X-Nico

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August - Sixpence withdrawn from general use in the UK marking the end of the decimalisation period.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

Albanian Subversion

The original plan was that, if Britain could parachute enough well-trained agents, they could organize a massive popular revolt, which then the allies would supply by air drops.

Allotments Act 1950

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

Assyrians in the United Kingdom

Assyrians in the United Kingdom include members of the Semitic, Eastern Aramaic speaking Assyrian ethnic group born or residing in the United Kingdom.

Betty Bolton

Betty Bolton (January 7, 1906 – April 2, 2005) was a British actress, beginning as a child star during World War I and continuing her career in the 1920s and 1930s.

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)

Borstal, Rochester

Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, by convict labour between 1875 and 1885.

Because it was the first detention centre of its kind in the UK, the word "Borstal" became synonymous with other detention centres for youths across the country, and elsewhere.

Brighton sewers

Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove in England, United Kingdom, has an extensive system of Victorian sewers running under the town, and a large modern storm drain under the beach.

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.

Children Act 1948

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

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.

Confetti

The British adapted the missiles to weddings (displacing the traditional rice) at the end of the 19th century, using symbolic shreds of colored paper rather than real sweets.

Constitutionality

This can occur either because the country has no codified constitution that laws must conform to (e.g., the United Kingdom and New Zealand) or because the country does have a codified constitution but no court has the authority to strike down laws on the basis of it (e.g., the Netherlands and Switzerland).

Deadstick landing

An example of such a landing occurred on April 29, 2007, at Manchester Airport in the United Kingdom, when a bird got sucked into the right engine of a Thomsonfly Boeing 757 just as it rotated off the runway.

Derek Jarrett

John Derek Jarrett (18 March 1928 – 28 March 2004) was an English schoolteacher, historian, and writer.

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.

Discrimination

The PwC research found that among FTSE 350 companies in the United Kingdom in 2002 almost 40% of senior management posts were occupied by women.

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.

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.

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.

English Island

English Island, Isles of Scilly, an uninhabited rocklet in the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom

Factor endowment

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

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.

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.

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

Golden Decade

The "Golden Decade in British Sport", a term reflecting the large number of major international sporting events to be hosted by the United Kingdom in the 2010s

Greenwood Personal Credit

Their headquarters are in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and there are local Greenwood Personal Credit offices situated in towns and cities throughout the United Kingdom.

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.

Houses of Parliament Act 1837

The Houses of Parliament Act 1837 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 7) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on December 23, 1837.

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.

Improvement commissioners

Boards of improvement commissioners were ad hoc boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom.

Institute for Global Communications

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

International Personal Finance

International Personal Finance is a leading British-based international home credit business.

InView Unmanned Aircraft System

The "InView Unmanned Aircraft System" is an Unmanned aerial vehicle that has been developed by Barnard Microsystems Limited in the United Kingdom specifically for use in scientific, commercial and state applications.

IPunx

Their first release iPunx - Mashups Vol. 1 in 2005 was a surprise club hit in the United Kingdom as it was no. 3 in Pete Tongs Buzz Charts, mainly because of their track "2 hives crew" using an old 2 live crew song "one and one" as well as the hives "hate to say i told you so" and four-on-the-floor beats.

Issue number

An issue number is a supplementary number to the account number of certain debit cards, primarily United Kingdom ones such as Switch and Maestro.

It'll All Work Out in Boomland

It'll All Work Out in Boomland is the debut album by British progressive rock band T2, and also their best known album.

Italo-Yemeni Treaty

The Red Sea was of strategic importance to the United Kingdom due to both trade and as a route for its navy to pass through in order to reach India among other places.

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 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.

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.

Maritime archaeology

Later, nations with a strong maritime culture such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal and Spain were able to establish colonies on other continents.

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.

Montague Birch

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

Nawabzada Gazanfar Ali Gul

After completing his time at Government College, Gul moved to the United Kingdom for his further studies.

Newport Borough Police

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

Olly Murs discography

Olly rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after being a contestant on The X Factor during its sixth series, ultimately finishing in second place on 12 December 2009.

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.

Orlando Theatre Project

Most of the Orlando Theatre Project's productions are contemporary plays which have been previously been produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in the United Kingdom or in regional theatres in the United States.

Pingat Perkhidmatan Setia

After the cession of Sarawak to Britain in 1946, the medal was renamed as 'Long Service Badge'; however the purpose of the presentation of the badge remained the same.

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.

Police authority

A police authority in the United Kingdom, were localised panels charged with securing efficient and effective policing of a police area served by a territorial police force or the area and/or activity policed by a special police force.

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.

Ramadan-class missile boat

The Ramadan class missile boat has been in service with the Egyptian Navy since 1981, commissioned from the United Kingdom.

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.

Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act 1944

The Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act 1944 (7 & 8 Geo. VI c. 26) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, introduced by the coalition government.

