The
Secret History of English Speaking World English-speaking world is a vast and diverse community with its own unique history and culture. While we may think we know everything there is to know about this world, there are many incredible, bizarre and sometimes disturbing facts that few people know. Here are some little-known facts about the English-speaking world.
1. The World's Oldest School Is in England The oldest school in the world is in Canterbury, England. The King's School was founded in 597 AD, just a few years after the landing of the first Christian missionaries in England. The school has produced many famous alumni, including John Donne, William Harvey, and Christopher Marlowe.
2. Shakespeare Had a Secret Love Affair Shakespeare's sonnets are some of the most beautiful and romantic love poems ever written. But few people know that they were written to a man, not a woman. Many scholars believe that Shakespeare was bisexual and had a love affair with a young aristocrat named William Herbert.
3. The First Public Zoo Was in London The world's first public zoo was opened in London in 182
8. The London Zoo was founded by the Zoological Society of London and quickly became one of the most popular attractions in the city. Today, the London Zoo is still one of the world's most famous zoos, and attracts millions of visitors each year.
4. The First Female Army Officer Was British In 1914, the British military accepted its first female officer. Flora Sandes was a 38-year-old nurse from Yorkshire who had joined the Serbian army as a volunteer during World War I. After proving her bravery in battle, she was given the rank of sergeant and later commissioned as a lieutenant.
5. The Oldest Surviving Printed Book Is in English The world's oldest surviving printed book is in English. The Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1455 by Johannes Gutenberg, is a masterpiece of early printing technology. There are only 48 surviving copies of the original, and they are now among the world's most valuable and rarest books.
6. The First Computer Was Built in England The first computer was built in England in 194
3. The Colossus computer was designed by Alan Turing to help the British military crack the German Enigma code during World War II. It was one of the most important technological innovations of the war and played a crucial role in the Allied victory.
7. The Last Person Publicly Executed in England Was a Murderer The last person to be publicly executed in England was a murderer named Michael Barrett. He was hanged in front of a crowd of 50,000 people outside Newgate Prison in 186
8. Public executions were banned in England in 1868, and all subsequent executions were carried out in private.
8. The Biggest Library in the World Is in the United States The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., is the biggest library in the world. It contains more than 170 million items, including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and audio recordings. The library is also the official research library of the United States Congress and is open to the public.
9. The Most Expensive Painting in the World Was Sold in the United States The most expensive painting ever sold at auction is in the United States. Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci was sold for $450 million in 201
7. The painting was previously owned by a consortium of dealers who had bought it for $12
7.5 million in 201
3.
10 The Shortest War in History Was Started by the United States The shortest war in history was started by the United States. In 1893, the U.S. sent a warship to seize the tiny kingdom of Hawaii. The Hawaiian army didn't resist, and the U.S. took control of the island in just six hours. The war lasted less than a day, and Hawaii became a U.S. territory. In conclusion, the English-speaking world is full of fascinating and often surprising facts that have shaped the course of history. From the world's oldest school to the shortest war in history, these facts reveal the depth and richness of this global community.