Presentation. 6th grade. Some facts about British history and British traditions

Some facts about British history and British traditions

WEIRD FACTS ABOUT BRITISH HISTORY

THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR IDEA OF IT

The British have a long and interesting history. After having established themselves as a superpower, they have conquered, flourished and are now a substantial part of three continents.

Despite all their might and power, they couldn’t escape the strange events 

that were part of their history.

Here we’ve gathered some weird facts about

British history that you wouldn’t want to miss…

King Henry III had a polar bear in his Royal Menagerie. It went fishing in River Thames

and attracted many viewers.

Haakon IV of Norway is said to have gifted a polar bear to King Henry III. The King’s fancies were a problem for the sheriffs because they were ordered to pay four pence per day for the bear’s upkeep in the year 1251. That wasn’t all that the King did for his animals. He ordered the sheriffs again in 1254 to financially support the construction of an elephant house at the Tower. After his demise, the Kings and Queens continuously received many animals as gifts with the result that by 1828, there were more than 280 animals of 60 different species

King Henry VIII introduced tax on beards in the 16 th  century. The tax varied on the social status of the man sporting the beard.

The tax was reintroduced by the King’s daughter Elizabeth I for every beard that was older than two weeks. England was not the only country that had the beard tax. As part of modernization of Russia, Emperor Peter I introduced it as well. Whoever paid the tax, received a copper or silver token and whoever did not, was forcibly and publicly shaved.

The City of London sold the 1831 London Bridge because it wasn’t strong enough to support the increased traffic in 1967. The bridge was bought by Robert P. McCulloch and relocated to Arizona, US.

The 1831 London Bridge was built by John Rennie and his son across River Thames. In 1967, the bridge was dismantled, after being sold, to be shipped to Arizona. The bridge finished being reassembled in 1971 across Lake Havasu which McCulloch received from the US government for free with a promise to develop it. It took almost a year to take the bridge apart, ship it to Port of Long Beach and transport it by land to the lake. The assembly and reconstruction took around three years to finish .

In the early 19th century, the British government spent 40 percent of its annual expenditure to free slaves and as compensation for slave owners’.

According to the terms of Slavery Abolition Act, the British government raised 20 million pounds, which equals 69.93 billion pounds as of 2013, along with an additional 400, 000 pounds (1.4 billion as of 2013) to free slaves. The Act provided compensation for slave owners who would be losing their property. The movement to abolish slavery started as early as 1772 when a slave was freed in England after Lord Mansfield’s judgement. Since then there have been many anti-slavery movements that set into motion its 

complete abolition.

Those who could not afford chimney cleaning services dropped a goose with its legs tied, down the chimney. It gave birth to the phrase “the blacker the goose, the cleaner the flue”.

When the goose flaps its wings, it cleans the chimney as it comes down. Small children were the usual chimney sweepers back then because only they could fit into it. People sold the soot they got from their chimneys to farmers and gardeners to use as fertilizer. Chimney sweeping was one of the essential things to do for clean air in the house. It is said that Queen Victoria ordered the chimneys be cleaned often after she found out that people breathed foggy, smoke filled air at homes

In the 16 th  century, the Parliament passed a law that every man, excluding nobility and children younger than six, must wear a flat cap on Sundays and holidays, to avoid being fined.

The Act was passed to increase wool trade within the country. The Bill was repealed in the year 1597, however, the flat cap continues to be widely used even today. Other such sumptuary laws include restrictions on the colors of clothes, fabric and material, food and even the amount of money spent on luxuries were decreed based on the rank and social status of people. It was also a way for the kings and government to prevent or reduce expenditure on foreign goods.

The world’s first speeding ticket was give to Walter Arnold in Kent for going at 8 mph on a road with a 2 mph speed limit.

Back then, along with staying below the speed limits you had to have a person walking and waving a red flag in front of the vehicle to alert pedestrians. The speed limits are certainly laughable compared to what we have now. But as motor cars were relatively uncommon, they were known to scare a few. The driver of the said car was nabbed after being spotted by a police constable who chased him for five miles

on a bicycle.

Queen Victoria received a huge block of half a ton of cheddar cheese as her wedding gift from the cheesemakers of Somerset.

Known as the Great Pennard Cheese, it was made from the milk donated by farmers from 700 cows. The cheese was prepared by 26 milkmaids and later placed in a three-foot octagonal mould in June, 1939. When the cheese was presented to the Queen on February 10, 1840, she said she preferred a more mature cheese. So the farmers took it back to present it for royal christening.

The cheese was later caught up in a legal feud with some merchants who tried to earn quick money with a plaster cast of the cheese. Though the farmers won, the original cheese was later broken and fed to pigs.

Between the years 1912 and 1948, art was considered an Olympic sport and works of art from architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpting were awarded medals.

The founder of Olympic Movement Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, felt that the games should reflect a completely educated man in both mind and body. He felt that art and sport should be combined and that men should compete in sport rather than in war. But, in 1954 the idea of artists participating in Olympics was abandoned and replaced by Olympic cultural programs

During WWII, the British government popularized the idea that eating carrots can improve night vision, to hide the fact that RAF had advanced radar systems that accurately spotted enemy bombers.

That was not all they had in mind. The government also wanted to get rid of them as carrots were one vegetable that the country produced in surplus as food was getting scarce because of war. There was also an increase of awareness to cook economically among housewives. The BBC used to broadcast a program called “From the Kitchen Front” giving guidance about healthy and economic ways to eat with a result that the population stayed healthy despite Germany’s food blockade

by 1941.

