Interesting facts about Great Britain in English. Interesting facts about Great Britain England interesting facts about the country for children
Dostoevsky noted such a feature among Russians as the talent to perceive the culture of other countries and peoples as their own. That is, not just an interest in the topic, but the ability to deeply dive into it. As for England, its influence on world culture can hardly be overestimated. And for Russians, the heroes of Dickens, Poe and Conan Doyle are as close as the characters of Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Goncharov. Today we will talk about interesting facts from the history and everyday life of England.
From the outskirts to the empire
From the 16th to the 20th centuries, Britain was the largest colonial empire, without exaggeration, the center of the world. Peter I went there to study shipbuilding, English tea was drunk in all aristocratic circles, no matter in which country. English has long been considered an international language, and almost every country has its own adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (and the Soviet version with Livanov is considered one of the best, even the British themselves admit it!).
But it was not always so. At the beginning of the first millennium, Britain was the outskirts of the Roman Empire. As for English, for some time French was generally considered official! More precisely, it lasted from 1066 to 1362. The monarch's motto, engraved on his Coat of Arms, is written in French. It sounds like this: "Dieu et mon droit", which translates as "God and my right." It is clear that we are talking about God-given power.
Christmas
One more fact. Christmas is traditionally one of the favorite holidays of the British. But there was a period when he was banned. This is the middle of the 17th century, when England was under the rule of Cromwell's protectorate.
Not very pleasant, but a curious fact. When it comes to genocide, we immediately recall the Holocaust and the Turkish massacre of Armenians, well, the systematic destruction of the indigenous population of the New World by the Americans. But there were also bloody periods in the history of England. For several centuries, the genocide of the Irish population was carried out in Britain.
Once again we will mention Cromwell and in connection with this. When the troops of the Lord Protector entered Ireland in 1649, he ordered the destruction of not only the Irish garrison, but also the Catholic priests. Another major incident occurred at Wexford, but there the army had already dispensed with orders, having independently shown such an inhuman initiative.
Captured Irish were turned into slaves and treated no better than Americans with black slaves. For a while, England was simply the leader in terms of indicators in the global slave trade. White slaves were not only the Irish, but also the Scots. Also, approximately thirteen million African slaves were brought to England.
Unique fact: we know John Locke as a humanist and author of the civil society project. So, he himself took part in the slave trade, and he also applied his talent as a state thinker in the field of drafting the constitution of the slave-owning, southern states of America. Not only the above-mentioned peoples had a hard time. In the 19th century, the Chinese also got it, when China was a semi-colony of England. English businessmen in a natural way "hooked" the Chinese on opium.
Just as the Spaniards, the Portuguese, and in fact they themselves, exchanged gold for trinkets from the Indians, quick-witted merchants received gold, silver and fur from the Chinese for opium. The Chinese began to resist this, which resulted in an armed confrontation. This period became known as the Opium Wars.
The shortest war fought by the British was the war with Zanzibar, which lasted only thirty-eight minutes. Naturally, England won.
The story is too bloodthirsty. Let's, perhaps, one more fact and all. He, by the way, is not so gloomy, rather, on the contrary.
Skinheads
The skinhead subculture is associated in the mass consciousness exclusively with its negative aspects: the beating of national minorities, aggression, militarism, nationalism and intolerance in general. But initially it was a musical party, brewing in its own cauldron and not disturbing others. They appeared, of course, in England. They were originally called "HardMod's" (a derivative of "mods" - another English subculture, roughly speaking - mods).
English skin "s really looked like mods in their external style, and also had similarities with the Jamaican subculture of rudboys. The social composition comes from poor strata of the population (by the way, class differentiation is especially acute in England, such a thing as self made man is not popular there in United States).Skinheads listened to reggae music, as well as ska and relaxed in their clubs.It was originally a completely de-ideologized and apolitical subculture.Moreover: there were also black guys among London skins.
That is, there was no racism in the beginning. But it was the so-called "first wave". But the second just made aggression its attribute. This aggression was born on the basis of hostility towards the Pakistanis, although it was initially more class-based, as they did not like the skins of the Pakistanis who were engaged in trade. From there it went “come in large numbers”, and then it was overgrown with ideological moments. By the way, the characters of A Clockwork Orange are based on skinheads.
