View Full Version : Greatest British contribution to the world ?
I have waited to post this thread as the list may be longer than that of any other countries. Britain has had a remarkably important role in shaping today's world compared to its tiny size (half the land area of France or Texas).
British inventions alone include the steam engine, the gas turbine, the railway, the gas stove/cooker, the car, negative & colour photography, radio waves, the jet engine and arguably also video games.
We also owe to Britain the agricultural and industrial revolutions, and a big part in the development of mercantilism, free trade, capitalism, economic liberalism.
England was the first major country to have a parliament (after Iceland and the Isle of Man).
English is now the most widely spoken language around the world, and the official language of science, computering, aviation and diplomacy, among others.
But Britain's contribution to the world are not limited to its system and inventions. Britain is has given the world famous brands of food, drinks and clothes, such as :
- Tea & Jam : Fortnum & Mason, Lipton, Twinings, Pickwick, Whittards, Wilkin & Son Tiptree, Chivers/Hartleys, Rather Jolly, Thursday Cottage...
- Clothes : Burberry, Paul Smith, Alred Dunhill, Vivienne Westwood, FCUK...
- Cars : Roll Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Lotus, Aston Martin, MG, Mini Cooper, Rover
Many famous novels and children stories are also British. Many of them were adapted by Disney or Hollywood :
- Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Marry Poppins, Oliver Twist, Lords of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.
Related threads :
Greatest contributions of :
Ancient Egypt (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19850) - Ancient Greece (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20654) - Ancient Rome (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20285)
India (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19746) - China (http://www.wa-pedia.com/forum/chinese-culture-history-143/what-greatest-chinese-contribution-s-world-44197/) - Japan (http://www.wa-pedia.com/forum/all-things-japanese-26/greatest-japanese-contribution-world-16125/)
Belgium (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16861) - Britain (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036) - France (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16869) - Germany (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16867) - Netherlands (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16865) - Italy (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16873) - Poland (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036) - Spain (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036)
A very difficult subject to post. I have selected several, but overall the two most important are the Industrial Revolution and the English Language. Both have shaped the world in which we live in today. I did think about putting on this thread myself, but I found it a case of 'Where do I start?' and 'I've got to check to make sure'. But what you have is a good set of choices.
Dutch Baka
26-06-05, 16:45
Viagra!!!! Peter Dunn and Albert Wood both of Kent, England are named as the inventors of the process of a drug for Pfizer by which Viagra was created.
i dont use it, but when i am 55 and it dont work good anymore,, :( i will be happy to use viagra
Well so much to choose from, but I will stick with the industrial revolution and the great invetions, rails and what not, and with one particular man, Brunel. This guy was amazing, made the first modern rail track, first steel ship, and then an even bigger one, he was just a great genius. Not to offend any british person, but when it comes to the legacy of Great Britain I always think of the many problems it has left behind. Palestine, Cyprus, Kashmir, just to name a few. Another important contribution i feel is Great Britain in WW2, basically the only European country to really resist Hitler, I mean just really great effort, only the Air battles are just incredible, outnumbered and in those conditions the britts made the germans bite the dust. Really extraordinary in my view.
Sensuikan San
27-06-05, 03:41
I think the greatest contribution that Great Britain made to the world occurred in 1940 and was described by the historian A.J.P. Taylor thus ...
Question ... What was the greatest acomplishment of Great Britain during World War II ?
Answer ... They kept it going !
Apart from that ... :cool: ... yeah ! ... we ain't done too bad, have we !
But - I would like to make a few comments with regard to the poll ...
The Automobile? Shouldn't Herr Daimler and his fellow Germans have kudos for that ?
Was Tolkien really British?
And ...no classical music ? Let's wipe the smiles off the faces of the Germans/Austrians/Italians ... and remind them of Holst(?), Vaughan-Williams, Walton, Benjamin Britten, Butterworth .... and a few others !
Regards
ジョン
Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Elizabithen theater. Wait a moment, isn't that what actors called during Queen Elizabeth's reign? :? I really don't know. And what about Protastant Cathlocism? The break away from the Catholic church happened in England. And the only person that was trying to restore the Catholic church back to it's original state was Mary. I'm not sure about my knowladge of history. So, would the Protastant ideology also be a British contribution to the world? :clueless:
The Automobile? Shouldn't Herr Daimler and his fellow Germans have kudos for that ?
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car#History) : " It was in Birmingham also that the first four wheel petrol-driven automobiles were built in Britain in 1895 by Frederick William Lanchester who also patented the disc brake in the city." But it's true that Daimler, Benz, and Maybach had built motorbikes, car engines and what could be called a car 9-10 years before.
