Life in the UK — Cheatsheet (Based on Your Failed Questions)
1. Population Milestones
| Year |
Population |
Note |
| 1600 |
4 million |
|
| 1700 |
5 million |
|
| 1801 |
8 million |
First census |
| 1851 |
20 million |
Industrial Revolution |
| 1901 |
40 million |
Start of 20th century, Victoria dies |
| 1951 |
50 million |
Post WW2 |
| 1998 |
57 million |
Good Friday Agreement year |
| 2005 |
~60m |
Just under 60m |
| 2010s |
60m+ |
Current ~67m |
- Census every 10 years (except 1941 — WW2)
- 2011 census: 59% Christian, 25% no religion
- Post-war immigration: nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK
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2. Key Places
National Parks
| Park |
Country |
Note |
| Lake District |
England |
Largest in England, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Cairngorms |
Scotland |
Largest in UK |
| Snowdonia |
North Wales |
|
| Loch Lomond & Trossachs |
Scotland |
720 square miles in the west of Scotland |
| South Downs |
England |
Smallest/newest |
Rivers & Mountains
| Feature |
Name |
Location |
| Longest river |
River Severn |
England/Wales |
| Second longest |
River Thames |
England |
| Highest mountain |
Ben Nevis |
Scotland |
| Highest in England |
Scafell Pike |
Lake District |
| Highest in Wales |
Snowdon |
Snowdonia |
Famous Landmarks by Nation
| Landmark |
Nation |
Note |
| Stonehenge |
England |
Wiltshire (prehistoric) |
| Lake District |
England |
Cumbria (largest English park) |
| Hadrian's Wall |
England |
northern England (Roman), UNESCO |
| Maiden Castle |
England |
Dorset, hill fort from the Iron Age |
| Houses of Parliament |
England |
London |
| Edinburgh Castle |
Scotland |
capital city |
| Ben Nevis |
Scotland |
highest UK mountain |
| Loch Lomond |
Scotland |
the largest expanse of fresh water in mainland Britain |
| Snowdon |
Wales |
highest Welsh mountain |
| Caernarfon Castle |
Wales |
Edward I (1284) |
| Crathes Castle |
Scotland |
16th-century tower house |
| Inveraray Castle |
Scotland |
18th-century Gothic Revival |
| Stormont |
Northern Ireland |
Northern Ireland Assembly, Belfast |
| Giant's Causeway |
Northern Ireland |
UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed around 50 million years ago |
Famous Gardens
| GARDEN |
NATION |
NOTE |
| Kew Gardens |
ENGLAND (London) |
UNESCO, botanical |
| Sissinghurst |
ENGLAND (Kent) |
white garden |
| Hidcote |
ENGLAND (Glos) |
National Trust |
| Bodnant Garden |
WALES (Conwy) |
National Trust |
| Mount Stewart |
N. IRELAND (Down) |
National Trust |
| Crarae Garden |
SCOTLAND (Argyll) |
woodland garden |
Famous Galleries
| GALLERY |
LOCATION |
| National Gallery |
LONDON (Trafalgar Square) |
| National Portrait Gallery |
LONDON |
| Tate Modern |
LONDON (South Bank) |
| Tate Britain |
LONDON |
| National Gallery Scotland |
EDINBURGH ← tested |
| Kelvingrove Art Gallery |
GLASGOW |
Key London Landmarks
| Landmark |
Note |
| Houses of Parliament |
rebuilt 19th century, Gothic Revival |
| Buckingham Palace |
Royal residence |
| Tower of London |
Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders/Beefeaters |
| The O2 Arena |
music venue, Greenwich |
| Royal Albert Hall |
classical music, Kensington |
| Tate Modern |
art gallery, South Bank |
| St Paul's Cathedral |
Christopher Wren, rebuilt 1666 |
Venues by City
| Venue |
City |
| SEC Centre |
Glasgow |
| The O2 Arena |
London |
| Wembley Stadium |
London |
| Royal Albert Hall |
London |
| Edinburgh Festival |
Edinburgh (every summer) |
Watch out
Longest river → SEVERN (not Thames)
