[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":665},["ShallowReactive",2],{"entries:explore_category":3,"entries:fact":585},{"entries":4},[5,54,94,134,167,200,241,281,315,349,382,436,488,540],{"id":6,"group":7,"intro":8,"title":9,"entries":10},"inventors","people","Ideas from these people changed how the whole world travels, heals and communicates.","Inventors and scientists",[11,19,26,33,40,47],{"name":12,"label":13,"summary":14,"references":15},"Isaac Newton","1643-1727","Newton was an English mathematician and physicist. In 1687 he published the Principia, which explained gravity and the laws of motion. He also showed that white light is made of all the colours of the rainbow.",[16],{"url":17,"kind":18,"title":12},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FIsaac_Newton","wikipedia",{"name":20,"label":21,"summary":22,"references":23},"James Watt","1736-1819","Watt was a Scottish engineer. He made the steam engine far more efficient by adding a separate condenser. His engines powered factories and mines during the Industrial Revolution, and the unit of power, the watt, is named after him.",[24],{"url":25,"kind":18,"title":20},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FJames_Watt",{"name":27,"label":28,"summary":29,"references":30},"George Stephenson","1781-1848","Stephenson built some of the first steam railway locomotives. He was engineer of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (1825) and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830). He is often called the father of the railways.",[31],{"url":32,"kind":18,"title":27},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FGeorge_Stephenson",{"name":34,"label":35,"summary":36,"references":37},"Alexander Fleming","1881-1955","Fleming was a Scottish doctor and scientist. In 1928 he noticed that a mould killed bacteria in his laboratory, and so discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic. He shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.",[38],{"url":39,"kind":18,"title":34},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FAlexander_Fleming",{"name":41,"label":42,"summary":43,"references":44},"John Logie Baird","1888-1946","Baird was a Scottish engineer. In 1926 he gave the first public demonstration of a working television system in London. The BBC later used his system for its first television broadcasts.",[45],{"url":46,"kind":18,"title":41},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FJohn_Logie_Baird",{"name":48,"label":49,"summary":50,"references":51},"Tim Berners-Lee","Born 1955","Berners-Lee is an English computer scientist. While working at CERN in 1989 he proposed the World Wide Web, and by 1990 he had built the first web browser and web server. He chose not to patent it, so anyone could use it.",[52],{"url":53,"kind":18,"title":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTim_Berners-Lee",{"id":55,"group":7,"intro":56,"title":57,"entries":58},"writers","Their books, plays and poems are read all over the world and are part of everyday language.","Writers and poets",[59,66,73,80,87],{"name":60,"label":61,"summary":62,"references":63},"William Shakespeare","1564-1616","Shakespeare was a playwright and poet from Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 37 plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth, and many sonnets. Many phrases we still use, such as “a heart of gold”, come from his work.",[64],{"url":65,"kind":18,"title":60},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWilliam_Shakespeare",{"name":67,"label":68,"summary":69,"references":70},"Robert Burns","1759-1796","Burns is the national poet of Scotland and wrote in the Scots language as well as English. His song Auld Lang Syne is sung around the world at New Year. Scots celebrate Burns Night on his birthday, 25 January.",[71],{"url":72,"kind":18,"title":67},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRobert_Burns",{"name":74,"label":75,"summary":76,"references":77},"Jane Austen","1775-1817","Austen was an English novelist. Her books, such as Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma, describe family life and marriage with gentle humour. They are still read widely and often made into films.",[78],{"url":79,"kind":18,"title":74},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FJane_Austen",{"name":81,"label":82,"summary":83,"references":84},"Charles Dickens","1812-1870","Dickens was the most popular novelist of the Victorian age. Books such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol showed the hard lives of poor people in industrial cities. His stories helped to push for social reform.",[85],{"url":86,"kind":18,"title":81},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FCharles_Dickens",{"name":88,"label":89,"summary":90,"references":91},"Dylan Thomas","1914-1953","Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer. His best-known works are the poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and