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August - Sixpence withdrawn from general use in the UK marking the end of the decimalisation period.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

Albanian Subversion

For two years after this landing, small groups of British-trained Albanians left every so often from training camps in Malta and Britain and Germany.

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.

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.

BHX

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

Briddlesford Copses

Briddleford Copses is a 167.2 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which is south of Wootton Bridge on the Isle of Wight in Britain.

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.

Brothers Keepers

There is also a UK Brothers Keepers, which, while lacking the organizational superstructure of its German counterpart, contributed a track to Lightkultur.

Caretaker Ministry

Caretaker Ministry may refer to three short-lived governments of Great Britain or the United Kingdom.

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.

Crown Records

# United Kingdom based Crown Records in the early 20th century.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fartown, Huddersfield

A house in Ashfield Street was used as the main family home in the British feature film Between Two Women.

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.

Foreign relations of Norway

Norway also has a history of co-operation and friendship with the United Kingdom, due to their shared cultural heritage since Viking times.

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.

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.

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).

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

As a "Big 4" member (the four biggest financial contributors of the contest), Germany qualifies directly for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 alongside last year's winner Serbia and the three other "Big 4" members France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Grant procedure before the European Patent Office

For example, in the United Kingdom, it used to be required to obtain clearance for all inventions but now it is only prohibited for a UK resident to file an overseas patent application for inventions in certain sensitive technical areas without obtaining clearance through the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office first.

Honorary title

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

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.

Around 300 boards were created, each by a private Act of Parliament, typically termed an Improvement Act.

International Personal Finance

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

IPunx

iPunx is a mashup duo from London in the United Kingdom who has released several EPs and one internet-only mashup album.

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.

Isle of Wight pound

Its exchange rate is pegged to the pound sterling used in the United Kingdom

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.

Jan Bussell

Jan Bussell was a British racing driver who won the Macau Grand Prix twice, in 1968 and 1971.

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.

Local Government Act 1988

The United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988 was famous for introducing the controversial Section 28 into law.

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.

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.

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 .

Noored Kooli

Noored Kooli (Estonian for Young people to schools) is a solution to address the critical teacher shortage in Estonia, drawing inspiration from a similar scheme, Teach First, 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.

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.

P word

Paki, a derogatory term for a person from South Asia (particularly Pakistan), mainly used in the United Kingdom

Peter Moyes

Once the war ended, he and his wife, Judy travelled to the United Kingdom, where he became a Latin and History teacher at Winchester College in Hampshire.

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.

Powers of the police in the United Kingdom

The powers of the police differ between the three legal systems 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.

Ralph Maynard Smith

Ralph Maynard Smith (27 June 1904 - December 25 1964) was a British artist, writer and architect.

Ramadan-class missile boat

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

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.

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.

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.

Supervisor

In the UK, the term is also commonly used to refer to sports coaches (football, rugby, etc.).

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 Ghost Shirt

The return of the Ghost Shirt sparked a debate in the UK about ethical and legitimate rights of retention or return.

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 Western Mechanism

The Western Mechanism is the debut album by British rock band Days of Worth.

Time in the United Kingdom

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

UK Music Charts

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

Warley, West Midlands

Warley is now in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom.

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.

Zoo Licensing Act 1981

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (1981 c. 37) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom.


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.

Alan Marre

When the Court Line group collapsed in August 1974, complaints were made to the Ombudsman about statements made in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Industry, Tony Benn.

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.

Annelise Hesme

As well as this, she has become particularly well known and popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland following the 2005 Renault Clio advert "France vs. Britain" directed by Ridley Scott’s daughter Jordan Scott who also directed the 2007 follow up spot "More Va Va Voom" again starring Hesme as Sophie and English actor Jeremy Sheffield as Ben.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Education in Malaysia

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

Edward D. Thalmann

In 1985, Dr. Thalmann, now the Senior Medical Officer at NEDU, was selected for the NATO Undersea Medicine Personnel Exchange Program and assigned to the Royal Navy Institute of Naval Medicine, Alverstoke, United Kingdom.

Energy in Ohio

Rolls-Royce North America's Energy Systems Inc., a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Rolls-Royce plc, is headquartered in Mt. Vernon, specializing in gas compression, power generation, and pipeline technologies.

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.

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.

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.

Guitar, Bass and Drums

"Guitar, Bass and Drums" is a series of three EPs by the British rock singer, Toby Jepson.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

National Savings Bank

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

Operation Pitsford

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

Palace of St. Michael and St. George

The palace is designed in the Regency style by the British architect George Whitmore, who was a Colonel and later a Major-General in the Royal Engineers.

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.

Robin Batterham

He received a scholarship from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to undertake postgraduate studies at the central research laboratories of ICI in the United Kingdom.

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.

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.

Smithfield, Rhode Island

The area comprising modern-day Smithfield was first settled in 1636 by several British colonists, including John Steere as a farming community and named after Smithfield, London.

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.

Thierry Bogaert

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

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.

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.