we have a series of interesting facts about United Kingdom that are worth knowing. Some are really fun; others are part of a past still very present. Do you want to know a bit more about the territory? Do not miss these 50 interesting facts about United Kingdom that we have prepared for you.
Interesting facts about United Kingdom
- Churchill had a secret bunker in Neasden. I hated it, and it was only there once.
- In 1811, almost a quarter of all women in Britain were called Mary.
- During the First World War, British spies used their semen as invisible ink.
- In the sixteenth century, men with beards had to pay a special tax.
- The Big Ben of London is not the clock, but the bell inside it. It sounds every 15 minutes and you can hear it from five miles. If you want to know more about this icon, do not miss our article Things you probably did not know about Big Ben in London.
- London has been called Londonium, Ludenwic and Ludenburg in the past.
- French was the official language 300 years ago.
- About 300 languages are spoken in England.
- Buckingham Palace, in London, has its own police station. It is the place where the Queen lives. The palace has 775 rooms and has a workforce of more than 800 workers. It was created by the Duke of Buckingham, who built it for himself as a great house. The architect John Nash transformed it into Buckingham Palace in 1820, but the first monarch to use it as an official residence was Queen Victoria, who moved there in 1837.
- In England, there are more chickens than humans.
- The Queen owns all the sturgeons, whales and dolphins that are in the waters 3 miles from the United Kingdom. In our article 10 curiosities about the Queen of England, you will discover other curious things about the Queen, such as swans that are not marked or identified by any owner and swim in the River Thames belong to her.
- Kate Middleton is allergic to horses.
- JK Rowling is the first person to make a trillion dollars when writing books.
- David Beckham is afraid of birds.
- London is home to 4 world heritages: the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and the Kew botanical gardens. You will find more information about these places in our Basic Guide to living in London.
- Currently, 25% of people living in London are born in another country.
- It is said that the London Bridge is delighted. There are people who claim to have seen a woman in black hanging around at night. Other enchanted places you will discover in Scotland. In our article Ghosts in Edinburgh? The 7 most haunted places in the city, we make a small advance.
- The Tower of London is actually called His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London.
- In the London Underground, more than 80,000 umbrellas are lost each year. Take advantage of our article the best kept secrets of the London Underground for other curiosities of The Tube.
- In England, there are around 30,000 people by the name of John Smith.
- England brought soccer, rugby and polo to the world.
- The first fish and chip restaurant was opened in 1860 in London by a Jewish immigrant named Joseph Malign. If you want to know more about this English food, do not miss out. Where does the Fish & Chips tradition come from? , something that was consumed a lot during the war.
- The Beatles were originally called Blackjacks, and later, Quarrymen. If you want to know more about its history, we recommend our Guide to explore the Liverpool of the Beatles.
- Great bands have come out of England, such as The Smiths, New Order, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, Black Sabbath, The Who, The Clash, Radiohead, Coldplay, Muse and Pink Floyd. .
- Bristol is known as “the Seattle of England” for its young culture and fashion. You can learn more about this city in our Basic Guide to living in Bristol.
- The word “Britain” comes from the name of a Celtic tribe: the Brythons.
- Every day, the British drink 165 million cups of tea, which is almost 20 times more than the American average. Do you know what the origin of tea is? Read the afternoon tea in the United Kingdom. Where does this tradition come from?
- Great Britain has an annual cheese competition that involves running downhill on Coopers Hill. The winner takes the cheese. We give you more details in The 11 rarest festivals in Britain.
- The oldest pub in Britain is the Old Forge, in Inverie, Scotland.
- Champagne was invented in England by the scientist Christopher Merret in 1662.
- The Ghost Research Foundation has determined that, after 500 cases of encounters with ghosts, York is the most enchanted city in England and one of the most enchanted in the world. If you want to know more about her, here is the basic Guide to living in York.
- The Christmas tree of Trafalgar Square, in London, is presented each year by the inhabitants of Oslo, who thank London for its support during the Second World War.
- The London Underground is one of the oldest in the world. It has 409 escalators.
- Until 1832, England had only two universities: Oxford and Cambridge. To learn more about these two cities, you can read their respective guides: Basic guide to living in Oxford and Basic guide to living in Cambridge.
- Golf is the national game of Scotland.
- The London Eye is the tallest observation wheel in the world. You have other curiosities about this imposing structure in our London Eye writing: 10 things you probably did not know, like, for example, that it has 32 sealed and air-conditioned cabins. A trip in it lasts 30 minutes.
- The word “pub “comes from“public house and the tradition go back to the 19th century.
- King Henry III had a polar bear. He went fishing on the River Thames in London and attracted hundreds of looks.
- The City of London sold the London Bridge because it was not strong enough to withstand traffic in 1967. The bridge was purchased by Robert P. McCulloch and relocated to Arizona, United States.
- Between 1912 and 1948, art was considered an Olympic sport, and works of art, architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture were awarded medals.
- Windsor Castle is the largest royal house in the world. It is very well preserved.
- The population of the United Kingdom is three times that of Australia.
- Great Britain has the highest per capita cider consumption.
- Scotland produces more than 250 million liters of whiskey each year.
- Beer was a common accompaniment to English breakfast during medieval times.
- With the 2012 Olympic Games, London became the only city that has hosted this event three times.
- The London Underground route from Leicester Square to Covent Garden is widely used by tourists, although it is more important to do it on foot. The Covent Garden station does not have escalators, which becomes a big handicap, considering the amount of people in London. By the way, if you want to know more about Covent Garden, do not miss 10 things that you probably did not know about Covent Garden.
- Great Britain is the only country in the world that does not have the name of the country in its seals. And since we’re talking about the postal service: 10 things you probably did not know about the Royal Mail.
- England is 74 times smaller than the United States.
- About 200 bridges and 20 tunnels cross the River Thames in London.