the radio play Under Milk Wood, set in a small Welsh fishing town.",[92],{"url":93,"kind":18,"title":88},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FDylan_Thomas",{"id":95,"group":7,"intro":96,"title":97,"entries":98},"leaders","Monarchs and Prime Ministers who led the country at important moments.","Leaders and politicians",[99,106,113,120,127],{"name":100,"label":101,"summary":102,"references":103},"Elizabeth I","Reigned 1558-1603","Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII. During her reign England defeated the Spanish Armada and the arts flourished, with writers such as Shakespeare. She never married, and her time is often called the Elizabethan age.",[104],{"url":105,"kind":18,"title":100},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FElizabeth_I",{"name":107,"label":108,"summary":109,"references":110},"Robert Walpole","Prime Minister 1721-1742","Walpole is seen as the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. He led the government for over 20 years, longer than anyone since. Number 10 Downing Street was first given to him.",[111],{"url":112,"kind":18,"title":107},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRobert_Walpole",{"name":114,"label":115,"summary":116,"references":117},"Queen Victoria","Reigned 1837-1901","Victoria reigned for almost 64 years. In her time Britain built railways and factories and became the centre of a large empire. The period is called the Victorian age.",[118],{"url":119,"kind":18,"title":114},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FQueen_Victoria",{"name":121,"label":122,"summary":123,"references":124},"Winston Churchill","1874-1965","Churchill became Prime Minister in 1940, when Britain stood almost alone against Nazi Germany. His speeches gave people courage during the Second World War. He served as Prime Minister again from 1951 to 1955 and won the Nobel Prize in Literature.",[125],{"url":126,"kind":18,"title":121},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWinston_Churchill",{"name":128,"label":129,"summary":130,"references":131},"Margaret Thatcher","1925-2013","Thatcher was the first woman to be Prime Minister of the UK, from 1979 to 1990. Her government sold many state-owned industries and reduced the power of trade unions. Her policies are still debated today.",[132],{"url":133,"kind":18,"title":128},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMargaret_Thatcher",{"id":135,"group":7,"intro":136,"title":137,"entries":138},"heroes","People who showed courage in war, or who fought for others to be treated fairly.","Heroes and campaigners",[139,146,153,160],{"name":140,"label":141,"summary":142,"references":143},"Horatio Nelson","1758-1805","Nelson was an admiral of the Royal Navy. In 1805 he defeated the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar but was killed during the battle. His statue stands on top of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London.",[144],{"url":145,"kind":18,"title":140},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHoratio_Nelson,_1st_Viscount_Nelson",{"name":147,"label":148,"summary":149,"references":150},"William Wilberforce","1759-1833","Wilberforce was a Member of Parliament who campaigned for years against the slave trade. Parliament abolished the trade in 1807. Slavery itself was abolished across most of the British Empire by a law passed just before his death in 1833.",[151],{"url":152,"kind":18,"title":147},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWilliam_Wilberforce",{"name":154,"label":155,"summary":156,"references":157},"Florence Nightingale","1820-1910","Nightingale nursed wounded soldiers in the Crimean War and improved hygiene in army hospitals. In 1860 she set up a nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. She is seen as the founder of modern nursing.",[158],{"url":159,"kind":18,"title":154},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFlorence_Nightingale",{"name":161,"label":162,"summary":163,"references":164},"Emmeline Pankhurst","1858-1928","Pankhurst led the suffragettes, who campaigned for women’s right to vote. In 1903 she founded the Women’s Social and Political Union. Women won the vote on equal terms with men in 1928, the year she died.",[165],{"url":166,"kind":18,"title":161},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FEmmeline_Pankhurst",{"id":168,"group":7,"intro":169,"title":170,"entries":171},"artists","Painters, composers and bands whose work is known far beyond the UK.","Artists and musicians",[172,179,186,193],{"name":173,"label":174,"summary":175,"references":176},"Henry Purcell","1659-1695","Purcell was one of the greatest English composers. He wrote church music and music for the theatre, and his Dido and Aeneas is one of the earliest English operas.",[177],{"url":178,"kind":18,"title":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHenry_Purcell",{"name":180,"label":181,"summary":182,"references":183},"J. M. W. Turner","1775-1851","Turner