WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
LONDON
The first escalator on the London Underground was installed at Earls Court station in 1911.
Initially, several members of the public were afraid of the new moving staircases, so the authorities employed a one-legged man known as 'Bumper' Harris to ride up and down all day to show how easy they were to use.
This was not a total success because some people became concerned that the escalator had been the cause of his losing his leg in the first place.
Harris subsequently retired to Gloucester to make cider and violins.
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ACTRESS
On 8 December 1660, Margaret Hedges appeared as Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello at the Vere... MORE
ADDRESS
In 1463, Paris became the first city to adopt house numbers. London followed suit exactly... MORE
ASHES
The concept of the Ashes cricket trophy dates back to 1882, when England's first home... MORE
BALLET
Two thousand ballet-goers were evacuated from London's Royal Opera House one evening in 2001 when... MORE
BENTHAM
Philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham kept a cat, which he named the Reverend Sir... MORE
BEQUESTS
When David Davis of Clapham, London, died in 1778 he left five shillings to Mary... MORE
BISCUITS
The word 'biscuit' comes from the French for 'twice cooked'.
In September 2001, a biscuit taken... MORE
BUCKLAND
The first dinosaur fossils in Britain were found in 1819 by William Buckland, Canon of... MORE
BUTCHELL
Reputedly London's most expensive dentist, Martin van Butchell was a man of curious habits, including... MORE
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Around 1500, there were eight crimes for which a person could be hanged in Britain:... MORE
CHELSEA
Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea is believed to have been named after the Joni Mitchell song... MORE
CHILE
On 28 November 1996, the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet gave three pieces of advice... MORE
CHOCOLATE
Montezuma started the myth about chocolate being an aphrodisiac. His cup of cocoa at bedtime... MORE
DARWIN
Darwin was the grandson of the great potter Josiah Wedgwood.
He married his first cousin, Emma... MORE
DAVIDSON
The rector of the Norfolk village of Stiffkey, Harold Francis Davidson was convicted by the... MORE
DOG
The first mammal to orbit the earth was the Russian dog Laika, sent into space... MORE
ELEPHANT
The manner of copulation in elephants was a matter for speculation in the Dark Ages.... MORE
EPONYM
A word that derived from a person's name. For example: leotard: Jules L éotard... MORE
FASHION
'Fashion' originally meant shape or appearance. Shakespeare may have been the first to use it... MORE
FINGER LENGTH
Research has shown that top sprinters have long ring fingers. Specifically, it is the ratio... MORE
FLIGHT
On 15 June 1928, the train The Flying Scotsman beat an aeroplane in a race... MORE
FOOTBALL
The Romans called it 'pila pedalis', which the English translated as 'foot-ball' and promptly banned.
The... MORE
FUEL
A car fuelled only by used coffee grounds made the 250-mile trip from London to... MORE
GLADSTONE
William Gladstone is one of only two people to have had his coffin transported on... MORE
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HAIR
Hairiness, said Aristotle, is a sign of 'abundance of residual matter', which, he went on... MORE
HENRY VIII
At a dinner served in honour of the King of France, Henry VIII once served... MORE
HIPPOPOTAMUS
Britain's first hippopotamus arrived at London Zoo in Regents Park on 25 May 1850. Named... MORE
HORSE
In 1875, road accidents, mostly involving horses, led to the death of 1,589 people in... MORE
HUDSON
Also known by the name Lord Minimus, Jeffrey Hudson quite literally sprang to fame at... MORE
IN FLIGHT CATERING
In-flight meals are almost as old as flying itself. The first regular air services began... MORE
KUWAIT
After Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990 and declared it to be the '19th Province... MORE
LAVATORIES
'Toilet' is currently the most popular word for the little boys' (or girls') room, being... MORE
LONDON 2012
To prepare and build the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London for the 2012 Games:
1.5... MORE
LUNACY
On 11 September 1905, scientists blamed a rise in lunacy in Britain on the tedium... MORE
MACKEREL
The only station on the London Underground system whose name has no letters in common... MORE
MAYFAIR
The area of London known as Mayfair is named after the May Fair that took... MORE
MOTORING
The Locomotive Act of 1865 specified that a person carrying a red flag must walk... MORE
MOUSETRAP
The world's longest-running theatre show, The Mousetrap, opened at the New Ambassadors Theatre in London's... MORE
OLYMPIC GAMES
Nobody knows when the first Olympic Games took place.
There was certainly such a festival at... MORE
OSTRICH
The ostrich is the largest living bird. In the UK, ostriches are zero-rated for VAT... MORE
PIGEON
The British royal family has kept racing pigeons since 1886 when King Leopold of Belgium... MORE
POLAR BEAR
Polar Bears can run at 25 miles an hour and jump over 6 feet in... MORE
QUAGGA
Only one quagga was ever photographed alive.
Five pictures exist of a London Zoo quagga taken... MORE
REINDEER
Duck droppings are a reindeer's favourite food. In 2001, Harrods department store in... MORE
RHUBARB
Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable, but in 1947 the US Customs Court ruled it to... MORE
RUBBER BANDS
The first elastic bands were patented by Stephen Perry & Co. of London on 17... MORE
SCENT
A fragrance called 'Madeleine' was introduced in a trial at three London tube stations on... MORE
SKATES
The first recorded appearance of roller skates was not a success.
They were worn by a... MORE
TAXI
The word 'taxi' was originally an abbreviation of 'taxameter' or 'taximeter', a device to measure... MORE
THAMES
The Debris Clearance Operation of the Port of London Authority removes around a thousand tonnes... MORE
THEATRE
The word 'theatre' comes from the Greek 'theatron' meaning 'something to behold'. Actors are known... MORE
TOURISM
Tourism began on 5 July 1841, when Thomas Cook organised his first trip for fellow... MORE
TOWER BRIDGE
Tower Bridge, across the River Thames in London, was completed in 1894 at a cost... MORE
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
The world's first traffic lights were a gas-powered contraption erected just off Parliament Square in... MORE
TUG OF WAR
According to international rules, the rope in a tug-of-war contest must be between 100mm and... MORE
UMBRELLA
The original ancient Chinese and Egyptian umbrellas protected against the sun, not the rain, while... MORE
UNDERGROUND
Forty-two per cent of the London Underground is under ground. The entire system serves 275... MORE
WELLINGTON
Arthur Wellesley, later the first Duke of Wellington, signed his name as Arthur Wesley until... MORE
WELLS
H.G. Wells, author of such science fiction novels as The Invisible Man, War of the... MORE
YEOMAN
When the Tower of London appointed its first female beefeater in 2007, the official announcement... MORE
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