The most interesting facts about England
Charlie, Charlie, funny weirdo
Everyone knows the great Charlie Chaplin, perhaps the most famous actor. But did you know that he is from England. He was born in London, in a poor part of it, simply - in the slums. Since childhood, Charlie had a growing desire to escape from hopeless poverty. His mother was an actress, not very successful, however. The boy was accustomed to artistic life from childhood. He began with music halls and amateur theater stages. Real fame came to him in America when he decided to try his hand at cinema.
Soon the image of the “little man” became internationally recognizable in all corners of the world: little Eskimos, Turks, Germans, Russians, Indians giggled happily, watching the tricks of a little funny man with a cane and mustache. Hitler considered Chaplin his number one enemy, as he ridiculed him in his "Great Dictator" and in fact predicted the beginning of World War II, as well as the collapse of the Fuhrer's inhuman ideas. Chaplin, just like the English language, became the property of the world, although it originally came from England.
Food and drink
Fun fact: The British don't castrate pigs, so the signature steak and bacon they love to start the day with has a peculiar smell (you know). And in general, in the morning hours, this same stench of boar stinks over the streets, because restaurants prepare their specialties. The national cuisine of England is quite poor, Indian restaurants are more popular there. By the way, contrary to the stereotype, the British do not have breakfast with oatmeal (Oatmeal, sir!) And not with a soft-boiled egg, but with fatty foods.
The smell of bacon...
The steak, which is already very fatty, is still fried in a large amount of oil. The level of obesity in the country is colossal, according to this indicator, England leads the world. Personally, we did not know about this fact before and the British for the most part seemed to us so fit and elegant, well, like your Sherlock Holmes!
If we are already talking about the kitchen, then the stereotype with tea hits the bull's-eye. The British are very fond of drinking tea, they cannot imagine life without it.
In terms of tea consumption, they are ahead of the rest. Usually this product is bought in small shops, salons, since in ordinary supermarkets mostly packaged consumer goods are on sale. I must say that the tradition of tea gourmandism is slowly taking root in Russia, which cannot but rejoice!
By the way, about other drinks. In England, they are madly in love with beer and prefer to drink it in pubs. On a Friday night, they are simply overcrowded. And those unfortunate ones who have not found a free place for themselves order beer and drink it on the street, even if it is cold there.
Facts about schools in England
Criminal penalties for not attending school... to parents
This social institution is traditionally taken seriously. For non-attendance by the offspring of classes, parents can even be held criminally liable. True, apparently, you need to decently skip. Students are required to wear school uniforms. Moreover, it can be used to judge the status of an educational institution. In schools that are simpler, the uniform is standardized and it is the same everywhere. The form of each elite school is unique. In this regard, it is interesting to recall the film by Lindsay Anderson "If". The hero of Malcolm McDowell is a student of one of the boarding schools. Orders there reign tough, any disobedience is punished.
The scene of the spanking of the protagonist is indicative. And in Peter Weir's film Dead Poets Society, it also tells about an educational institution with conservative teachers. In general, this topic is very popular in English cinema. It is known that the school is a model of social life, only more exaggerated. England of the Thatcher period was fully embodied in English schools. By the way, corporal punishment in schools was recently abolished. In public schools - in 1987, and in private schools - in 1999. As for Scotland, they did it even later.
Not a pupil, but a student!
A private school in England is called Public school, and a state school is called State school. This is what we call students only students of universities (and, possibly, technical schools). And in England, students (student’s) are also schoolchildren.
We were taught in high school that their student is “pupil”, but the English themselves do not use this word. And the word school is not only “school”, it may well be a university. However, our universities are also sometimes called "high school".
Everything is strict at school, but graduates have the right to complete anarchy on graduation day. On this day, beer and other alcoholic drinks flow like water, and drunken boys and girls are a normal decoration for any lawn. The police are looking after them, but not with the aim of hiding them in a jail, but so that nothing happens to them, and then they will also take them home. We do not know exactly about this fact, but in general, eyewitnesses say so.