was a painter famous for landscapes and seas full of light and weather. His painting The Fighting Temeraire is one of the best-loved pictures in Britain. His face appears on the £20 note.",[184],{"url":185,"kind":18,"title":180},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FJ._M._W._Turner",{"name":187,"label":188,"summary":189,"references":190},"Edward Elgar","1857-1934","Elgar was an English composer. His Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 is played at the Last Night of the Proms, sung with the words Land of Hope and Glory. He also wrote the Enigma Variations.",[191],{"url":192,"kind":18,"title":187},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FEdward_Elgar",{"name":194,"label":195,"summary":196,"references":197},"The Beatles","Formed 1960","The Beatles were a band from Liverpool: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. In the 1960s they became one of the most successful bands in history, and they changed popular music around the world.",[198],{"url":199,"kind":18,"title":194},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FThe_Beatles",{"id":201,"group":202,"intro":203,"title":204,"entries":205},"cities","places","The four capitals, and a city that helped start the Industrial Revolution.","Cities",[206,213,220,227,234],{"name":207,"label":208,"summary":209,"references":210},"London","Capital of England and the UK","London is the largest city in the UK. It is home to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. It has hosted the Olympic Games three times: in 1908, 1948 and 2012.",[211],{"url":212,"kind":18,"title":207},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FLondon",{"name":214,"label":215,"summary":216,"references":217},"Edinburgh","Capital of Scotland","Edinburgh is built around a castle on an old volcanic rock. The Scottish Parliament meets at Holyrood. Every August the city hosts a huge arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.",[218],{"url":219,"kind":18,"title":214},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FEdinburgh",{"name":221,"label":222,"summary":223,"references":224},"Cardiff","Capital of Wales","Cardiff grew rich in the 1800s by shipping coal from the Welsh valleys. Today the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, meets in Cardiff Bay, and the Principality Stadium hosts big rugby matches.",[225],{"url":226,"kind":18,"title":221},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FCardiff",{"name":228,"label":229,"summary":230,"references":231},"Belfast","Capital of Northern Ireland","Belfast was a centre of shipbuilding and linen. The Titanic was built in its Harland and Wolff shipyard. The Northern Ireland Assembly meets at Stormont, on the east side of the city.",[232],{"url":233,"kind":18,"title":228},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBelfast",{"name":235,"label":236,"summary":237,"references":238},"Manchester","North-west England","Manchester became a world centre of cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830, was one of the first passenger railways. Today the city is known for football, music and universities.",[239],{"url":240,"kind":18,"title":235},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FManchester",{"id":242,"group":202,"intro":243,"title":244,"entries":245},"waters","The longest rivers and the largest lakes of the four nations.","Rivers and lakes",[246,253,260,267,274],{"name":247,"label":248,"summary":249,"references":250},"River Severn","Wales and England","At about 354 km, the Severn is the longest river in the UK. It rises in the mountains of mid-Wales and flows through Shrewsbury and Gloucester into the Bristol Channel. Its estuary has one of the biggest tides in the world.",[251],{"url":252,"kind":18,"title":247},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRiver_Severn",{"name":254,"label":255,"summary":256,"references":257},"River Thames","Southern England","The Thames is about 346 km long and the longest river entirely in England. It flows through Oxford and London to the North Sea. For centuries it was London’s main route for trade.",[258],{"url":259,"kind":18,"title":254},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRiver_Thames",{"name":261,"label":262,"summary":263,"references":264},"Loch Ness","Scottish Highlands","Loch Ness is long, narrow and very deep. It holds more fresh water than any other lake in Great Britain. It is famous for the legend of a monster called Nessie.",[265],{"url":266,"kind":18,"title":261},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FLoch_Ness",{"name":268,"label":269,"summary":270,"references":271},"Lough Neagh","Northern Ireland","Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the UK by area, at almost 400 square kilometres. Five of the six counties of Northern Ireland touch its shores, and it supplies much of the region’s drinking water.",[272],{"url":273,"kind":18,"title":268},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FLough_Neagh",{"name":275,"label":276,"summary":277,"references":278},"Windermere","Lake