Today Christmas is a major time of festivity in England and America, but during the 17th century, people were not allowed to celebrate it…
Category: UK History
Knocker-Uppers: When Being Knocked Up Was a Wake Up Call
Before alarm clocks existed, the job of waking people up was done by “human alarm clocks,” people known as knocker-ups or knocker-uppers…
Mary Anning’s Curious Fossils
Mary Anning was only 12 years old when she and her brother discovered the fossilized skeleton of a 17-foot-long prehistoric ichthyosaurus. Mary went on to become one of the greatest fossil collectors of the 19th century.
The Victorians Were Mad for Mummies
Today mummies haunt us at Halloween and in horror stories, but the Victorians used to keep them in the parlor and unroll them at parties…
King Arthur’s Round Table and the Winchester One
King Arthur’s Round Table is legendary. But maybe it wasn’t Arthur’s idea at all and maybe it wasn’t to show equality either…
Two Chalk Horses in Southwest England: Uffington and Westbury
Southwest England has more chalk horse carvings than anywhere else in the world. Let’s take a look at two of them: the Uffington and Westbury horses.
Glastonbury Myths and Legends: Holy Grail, Thorn Tree, and More
Glastonbury’s story is a mixture of history, myth, and legend. Mixed all together, they make a rousing tale about the Holy Grail, the Holy Thorn, and more…
King Arthur was Buried in Glastonbury
Was King Arthur real? Modern historians dismiss him as a myth, but in 1191 monks at Glastonbury Abbey seemed to prove otherwise when they found his tomb.
Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Lamp and Pie Chart
Florence Nightingale, the lamp-carrying nurse who cared for wounded soldiers, also wrote and used infographics to get her point across.
Jonas Hanway Carried an Umbrella
Jonas Hanway’s life was full of adventures and good deeds, but he is most remembered as being the first man to carry an umbrella on the streets of London.
The Birds of St James Park
St. James’s Park is the place to go in London to see lots birds and waterfowl. This royal park has long been home to many species of water-loving birds.
When Cats Sold Gin in the Streets of London: Puss and Mew Shops
In eighteenth-century London, illegal gin was sold from a strange precursor of the vending machine which bore the image of a cat.
Bladud: Legendary Founder of Bath, England Was the First King to Spread his Wings and Fly
King Bladud, the 9th King of the Britons, is known for two very different things: First, he (and his pigs) discovered the healing powers of
Bathing and Cursing Like a Roman in Bath, England
You can have an (almost) authentic Roman bath experience in Bath, England…
Greenwich Mean Time: What Time Is It, Anyway?
Find out why Greenwich, UK sets the time for the world…
Cleopatra’s Needle: How This Egyptian Monument Came to Be in London
Did you ever get a gift you really didn’t want? Or one that was just too big to carry home?…
Boudica : A British Queen, Mother, Warrior, and Folk Hero
Boudica was a British Queen who took on the Roman army in 60 AD. – and she almost won…
Winnie the Pooh: Named After a Real Bear… and Maybe a Swan
Winnie the Pooh – How did this cute little bear get his name?
Ravens Protect the Tower of London
According to legend, if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the Crown and Britain will surely fall…
London’s Pelicans in the Park
The first pelicans in the park were gifts from Russia more than 350 years ago…
Hats and Horse Races: Royal Ascot
When you’re in the train station and see lots of women wearing fancy hats and men in top hats and tails, it can mean only one thing: It’s time for the Royal Ascot horse races…
Keep Calm and Carry On
Keep Calm and Carry On posters were designed for WW II but didn’t come into public view until…
London Frost Fairs
When the River Thames used to freeze over, Londoners would have a party…
Boney Napoleon Scares British Children
How “Boney” Bonaparte went from being a little pest to a child-eating ogre…
New Year’s Day, Calendar Years, and the British Tax Year
January 1 has been known as New Year’s Day since the Roman times. But that didn’t necessarily mean it was the first day of the new year…
Wassail and Wassailing
When wandering through a Christmas market on a chilly winter’s day, nothing tastes better or warms you up like a hot, spiced cider…
From Tomb to Telephone Box, This British Icon Adapts
How a tomb inspired a British icon – and how it must adapt to remain relevant.
Thirteen Diners and Kaspar the Lucky Black Cat
Are you superstitious? How do you feel about the number 13 and black cats?
The Monkey who was Hung as a French Spy
About 200 years ago, the people of Hartlepool, England hung a monkey. And they are proud of it…
British Royals and Swans
British kings and queens and their long relationship with swans…
Big Ben’s Closing Bells
We had all gathered there to hear Big Ben’s final chimes – at least for a while…
Jean Cocteau in London
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting several sites decorated by Jean Cocteau on the French Riviera, but I was surprised to find his work in the center of London…
Paddington Bear: His History
In October 1958 a book was published about a little Peruvian bear who showed up at Paddington Station in London, England…
The Manchester Bee
In my recent travels to Manchester, England, I saw bees everywhere. I couldn’t help but wonder where these bees had come from and what they were all about…
Who Put the Bubbles in the Bubbly?
Did the French invent the method of making champagne? Or was it the British?
Lions, Tigers, and Bears in the Tower of London – Oh My!
For about 600 years the Tower of London was home to the royal menagerie: Lions, tigers, bears, kangaroos, and many other animals lived there…
Green Children
In twelfth-century England, two very strange visitors arrived. They looked like normal children – except that their skin was tinged green…
British Christmas Panto: An Outrageous Holiday Tradition
British Christmas pantos are filled with slapstick humor, cross-dressing actors, jokes about current events, and audience participation…
Big Ben Silent Minute: Chimes and Prayers for Peace
Could Big Ben’s chimes have played a part in winning World War II? At least one Nazi official thought so…
The Great Fire of London: Who Started It?
The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed 80% of London. Who could have been responsible for this devastation?
London Beer Flood: When the Streets Ran Brown with Ale
On October 17, 1814, tragedy struck central London. A flood tore through the streets, knocking down buildings and sweeping people away. But the liquid causing the havoc wasn’t water… it was beer!…
Berets, Onions, and Stereotypes
In the mid 1900s, if you had asked nearly any British person what a Frenchman looked like, you would have gotten this description: He wears a beret, and he rides a bike with onions hanging on the handlebars…
God Save the Royal Derriere
It seems that the British National Anthem could be yet another link in the intertwined histories of the United Kingdom and France…
Guy Fawkes Finally has his Day
Remember, remember the 5th of November…A British revolutionary executed in 1605 comes back as the face of the Anonymous movement.
The English Promenade in Nice, France
The Promenade des Anglais, affectionately known as “the Prom”, is one of the most beautiful seaside boulevards to be found and lucky me, I live
Queen Victoria in Nice
Queen Victoria spent her winters on the French Riviera. While there, she could let her hair down and relax, often touring around in a little donkey cart.
British Cannon Fire over the City of Nice
If you have ever visited Nice, France, you may have been startled by a very loud noon time boom. It occurs every day at precisely 12.00 and is a remnant from the Victorian times, when a British wife couldn’t remember to go home for lunch.