Here are some interesting facts we told you today. And our conclusion is simple. Differences in cultures and national characteristics make nations interesting to others. And at the same time, the inhabitants of England have more in common with the Russians than it might seem at first glance.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - This is the full name of this State. Many people think that England and Great Britain are one and the same, but this is not entirely true. England is only part of Great Britain. The United Kingdom itself consists of 4 countries - England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. This State is ruled by Queen Elizabeth II of England. But let's not go into the details of geography, but just look at interesting and unusual facts about Great Britain and England.
1. Many people think that the famous Big Ben is the name of the whole tower, but it is just the name of the bell inside the tower. The building itself is called the tower of St. Stephen.
2. The detective story of the English writer Agatha Christie "Ten Little Indians" was released in the United States under the title "And There Were None". This was done because of political correctness, and in the rhyme itself, the negro children were replaced by little Indians.
3. During the colonial occupation of India, the British decided to reduce the large number of cobras in the country. To do this, the British announced a reward to the local population for each killed cobra. The Hindus were delighted with the easy profit and began to kill cobras and get money, but an interesting fact is that the Indians began to breed these dangerous snakes in order to have a steady income. But the British canceled this reward and the Indians set the snakes free. Thus, the number of cobras not only did not decrease, but also increased.
4. In England, in many houses, two taps are distributed separately - one for hot water and the other for cold.
5. Pubs are a favorite holiday destination for the British. There they rest, drink beer, etc. And no one is ever embarrassed that the pub is packed to capacity, all the same, everyone goes there and has fun.
6. It's no secret that the British are very fond of tea and drink a lot of it, but finding good loose leaf tea in England is not so easy. Most people drink it packaged.
7. Despite the fact that there is the word "pupil", which means "student", this word is practically not used. To refer to all students (both schoolchildren and students), the general word “Student” is used.
8. Children go to school from the age of 5, and not from 7 as we have.
9. In England you will not meet homeless animals. They are well taken care of there, and the Society for the Protection of Animals even has the status of "Royal". Although sometimes you can meet real foxes that rummage through garbage dumps and even climb into houses. But foxes are not pets, but rather objects of hunting. Yes, the traditional form of hunting is still polarized - Fox hunting.
10. In England there is a TV tax. Those. if you want to watch TV at home, you have to pay (about £10 a month). All money goes to the BBC.
11. If the Russians are popular holidays in Turkey and Egypt, then the British prefer to get out to rest in Spain (the majority).
12. The world's first public zoo was opened in England in 1829.
13. In England, there is practically no snow in winter, and if it does, it is considered something incredible and all movement is immediately difficult.
14. The UK does not have a constitution.
15. In 1952, the readers of Time magazine named the Queen of England Man of the Year.
16. The hats of the English Guards are made from the fur of a grizzly bear, and the hats of officers are made from the fur of males (they are more spectacular), and the hats of privates are made from the fur of females. These hats weigh about 3 kg.
17. Queen Elizabeth II of England has been the reigning queen for over 60 years (since 1952).
Famous people of Great Britain
Actors and film workers– Daniel Radcliffe, Hugh Laurie, Jason Statham, Emma Watson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christian Bale, Ben Kingsley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Caine, Sean Connery and others.
Writers– Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Tolkien, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Herbert Wells and others.
Athletes - David Beckham , Michael Owen , Gareth Bale , Zara Phillips et al.
Musicians- Elton John, George Michael, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.
Famous British cars
Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Land-Rover, Bentley, Aston-Martin, Mini Cooper, etc.
Famous English dishes (cuisine)
Roast beef (baked beef), Scotch eggs, Cottage pie, Oatmeal. In general, the UK is not particularly famous for its cuisine, so it’s not worth it to “drool” too much).
Other facts about the UK you can find
- the name of the bell, not the clock.
- - the largest royal estate in the world.
- 30 godchildren.
- The Queen owns all sturgeons, dolphins and whales in the sea within 3 miles of the coast.
- Elizabeth II sent her first e-mail in 1976.
- Prince William wanted to be a cop when he was little.
- He also has his own postage stamp.
- If you stick a stamp with the image of the Queen upside down - this is treason.
- Kate Middleton is allergic to horses.
- When Kate was little, boys rated her looks 2 out of 10.
- Prince Harry once got into serious trouble for wearing a Nazi costume to a costume party.
- When Nelson Mandela met the Spice Girls, he called them "his heroes".
