50 Historical Facts About Pre-1900s Britain

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26Snake-Filled Banking Idea

Snake-Filled Banking Idea

In the midst of a financial crisis in 1720, the British parliament deliberated a resolution suggesting that bankers be placed in sacks with snakes and then dumped into the Thames River.


27. While the curative potential of lemons for scurvy was documented in 1753, the British Admiralty only implemented this knowledge in 1793. The Merchant Navy, on the other hand, ignored this discovery until 1867.


28. Joseph Bazalgette, the man who designed London's sewer system in the 1860s, made the strategic decision to double the pipe's diameter, stating, 'We're only going to do this once, and there's always the unforeseen.' This foresight prevented overflow issues in the 1960s, and his sewer system remains functional to this day.


29. During the cholera outbreak in London in the 1830s, one prescribed cure was to inject turpentine and mutton stew into the anus.


30. The Shire horse breed emerged as the "Great Horse" during King Henry VIII's reign. In 1535 and 1541, legislation was enacted to prohibit the breeding of horses under 15 hands in height (60" at the shoulder) and to ban the export of horses, even to Scotland.


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31Accessible Legal Justice

Accessible Legal Justice

England established a "Court of Requests" during the 15th century with the intention of offering expedited and more cost-effective legal remedies for individuals with limited means. This court faced opposition from traditional legal institutions and practitioners due to its efficiency and affordability, and some sources attribute its founding to Richard III.


32. In response to the northern rebellion in England, William I ordered the wholesale slaughter of inhabitants in the northern shires. He also commanded the destruction of food, homes, crops, tools, and livestock, leaving survivors to freeze or starve.


33. The Greensted Church stands as the oldest wooden church in the world, located in Essex, England. It also holds the distinction of being England's oldest wooden building. This structure has endured for 1200 years, though multiple renovations over the centuries have left little of its original construction.


34. Louis IX of France gifted an elephant to Henry III of England in 1255. Housed in the Tower of London, the elephant enjoyed a diet of prime cuts of beef and expensive red wine. Rumors suggest that the elephant died in 1257 due to excessive wine consumption.


35. In 1810, the United Kingdom had a total of 220 crimes punishable by death, including peculiar offenses such as "being in the company of gypsies for one month."


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36Poisoned Sweet Tragedy

Poisoned Sweet Tragedy

In 1858, more than 200 people in England were poisoned with arsenic after consuming accidentally contaminated sweets. Tragically, 21 of them lost their lives. This incident contributed to the passage of the 1868 Pharmacy Act in the United Kingdom, along with legislation addressing food adulteration.


37. England once implemented a "window tax." People resisted disclosing their income as an invasion of privacy, leading to taxation based on the number of windows in a house, starting in 1696. In response, individuals bricked up their windows. Some of them can still be seen today.


38. The "Great Stink" plagued London during the summer of 1858. A heat wave combined with an inadequate sewer system caused the area to reek of human waste for weeks. This crisis prompted a 17-year overhaul of the sewer system.


39. The origins of left-side driving trace back to medieval England, where knights rode their horses on the left side of the road, ensuring their sword hand was positioned correctly to confront an enemy. Many countries driving on the left today were once English colonies.


40. Pubs in England boast peculiar names due to medieval illiteracy. People recognized symbols better, leading to names like "Boot and Castle" or "Fox and Hound."

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