The Queen’s/King’s Christmas Message
It was in 1922 that Lord Reith (1889-1971), founder of the BBC, first suggested to King George…
Discover British history, culture, geography, achievements and more in snippet size
Farnborough International Airshow
In 1909 Farnborough Airport in Hampshire was the location of the UK’s first airfield (albeit short-lived due…
Rosslyn Chapel
Sir William St Clair (1410-80) had several noble titles and was a wealthy Scottish landowner. In 1446…
Order of the Thistle
The Order of the Thistle in the Honours system is second only to the Order of the…
National Minimum or Living Wage
1999 saw the introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the UK and from 2016 it was…
The Swing Aqueduct
There is only one swing aqueduct in the world and it is at Barton, 4 miles west of…
The Old and Young Pretenders
The Stuarts’ reign (1603-1714) was a tumultuous period and the so-called Old and Young Pretenders extended the…
‘Dad’s Army’
Several of the actors in the sitcom ‘Dad’s Army‘ died shortly after the last episode in 1977, since…
Glasgow
Glasgow is one of those places that bears its ups-and-downs and stoically moves on to the next…
Charlotte Brontë
While Irish priest Patrick Brunty (later Brontë, 1777-1861) lived to age 84, neither his wife nor any…
The West End
Going to the West End, or “going up West”, usually means visiting one of the many entertainment…
Linford Christie
Britain’s most successful sprint athlete is Linford Christie, OBE (1960-). Born in Jamaica but growing up in London,…