THE MOST INTERESTING BRITISH TRADITIONS

Just like any other country on this planet, Great Britain has some very interesting, if not straight weird, traditions. These are what keeps the connection with the ancestors alive and, in some cases, deliver a lot of fun and excitement. If you’re a fan of the British culture or simply a follower of the most intriguing traditions, you can’t miss the following British customs.

BONFIRE NIGHT

Every year on the 5th of November one of the most popular celebrations takes places all over the United Kingdom. Also known as the Guy Fawkes’, the Bonfire Night offers immense firework displays, sparklers and, of course, bonfires in every schools and public park across the country. The story behind this celebration is not so jolly though, it goes back to 1605 when a person called Gut Fawkes wanted to burn down the British House of Parliament but was caught and burned alive. So, the tradition lived on and every night on the 5th everyone lights this bonfire to symbolize that moment.

You might recall a certain Hollywood production called ‘ V for Vendetta’ that borrowed its plot from this story as well and if the title doesn’t tell you much, what about ‘ Remember, remember, the 5th of November’. Rings any bells?

CHEESE ROLLING FESTIVAL

You might be wondering how come this wasn’t the first on the list. Well, simply because all of the back and forth discussions around this tradition in recent years. Considered a classic among British people, this tradition gathers people from all over the world in their quest to catch a 9lbs roll of cheese going downhill on Coops’ Hill in Gloucestershire.

Even though a very entertaining and fun to watch event, the controversy came from all the injuries that often occur when people simply go downhill for the roll of cheese. At some point the festival was very close to being cancelled, however, it was the desire of the people to keep doing it and so you the entire world is still able to enjoy this tradition.

WORM CHARMING

Without doubt one of the strangest traditions of everything that is going on in Great Britain, worm charming goes as far as almost being considered a sport. As some of you might imagine, it has a lot to do with worms and, well .. charming them.

But if you imagine that holding a worm in hand trying to charm it with all means necessary is the key here, you were wrong. No, it’s actually charming them to come out of the ground by themselves. Believe it or not, there are a set of rules when it comes to worm charming such as you are allowed to dance, sing, even tap dancing as long as you don’t dig for the worms.

You must already think this is a joke, however, just try and tell that to the people from Willaston and see what happens. On a second thought, you might want to reconsider that since this is the place where the World Worm Charming Championships take place and you can be certain there are quite a lot serios competitors here.

The competition takes place starting 1980 and each competitor gets a 3 by 3 piece of land to try and charm as many worms as possible. It goes without saying that  playing online casino pokies  would be a far better option and it will definitely come with more rewards, however, you simply can’t judge people by their traditions.

The Queen’s Speech 

The Queen’s Speech, or in a lengthier title the Speech from the Throne, is a speech made by the reigning monarch at the state opening of the Parliament. Here, the queen addresses the legislature and speaks about the government agenda.

The speech is usually penned by the monarch’s advisors, with the queen having the final decision on its contents.

There have been instances that the queen will not be able to deliver her speech for some reason. In the United Kingdom, the reigning monarch can freely choose a delegate to represent her through the speech.

Extra, extra: One of the British Christmas traditions is the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day around 3 pm.  This is when the reigning monarch will send her/his festive wishes and message to the public from the comfort of her own  British palace or castle .

  Boxing Day 

Boxing day is the day after Christmas, December 26 th .

It is counted as an official bank holiday in the UK and Ireland.

A lot has been thought of to have birthed such unusual British tradition and celebration, one of which is the idea that this day is allotted for gift-giving to the less fortunate or – simply put – people not of equal ranking.

What really happens during this day nowadays, though, is that people gather to relish the leftovers from yesterday’s festivities. It is also said to be the time to relax and rest from the holiday prances and parties.

Extra, extra: What’s in the “box?” Surely, it’s not about the sport. Some say the name of this British Christmas tradition came from another term for presents – the Christmas box. Others say it was from those boxes found in churches, filled with charitable goods and opened the day after Christmas. Another British Christmas tradition that is present in every household table during the festive cheers is the most loved British Christmas Crackers that have  little tiny gifts  and awful jokes inside each cracker.

Sports 

A lot of famous sports that are now widely enjoyed actually have British roots. Cricket, football, lawn tennis, rugby and golf to name but a few. The most popular sport in the UK is football. Each country has its own national team. They compete with other teams from around the globe in different world tournaments such as the well-known  FIFA World Cup . As people take the utmost pride in their countries being represented, fans tend to get all worked up with the competitions.

Aside from the international arena, football is also celebrated in local areas, with people playing in their local parks all across the land.

Extra, extra: Football may be famous in England, but it isn’t its national sport: cricket is.

Red Phone Box 

Probably one of the most recognizable British icons out there is the red telephone box. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1924 and was launched by the post office as the K2 two years after. It was later on redesigned to the K6 in honour of King George V’s silver jubilee. This version is probably the most identifiable of all the models. Due to the rise in the ownership of mobile phones among the population, the usage of the red telephone box has greatly declined over the past years. With the desire to preserve British heritage in mind, the K6 has now welcomed more diverse purposes for its space. From being a salad stop to housing a library of books, ingenious ways are sprouting up to save this icon from total extinction.

Extra, extra: Around 2000 red telephone boxes have been listed

as proper buildings.

No matter how weird or bizarre some traditions may seem for people outside the country that respects them, you should always keep in mind that these are ways of keeping the cultural heritage alive as well as a big part of maintaining identity in this overly

globalized world.