Was Tolkien really British?
Why not ? He was born in South Africa to an English father at a time where there was no such thing as South African nationality. He moved to England when he was 3, was schooled in Birmingham and went to Oxford university. He became a professor at Leeds, then Oxford. He spent most of his life in England.
And ...no classical music ? Let's wipe the smiles off the faces of the Germans/Austrians/Italians ... and remind them of Holst(?), Vaughan-Williams, Walton, Benjamin Britten, Butterworth .... and a few others !
I thought about classical music too, but Britain has not many great names as you said compared to some other countries.
And what about Protastant Cathlocism? The break away from the Catholic church happened in England. And the only person that was trying to restore the Catholic church back to it's original state was Mary. I'm not sure about my knowladge of history. So, would the Protastant ideology also be a British contribution to the world? :clueless:
Protestanism started with Luther in Germany and Calvin in Switzerland. Henry VIII seceded from Rome for political reasons. Anglicanism is just another form of Catholicism as the dogma is almost identical. We could call it Anglican Catholicism, as opposed to Roman Catholicism. "Bloody Mary" was born a Roman Catholic and married the very Catholic King Philip II of Spain. She tried to restore this after her father's death, but only verry briefly. One century later, King James II (who was a friend of Louis XIV of France) also tried to restore Roman Catholicism, but was forced into exile during the Glorious Revolution (William of Orange then became king). To know more, you can read my brief History of England (http://www.eupedia.com/england/english_history.shtml).
That's right, it was Martin Luther and Calvin. I can't belive I forgot that. Thanks for the info Mac. :cool:
I picked language and people. But not the politicians you listed. I admire people like Robert Owen and Kier Hardy. Without people like that I would working fourteen hours a day at t' mill! :relief:
Miss_apollo7
29-06-05, 20:19
I have participated in the poll. :-)
I have chosen several, but my favourite are:
Biscuits,
The English language,
The universities,
Burberry & Mulberry
Another important contribution not mentioned is: (quoted from wikipedia):
PENICILLIN & Alexander Fleming:
It was serendipitously rediscovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, who noticed a halo of inhibition of bacterial growth around a contaminant blue-green mould on a Staphylococcus culture. Fleming concluded that the mould was releasing a substance that was inhibiting bacterial growth. He grew a pure culture and discovered that the fungus was Penicillium notatum ― he later named the bacterial inhibiting substance penicillin after the Penicillium notatum that released it.
Fleming was convinced after conducting some more experiments that penicillin could not last long enough in the human body to kill pathogenic bacteria and stopped studying penicillin after 1931.
It would prove to be the discovery that changed modern medicine. In 1939, Howard Walter Florey and a team of researchers at Oxford University made significant progress in showing Penicillin's in vivo ability to kill infectious bacteria.
This eventually led to commercial production of penicillin and the belief that modern medicine has led the world in an era free of diseases.
Frank D. White
30-06-05, 00:15
2 of the most wonderful people in my life were "Made in England" ; my wife of 28 years and a special "GOOD" mother-in law!!
Frank
:cool:
Sensuikan San
30-06-05, 03:55
I picked language and people. But not the politicians you listed. I admire people like Robert Owen and Kier Hardy. Without people like that I would working fourteen hours a day at t' mill! :relief:
Good comment! I totally agree !
ジョン
Miss_apollo7
07-07-05, 14:59
2 of the most wonderful people in my life were "Made in England" ; my wife of 28 years and a special "GOOD" mother-in law!!
Frank
:cool:
That is sweet Uncle Frank!!!! :cool:
one of my fav british contributions is oasis
Pararousia
12-07-05, 22:39
I voted for parliamentary monarchy because it inspired a lot of the development of our government in the US which then has spawned other democracys.
Let me add that Jaguars may actually be the leading cause of headaches in the world, rather than contribution.
(You go, Dutch Baka! LOL)
Pararousia
12-07-05, 22:40
Mac, Perhaps you could do a thread on greatest Japanese discoveries/inventions next?
Mac, Perhaps you could do a thread on greatest Japanese discoveries/inventions next?
FYI, there is already such a thread here (http://www.wa-pedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16125). I thought it was clearly visible to all on the main index (http://www.wa-pedia.com/), but I am now wondering what %age of forum members frequently visits it.
There are also similar threads about Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy linked from the Eupedia main index (http://www.eupedia.com/), and about the US here (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16882). ;-)
Silverpoint
20-07-05, 12:53
Isaac Newton. Hands down. No one person in history has even come close to advancing our understanding of the world in the way he did.
In a more flippant vein, I'd also like to nominate Cheddar Cheese. My God, I miss it.
