Netball
Netball has its roots in women’s basketball from the USA, but it developed to suit the inclinations…
Dame Emma Kirkby, soprano
Dame Emma Kirkby was born in 1949 in Surrey and is an icon of ‘early’ music, which…
Croquet
Croquet originated in the British Isles and was showcased at London’s 1851 Great Exhibition by John Jaques…
Keynesian economics
Lord John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) was born in Cambridge, where his father taught economics at the University.…
The Catseye
The Catseye, trademark of Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd, was invented by Percy Shaw, OBE (1890-1976) who was born…
Angel of the North
The ‘Angel of the North‘ is a monumental red-rust steel sculpture in Gateshead, adjacent to the A1.…
Lord Mayor’s Show
The Lord Mayor’s Show is the world’s oldest and longest street procession. It did not begin as…
Justices of the Peace (Magistrates)
Justices of the Peace (JPs) are also known as Magistrates and they deal with the more minor…
Pulsars
Two British astronomers discovered the existence of pulsars with a radio telescope at Cambridge University in 1967.…
Lord Ian Botham
A larger-than-life personality, Lord Ian Botham, OBE, nicknamed ‘Beefy’, is an English cricketing hero who continued to…
Spiritualism
The Spiritualists’ National Union, founded in 1853, is the organising body for the spiritualist churches or societies…
Keep Britain Tidy
The ‘Keep Britain Tidy‘ campaign first came to the public’s notice in the 1970s, owing to the…