Highest mountain → BEN NEVIS (Scotland, not England)
Largest UK park → CAIRNGORMS (not Lake District)
Largest English park → LAKE DISTRICT
Giant's Causeway → NORTHERN IRELAND (UNESCO)
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3. Patron Saints, Dates & Flowers
Full Table
| Nation |
Patron Saint |
Date |
Flower |
| England |
St George |
23 April |
Rose (red) |
| Scotland |
St Andrew |
30 November |
Thistle |
| Wales |
St David |
1 March |
Daffodil |
| Northern Ireland |
St Patrick |
17 March |
Shamrock |
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4. Religion
Religious Festivals
| Festival |
Religion(s) |
Key Fact |
| Diwali |
Hindu + Sikh |
Festival of Lights, 5 days. Leicester is famouse for Diwali |
| Vaisakhi |
Sikh only |
14 April, Khalsa founding 1699 |
| Eid ul Adha |
Muslim |
Festival of Sacrifice — animal sacrificed, meat shared |
| Eid ul Fitr |
Muslim |
End of Ramadan (month of fasting) which lasts 1 month |
| Hanukkah |
Jewish |
Festival of Lights, November or December for 8 nights, to remember the Jews’ struggle, Menorah (= 8 candles) |
| Wesak/Vesak |
Buddhist |
Buddha's birthday |
| Christmas/Easter |
Christian |
Birth/resurrection of Jesus |
| Hogmanay |
Scottish tradition |
New Year's Eve — bigger than Christmas for some Scots |
The Four Religions — Key Distinctions
|
Muslim |
Hindu |
Sikh |
Jewish |
| God |
One (Allah) |
Many gods |
One (Waheguru) |
One |
| Holy Book |
Quran |
Vedas |
Guru Granth Sahib |
Torah |
| Origin |
Middle East |
India |
Punjab, India |
Middle East |
| Temple |
Mosque |
Mandir |
Gurdwara |
Synagogue |
| Key Festival |
Eid (×2) |
Diwali |
Vaisakhi + Diwali |
Hanukkah |
Critical Distinctions
ONE GOD → Muslim, Sikh, Jewish
MANY GODS → Hindu
DIWALI → Hindu + Sikh (BOTH) ← tested
VAISAKHI → Sikh ONLY ← tested
HANUKKAH → Jewish ONLY ← tested
EID → Muslim ONLY ← tested
DIWALI reasons:
├── Hindu → return of RAMA
└── Sikh → Guru Hargobind FREED
UK Religion Statistics (2011 Census)
| Religion |
Percentage |
| Christian |
59% ← tested |
| No religion |
25% |
| Muslim |
~5% |
| Hindu |
1.5% |
| Sikh |
0.8% |
| Jewish |
0.5% |
| Buddhist |
0.4% |
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5. Ancient Britain
| Era |
Key Facts |
| Stone Age |
Hunter-gatherers, Stonehenge starts |
| Neolithic |
First farmers 6,000 years ago from South West Europe |
| Bronze Age |
4,000 years ago, Roundhouses, buried in tombs/barrows |
| Iron Age |
Hill forts, first coins (kings' names), Celts, Druids |
| Romans (43 AD) |
Roads, Hadrian's Wall (122 AD), towns |
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6. Key Dates & Events
| Year |
Event |
| 6,000 years ago |
First farmers arrive (from South-east Europe) |
| 43 AD |
Romans invade (Emperor Claudius) |
| 122 AD |
Hadrian's Wall built |
| 1066 |
Battle of Hastings — Normans win |
| 1215 |
Magna Carta |
| 1284 |
Statute of Rhuddlan — Edward I annexes Wales |
| 1314 |
Battle of Bannockburn (Scotland vs England) |
| 1348 |
Black Death arrives — kills 1/3 of population |
| 1400 |
English becomes preferred language of court + Parliament |
| 1415 |
Battle of Agincourt (Henry V vs France) |
| 1455 |
Wars of Roses begins |
| 1476 |
William Caxton printed Canterbury Tales |
| 1485 |
Battle of Bosworth Field — Wars of Roses ends |
| 1534 |
Henry VIII breaks from Rome → Church of England |
| 1588 |
Spanish Armada defeated (Elizabeth I) |
| 1605 |
Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament |
| 1649 |
Charles I executed → English Republic |
| 1653 |
Oliver Cromwell becomes LORD PROTECTOR |
| 1660 |
