In World War II, Germany tried to collapse the British economy by dropping millions of counterfeit bills over London.
100 Mind-Blowing II Facts
Queen Elizabeth II had a personal net worth of 425 million dollars. That includes the $65 million Sandringham House and $140 million Balmoral Castle.
Queen Elizabeth II saved up post-war clothing ration coupons to pay for her wedding dress in 1947.
The British tried to invent a ship made out of wood pulp and ice during World War II. Called Project Habakkuk, it was shelved due to costs.
During World War II, the very first bomb dropped on Berlin by the Allies killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
Uncle Ben’s rice was air-dropped to World War II troops. German chemist Erich Huzenlaub invented a process of parboiling rice to keep more nutrients in the rice and lessen the cooking time. The “Huzenlaub Process” had another unexpected benefit: It stopped bug infestations. The quick-cook, bug-free rice was a big advantage during World War II, and converted rice (as it was then known) was air-dropped to American and British troops. After the war, the company rebranded itself and became Uncle Ben’s Original Converted Brand Rice, named after one of the company’s best rice suppliers. The product hit grocery store shelves in 1947.
3 Musketeers bars got their name because they used to come with three flavours. The original 3 Musketeers bars of the 1930s came in three packs, with a different nougat flavour in each: vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. World War II rations made that triple threat expensive, so the company cut down to one.
Queen Elizabeth II had a stand-in to make sure the sun wouldn’t get in her eyes. Ella Slack has a similar height and stature to the queen, so before big events, she’ll rehearse to avoid any royal pains like the sun getting in Her Majesty’s eyes. Slack had been doing it for three decades but wasn’t allowed to sit on the throne, so she had to squat above it.
Queen Elizabeth II’s cows sleep on waterbeds. They help ease the cattle’s pressure points.
Queen Elizabeth II was a trained mechanic. When she was 16, the Queen joined the British employment agency at the Labour Exchange and learned the basics of truck repair. She can repair tyres and repair engines. Is there anything the Queen can’t do?!
Queen Elizabeth II had a stand-in to make sure the sun wouldn’t get in her eyes. Ella Slack was a similar height to the late Queen, so she would rehearse big events beforehand to make sure everything would be comfortable for the monarch. However, she wasn’t allowed to sit on the throne, so she had to squat above it.
Lobsters used to be considered the cockroach of the ocean. It may be found in the most luxurious menus now, but lobster was once eaten regularly by the homeless, slaves and prisoners. However, lobster started to be seen as a delicacy after World War II.
Queen Elizabeth II owns the swans in England. Not only does she own generations of corgis, but this monarch also co-owns most of the geese in England. Why? Swans are the British royal family’s symbol. As of the 12th century, legislation was passed stating that all mute swans were owned by the Crown. In the 15th century, two other entities were entitled to the swans in the River Thames.
During World War II, the Oscar awards were made of painted plaster. The prestigious Oscar awards were made of painted plaster for three years following the metal scarcity of WWII. After the war, the Academy offered to replace the plaster figures with gold-plated metal ones.
All the Professors in Pokemon have been named after trees. If you’ve played or watched Pokemon, you’d notice that through all generations, the Professors are named after trees: Professor Oak of Gen I, Professor Elm of Gen II, Professor Birch of Gen III, all up to Professor Sycamore of Gen IX.
Queen Elizabeth II has had over 30 corgis in her lifetime. Queen Elizabeth had Susan, her first Corgi when she was 18. From Susan, she had 14 generations’ worth of Corgis throughout her life. However, the last one died in 2018. Currently, the Queen has stopped breeding new ones for fear of trampling over a puppy.
A pharaoh once bathed his slaves in honey to keep bugs away from him. Whenever King Pepi II would get bothered by insects, he would command that one of his servants be covered in honey to lure the bugs away from him.
Tootsie Rolls used to be part of WWII rations. Tootsie Rolls were put in soldiers’ rations in World War II because of their durability in different weather conditions.
List served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he worked as a laboratory technician.
During World War II, Germany planned to collapse the British economy by dropping millions of counterfeit bills over London.
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-ever reigning monarch until she died in 2022.
3 Musketeers candy bars used to come in three flavours. The original candy from the 1930s had three different kinds of nougat: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry (hence the name!). Unfortunately, it had to be cut down to one during World War II due to rations being too expensive.
Queen Elizabeth II was a trained mechanic. As a teenager, Queen Elizabeth II joined the British employment agency at the Labour Exchange and learned about truck, engine, and tyre repair.
Queen Elizabeth II was a trained mechanic. When she was a teenager, Queen Elizabeth II joined the Labor Exchange’s British employment agency. There, she learned about repairing tyres, trucks and engines.
In 2000, Pope John Paul II was named an ‘Honorary Harlem Globetrotter.’
