Bri
tish Cold Facts: Discovering the Quirks of the UK The United Kingdom is a country that is rich in history, culture, and tradition. From the monarchy to the famous landmarks, there are so many things to explore and learn about in this country. However, there are also many cold and unusual facts that are worth knowing about. Here are 500 cold facts about Britain that will surely surprise you.
1. Britain is the fourth largest country in Europe.
2. The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.
3. London is the only city in the United Kingdom with a mayor.
4. The first recorded game of football took place in London in 186
3.
5. The traditional prayer of the House of Commons before the start of each session is "God Save the Queen."
6. Welsh has multiple words for "rain," including "pwllm" for a light rain, "gwlaw" for a heavier rain, and "glaw mawr" for rain that is a downpour.
7. The shortest official name of a UK town is "Ae" in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
8. There are more chickens than people in the United Kingdom.
9. The oldest football club in the world is Sheffield FC, founded in 185
7.
10 The highest point in the United Kingdom is Ben Nevis in Scotland, reaching 1,345 meters. 1
1. "God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and one of the few to have no words addressing God. 1
2. Scotland's national animal is the unicorn. 1
3. The world's largest public library is in the British Library in London, with over 170 million items. 1
4. King Richard III died in battle in 1485 and was buried under a car park in Leicester in 2012 before being re-interred at Leicester Cathedral. 1
5. The shortest scheduled flight in the world is from Westray to Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland, and lasts just 90 seconds. 1
6. The world's longest pleasure pier is Southend Pier in Essex, which extends for
2.16 kilometers. 1
7. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway in the world and has been operating since 186
3. 1
8. The world's first robot was demonstrated by W.S. Howard at the Royal Society in London in 192
7. 1
9. The world's first traffic light was installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London in 186
8. 20. Wales is known as "the land of song" due to its rich musical heritage. 2
1. The world's first electric traffic lights were introduced in Wolverhampton, England, in 192
7. 2
2. The longest place name in the United Kingdom is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, a Welsh village with a population of just 3,000. 2
3. The shortest river in the United Kingdom is the River Bain, in Lincolnshire, which is only 3 miles (
4.8km) long. 2
4. The United Kingdom has the highest number of CCTV cameras per capita in the world. 2
5. The world's first postage stamp was the Penny Black, issued in 1840 by the United Kingdom. 2
6. The London Eye is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe, reaching 135 meters high. 2
7. There are more than 370 million cups of tea consumed every day in the United Kingdom. 2
8. The world's first public zoo was opened in London in 182
8. 2
9. The first ever recorded game of golf took place in Scotland in 145
7. 30. There are over 2,000 castles in Wales, more per square mile than any other country in the world. 3
1. Bath in Somerset has the largest hot springs in Britain, with water that is said to have healing properties. 3
2. The world's oldest surviving public park is the Derby Arboretum in Derby, England, which opened in 1840. 3
3. The smallest house in Great Britain is known as the Quay House in Conwy, Wales, and measures just
3.05 meters wide and
4.82 meters high. 3
4. The first artificial ice rink in the world was built in London in 187
6. 3
5. The United Kingdom is home to the longest-running soap opera on British television, Coronation Street, which has been on air since 1960. 3
6. The world's oldest museum, the Ashmolean Museum, is located in Oxford, England, and opened in 168
3. 3
7. Fish and chips is the national dish of the United Kingdom. 3
8. The first recorded recipe for a sandwich was by Earl of Sandwich, a British nobleman, in the 18th century. 3
9. The first handwritten draft of the King James Bible is preserved in the British Library in London. 40. The longest beach in the United Kingdom is Chesil Beach in Dorset, which stretches for 18 miles (29km). 4
1. Big Ben is not the name of the iconic clock tower in London, but rather the name of the bell inside the tower. 4
2. The world's oldest surviving railway tunnel is the Thames Tunnel, built between 1825 and 184
3. 4
3. The world's first computer was built by Alan Turing in 1936, in Manchester, England. 4
4. The Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead, England, is the largest angel sculpture in the world, reaching 20 meters high. 4
5. The Red Telephone Box, a British icon, was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in the 20th century. 4
6. The world's first printed book, the Gutenberg Bible, is housed in the British Library in London. 4
7. The world's first telephone directory was published in 1880 in London, containing just over 200 names. 4
8. Scotland's first theme park, M&D's, opened in 194
6. 4
9. The world's first weather forecast was broadcast on BBC Radio in 192
2. 50. The first computer-generated music was created in Manchester, England, in 195
1. 5
1. The world's first color television service was launched by the BBC in 196
7. 5
2. The United Kingdom is home to one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of fossils in the world. 5
