The company was renamed Delcam International in 1991 and moved to a new purpose built office in Small Heath.

Donald Watkins

Donald V. Watkins (born 1948 - ) of Birmingham, Alabama is an African-American lawyer, banker and international entrepreneur.

Downtown music

Likewise, despite its origin in New York musical politics, "Downtown" music is not solely specific to Manhattan; many major cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, even Birmingham, Alabama have alternative, Downtown music scenes.

Edmund Street

Edmund Street is one of a series of roads on the old Colmore Estate which originally stretched from Temple Row in the city centre, around St Phillip's Cathedral, to the northern end of Newhall Street.

Emily Scarratt

Emily is also a PE assistant at King Edward's School Birmingham, following in the footsteps of fellow England rugby international Natasha Hunt.

Eric James Eames

A former steam engine driver, Eames represented the city's Small Heath ward on Birmingham City Council from 1949-1992, without break.

First Midland Red

Based in Worcester, Midland Red West's main areas of operation were Worcestershire, Herefordshire, parts of Shropshire and parts of the West Midlands conurbation, including Birmingham.

George Inwood

After a heavy Luftwaffe air raid on Birmingham on the night of 15/16 October 1940, Inwood was asked by the police to aid in recovery work in Bishop Street (in the Five Ways area.

Haitian gourde

In 1863, bronze coins, produced by the Heaton mint of Birmingham, were issued.

Handsworth Riots – Twenty Summers On

In September 1985, yhe days were warm and sunny, thousands of dancing revellers, many in brightly coloured costumes were pouring into the streets of Handsworth, an area of Birmingham, Great Britain well known for its rich and vibrant cultural mix.

Herbert Manzoni

His attitudes became the orthodoxy and directly or indirectly led to the demolition of a number of much loved landmarks, such as the old Birmingham Central Library and the original Bull Ring market hall.

Hospital Corporation of America

In April 1998, Birmingham, Alabama-based HealthSouth Corporation announced it was acquiring the majority of HCA's surgical division.

Jack Cotton

Jack Cotton (1 January 1903, Birmingham - 21 March 1964, Nassau) was a British property developer.

John Bedford

He was born in Birmingham to John and Sarah Bedford, and followed his father into the iron trade to become a japanner in 1748.

John Henry Chamberlain

Chamberlain became the unofficial domestic architect to Birmingham's civic leaders, designing a string of prestigious houses in upmarket districts of South Birmingham including Highbury Hall – the home of Joseph Chamberlain himself, and now the official residence of Birmingham's Lord Mayor.

Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College

Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College is located in Highgate, Birmingham, England.

Jurys Inn Birmingham

Built using concrete cladding and steel joists, this building was part of the plan to redevelop Birmingham in the 1960s.

Kieron Quirke

Quirke was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and the Junior Royal Academy of Music where he won the Dame Ruth Railton Prize in 1997.

Kim Sunée

She now lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and is food editor for Cottage Living magazine, a Time Warner publication.

Kinetic Communications

Kinetic Communications, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a website and multimedia development company.

Kotli

Many Kotli city residents have ties to British nationals in the city of Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Luton, Bedford, Watford and Birmingham.

Lee Price

Price attended the Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Leonard Lord

On 26 March 1962 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Lambury, of Northfield in the County of Warwick.

LMS Princess Coronation Class 6235 City of Birmingham

After closure of that museum she was moved into the Thinktank, Birmingham science museum in 1997.

Mai Martinez

Martinez began her broadcasting career as a video editor at WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, where she worked from 1997 until 2003.

Mark Kimbrell

Mark Kimbrell is an American guitarist based in Birmingham, Alabama.

Maureen Jennings

She was born on Eastfield Road in Birmingham, England; she spent her formative years there until emigrating to Canada at the age of seventeen with her mother.

Middelaldercentret

A historical reenactment society from King Edward's School, Birmingham have visited the museum several times as a part of their education.

Mindless Ones

Plokta, a Duke of Hell, decided to conquer the world exponentially from a tower block in Birmingham.

Motion Industries

, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest distributor of industrial parts.

Natasha Hunt

Hunt is a qualified teacher and previously trained at King Edward's School Birmingham,in PE, before teaching at Sir Graham Balfour School in Stafford, also as a PE teacher.

New Technology Institute

The New Technology Institute, Birmingham (abbreviated to NTI Birmingham) is a building, training centre and media studio located in the Learning and Leisure Zone of the Eastside of Birmingham, England.

Oregrounds iron

In Britain, the iron was known by these 'marks', and the quality of each brand was well-known to the buyers in London, Sheffield, Birmingham and elsewhere.