Monarchy restored (Charles II) |
| 1707 |
Act of Union → England + Scotland = Great Britain |
| 1800 |
Act of Union → Great Britain + Ireland = United Kingdom |
| 1815 |
Battle of Waterloo, Duke of Wellington, land battle |
| 1832 |
The Reform Act of 1832, a major political reform that abolished pocket boroughs and rotten boroughs |
| 1834 |
Houses of Parliament fire → rebuilt 19th century |
| 1837 |
Victoria becomes Queen aged 18 |
| 1889 |
Pankhurst founds Women's Franchise League |
| 1901 |
Victoria dies after 63 year reign |
| 1903 |
Pankhurst founds WSPU ("Deeds not Words") |
| 1914–18 |
WW1 — 2 million+ British casualties |
| 1916 |
Battle of Somme — 60,000 casualties day one |
| 1918 |
Women over 30 get the vote |
| 1921–22 |
Ireland partitioned — Northern Ireland Parliament established 1922 |
| 1928 |
All women over 21 get the vote |
| 1933 |
Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany |
| 1939 |
WW2 began |
| 1940 |
Churchill becomes PM |
| 1942 |
Beveridge Report (foundation of WELFARE STATE -> Atlee, FIVE Giants) |
| 1945 |
Labour elected (Attlee) |
| 1948 |
NHS founded (Attlee + Bevan) |
| 1953–1913 |
13 million British emigrate |
| 1957 |
EEC by six western European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) |
| 1960s |
Concorde developed (Britain + France) |
| 1965 |
Death penalty abolished |
| 1967 |
Abortion legalised + homosexuality decriminalised |
| 1969 |
Concorde first flight |
| 1969 |
Divorce Reform Act |
| 1972 |
Northern Ireland Parliament suspended |
| 1973 |
UK joined EEC |
| 1976 |
Concorde enters passenger service |
| 1978 |
IVF — Robert Edwards |
| 1982 |
Falklands War — Thatcher |
| 1993 |
EEC -> EU |
| 1996 |
The first to succeed in cloning a mammal, Dolly the sheep by Sir Ian Wilmot and Keith Campbell |
| 1997 |
Devolution referendums |
| 1998 |
Good Friday Agreement + Scotland/Wales Acts |
| 1999 |
Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Assembly all formed |
| 1999 |
Hereditary peers lose Lords seats |
| 2002 |
Churchill voted greatest Briton (BBC) |
| 2003 |
Iraq War begins (Tony Blair) |
| 2007 |
Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act passed |
| 2008 |
Forced Marriage Orders take effect (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) |
| 2009 |
British troops leave Iraq |
| 2011 |
Forced Marriage Orders extended to Scotland |
| 2014 |
Forced marriage becomes criminal offence |
| 2016 |
Brexit referendum — 23 June — Leave 52% wins |
| 2016 |
Theresa May succeeds Cameron |
| 2020 |
UK officially leaves EU (31 Jan) |
| 2022 |
King Charles III started reining |
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7. Monarchs & Key Rulers
| Monarch |
Reign |
Key Fact |
| Henry VII |
1485–1509 |
First Tudor, House of Lancaster, won Bosworth |
| Henry VIII |
1509–1547 |
6 wives, created Church of England |
| Mary I |
1553–1558 |
Catholic, "Bloody Mary" |
| Elizabeth I |
1558–1603 |
Protestant, Virgin Queen, Armada 1588 |
| Charles I |
– |
Executed 1649 |
| Oliver Cromwell |
1653–1658 |
Lord Protector, English Republic |
| Victoria |
1837–1901 |
Became Queen aged 18, empire 400m+ people |
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8. Wars of the Roses → Tudors
Lancaster (RED) vs York (WHITE)
Henry Tudor beats Richard III
→ Started in 1455
→ Bosworth Field 1485
→ Henry VII = FIRST Tudor
→ Tudor rose = RED + WHITE combined
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9. Henry VIII's Six Wives
The Six Wives
| Order |
Wife |
Fate |
Key Fact |
| 1st |
Catherine of Aragon |
Divorced |
