This a list of the notable things about Britain in no particular order.
The discovery of the DNA code by Francis Crick
Smallpox vaccination by Edward Jenner
Monty Python
Godfrey Hounsfield's CT scanner
The old course at St Andrews
Baden-Powell's boy scouts
Rudyard Kipling
The Archers
Frank Whittle and the jet engine
The Tollpuddle martyrs and the birth of Trades Union
Dolly the sheep
The ss Queen Mary
Michael Faraday
The Medical Research Council and the randomised clinical trial
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The 1611 translation of the Bible
The link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer
The British Council
The eccentric scientist working alone (viz. Peter Mitchell)
John Wesley and Methodism
Brighton Pavilion
James Black's designer drugs
God's Englishman, Oliver Cromwell
Manchester United
The Royal Mail
The National Trust
William Harvey and the circulation of blood
The New Forest
The Spitfire
Lister's antiseptic surgery
The Lake District
Handel's Messiah
Public hanging at Tyburn
Ronald Ross's discovery of how malaria is transmitted
Poets' corner
Jarrow marchers
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Cranmer's book of common prayer
The 11-plus
Ration books
Sir Christopher Wren
Driving on the left
The Broad Street Pump incident
The Royal Society
The cathedral choir
The miners' strike
English cheeses
The parish council
Speakers' corner
Shirley Bassey
Yorkshire pudding
Hampden Court Maze
The E type Jaguar
The playing fields of Eton
Blackpool Tower and Pleasure beach
The Times crossword puzzle
Earl Grey tea
The blitz
The Raj
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
The Flying Scotsman
Dan Dare and the Mekon
Ballroom dancing
Coarse fishing
The London sewers
Dinosaurs in Dorset
The Arsenal offside trap
The Lancet
Lords
Waterloo (the battle not the station)
"Brief Encounter"
Morris dancers+
The Notting Hill Carnival
Mary Jones' Bible (Bala)
Understatement
Polo
Sun headlines
The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough
The smell at Lipton's and the Home and Colonial
Double Decker buses
Old English Marmalade
Real tennis
Litotes
The leg-before-wicket law
The Goons
The six wives of Henry VIII
Sherlock Holmes
Twickenham
The list is not exhaustive
Terry,
ReplyDeleteMy wife Sally (justme) has gotten me interested in your blog. I've discovered that we have a common interest in books, movies and making lists (as you can see from my blog:Listing Through Life and the book club I started Carpe Libra). I got a kick out of your list on Britain, and I appreciate your frequent posts on your faith. You are a huge encouragement to Sally. Thank you.
A good list - another random 20
ReplyDeleteMarmite
Final Score
London Eye
Radio Times
Yes Minister
Imported monarchs since before Knut
The Royal Statistical Society
Blackadder
The Spinning Jenny
Steak and Kidney pudding
Whingeing
Distrust of demagogues
Roxy Music
The Sun
Quaker- driven social reform
Start-rite shoes
Jethro Tull's seed drill
Meat Raffles
Back street pubs
The Bunhill Fields non-conformist cemetery
Couldn't resist a list. From the top of the country:
ReplyDeleteScottish Bread
Pole Rolls
Mutton Pies
HP Sauce
Black Pudding
Danish Bacon
Steak and Kidney Pie
Trifle
Clyde Valley Tomatoes
Ayrshire Potatoes
Sausages
Sliced Sausage
Irn Bru
Fritters
Kippers
Fresh Fish
Cheeses
Oatcakes
Crumpets
Scones
Digestive Biscuits
Chocolate Digestives
Marmalade
High Tea
Lemon Curd
Edinburgh Tattoo
Bagpipes and Drums
The Kilt
Bacon Butties
Chip Butties
Devilled Kidneys
My Ain Folk
Parliamo Glesca
Scottish Accent
Braveheart
Marks and Sparks
Hogmany
Malt Whisky
Pub Conviviality
Club Conviviality
Bitter Beer
Pub Grub
Rabbie Burns
Doon the Watter
Go to the shell (meeting point) at Glasgow Central Station and shout "Hey Jimmy" and watch the majority turn round
As Time Goes Bye
Waiting For God
Saturday Night Football
The News in English English
Sunday Papers (Scottish)
Wot no deep fried Mars bars?
ReplyDeleteThanks Roger,
ReplyDeleteCarpe Libra is an awesone site. Just awesome!
Listing Through Life is a more personal blog with lots of interesting factoids. I've bookmarked both
ReplyDeleteGreat fun
ReplyDelete