Parks and open spaces in Birmingham

A number of parks were created to commemorate a special occasion, such as the Queen’s Jubilees such as Victoria Park and Queens Park.

Pato Banton

The album Universal Love featured a song covered by Banton called "United We Stand", which was written by fellow Birmingham musician Ray Watts, of the group Beshara.

Phil Mulkey

Now residing in Birmingham, Alabama, Mulkey has spent many years coaching at The Altamont School, with numerous state titles to his team's credits.

Philip Bradbourn

Philip Bradbourn also came under fire in 2008 when it was discovered that the website of the West Midlands Conservative MEPs showed a photo of Birmingham, Alabama instead of Birmingham, England.

Rebel Love

The picture was shot on locations in Birmingham and Bessemer, Alabama during the summer of 1983, with many scenes filmed at the Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park.

Reggie King

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he was a 6'6" and 225 lb forward and played college basketball at the University of Alabama. He had a career in the NBA from 1979 to 1985. King's nickname in college was "the Mule.

RK2 plasmid

RK 2 was first isolated in connection with an outbreak of antibotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella aerogenes in Birmingham in 1969, as one of a family of plasmids implicated in transfer of Ampicillin resistance between bacterial strains.

Robert Lee Minor

Minor was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and made his first television appearance in 1973 on the television program, Search, then appeared in tons of shows such as: Barnaby Jones, McCloud, The Six Million Dollar Man, Eight is Enough, and Starsky and Hutch among other popular television programs.

Ronnie Bruno

He is a co-founder and chairman of the Bruno Event Team, a Birmingham, Alabama-based sports marketing and event management company.

Roy Starrs

He was born in Birmingham, England on November 18, 1946 and became a Canadian citizen as an adult.

Royal Pump Rooms

One of the most interesting, although not at the time most famous or notable, parts of the development were the pumps which were manufactured by the engineering giants Boulton and Watt of Smethwick, Birmingham.

Sadie Lloyd

Pam was revealed to be living in Birmingham, having been paroled a year earlier, working as a maid.

Saks, Inc.

After acquiring Parisian, Proffitt's relocated its corporate headquarters to Birmingham, Alabama from Knoxville in October 1997.

Samuel Bache

In 1862 the New Meeting, Moor Street, was sold to Roman Catholics, the congregation removing to a handsome structure in Broad Street, called the Church of the Messiah, Birmingham (foundation laid 11 August 1860).

Sarah Smiley

Sarah Smiley has a B.S. in Education from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and a M.A. in Mass Communication fro the University of Maine in Orono.

Selby Clewer

He was responsible for the design of Quinton Methodist Church in 1968, St. David's Church, Shenley Green which opened in 1970 and the Friends Meeting House in Redditch and the adjoining housing complex, built for the Redditch Friends Housing Trust.

Sheila Meiring Fugard

Born in Birmingham, England in 1932, Sheila Meiring moved with her parents to South Africa, in 1940, when she was eight years old.

Shifnal

The railway line from London and Birmingham to Holyhead was constructed through Shifnal at high-level in the late 1840s.

SLSF 1522

1994: 1522 was one of the locomotives to participate in the 1994 NRHS annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia and did a double-header with Norfolk and Western 611 from Birmingham, Alabama to Atlanta on its way to the convention.

Smalbroke family

He was instrumental in the foundation of King Edwards School in New Street.

St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook

It was funded by the sale of the site of Christ Church, New Street which was demolished the same year to make way for shops and offices - Christchurch Buildings.

Stuck Rubber Baby

Although Cruse drew heavily upon his own experiences as a gay man growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, the story is fictional.

T. J. Lang

Lang attended Lakeland High School in White Lake, Michigan before transferring to Brother Rice High School in Birmingham, Michigan.

Tara Gray

She is also a former beauty queen originally from Birmingham, Alabama who has competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants.

The Pitman Vegetarian Hotel

The Pitman Vegetarian Hotel was a vegetarian hotel that opened in 1898 in the County Buildings (now Grade II* listed), Corporation Street, Birmingham, England, as an expansion of a vegetarian restaurant on the same site.

Thompson Memorial Library

The window comes from the studios of Messrs. John Hardman & Company of Birmingham, England, and of the Church Glass and Decorating Company of New York, their U.S. representatives.

Tim Franks

He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and at Wadham College, Oxford University where he graduated with a 2:1 (B.A.Hons) in Oriental Studies (Chinese).