Spanish princess, mother of Mary I, caused Church of England (Henry wanted divorce, Pope refused) |
| 2nd |
Anne Boleyn |
Executed |
Mother of Elizabeth I, accused of adultery, executed at Tower of London |
| 3rd |
Jane Seymour |
Died |
Mother of Edward VI (male heir), died after childbirth |
| 4th |
Anne of Cleves |
Divorced |
Political reasons (German Protestant alliance), Henry found her unattractive, "Flanders Mare" |
| 5th |
Catherine Howard |
Executed |
Accused of adultery, cousin of Anne Boleyn, executed at Tower |
| 6th |
Catherine Parr |
Survived |
Outlived Henry, companionship, NOT related to Anne Boleyn |
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10. Key Battles & Wars
| Battle/War |
Year |
Key People |
Result/Significance |
| Battle of Hastings |
1066 |
William the Conqueror vs King Harold |
Normans WIN → feudalism + castles introduced |
| Battle of Bannockburn |
1314 |
Robert Bruce vs Edward II |
Scotland WINS → Scottish independence secured |
| Battle of Agincourt |
1415 |
Henry V vs France |
England WINS → famous longbow victory, 100 Years War |
| Wars of the Roses |
1455–1485 |
Lancaster (Henry Tudor) vs York (Richard III) |
Lancaster WINS → Tudor dynasty begins |
| Battle of Bosworth Field |
1485 |
Henry Tudor vs Richard III |
Henry Tudor WINS → becomes Henry VII, first Tudor |
| Spanish Armada |
1588 |
Elizabeth I + Drake vs Philip II of Spain |
England WINS → Protestant England secured |
| English Civil War |
1642–1651 |
Charles I (Royalists) vs Parliament (Roundheads) |
Parliament WINS → Charles I executed 1649 |
| Battle of Trafalgar |
1805 |
Admiral Nelson vs French + Spanish |
Britain WINS → Nelson DIES, Napoleon's navy broken |
| Battle of Waterloo |
1815 |
Duke of Wellington vs Napoleon |
Britain WINS → Napoleonic Wars END |
| Battle of the Somme |
1916 |
British vs Germany (WW1) |
60,000 British casualties day one |
| WW1 |
1914–1918 |
Britain vs Germany |
Britain wins → 2 million+ British casualties |
| WW2 |
1939–1945 |
Churchill vs Hitler |
Allies win → D-Day 1944, ends May 1945 |
| Falklands War |
1982 |
Thatcher vs Argentina |
Britain WINS → islands remain British |
| Gulf War |
1991 |
John Major + USA vs Iraq |
Iraq expelled from Kuwait |
| Iraq War |
2003–2009 |
Blair/Brown + USA vs Iraq |
Saddam removed → troops leave 2009 |
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11. Suffragettes
| Year |
Event |
| 1889 |
Women's Franchise League — local elections, married women |
| 1903 |
WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) founded — "Deeds not Words" |
| 1918 |
Women over 30 vote (if property owners) |
| 1928 |
All women over 21 vote, Pankhurst died in the same year |
| 1969 |
The voting age was reduced to 18 for men and women |
- Pankhurst born: Manchester
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12. Slavery & Abolition
Key Timeline
| Year |
Event |
| 18th century |
Britain was a major slave trader — triangular trade |
| 1807 |
Slave TRADE abolished — illegal to buy/sell slaves |
| 1833 |
Slavery ABOLISHED throughout British Empire — Emancipation Act |
| 1834 |
Slaves formally freed |
| 1838 |
Full emancipation completed |
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13. Northern Ireland — Key Timeline
Parliament Timeline
| Year |
Event |
| 1922 |
Ireland partitioned → Northern Ireland Parliament ESTABLISHED at Stormont |
| 1969 |
The Troubles BEGIN — conflict between unionists & nationalists |
| 1972 |
Northern Ireland Parliament SUSPENDED → direct rule from Westminster |
| 1998 |