District, England","Windermere is the largest natural lake in England, about 18 km long. It lies in the Lake District National Park and has been a popular place for holidays since the railway arrived in the 1840s.",[279],{"url":280,"kind":18,"title":275},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWindermere",{"id":282,"group":202,"intro":283,"title":284,"entries":285},"mountains","The highest point of each of the four nations.","Mountains",[286,293,301,308],{"name":287,"label":288,"summary":289,"references":290},"Ben Nevis","1,345 m, Scotland","Ben Nevis, near Fort William, is the highest mountain in the UK. Thousands of people walk to its summit each year, but the weather at the top can change quickly and is often cold and cloudy.",[291],{"url":292,"kind":18,"title":287},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBen_Nevis",{"name":294,"label":295,"summary":296,"references":297},"Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)","1,085 m, Wales","Yr Wyddfa is the highest mountain in Wales and the centre of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. A mountain railway, opened in 1896, carries visitors close to the summit.",[298],{"url":299,"kind":18,"title":300},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FSnowdon","Snowdon",{"name":302,"label":303,"summary":304,"references":305},"Scafell Pike","978 m, England","Scafell Pike, in the Lake District, is the highest mountain in England. Together with Ben Nevis and Yr Wyddfa it forms the National Three Peaks Challenge, often done for charity.",[306],{"url":307,"kind":18,"title":302},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FScafell_Pike",{"name":309,"label":310,"summary":311,"references":312},"Slieve Donard","850 m, Northern Ireland","Slieve Donard is the highest of the Mourne Mountains and of Northern Ireland. From the top, on a clear day, you can see across the sea to Scotland and the Isle of Man.",[313],{"url":314,"kind":18,"title":309},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FSlieve_Donard",{"id":316,"group":202,"intro":317,"title":318,"entries":319},"parks","Protected landscapes that everyone can visit for walking and outdoor activities.","National parks",[320,327,333,341],{"name":321,"label":322,"summary":323,"references":324},"Peak District","England, since 1951","The Peak District was the first national park in the UK, created in 1951. It lies between Manchester and Sheffield and has moors, limestone valleys and caves. Millions of people live within an hour of it.",[325],{"url":326,"kind":18,"title":321},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FPeak_District",{"name":328,"label":322,"summary":329,"references":330},"Lake District","The Lake District is England’s largest national park, with lakes, fells and small stone villages. Its landscape inspired poets such as William Wordsworth. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.",[331],{"url":332,"kind":18,"title":328},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FLake_District",{"name":334,"label":335,"summary":336,"references":337},"Eryri (Snowdonia)","Wales, since 1951","Eryri is the largest national park in Wales and includes Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales. Many people in the area speak Welsh as their first language.",[338],{"url":339,"kind":18,"title":340},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FSnowdonia","Snowdonia",{"name":342,"label":343,"summary":344,"references":345},"Loch Lomond and the Trossachs","Scotland, since 2002","This was Scotland’s first national park. It includes Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Great Britain by area, and hills and forests close to Glasgow.",[346],{"url":347,"kind":18,"title":348},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FLoch_Lomond_and_The_Trossachs_National_Park","Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park",{"id":350,"group":202,"intro":351,"title":352,"entries":353},"wonders","Coasts and rocks that took millions of years to form.","Natural wonders",[354,361,368,375],{"name":355,"label":356,"summary":357,"references":358},"Giant’s Causeway","County Antrim, Northern Ireland","About 40,000 stone columns, most with six sides, fit together like a pavement into the sea. They formed when lava cooled about 60 million years ago. A legend says a giant built it to walk to Scotland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.",[359],{"url":360,"kind":18,"title":355},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FGiant%27s_Causeway",{"name":362,"label":363,"summary":364,"references":365},"Jurassic Coast","Dorset and East Devon, England","This 95-mile coast shows rocks from about 185 million years of the Earth’s history. Fossils of dinosaurs and sea creatures are often found on its beaches. It became England’s first natural World Heritage Site in 