M&Ms were exclusively sold to the US military during World War II. When they were first produced in 1941, they came in cardboard tubes, and the colours were violet, green, yellow, orange, red, and brown. By the time the US entered WWII, M&Ms had grown big enough to score a contract exclusively producing the conveniently easy-to-transport chocolate for the military. Following the war, M&Ms were wildly popular, as they were the best part of the day for many soldiers in the trenches.
‘Day of Fate’. Important events in German history have frequently occurred on 9 November, dubbed Schicksalstag, ‘Day of Fate’. In 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. In 1923, Adolf Hitler’s Nazis attempted the Munich Putsch, and in 1938 they attacked Jews on Kristallnacht. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell.
Flatulent flair. The role of a jester in the medieval royal court was to entertain the king. Henry II had a particular fondness for his fool, Roland, who had a special talent for flatulent performance. Each Christmas he performed an act known as ‘One jump and whistle and one fart’. Henry was so delighted with Roland’s farting that he gave him a manor in Suffolk, with 30 acres of land.
An unnatural royal death. Edward II is said to have probably died in captivity, with later, unreliable accounts suggesting he was murdered by having a red-hot poker inserted into his rectum, in September 1327.
Christmas is cancelled. A Christmas-themed one from the brilliant Joanna McCunn on that old chestnut, did Cromwell ban Christmas… In 1644 the Puritan parliament declared every last Wednesday of the month would be a legally mandated fast day. Christmas Day fell on the last Wednesday of the month so no feasting was to be allowed that year. Time should be spent in even more solemn humiliation, repenting of your sins for making Christmas a time of carnal and sensual delights in the past. In 1647 they went the whole hog, banning all celebrations of Christmas and Easter for good! (Charles II reversed this when he came to the throne in 1660).
Even with the advent of standardised time, people still struggled to keep their clocks in sync. One London family used this to their advantage and made a living by selling people the time. An astronomer named John Belville would set his pocket watch to the time at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. He would then travel around the city and visit his network of subscribers, who paid to set their clocks by Belville’s pocket watch. After Belville died in 1856, his wife, and then later their daughter Ruth, carried on the tradition. Ruth continued to sell the time until World War II. By then she was in her eighties, and a couple of factors led to her timely retirement: Improved technology had made her role less important, and the war was making treks around London too dangerous.
Daylight saving time ended on a national level after the war, but individual states and municipalities kept it going until World War II. At the end of World War I, the entire nation went on what was effectively a year-round daylight saving time. After World War II, the entire nation was again picking and choosing daylight saving time. It’s been reported that in Iowa, back in 1964, there were 23 different combinations of dates that communities turned on and off daylight saving time. In 1966, the government officially mandated a standardised daylight saving time for the entire United States, though individual states could opt out. Until 2007, daylight saving time ended in October. It’s been reported that the candy industry lobbied to wait until after Halloween to change the clocks back an hour.
History: The NSA originated as a unit to decipher coded communications during World War II. It was officially established to meet the growing need for signals intelligence and communications security.
Cryptanalysis: The NSA has a long history of cryptanalysis, including cracking the Enigma machine during World War II, which significantly contributed to defeating Nazi Germany.
Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA): The NSA assumed the responsibilities of its predecessor, AFSA, which was created after World War II to integrate the national cryptologic effort.
Agnes Meyer Driscoll: Agnes Meyer Driscoll was a pioneering cryptanalyst who made significant contributions to the NSA’s early years, helping to decipher Japanese naval codes during World War II.
The Queen didn’t have a passport: During her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries on official duties. Although every person in the world needs an identity card, she does not need a British passport during her travels. This is because passports are issued in the name of the Queen.
Golf, the national sport of Scotland, was first played in Scotland itself and at one time it was so popular that James II had to ban it to ensure that army practices continue without any distractions.
Queen Did Not Possess a Passport: In 70 years as queen, Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries for official business. Her name is on every UK passport, thus she doesn’t require one.
The Queen Did Not Possess a Passport: In her 70 years as queen, Queen Elizabeth II has travelled to more than 100 nations for official business. Even though everyone on the planet requires an identity card, she can travel without a British passport. This is so because the Queen’s name appears on every passport.
Big Ben Is Not a Clock: One of the interesting facts about England is that, despite what the general public believes, Big Ben is the name of the thirteen-ton bell, not the iconic clock. And Big Ben is often associated with the entire tower. The tower was officially known as St. Stephen’s Tower until 2012 when it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour of Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, which marked 60 years on the British throne.
Queen Elizabeth II holds the record for having her mugshot on more currency than any other person. Her face is used in more than 30 different countries.
Queen Elizabeth II Held the Record for Appearing on More Currency Than Any Other Person