Good Friday Agreement (Belfast Agreement) signed |
| 1999 |
Northern Ireland Assembly formally OPENED |
| 2007 |
Forced Marriage Protection Orders introduced (England & Wales) |
Good Friday Agreement 1998
GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT
├── Also called → Belfast Agreement
├── Signed → 1998
├── PM → Tony Blair
├── Result → power-sharing assembly
│ └─ unionists + nationalists
│ govern together
└── Opened → 1999 (year after agreement)
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14. Concorde
| Fact |
Detail |
| Developed |
1960s |
| First flight |
1969 |
| Passenger service |
1976 |
| Retired |
2003 |
| Joint project |
Britain + France |
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15. British Inventors & Scientists
| Person |
Invention/Discovery |
| Richard Arkwright |
Inventor of spinning frame → Textile (1760s) |
| James Watt |
Steam engine (Scottish, 1760s) |
| Richard Trevithick |
First steam locomotive (1804) |
| George Stephenson |
First passenger railway — Stockton–Darlington (1825) |
| Isambard Kingdom Brunel |
Great Western Railway, Clifton Bridge, SS Great Britain (1830s–1850s) |
| John McLeod |
Insulin (Scottish, Nobel Prize, 1920s) |
| John Logie Baird |
Television (Scottish, 1920s) |
| Alexander Fleming |
Penicillin (1928) |
| Sir Frank Whittle |
Jet engine (1930s) |
| Sir Robert Watson-Watt |
Radar (Scottish, 1935) |
| Alan Turing |
Computer science + codebreaking (1940s) |
| Sir Christopher Cockerell |
Hovercraft (1950s) |
| Francis Crick |
DNA (1953) |
| James Goodfellow |
ATM (automatic teller machine) or ‘cashpoint’ (1960s) |
| Sir Peter Mansfield |
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, 1970s) |
| Sir Robert Edwards |
IVF (test tube baby, 1978) |
| Tim Berners-Lee |
World Wide Web (1989) |
| Sir Ian Wilmot and Keith Campbell |
Dolly the sheep (1996) |
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16. Shakespeare Quotes → Plays
| Quote |
Play |
| "All the world's a stage" |
As You Like It |
| "To be or not to be" |
Hamlet |
| "A rose by any other name" |
Romeo and Juliet |
| "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" |
Sonnet 18 |
| "Once more unto the breach" |
Henry V |
| "Is this a dagger I see before me" |
Macbeth |
- Shakespeare born 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, died 1616
- Globe Theatre, London
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17. British Writers
| Person |
Known For |
| Agatha Christie |
The Mousetrap (1952) — world's longest running play |
| Robert Burns |
Auld Lang Syne, Burns Night 25 Jan, born Alloway Scotland |
| William Shakespeare |
Plays + 154 sonnets |
| Sir Laurence Olivier |
Shakespeare roles, Olivier Awards named after him |
| Gustav Holst |
The Planets suite |
| Edward Elgar |
Land of Hope and Glory |
| George Frideric Handel |
Messiah (sung at Easter) — German-born, lived in Britain |
| Henry Purcell |
Opera/church music (17th century) |
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18. British Artists
| Artist |
Era |
Known For |
| Thomas Gainsborough |
18th century |
Portraits in country/garden settings |
| Joseph Turner (JMW) |
18th–19th century |
Landscapes + seascapes — dramatic light/weather |
| Damien Hirst |
20th–21st century |
Turner Prize 1995 — controversial contemporary art |
- The Pre-Raphaelites were an important group of artists in the second half of the 19th century. They painted detailed pictures on religious or literary themes in bright colours. The group included Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir John Millais.