- J.K. Rowling was the first person to earn a million for writing a book.
- The idea for James Bond came to author Ian Fleming during a bus ride from in London.
- No portrait of William Shakespeare was painted during his lifetime.
- The play Macbeth is one of the most frequently played plays. On average, it is played every 4 hours in the world.
- David Beckham afraid of birds.
- - the highest Ferris wheel in Europe.
- 25% of people living in London were born in another country.
- There are 409 escalators in the London Underground.
- 16% of all restaurants are located in London.
- London Bridge is rumored to be haunted. People claim that sometimes at night they see a woman in black wandering aimlessly.
- London is the first city in the world to have a subway.
- If London were a country, it would be the 8th largest in Europe.
Other facts
- Around 80,000 umbrellas are lost every year.
- There are over 30,000 people in England named John Smith.
- England has the highest rate of obesity in Europe.
- England brought football, rugby and polo to the world.
- The highest temperature was recorded in Kent in 2003 - 38.5 degrees.
- The earliest railways were invented in England.
- English food is considered the worst in the world.
Did you know that punk rock originated in the UK and Vivienne Westwood is considered its queen? And what is the shortest flight between the Scottish Isles? Editorial tochka.net for all travelers prepared a selection of interesting facts about the country of Foggy Albion.
- In the UK, the opposite is true, or rather car traffic. It was in this country that left-hand traffic was born.
- Edinburgh was the first city in the world to have its own fire department.
- In 2008, the emblem of the city of Liverpool was "Superlambananas" - strange yellow creatures with the head of either a llama or a cow and a tail in the shape of a giant banana. These freaks stared from shop windows and posters, amusing passers-by with their appearance.
- "Foggy Albion", the name of the British Isles, known many years ago. England got it thanks to the snow-white chalk cliffs and cliffs of Dover, located on the south coast.
- Scotland boasts the shortest flight in the world. It lasts 1 minute 14 seconds from Westray Island to Papa Westray Island.
- On any stamp, the name of the country that issued it is indicated in Latin letters. Only the United Kingdom is exempt from this obligation, because it was the first to use stamps.
- Is the official "Birthday of the British Monarch" holiday not the same as the actual date of birth of the Queen of Great Britain? Elizabeth II was born on April 21, but her birthday is officially celebrated on the third Saturday of June.
- Restaurants in the UK usually require customers to pay in cash.
- In Scotland, a man who refused to marry a woman who proposed to him was required to pay a fine.
- A distinctive feature of the British subway can be called the fact that not only the lines on the diagrams, but also the cars of different lines are painted in the appropriate colors.
- The motto on the coat of arms of Great Britain is written in French: "Dieu et mon droit" ("God and my right").
- The raincoat was invented in 1824 in Scotland by Glasgow-born chemist, architect, artist and designer Charles Macintosh. In the UK, this piece of clothing is still referred to as "Mac".
- To this day, the English and Irish parliaments print the acts they have adopted on velne - paper made from calfskin.
- In the XVII-XVIII centuries, everyone who uncorked ocean bottles with letters from the queen was executed. After all, in those days there was a position of the royal opener of ocean bottles with letters.
- Edinburgh was home to Skye Terrier Gray Friar's Bobby, who won the hearts of the nation by sitting on his late owner's grave for 14 years.
- The House of Commons is the only place in Britain where the Queen of England cannot enter, as she is not a member of the House.
- London is home to the longest shopping street in the world, Oxford Street.
- Currently in the UK, the top three topics of conversation are sports, The X Factor and the weather.
- In England policemen are called bobby. The word comes from the name of the Prime Minister of Great Britain - Robert Peel (abbr. from Robert - Bob or Bobby).
- The UK does not have a single constitution.
- The most tattooed man in the world, Lucky Diamond Rich lives on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. 99.9% of the surface of his skin is covered with a tattoo that repeats the pattern of a leopard skin.
- The first programmer in the world was a woman - Englishwoman Ada Lovelace.
- In the UK, there is a profession of a queuing waiter.
- In the UK, there is a very strict law against hanging a bed out of a window.
- One of the most famous Scottish drinks, whiskey, was actually invented in China.
