They Made Great Britain

<p>From the end of the last Ice Age (10000 years ago) to the death of Winston Churchill in 1965 Adrian Sykes narrates the history and achievements of these islandstheir inhabitants and their originsthrough the stories of some 3000+ men &amp; women who have shaped not just our history but the modern world. The story is interspersed with countless inventions deeds of daring do and wickednesses as well as the origins of innumerable words and phrasesoften surprisingly early.<br><br> From Nosey Parker - Elizabeth I of her Archbishop of Canterburyto mayonnaise - the battle of Mahonwhich the victorious French admiral celebrated by inventing mayonnaise and after which we hanged Admiral Byng who lost it to encourage the othersas Voltaire put it. Sykes astonishes on every page whether with the origin of everyday phrases or nursery rhymes or the countless inventions of the British from the lead pencil (1568) the tin can the bicycle screw propeller and jet engine to DNA LCD crystals cement the electric kettle the vacuum cleaner and Marmite.<br> Beautifully illustrated and with maps of exceptional claritythis is a book hard to put down in which you learn something very surprising on every page.</p>