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19. British Film Directors
| Director |
Film(s) |
| David Lean |
Brief Encounter (1945), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) |
| Alfred Hitchcock |
The 39 Steps (1935) — thrillers |
| Hugh Hudson |
Chariots of Fire (1981) ★ Oscar |
| Mike Newell |
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) |
| Roland Joffé |
The Killing Fields (1984) |
| Kevin Macdonald |
Touching the Void (2003), Last King of Scotland (2006) |
| Carol Reed |
The Third Man (1949) |
| Nicolas Roeg |
Don't Look Now (1973) |
- Films were first shown publicly in the UK in 1896
- First SOUND films in UK in 1930s
- UK is the world leader in special effects + animation
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20. Architecture
| Era |
Style |
Example |
Architect |
| Medieval |
Original Gothic |
Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster |
— |
| 17th century |
Baroque |
St Paul's Cathedral (rebuilt after 1666 fire) |
Christopher Wren |
| 18th century |
Georgian/Palladian |
Country houses, interiors |
Robert Adam |
| 19th century |
Gothic Revival |
Houses of Parliament, St Pancras Station |
Charles Barry + Augustus Pugin |
| 19th century |
Engineering |
Great Western Railway, Clifton Bridge |
Isambard Kingdom Brunel |
| 20th century |
Modern |
The Gherkin, Millennium Bridge |
Norman Foster |
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21. Awards
| Award |
Field |
Key Fact |
| Brit Awards |
Music |
Best British group + solo artist |
| Mercury Music Prize |
Music |
Best album — UK + Ireland, held every September |
| BAFTA |
Film + TV |
British Academy Film/TV Awards |
| Olivier Awards |
Theatre |
Named after Laurence Olivier, held annually |
| Turner Prize |
Art |
British contemporary art |
| Booker Prize |
Literature |
Best novel in English language |
| S4C |
Welsh TV |
Only Welsh-language channel, founded 1982 |
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22. Sports Champions
| Person |
Sport |
Achievement |
| Mo Farah |
Distance running |
5,000m + 10,000m — 2012 Olympics |
| Bradley Wiggins |
Cycling |
Tour de France + Olympic gold 2012 |
| Sir Ian Botham |
Cricket |
A number of English Test cricket records |
| Sir Chris Hoy |
Track cycling |
Multiple Olympic golds (Scottish) |
| Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill |
Heptathlon |
Olympic gold 2012 |
| David Weir |
Paralympic |
Wheelchair racing |
| Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson |
Paralympic |
Won 16 medals, including 11 gold medals, in races over five Paralympic Games |
| Jenson Button |
Formula 1 |
World Champion 2009 |
| Sir Andy Murray |
Tennis |
Wimbledon champion, Olympic gold 2012 |
| Sir Roger Bannister |
Athletics |
First sub 4-minute mile |
| Sir Steve Redgrave |
Rowing |
Won gold medals in rowing in five consecutive Olympic |
| Bobby Moore |
Football |
Captained the English football team that won the World Cup in 1966 |
| Sir Francis Chichester |
Sailing |
First person to sail singlehanded around the world in 1966/67 |
| Sir Robin Knox-Johnston |
Sailing |
Sail singlehanded around the world in 1968/69 without stopping |
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23. Famous UK Sports Events & Tournaments
| Event |
Location |
Sport |
Key Fact |
| Grand National |
Aintree, Liverpool |
Horse racing (jumps) |
Most famous jump race in world |
| Epsom Derby |
Epsom, Surrey |
Horse racing (flat) |
Oldest classic flat race |
| Royal Ascot |
Ascot, Berkshire |
Horse racing (flat) |
Royal family attends |
| Wimbledon |
Wimbledon, London |
Tennis |
Only Grand Slam on grass |
| The Open Championship |
Different course each year |
Golf |
Oldest Major, Claret Jug trophy |
| Chelsea Flower Show |
Chelsea, London |
Gardening |
Annual, held every May |
| Glastonbury Festival |
Somerset |
Music |
World's most famous music festival, every summer |
| Edinburgh Festival |
Edinburgh |
Arts |
World's largest arts festival, every August |
| Six Nations |
Various |
Rugby |
England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy |
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24. Court System