1. It was the British who came up with the idea of using an umbrella to protect from the rain, until that moment umbrellas were used only to protect from the sun.
2. There are a huge number of laundries in the UK, because the British do not consider laundry to be household chores.
3. It is impossible to get a pet without prior approval from the special services in the UK.
4. That is why you cannot meet homeless animals on the streets of England.
5. The word moment, which is familiar to us, denotes a certain unit of time, equal to approximately 1.5 seconds.
6. The longest names of settlements are in the UK.
7. Museums in England are almost all free, but you can leave donations, which will be payment for visiting the museum.
8. The most popular drink in the UK is tea.
9. It was the British who designed and created the national flag of the United States of America.
10. The Royal Palace at Windsor is the largest in the world.
11. The Queen of Great Britain is the owner of whales, dolphins and all sturgeon, which are located in the territorial waters of the country.
12. The very first banking services in the UK were provided by jewelers and law firms.
13. During the Second World War, the Queen of Great Britain worked as a mechanic.
14. In ancient times, beer or ale was an integral part of any meal.
15. It was in the UK that the history of zoos began.
16. The British currency received its gold standards thanks to Isaac Newton, who received a knighthood for this merit.
17. The Queen of Great Britain is very thrifty, and appreciates this quality from others.
18. It is still unknown what William Shakespeare looked like, because no lifetime portraits have been found to this day.
19. It was Shakespeare who expanded the English language by as much as 1700 words.
20. The most famous tower in the UK, Big Ben, got its name not because of the clock, but because of the bell that is located inside the tower.
21. Laces necessary for shoes were invented in Great Britain in 1790.
22. The most important guests of the Tower are ravens.
23. The Speaker of the English Parliament can only sit on woolsacks.
24. During the session of Parliament, the Speaker has no right to cast his vote.
25. The Scots are the highest nation in Europe.
26. The favorite hero of children's fairy tales, Winnie the Pooh, got his name from a real bear from the London Zoo.
27. All the heroes of this fairy tale had their prototypes among the favorite toys of the little son Milne.
28. The very first case of color blindness was described by the English scientist John Dalton, it was by his name that this disease was named.
29. The saying "whipping boy" comes from England. This was the name of the boys who were brought up next to the royal blood and received punishment for them.
30. In the 17th-19th centuries, English dentists used the teeth of soldiers killed in battles for dental prostheses.
31. The anthem of Russia "God save the Tsar" was invented in the UK, and then simply translated into Russian.
32. The round arena for the circus was invented by the Englishman Philip Astley, who, after a long observation of horses, realized that it was most convenient for these animals to run in a circle.
33. The great Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible repeatedly proposed to Elizabeth 1, but was refused.
34. All adopted acts and laws of Great Britain are printed on paper, which is made from calfskin.
35. At the beginning of the 19th century in Great Britain, oysters were considered the food of the poor.
36. The English fairy tale about Johnny donut is an analogue of the Russian folk tale about Kolobok.
37. The first road speed limits for any type of transport were introduced in England in 1865.
38. In the UK, a black cat running across the road symbolizes good luck and wealth.
39. The very first prototype of a modern machine gun was invented by the Englishman James Puckle back in 1718.
40. In the UK, there are small colonies of wallabies - these are red-gray small kangaroos.
41. Snakes are practically not found in the natural environment of the UK.
42. Such an important legislative document as the Constitution in the UK simply does not exist.
43. For 63 years, Queen Victoria ruled Great Britain.
44. Special venues have been created in the London Underground for musicians to perform.
45. During the 1916 uprising in Ireland, the warring parties declared a short truce daily so that the city park ranger could feed the ducks.
46. In the capital of Great Britain, many skyscrapers have engineering errors, as a result of which huge glasses turn into reflectors on sunny days, which can cause great harm to others, up to burns.
47. George Washington never visited the UK.
48. The Queen of Great Britain never had a passport, which does not prevent her from visiting different countries.
49. In the UK, clothing sizes are gradually increasing, leaving the former designations on the labels, which increases the purchasing power of women who are gaining weight.
50. The most expensive wool fabric was invented in the UK.
51. Under Balaklava, during the Crimean War, the British faced a very severe cold, and deep hats with slits for the eyes, nose and mouth were created for the soldiers of the English army.