3. The world's first public art gallery, the Dulwich Picture Gallery, opened in London in 181
7. 5
4. Northumberlandia, the world's largest land sculpture, is located in northeast England and stretches for 46 meters high and 400 meters long. 5
5. The world's first underground electric railway was the City and South London Railway, which opened in 1890. 5
6. The world's oldest running roller coaster, the Scenic Railway, is located in Margate, England, and opened in 1920. 5
7. The world's first passenger railway was the Liverpool to Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830. 5
8. The United Kingdom is home to the world's largest collection of maritime history, housed in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. 5
9. The world's first supersonic car, the ThrustSSC, which broke the land speed record in 1997, was built in the United Kingdom. 60. The world's first satellite television service, Sky Television, was launched by Rupert Murdoch in 1989, in the United Kingdom. 6
1. The world's first practical jet engine, the Frank Whittle engine, was developed in England in the 1930s. 6
2. The world's first commercial air service, the Great Western Airway, was launched between London and Bristol in 1930. 6
3. The world's first commercial radio station, the British Broadcasting Company, began broadcasting in 192
2. 6
4. The United Kingdom is home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world, the University of Oxford, which was founded in 109
6. 6
5. The world's first successful heart transplant was carried out in 1967 in the United Kingdom. 6
6. The world's first cloned mammal, Dolly the Sheep, was born in Scotland in 199
6. 6
7. The world's first successful test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in England in 197
8. 6
8. The world's first traffic roundabout was built in Letchworth Garden City, England, in 190
9. 6
9. The world's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle, the Riversimple Rasa, was developed in Wales. 70. The world's first underground postal railway, the London Post Office Railway, opened in 192
7. 7
1. The world's first prototype jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, was developed in the United Kingdom. 7
2. The world's first gas-powered public street lighting was introduced in Pall Mall, London, in 180
7. 7
3. The world's first transatlantic cable, which allowed telegraph messages to be sent between the United Kingdom and the United States, was laid in 185
8. 7
4. The world's first electrified underground railway, the City and South London Railway, was opened in 1890. 7
5. The world's first public aquarium was opened in Brighton, England, in 187
2. 7
6. The world's first practical electric vehicle was developed in London in the 1880s. 7
7. The United Kingdom is home to the world's largest collection of historic aircraft, housed in the Royal Air Force Museum in London. 7
8. The world's first commercial passenger jet, the de Havilland Comet, was introduced in the 1950s. 7
9. The world's first air conditioning system, using ice to cool a room, was invented in England in the 1870s. 80. The world's first steam-powered bicycle, the Velocipede, was built in England in the 1860s. 8
1. The world's first petrol-powered vehicle, the Daimler Motor Carriage, was built in Coventry, England, in 1890. 8
2. The world's first hovercraft, the SR.N1, was successfully tested in the English Channel in 195
9. 8
3. The world's first public aquarium, in Brighton, England, was built in the 1870s and featured over 80 different species of fish. 8
4. The world's first concrete structure, a lighthouse called the Maplin Sands, was built in the Thames Estuary in 183
8. 8
5. The United Kingdom is home to one of the world's largest collections of art galleries, including the Tate Modern and National Gallery in London. 8
6. The world's largest hedge maze is the one at Longleat in Wiltshire, England. 8
7. The world's first steam-powered, iron-hulled warship, the Great Britain, was launched in Bristol in 184
3. 8
8. The world's first successful submarine, the Resurgam, was built in Liverpool in 187
9. 8
9. The world's first successful steam locomotive, the Rocket, was built in Newcastle in 182
9. 90. The world's first successful helicopter, the Cierva Autogiro, was built in London in the 1920s. 9
1. The world's first successful electric tramway, the Blackpool Tramway, opened in 188
5. 9
2. The world's largest yew hedge is the one at Fortingall in Perthshire, Scotland. 9
3. The world's first practical safety match, the Lucifer Match, was developed in England in the 19th century. 9
4. The world's first practical steam engine, developed by James Watt, was built in Birmingham in 177
5. 9
5. The world's first hybrid car, the Lohner-Porsche Semper Vivus, was developed in Austria by a British engineer in the 1890s. 9
6. The world's first successful electric bicycle, the Sinclair C5, was developed in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. 9
7. The world's first successful steamboat, the Comet, was built in Scotland in 181
1. 9
8. The world's first successful television service, the BBC Television Service, began broadcasting in 193
6. 9
9. The world's first successful commercial packet-switched network, the Cyclades, was developed in France and the United Kingdom in the 1970s. 100. The United Kingdom is home to a wealth of unusual and fascinating cold facts that are sure to inspire and intrigue anyone who loves history, science, or culture.