12 Weird and Mind-Blowing Facts about UK You Haven’t Heard
To tell the truth, knowing that London is the capital of Great Britain isn’t enough sometimes. That’s why it’s worth checking out the list of the weirdest and most interesting facts about the United Kingdom.
Enrich your knowledge with Nexter.
French was the official language
Source: vokrug
For over 300 years, French was the official language of the country. If you wonder, why there are so many strange words of French origin in English, that’s the reason.
The part of French words in English is 30%. Latin words are also a big part of English vocabulary – 30%
Special words for meat
Source: foodandwine.com
With the Norman invasion, much changed in England and the language.
Compare the name of the animals eaten by Norman noble people and Anglo-Saxon peasants: beef – cow, mutton – sheep, veal – calf, pork – pig.
2-hour ride to the seaside
Source: express.co.uk
Have you ever dreamt to live close to the seaside? In Great Britain with almost 8,000 miles of shoreline, it’s possible!
Any point in UK is no more than 75 miles away from a beach. That’s why you can take a swim every weekend if you want.
Chicken will take over Buckingham Palace
Source: chicksinhats
Quite interesting that there are much more chickens in UK than human beings. But Nexter thinks it’s more chickens than humans in any part of the world.
Rihanna’s “Umbrella” is most popular song
Source: aceshowbiz.com
Actually, it’s not and sounds a little bit like a stereotype. But, in fact, citizens of London lose more than 80,000 umbrellas in a year.
Can’t imagine what will be the number, if we take the whole country.
Legal drinking age is 5 years old
Source: expats.cz
According to GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/alcohol-young-people-law, It is legal for 5-year old children to drink alcohol at home or in other private areas.
If you’re 16 or under, you may be able to go to a pub with an adult.
Princes William and Harry took part in Star Wars
Source: digitalspyuk.cdnds.net
Both princes have cameo roles as stormtroopers in a new part of Star Wars series – The Last Jedi.
The cast stated it was “a great experience” to shoot the scene with the princes and a “strange contrast of a weird family”.
Germans might be jealous
Source: ogwenvalleybunkhouse.co.uk
If we say “Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwlllllandysiliogogogoch”, will it make sense to you?
If so, you are probably acquainted with the names of Welsh towns. Written in both English and Welsh, it looks really disturbing and funny.
A strong motivation to live longer than 100 years
Source: i.cbc.ca
Live up to 100 and get a card from the Queen herself! Also, you can request a personalised greeting card every birthday after the 100th one.
Dream of a bookworm
Source: netdna-cdn.com
It’s believed London has the biggest library – British Library – in the world. You can find more than 170 million items in its catalogue.
Sandwich comes from UK
Source: cloudfront.net
According to the legend, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, was an inveterate gambler who asked to serve him cold beef between two slices of toasted bread while he was playing, so he wouldn’t get his hands dirty.
Brit-music will rock the world
Source: hiddenjams.com
UK is the place where a lot of famous music bands were born: the Smiths, Joy Division and New Order, Queen, The Cure, Black Sabbath, IAMX, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Muse, Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, and more!
See also:
- 11 Fascinating Facts You Don’t Know About US
- 7 Hilarious and Weird US Christmas Traditions We Sure You Don’t Know
- 4 US Cities Are In TOP 10 Most Affordable Places For Housing