52. All cinemas in the UK have their own separate repertoire, which does not overlap with each other.
53. A tuxedo for a Brit is absolutely normal everyday wear.
54. Sheep breeding is very developed in the suburbs of Great Britain.
55. Janitors in the UK clean only social facilities, and the streets of the city are obliged to clean the owners of numerous restaurants and pubs.
56. There are no 24-hour grocery stores in the UK, all stores close at 9-10 pm.
57. Foreigners do not work in the British taxi, and local residents undergo a very strict selection.
58. Supermarkets in the UK mainly sell semi-finished products that have a shelf life of no more than 3 days.
59. Sushi bars are unpopular in the UK.
60. The first railway was invented in Great Britain.
62. The UK population communicates in more than 300 languages.
63. In the capital of Great Britain is 16% of the restaurant business of all countries.
64. More than half of the world's population watched the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games in the UK.
65. Sports such as football, polo, rugby got their start in the UK.
66. The biggest problem in the UK is obesity.
67. It is recognized that English food is considered the most poor quality and tasteless in the whole world.
68. Restaurants in the UK generally require cash.
69. The London Underground has a very extensive coverage scheme, and the cost is calculated from which end of the city you need to get to.
70. The raincoat was also invented in the UK by renowned chemist, artist and designer Charles Mackintosh. That is why the raincoat in the UK to this day is called the Mac.
71. The coat of arms of Great Britain contains the motto in French.
72. The only place in the UK where the queen cannot enter is the House of Commons.
73. The very first programmer on the planet was an Englishwoman, a woman named Ada Lovelace.
74. Known throughout the world as a Scottish drink, whiskey was actually invented in the Middle Kingdom, i.e. in China.
75. In Great Britain in the 17th-18th centuries there was a special position of an opener of bottles that were caught in the ocean, and if a person uncorked such a bottle on his own, then he would certainly be executed.
76. In Scotland, a man had to pay a fine for refusing to marry a woman who made him such an offer.
77. In the London Underground, all trains on different lines are painted in different colors.
78. All postage stamps in the world must have an inscription in Latin, and only the UK is exempt from this obligation.
79. The UK has the fastest air route in the world, its duration is only one minute.
80. The first fire service in the UK appeared in the city of Edinburgh.
81. In the UK, a bank robbery is recognized if it took place during the working day and in the presence of people.
82. The national currency of Scotland is not recognized in the UK, but, nevertheless, it can be exchanged for British currency at any bank branch.
83. Previously, the heat from the burning of unusable banknotes was used as an alternative source of heating at the state level.
84. Great Britain is the richest country not only in Europe, but throughout the world.
85. The British are very resistant to cold, so they wear light clothes until November.
86. Education in UK schools takes 13 years.
87. Of the scientific degrees in the UK, only a doctoral degree can be obtained.
88. In Great Britain they treat Russia with sympathy.
89. In the Middle Ages in Great Britain, domestic dogs were used to turn a skewer on which meat was fried.
90. English sailors, when doing difficult work together, very often shout the exclamation yo-ho-ho.
91. In the XVIII-XIX centuries in the UK it was forbidden to sunbathe and use the beaches at the same time for men and women.
92. The very first hacker appeared long before the advent of the computer, and it was the Englishman Nevil Maskelyne, who was fond of various techniques and was an amazing magician.
93. In Ireland, the last month of summer, August, is already considered the beginning of autumn.
94. The Great British Empire in 1921 occupied ¼ of the entire land area of the globe.
95. There are no speed limits for driving on many islands in the UK.
96. In the UK, the Bible was released with the most gross mistake, where there was no pretext not, and one of the commandments was, commit adultery.
97. Smoking in the UK is prohibited in any premises.
98. British life expectancy is considered one of the highest in the world.
99. It was the British who came up with the idea to use an umbrella to protect from the rain, until that moment umbrellas were used only for protection from the sun.
100. There are a huge number of laundries in the UK, because the British do not consider laundry to be household chores.
Bonus 10 facts:
1. It is not possible to have a pet without prior approval from special services in the UK.
2. That is why you cannot meet homeless animals on the streets of England.
3. The word moment, which is familiar to us, denotes a certain unit of time, equal to approximately 1.5 seconds.