England & Wales
CRIMINAL CIVIL
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Supreme Court (highest) Supreme Court
│ │
Court of Appeal Court of Appeal
│ │
Crown Court High Court
(serious crimes: (complex civil)
murder, rape) │
│ County Court
Magistrates Court (minor civil)
(minor crimes, │
85% of cases) Small Claims
(under £10,000)
Scotland
CRIMINAL CIVIL
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
High Court of Justiciary Court of Session
(most serious: (highest civil)
murder, rape) ← tested │
│ Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court (most civil cases)
(less serious)
│
Justice of Peace Court
(minor offences)
Northern Ireland
CRIMINAL CIVIL
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Crown Court High Court
(serious cases) (serious civil)
│ │
Magistrates Court County Court
(minor cases) │
Small Claims
(under £3,000) ← tested
Small Claims Limits
| Nation |
Limit |
| England & Wales |
under £10,000 |
| Scotland |
under £5,000 |
| Northern Ireland |
under £3,000 ← most tested |
Key Court Facts
| Court |
Key Fact |
| Supreme Court |
Highest court in whole UK — established 2009 |
| Crown Court |
Serious crimes — England, Wales, Northern Ireland |
| High Court of Justiciary |
Serious crimes — Scotland only |
| Magistrates Court |
85% of criminal cases in England/Wales |
| Sheriff Court |
Scotland's equivalent of Magistrates + County Court |
| Youth Court |
Part of Magistrates — deals with under 18s |
Numbers of jury:
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a jury has 12 members
- In Scotland a jury has 15 members
Possible vericts:
- In England, Wales and Northen Ireland, only two verdicts are possible: ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’
- In Scotland, three verdicts are possible: ‘guilty’, ‘not guilty’ or ‘not proven’
Constitutional Documents
| Document |
Year |
Significance |
Key Person/Monarch |
| Magna Carta |
1215 |
King subject to law |
King John (forced by barons) |
| Petition of Right |
1628 |
Rights confirmed against Charles I |
Charles I |
| Habeas Corpus Act |
1679 |
Cannot be imprisoned without court appearance |
Charles II |
| Bill of Rights |
1689 |
Parliament supreme over monarchy |
William III + Mary II (after Glorious Revolution) |
| Act of Settlement |
1701 |
Protestant succession confirmed |
Queen Anne era |
| Act of Union |
1707 |
England + Scotland = Great Britain |
Queen Anne |
| Act of Union |
1800 |
Great Britain + Ireland = United Kingdom |
George III |
| Emancipation Act |
1833 |
Slavery abolished |
William Wilberforce (campaigner), William IV (monarch) |
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25. Parliament & Government
| Role/Term |
Definition |
| Speaker |
Chief officer of House of Commons, politically neutral |
| Cabinet |
Appointed by Prime Minister |
| Judiciary |
Judges collectively (not magistrates) |
| Hereditary peers |
Lost Lords seats 1999 (92 kept temporarily) |
| By-election |
Fresh election for one vacant seat |
| Surgeries |
Local meetings where MPs/MSPs/SMs/MLAs meet constituents |
| Hansard |
Official written record of Parliament debates |
| First Past the Post |
UK general election voting system |
| Sir Robert Walpole |
First PM (1721–1742) |
Cabinet
| Position |
Responsibility |
| Prime Minister |
Head of government, overall policy, appoints Cabinet (~20 members) |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer |
Finance + economy — based at 11 Downing Street |
| Home Secretary |
Crime, policing, immigration, counter-terrorism |
| Foreign Secretary |
International relations, foreign policy |
| Defence Secretary |
National + international defence, armed forces |
| Education Secretary |
Schools, universities |
| Health Secretary |
NHS, public health — first was Nye Bevan (1948) |
| Lord Chancellor |
Justice system, courts, judiciary |
- The Prime Minister has a country house outside London called Chequers
- The King has important ceremonial roles, such as the opening of the new parliamentary session each year
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26. Devolved Parliaments
| Nation |