2001.",[366],{"url":367,"kind":18,"title":362},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FJurassic_Coast",{"name":369,"label":370,"summary":371,"references":372},"White Cliffs of Dover","Kent, England","These chalk cliffs face France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. For travellers arriving by sea they have long been a symbol of home, especially during the Second World War.",[373],{"url":374,"kind":18,"title":369},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWhite_Cliffs_of_Dover",{"name":376,"label":377,"summary":378,"references":379},"Fingal’s Cave","Isle of Staffa, Scotland","A sea cave made of the same kind of columns as the Giant’s Causeway. The sound of the waves inside inspired the composer Felix Mendelssohn to write The Hebrides overture in 1830.",[380],{"url":381,"kind":18,"title":376},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFingal%27s_Cave",{"id":383,"group":384,"intro":385,"title":386,"entries":387},"turning-points","history","Moments that changed who ruled and how the country was put together.","Turning points",[388,396,404,412,420,428],{"name":389,"label":390,"summary":391,"references":392},"The Romans arrive","AD 43","Emperor Claudius sent an army to Britain. The Romans ruled much of it for almost 400 years, building roads, towns and baths. In 122 they began Hadrian’s Wall to mark their northern border.",[393],{"url":394,"kind":18,"title":395},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRoman_Britain","Roman Britain",{"name":397,"label":398,"summary":399,"references":400},"The Norman Conquest","1066","William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became King of England. The Normans built castles, and their French language changed English. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story.",[401],{"url":402,"kind":18,"title":403},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FNorman_Conquest","Norman Conquest",{"name":405,"label":406,"summary":407,"references":408},"The Church of England","1534","Henry VIII broke with the Pope in Rome when he was not allowed to end his first marriage. Parliament made the king head of a new Church of England. Today the monarch is still its Supreme Governor.",[409],{"url":410,"kind":18,"title":411},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FEnglish_Reformation","English Reformation",{"name":413,"label":414,"summary":415,"references":416},"Great Britain is formed","1707","The Acts of Union joined England and Wales with Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britain, with one Parliament in London. Scotland kept its own legal system, education and church.",[417],{"url":418,"kind":18,"title":419},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FActs_of_Union_1707","Acts of Union 1707",{"name":421,"label":422,"summary":423,"references":424},"The United Kingdom","1801","Ireland joined to make the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After a war of independence, most of Ireland left in 1922, and Northern Ireland stayed in the UK.",[425],{"url":426,"kind":18,"title":427},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FActs_of_Union_1800","Acts of Union 1800",{"name":429,"label":430,"summary":431,"references":432},"Devolution","1999","The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly (now the Senedd) began work, and the Northern Ireland Assembly followed the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. They decide many local matters, such as health and education.",[433],{"url":434,"kind":18,"title":435},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FDevolution_in_the_United_Kingdom","Devolution in the United Kingdom",{"id":437,"group":384,"intro":438,"title":439,"entries":440},"wars","Fighting that decided the country’s borders, freedom and place in the world.","Wars and battles",[441,448,456,464,472,480],{"name":442,"label":443,"summary":444,"references":445},"Battle of Bannockburn","1314","Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, defeated a much larger English army near Stirling. The victory helped Scotland stay independent from England for almost 300 more years.",[446],{"url":447,"kind":18,"title":442},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBattle_of_Bannockburn",{"name":449,"label":450,"summary":451,"references":452},"The Spanish Armada","1588","Spain sent a great fleet to invade England in the reign of Elizabeth I. English ships and bad storms defeated it, and only about half the Spanish ships returned home.",[453],{"url":454,"kind":18,"title":455},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FSpanish_Armada","Spanish Armada",{"name":457,"label":458,"summary":459,"references":460},"The English Civil War","1642-1651","King Charles I fought Parliament over who should hold power. Parliament won, the king was executed in 1649, and Oliver Cromwell ruled for some years. The monarchy returned in 1660.",[461],{"url":462,"kind":18,"title":463},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FEnglish_Civil_War","English