Toronto Toros

Following the season, with the drop in attendance and onerous lease terms at the Gardens, Bassett moved the club to Birmingham, Alabama, where they were renamed the Birmingham Bulls for the 1976–77 season.

Totally Jodie Marsh

Totally Jodie Marsh: Who'll Take Her Up the Aisle? was a British reality television show, which saw glamour model Jodie Marsh audition a potential husband in London, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bournemouth.

Ty G. Allushuski

Allushuski mainly covered prep sports in Shelby County in suburban Birmingham, Alabama.

Victoria Square, Birmingham

Part of the square was once occupied by Christ Church (built 1805–13), but the church was demolished in 1899.

It is a short walk from St. Philip's Cathedral on Colmore Row and is on the main pedestrian route between the Bull Ring and Brindleyplace areas.

W. H. Denny

Denny was born William Henry Leigh Dugmore at Balsall Heath, Birmingham, England.

Warstone Lane Cemetery

It is one of two cemeteries located in the city's Jewellery Quarter, in Hockley (the other being Key Hill Cemetery).

William Barleycorn

He was the son of Napoleon Barleycorn, also a Primitive Methodist missionary in Fernando Po, who sent his sons to be educated at Bourne College in Quinton, England.

William Lovett

Many supporters gathered in the city's Bull Ring, but local authorities had prohibited assembly there, and several were arrested.

William Walter Peele

William Walter Peele was elected a bishop of the M.E. Church, S. at the 1938 General Conference meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, one of eight bishops elected at that final General Conference of this denomination.

WTVR-TV

On January 6, 2009, Raycom and Local TV LLC announced that they would be swapping stations in Richmond and Birmingham.


1992–93 ECHL season

The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds move to Wheeling, WV, becoming the first franchise to make a major relocation, the Roanoke Valley Rebels announced that they were changing their name to the Roanoke Valley Rampage, and the Cincinnati Cyclones announced that they were moving to the International Hockey League and were being replaced with a franchise in Birmingham, AL.

1993–94 Colchester United F.C. season

United used six keepers again and Steve McGavin moved to Birmingham for £150,000 in January with no funds made available.

1998–99 S.S. Lazio season

Lazio's best moment of the 1998-99 season came when they beat Mallorca 2-1 at Villa Park in Birmingham in the 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, following goals by Vieri and Pavel Nedvěd.

AmSouth Bancorporation

AmSouth was previously known as First National Bank of Birmingham, which was first organized by Charles Linn in 1872.

Birmingham Zulus

The trouble in the Britannia Stadium started when a group of about 200 Birmingham fans tore down fencing separating them from Stoke fans.

Bülent Şenver

He has been through various trainings in the fields of independent auditing, managerial skills and banking in London, Birmingham, Chicago, Houston, Washington D.C., Paris, Brussels and Geneva.

Capewell

George Capewell (1843–1919), American inventor, born in Birmingham, England

Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution

McWhorter grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and recounts being about the same age as the girls killed in the September 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, though she "was growing up on the wrong side of the revolution".

D. W. Sargent

Daniel Wycliffe Sargent (b. July 22, 1850, Birmingham, England. Died October 12, 1902, in Nigeria) was an early explorer of Africa, Agent General of the British Government who signed treaties with many African chiefs which allowed the British to establish the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.

Days of May

In 1819 a crowd of 15,000 had gathered at Newhall Hill in Birmingham to symbolically elect Charles Wolsley as the town's "Legislatorial Attorney and Representative" in Westminster; when Manchester followed Birmingham's lead two months later troops opened fire and killed 15 in the event that became known as the Peterloo Massacre.

Freddie Goodwin

It was at Birmingham where he introduced the young Trevor Francis into league football.

Frederick Rolfe

In 1887 he was sponsored to train at St Mary's College, Oscott near Birmingham and in 1889 was a student at the Scots College in Rome, but was thrown out by both due to his inability to concentrate on priestly studies and his erratic behaviour.

Gaynor Arnold

Her debut novel Girl in a Blue Dress was published by Birmingham's Tindal Street Press in 2008, being longlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Gus Mayer

Gus Mayer is a Birmingham, Alabama based, family-owned, upscale specialty department store that caters to upper-end clientele and is known for its high-end fashions.

Handsworth Park

Handsworth Park (originally Victoria Park) is a park in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England.

Heino Puuste

On May 6, 1983, he threw at Birmingham a new Soviet record of 94.20 meters, eclipsing the old mark (and former world record) of 93.80 by Jānis Lūsis.

Hobgoblin Music

There is an online catalogue, and the eight UK branches in Crawley, London, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Wadebridge, Birmingham and Milton Keynes also stock hundreds of second hand & one off items.