Sport in Leeds

Leeds Rhinos are the best supported Rugby League club in the United Kingdom, their Headingley ground holds up to 20,500 spectators and is regularly filled, with sell out's particularly common, at games against Bradford Bulls, St. Helens and Wigan Warriors.

Strawberry Line

Strawberry Line may refer to one of two places in the United Kingdom.

Tangerine Records

Tangerine Records (1992) - a United Kingdom based company, releasing mod and powerpop music since 1992.

Telegraph Act 1899

The Telegraph Act 1899 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that allowed urban district, borough and burgh councils to construct and operate telephone exchanges, on a similar basis to the then-usual municipal provision of other utilities.

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.

Thomas Worrall Casey

Thomas Worrall Casey (13 October 1869 - 29 November 1949) was a British Liberal politician and Trade Union leader.

Tunisian Islamic Front

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

United Kingdom's emergency towing vessel fleet

The first vessels of the UK's ETV fleet were introduced in 1994 following the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's report 'Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas' published in May 1994 following the MV Braer oil spill of off the coast of Shetland, Scotland.

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.

Waytemore Castle

Waytemore Castle was a castle in the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

West Indian Prisons Act 1838

The West Indian Prisons Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 67) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on August 4, 1838.

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.


Agricultural Gangs Act 1867

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

Artur Gadowski

On October 15 he was guest on a TV show Weekend z Gwiazdą (Weekend with the Star) which was, by way of an exception, broadcast from the Stansted airport near London, UK.

Beijing United Family Hospital

The hospital is staffed by a team of over 100 doctors from 20 different countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia.

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.

Benjamin Guinness, 3rd Earl of Iveagh

Lord Iveagh married Miranda Daphne Jane Smiley, daughter of Major Michael Smiley, of Castle Fraser, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, on 12 March 1963.

Caolas

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

Ceuta Heliport

Destinations include more than one hundred cities in Europe (mainly in the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Nordic countries) but also the main cities of Eastern Europe: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw, Riga and Bucharest), North Africa, the Middle East (Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait) and North America (New York, Toronto and Montreal).

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.

Clare Gerada

It was presented by Ritula Shah and the others guests were; Tom Newton Dunn, the political editor of The Sun newspaper, Lord Trimble (Irish Politician) and Angela Eagle (Labour Party MP).

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.

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.

Daniel Defoe

In 1701 Defoe, flanked by a guard of sixteen gentlemen of quality, presented the Legion's Memorial to the Speaker of the House of Commons, later his employer, Robert Harley.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Handkerchief

In the United Kingdom, the habit of wearing a handkerchief with tied corners on one's head at the beach has become a seaside postcard stereotype, referenced by the Gumby characters in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Harry Longueville Jones

Before 1846 Jones moved to Beaumaris, and in 1849 was appointed Inspector for schools in Wales in the Privy Council Office.

Humane society

In the United Kingdom, it may also be a society that provides a waterways rescue, prevention, and recovery service, or that gives awards for the saving of human life (see: Royal Humane Society).

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.

Jacqui Lait

Lait was a candidate for Strathclyde West for the 1984 European elections and the following year stood in the by-election for Tyne Bridge where she finished in third place behind David Clelland and Rod Kenyon.

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.

Joe Jitsu

One Joe Jitsu was the title character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, and was voted into the comic by Beano readers in early 2004, along with Colin the Vet.

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.

Languages of Gibraltar

Over the course of its history, the Rock of Gibraltar has changed hands many times, among Spanish, Moorish, and British hands, although it has been consistently under British control since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

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.

Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan

He remained an Honorary Major in the Royal Horse Artillery (TA) and an Honorary Colonel in the 4th (Cadet) Battalion of the Essex Regiment and in the 6th Battalion of the Essex Regiment (TA).

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.

Sean Bury

Sean Bury (born in Brighton, Sussex, England on 15 August 1954) is a British television and film actor, best known for his lead role as Paul Harrison in Lewis Gilbert's 1971 film Friends and the 1974 sequel Paul and Michelle.

Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Baronet

Bayly married firstly Caroline Paget, daughter of Brigadier General Thomas Paget (died 1741), Governor of Minorca, and Mary Whitcombe, in 1737.

TenDRA Distribution Format

The abstract machine TDF (originally the Ten15 Distribution Format, but more recently redefined as the TenDRA Distribution Format) evolved at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment in the UK as a successor to Ten15.

The Next Band

The Next Band were a British rock trio featuring vocalist/bassist Rocky Newton, guitarist John Lockton and drummer Frank Noon, who is credited with playing drums on Def Leppard's 1979 EP The Def Leppard E.P..

The Undertaker's Gift

The Undertaker's Gift is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and is set after the conclusion of the second series.

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.

Thomas Vickers

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

Tim Hitchens

Timothy Mark Hitchens, CMG, LVO (born 1962) is a British diplomat and a former Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, 1999-2002.

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.

Welrod

The Welrod was a British bolt action, magazine fed, suppressed pistol devised during World War II at the Inter-Services Research Bureau (later Station IX), based near Welwyn Garden City, UK, for use by irregular forces and resistance groups.

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.