Civil War",{"name":465,"label":466,"summary":467,"references":468},"Trafalgar and Waterloo","1805 and 1815","Nelson’s fleet won at Trafalgar in 1805, and the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. These victories ended the long wars with France and made Britain the leading sea power.",[469],{"url":470,"kind":18,"title":471},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBattle_of_Waterloo","Battle of Waterloo",{"name":473,"label":474,"summary":475,"references":476},"The First World War","1914-1918","Britain and its empire fought Germany and its allies. Millions of soldiers fought in trenches in France and Belgium, and hundreds of thousands of British soldiers died. Remembrance Day on 11 November marks the end of the fighting.",[477],{"url":478,"kind":18,"title":479},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWorld_War_I","First World War",{"name":481,"label":482,"summary":483,"references":484},"The Battle of Britain","1940","In the Second World War the Royal Air Force fought the German air force over southern England. Its victory stopped a German invasion. Churchill said of the pilots: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”",[485],{"url":486,"kind":18,"title":487},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBattle_of_Britain","Battle of Britain",{"id":489,"group":384,"intro":490,"title":491,"entries":492},"rights","How power moved from the monarch to Parliament, and the vote to every adult.","Rights and reforms",[493,500,508,516,524,532],{"name":494,"label":495,"summary":496,"references":497},"Magna Carta","1215","Barons forced King John to agree to Magna Carta. It said that even the king had to follow the law, and that free men could not be punished without a fair legal process.",[498],{"url":499,"kind":18,"title":494},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMagna_Carta",{"name":501,"label":502,"summary":503,"references":504},"The Bill of Rights","1689","After the Glorious Revolution, William III and Mary II accepted the Bill of Rights. It limited the power of the monarch and confirmed that Parliament makes the laws and controls taxes.",[505],{"url":506,"kind":18,"title":507},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBill_of_Rights_1689","Bill of Rights 1689",{"name":509,"label":510,"summary":511,"references":512},"Ending the slave trade","1807 and 1833","In 1807 Parliament banned the slave trade in the British Empire. In 1833 it passed a law that ended slavery in most of the empire. Campaigners such as William Wilberforce and formerly enslaved people such as Olaudah Equiano helped win the change.",[513],{"url":514,"kind":18,"title":515},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FSlave_Trade_Act_1807","Slave Trade Act 1807",{"name":517,"label":518,"summary":519,"references":520},"The Great Reform Act","1832","This law gave the vote to more men and gave seats in Parliament to the new industrial towns. Later acts slowly gave the vote to working men as well.",[521],{"url":522,"kind":18,"title":523},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FReform_Act_1832","Reform Act 1832",{"name":525,"label":526,"summary":527,"references":528},"Votes for women","1918 and 1928","In 1918 women over 30 who met certain conditions could vote. In 1928 women won the vote at 21, the same age as men. In 1969 the voting age for everyone was lowered to 18.",[529],{"url":530,"kind":18,"title":531},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRepresentation_of_the_People_Act_1918","Representation of the People Act 1918",{"name":533,"label":534,"summary":535,"references":536},"The welfare state","1948","After the Second World War the government started the National Health Service, free for everyone when they need it. Benefits and pensions were also expanded to protect people from poverty.",[537],{"url":538,"kind":18,"title":539},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FNational_Health_Service","National Health Service",{"id":541,"group":384,"intro":542,"title":543,"entries":544},"society","Not every big moment was a battle: these changed how people learn, travel and spend their time.","Science, culture and everyday life",[545,553,561,569,577],{"name":546,"label":547,"summary":548,"references":549},"The Royal Society","1660","Scientists in London founded the Royal Society to share experiments and new ideas. It is the oldest scientific academy still working today. Isaac Newton was later its president.",[550],{"url":551,"kind":18,"title":552},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRoyal_Society","Royal Society",{"name":554,"label":555,"summary":556,"references":557},"The age of the railway","1825-1850","The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825, and within 25 years railways linked most big towns. People could travel and send goods far faster than ever, and time across Britain was standardised to railway