Travel-and-Leisure
Birmingham or Brum
Birmingham is a place that really lends itself to trivia, so here are some things you might not know about Brum.
Birmingham has the biggest road junction in the world, the infamous Spaghetti Junction. It is almost impossible to enter Spaghetti Junction and leave it on the road you were hoping for, unless you have years of practice ? even then, it?s far from a sure thing.
JRR Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings series, lived in Birmingham in his childhood, and the city has all sorts of events to celebrate him. It is said that the worlds he wrote about in his books were inspired by the countryside surrounding Birmingham.
Birmingham hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. This disappointed many people involved, who were expecting that when the UK hosted the contest they would get to go to London! This was the year that Israeli transsexual Dana International won the contest. That same year, Bill Clinton visited Birmingham, and apparently liked it a lot. When he had a pint of beer in a local pub, however, he apparently never actually paid for it.
Centenary Square has over half a million bricks, but every single one was put down by hand. Victoria Square has one of the largest fountains in Europe, pushing out over 10,000 litres of water every minute.
The Mini was first designed and manufactured in Birmingham, in 1959. It?s also the home of HP Sauce, the delicious fruity brown sauce that is second only to Marmite in the ?weird things English people like? stakes. Other Birmingham inventions include gas lighting and X-rays.
And every year, for some strange reason, the German town of Frankfurt holds a German market in Birmingham. Why? Who knows, but it?s become something of a quirky tradition, and there?s nothing wrong with that.
John Gibb is the owner of birmingham guides For more information on Birmingham check out http://www.birmingham-did-you-know.info |
John Gibb
Similar articles
Best Honeymoon Getaway Ideas
Planning for your honeymoon getaway? Here are some ideas you can consider that will surely provide you the best honeymoon experience:? Top-of-the-line Hotel HoneymoonAfter the guests have left, it is time for both of you two enjoy each other. Read more →Bhutan: A Magical Kingdom
Many people have never heard of Bhutan, the country that values Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product! Bhutan is a landlocked little country roughly the size of Switzerland. Read more →Bonjoie! 7 Lessons I Learned in Paris
"April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom, holiday tables under the trees." -E. Y. HarburgAfter reveling in a mountaintop experience, it often takes one a couple of days to not only regain altitude and perspective; it takes a little while to fully grasp what? Read more →Botanical Gardens of Costa Rica
On my last trip to Costa Rica in Feb. 05, while doing research for my botanical tour programs, I visited the three most important botanical gardens in this small Central American Republic ? Read more →Aphorism
Travel and society polish one, but a rolling stone gathers no moss, and a little moss is a good thing on a man.