Parliament |
Location |
Members |
Formed |
| Scotland |
Scottish Parliament |
Edinburgh (Holyrood) |
129 MSPs (Member of the Scottish Parliament) |
1999 |
| Wales |
Senedd |
Cardiff Bay |
60 SMs (Senedd Members) |
1999 |
| Northern Ireland |
Northern Ireland Assembly |
Belfast (Stormont) |
90 MLAs (Member of the Legislative Assembly) |
1999 |
| UK |
Westminster |
London |
650 MPs |
– |
- All devolved parliaments: visit via Education Service or Visitor Services tour
- Westminster: contact your MP
- Northern Ireland small claims: under £3,000 | Scotland: £5,000 | England/Wales: £10,000
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27. Prime Ministers
| PM |
Party |
Term |
Key Fact |
| Sir Robert Walpole |
Whig |
1721–1742 |
First PM, longest serving |
| Winston Churchill |
Con |
1940–45, 51–55 |
WW2 leader, greatest Briton 2002 |
| Clement Attlee |
Labour |
1945–51 |
Founded NHS 1948, the nationalisation of major industries (like coal and steel) |
| Margaret Thatcher |
Con |
1979–90 |
First female PM, born Lincolnshire, ally: Reagan, Falklands 1982 |
| John Major |
Con |
1990–1997 |
Succeeded Thatcher, Gulf War 1991 |
| Tony Blair |
Labour |
1997–2007 |
Iraq War 2003, Good Friday Agreement |
| Gordon Brown |
Labour |
2007-2010 |
2008 financial crisis, 2009 British troops leave Iraq |
| David Cameron |
Con |
2010–2016 |
A a coalition with Liberal Democrats, Called Brexit referendum, resigned after losing |
| Theresa May |
Con |
2016–2019 |
Succeeded Cameron after Brexit |
| Boris Johnson |
Con |
2019–2022 |
"Get Brexit Done", UK left EU Jan 2020 |
| Liz Truss |
Con |
2022 |
Shortest serving PM — only 45 days |
| Rishi Sunak |
Con |
2022–2024 |
First British Asian PM |
| Keir Starmer |
Labour |
2024–present |
First Labour PM since Blair |
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28. Key Organisations
| Organisation |
Purpose |
Key Fact |
| Council of Europe |
Human rights |
Founded 1949, created European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms — NOT the EU, UK still member after Brexit, 47 members |
| United Nations |
International peace + security |
Founded 1945, Security Council has 15 members (5 permanent inc. UK) |
| NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) |
Military alliance |
Collective defence, UK member |
| Commonwealth |
Post-empire cooperation |
56 members, head = British Monarch, includes Mozambique |
| PDSA |
People's Dispensary for Sick Animals |
Free vet care |
| National Trust |
Preserves historic places + nature |
Founded 1895, 61,000 volunteers, covers England/Wales/NI |
| Citizens Advice Bureau |
Free legal + social advice |
Helps with domestic violence, housing, debt |
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29. Brexit Key Dates
Full Timeline
| Date |
Event |
| May 2015 |
Cameron wins election, promises Brexit referendum |
| 23 June 2016 |
Brexit referendum ← most tested |
| July 2016 |
Cameron resigns, Theresa May becomes PM |
| 2017 |
Article 50 triggered — formal leave process begins |
| July 2019 |
Boris Johnson becomes PM ("Get Brexit Done") |
| 31 January 2020 |
UK officially leaves EU |
| 31 December 2020 |
Transition period ends |
Key Facts
REFERENDUM RESULT
├── Leave → 52%
└── Remain → 48%
PM SEQUENCE
Cameron → called referendum → LOST → resigned
May → negotiated Brexit deal
Boris → "Get Brexit Done" → UK leaves Jan 2020
Watch out — date traps
QUESTION ANSWER
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
When was referendum held? → 23 JUNE 2016
When did UK leave EU? → 31 JANUARY 2020
When did transition end? → 31 DECEMBER 2020
When was Article 50 triggered? → 2017
Who called the referendum? → David CAMERON (Con)
Who succeeded Cameron? → Theresa MAY (Con)
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30. Driving Rules
| Rule |
Detail |
| Minimum driving age |
17 |
| Drive on |
Left |
| L plates |
During learning (all UK) |
| R plates |
Northern Ireland only — 1 year after passing |
| Over 70s licence |
Renew every 3 years |
| Drink drive limit |
80mg/100ml (England/Wales/Northern Ireland) — 50mg Scotland |
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