time.",[558],{"url":559,"kind":18,"title":560},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHistory_of_rail_transport_in_Great_Britain","History of rail transport in Great Britain",{"name":562,"label":563,"summary":564,"references":565},"The Great Exhibition","1851","Prince Albert helped organise a huge show of inventions and products from around the world in the Crystal Palace, a building of glass and iron in Hyde Park. About six million people visited.",[566],{"url":567,"kind":18,"title":568},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FGreat_Exhibition","Great Exhibition",{"name":570,"label":571,"summary":572,"references":573},"The BBC","1922","The British Broadcasting Company started radio broadcasts in 1922 and became a public corporation in 1927. It began regular television broadcasts in 1936.",[574],{"url":575,"kind":18,"title":576},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBBC","BBC",{"name":578,"label":579,"summary":580,"references":581},"London 2012","2012","London hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games and became the first city to host the summer Olympics three times. The Paralympic movement itself began in England, at Stoke Mandeville hospital, in 1948.",[582],{"url":583,"kind":18,"title":584},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002F2012_Summer_Olympics","2012 Summer Olympics",{"entries":586},[587,595,602,610,620,627,634,644,651,658],{"id":588,"fact":589,"sources":590,"checkedAt":594},"uk-big-ben","“Big Ben” is the nickname of the Great Bell, not of the tower. The tower was named Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.",[591],{"url":592,"kind":18,"title":593},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBig_Ben","Big Ben","2026-11-05",{"id":596,"fact":597,"sources":598,"checkedAt":594},"uk-constitution","The UK has no single written constitution. Its rules come from laws, court decisions and conventions.",[599],{"url":600,"kind":18,"title":601},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FConstitution_of_the_United_Kingdom","Constitution of the United Kingdom",{"id":603,"fact":604,"sources":605,"checkedAt":594},"uk-unicorn","The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn, an animal that never existed.",[606],{"url":607,"kind":608,"title":609},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.historic-uk.com\u002FHistoryUK\u002FHistoryofScotland\u002FThe-Unicorn-Scotlands-National-Animal","other","Historic UK: the unicorn",{"id":611,"fact":612,"sources":613,"checkedAt":594},"uk-underground","London has the world’s oldest underground railway. The first line opened on 10 January 1863, with steam trains.",[614,617],{"url":615,"kind":608,"title":616},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ltmuseum.co.uk\u002Fvisit\u002Fmuseum-guide\u002Fworlds-first-underground","London Transport Museum",{"url":618,"kind":18,"title":619},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMetropolitan_Railway","Metropolitan Railway",{"id":621,"fact":622,"sources":623,"checkedAt":594},"uk-union-flag","Wales is not shown on the Union Flag. The flag combines the crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick.",[624],{"url":625,"kind":18,"title":626},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FUnion_Jack","Union Jack",{"id":628,"fact":629,"sources":630,"checkedAt":594},"uk-penny-black","The world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in the UK in 1840.",[631],{"url":632,"kind":18,"title":633},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FPenny_Black","Penny Black",{"id":635,"fact":636,"sources":637,"checkedAt":594},"uk-wimbledon","Wimbledon, first played in 1877, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.",[638,641],{"url":639,"kind":608,"title":640},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.guinnessworldrecords.com\u002Fworld-records\u002Foldest-surviving-tennis-tournament","Guinness World Records",{"url":642,"kind":18,"title":643},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWimbledon_Championships","Wimbledon Championships",{"id":645,"fact":646,"sources":647,"checkedAt":594},"uk-official-birthday","The monarch has an official birthday in June, marked by the Trooping the Colour parade, as well as a real one.",[648],{"url":649,"kind":18,"title":650},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTrooping_the_Colour","Trooping the Colour",{"id":652,"fact":653,"sources":654,"checkedAt":594},"uk-stonehenge","Stonehenge was built in stages starting around 3000 BC, centuries before the Egyptian pyramids of Giza.",[655],{"url":656,"kind":18,"title":657},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FStonehenge","Stonehenge",{"id":659,"fact":660,"sources":661,"checkedAt":594},"uk-benches","The benches in the House of Commons are green, and those in the House of Lords are red.",[662],{"url":663,"kind":18,"title":664},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FHouse_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom","House of Commons",1794177772429]