Illuminated dance floor

They were popularised for disco by the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever which it had gotten inspiration from a floor the director of the movie had seen at "The Club", a private supper club in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jacques Secrétin

He won a gold medal in the mixed double event of the World Table Tennis Championships in 1977 at Birmingham.

Jamie Shepherd

During his degree at Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, Jamie was freelancing at Dee 106.3 in Chester, Brmb in Birmingham, Heart 100.7 in Birmingham and Heart Radio in North Wales and Cheshire.

John Francis Yaxley

John Francis Yaxley (born 13 November 1936) Birmingham, England, spent his career as a civil servant in the UK Colonial Office.

Kathleen Dayus

She was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree by University of Birmingham in 1992 in recognition of her contribution to the written record of Birmingham's history.

Little Kimble railway station

The G8 Summit was held in Birmingham that year and the wives of the G8 countries' leaders, including Cherie Blair and Hillary Clinton, were taken to Chequers via the Royal Train and Little Kimble, whiuch is the nearest station to Chequers.

Loveman's

Loveman's of Alabama, a Birmingham, Alabama-based chain of department stores with locations across Alabama

Malcolm Boyden

Boyden has become a pantomime regular making his debut in 1997 when he played alongside Frank Bruno and Karl Howman in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at Birmingham’s Hippodrome Theatre.

Marie Weaver

In "Four Voices: Echoes," (Bare Hands Gallery, Birmingham, AL) her work was shown with Janice Kluge (sculptor), Lucy Jaffe (painter), and Sonja Rieger (photographer) and Marie Weaver (printmaker).

Moon Base One

The 'patient' will be Tony Hale, from Aston near Birmingham (who goes on to feature in the rest of the series).

Moorish Delta 7

Moorish Delta 7 (also known as MD7) are a hip hop/UK garage outfit from the Newtown area of Birmingham, England.

Moses Haughton

Moses Haughton the elder, (sometimes spelled "Horton") painter, designer and engraver who spent most of his life in Birmingham

New Vision Television

On August 1, 2006, New Vision announced an agreement to acquire CBS affiliates WIAT in Birmingham, Alabama and KIMT in Mason City, Iowa from Media General for $35 million.

Patel Taylor

Most recently the newly completed Eastside City Park was awarded 4 RIBA awards – a National award, West Midlands award, Building of the Year award and Client of the year for Birmingham City Council.

Prince engine

The engines’ components are produced by PSA at their Douvrin, France, facility, with Mini engine construction at Hams Hall in Birmingham, England.

Ritchie Coliseum

Terrapins pugilists Ben Alperstein and Tom Birmingham went on to compete in the national intercollegiate championship in Sacramento, California.

River Itchen, Warwickshire

The infant river is fed by several small brooks and skirts the village of Bishop's Itchington (to which it gives its name) before passing below the former Great Western Railway London to Birmingham railway (now operated by Chiltern Trains).

Robin Corbett, Baron Corbett of Castle Vale

Siôn Simon replaced him as Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington.

Salem Ramaswami Mudaliar

Ramaswami halted at Edinburgh on way to Aberdeen to listen to the speech of the liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone while he regarded the speech given by John Bright at Birmingham as the best he had ever listened to in life.

Salts Healthcare Ltd

Salts Healthcare is one of the UK's oldest family-run manufacturing companies, based in Aston, Birmingham.

T. L. Bayne

On December 31, 1892, Bayne and his brother, Hugh Aiken Bayne, organized the Southern Club to play a football game against a club from Birmingham, Alabama at Audubon Park in New Orleans.

The Twelfth Man

As befits the name (a reference to the non-playing reserve in an eleven-player cricket side), Birmingham particularly focuses on cricket commentators such as Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig.

Tim Elkington

Elkington was born in Edgbaston near Birmingham on 23 December 1920, the only child of Alan Durham Elkington and his wife Isabel Frances (née Griffin).

Tyseley railway station

It is situated at the junction of the lines from Birmingham towards Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon, and is adjacent to a large railway depot and Tyseley Locomotive Works.

University House, University of Birmingham

It is located in beautiful grounds in the conservation area of Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Western Region of British Railways

The Region consisted principally of ex-Great Western Railway lines, minus certain lines west of Birmingham, which were transferred to the London Midland Region in 1963 and with the addition of all former Southern Railway routes west of Exeter, which were subsequently rationalised.

WJOX

WJOX-FM, a radio station (94.5 FM) in Birmingham, Alabama, United States