HistoryFunnyIn Victorian England, 'pants' was considered a vulgar word because it referred to undergarments, not trousers.1351k17 years ago
HistoryInterestingMedieval English longbows had an effective range of over 200 yards, with skilled archers able to launch arrows more than 350 yards.1182k16 years ago
HistoryInterestingDuring the 1600's, boys and girls in England wore dresses until they were about seven years old.722k17 years ago
HistoryWeirdUntil the 1920s, there was a profession called 'knocker-up', which involved going from client to client and tapping on their windows (or banging on their doors) with long sticks until they woke up.437k11 years ago
HistoryFunnyPineapples were such a status symbol in 18th century England that you could rent one for the evening to take to a party.242k12 years ago
PlacesInterestingIn England, there's a phenomenon called the "half-time kettle effect" where power use surges at half-time during England's matches in the World Cup as everyone turns on their tea kettles at the same time.81k11 years ago
TrendingHistoryMind-BlowingA retired gardener borrowed a metal detector in 1992 to find a lost hammer in a Suffolk field. Instead, he uncovered 14,865 Roman coins and 200 pieces of ancient jewelry - the largest late Roman treasure hoard ever found in Britain, valued at £1.75 million. They found the hammer too. It's in the British Museum.113 days ago
HistoryFunnyIn 1814, a giant vat of beer ruptured at a London brewery, unleashing 135,000 gallons of porter through the streets. It demolished two homes, collapsed a pub wall, and killed eight people. The brewery went to court. The jury ruled it an Act of God. Nobody paid a penny.116 days ago
TrendingHistoryWholesomeDuring a war between France and England in 1697, Louis XIV ordered the release of a captured English engineer who had been building a lighthouse. His reasoning: "France is at war with England, not with humanity."2 months ago
TrendingPlacesFunnyThe Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (off the coast of England) were technically at war from 1651 to 1986 — 335 years. No shots were fired. No one died. In 1985, a Scilly historian contacted the Dutch Embassy to joke about it. The Dutch ambassador flew to the islands and signed a peace treaty, ending a war nobody knew was still happening.1 month ago
PeopleInterestingMuhammad has been the most popular baby boy's name in England for two years running.3 months ago
EntertainmentWholesomeRupert Grint became an ice cream man after Harry Potter — not for publicity, but because it had been his childhood dream all along.2 months ago