Probably Neville Barnes Wallis who invented the "Bouncing Bomb". You could argue that without the "Bouncing Bomb" the war could have taken a very different path.
IMHO, industrial revolution and mechanical inventions. And probably lots of scientists too, except I can't think of any (that haven't been already posted) right now! :p And the negative/colour photography is pretty important too, I think.
On a lighter note, Harry Potter and Hobnobs (they are British, right? :? )
I love Hobnobs, especailly the ones with dark chocolate. mmmm.... :homer: Shouldn't forget Jaffa Cakes though
I'm thinking it is the steam engine and the mini cooper.
I also love the old brit theologians.
Isn't the Pinzgauer made in GB now?
Miss_apollo7
04-08-05, 18:52
I love Hobnobs, especailly the ones with dark chocolate. mmmm.... :homer: Shouldn't forget Jaffa Cakes though
HOBNOBS I agree!!! YUMMY!! One can get addicted to them.....
Speaking of cookies and chocolate, I also adore Maltesers!!!
i had always thought tetra pak had been british which is definitely one of the worlds greatest inventions but a quick check revelas its origins to be sweden
well, in that case i have to vote for the sinclair c5
unappreciated in its time and almost forgotten in this day and age
the time has come for its revival (or not)
http://www.sinclairc5.com/images/Photos/P0000744.jpg
:hey: You forgot sitcoms!!! Like Red Dwarf, Monty Python, To the Manor Born, Fawlty Towers, Mr. Bean, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder, and many more I'm sure. British humor & comedy. And my world would be a different place without Jarvis Cocker, LOL. He's funny too.
Now you've discovered my secret - I'm also a Anglophile. But you still don't know that I'm a Canada-o-phile, heh.
Football, Tennis, Rugby, Cricket!
An excellent topic, with many good answers....
But I think there is a progression of elements which made Britain great...
One, it is an island, and difficult to defeat and change, although it has been invaded and defeated and assimilated many times, just much less than areas with land borders with warring neighboring tribes.
It had tin, which attracted foreigners, probably Egyptians and Greeks over the millenia, who used it for bronze production, which was a major military advantage.
It had large oak trees, one primary ingredient for having a Navy. Even Egypt did not have large trees, or any trees, they had to conscript the Phoenicians who had Cedars of Lebanon, and then they had a large world trade Navy. Like the British became, with their oak trees and Navy.
With a Navy, it developed world trade.
With world trade, it developed an imperialism apparatus which spread its language use.
With world language use, it gave to the world a unified language of sorts, but please don't tell that to the French, a very proud and wonderful people, who with their Viking Normans invaded England and Ireland, etc. etc. But note how the defeated English STILL retained the language element over the invading Norman French?!
But the simple answer is ...most definitly "English language" to the world.
I would answer (if it was proposed) ...The USA. That is the greatest contribution the british made to the world, as their former colony finnaly overperformed great-britain to replace it as the super-power.
I would answer (if it was proposed) ...The USA. That is the greatest contribution the british made to the world, as their former colony finnaly overperformed great-britain to replace it as the super-power.
Possibly. But I have my reserves about this, because the USA was founded as much by German and Irish settlers than British ones. There were also some Scandinavian and Dutch settlers (in the colonies of the New Netherlands and New Sweden, which became respectively the states of New York and Delaware). In fact, when asked about their ancestry, much more Americans claim to have German ancestry than British ones (check this thread (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19411)).
gaijinalways
07-01-08, 05:15
Language would stand out for me. Sorry IMO the food brands aren't quite international, excepting Liptons and Whittards maybe. As to inventions, yes, Viagra appears to be a milestone!
Sorry IMO the food brands aren't quite international, excepting Liptons and Whittards maybe.
Whittard isn't common at all here. The British teas that I have seen the most in continental Europe and Japan are Lipton, Twinings and Fortnum & Mason. Tiptree jam (Wilkin & Sons) is found just about everywhere nowadays. As for biscuits and sweets, Walkers, Quality Street, Cadburry, etc. are all very widespread in Europe and beyond. Except for Fortnum & Mason, you can find all these brands even in a small supermarket in Belgium.
As to inventions, yes, Viagra appears to be a milestone!
O come on what country wants to be remembered for helping people get it up?
O come on what country wants to be remembered for helping people get it up?
Well, it is a famous medicine, known around the world. However we could argue that it is not really a British contribution since it was developed by Pfizer, an American company. The labs were in England, that's true... But I don't know the nationality of the researchers. It was probably an international team.
gaijinalways
08-01-08, 07:04
From what I understand, one of the leading chemists was British. I met a colleague of his when traveling in Japan, and he told me at the time it was released the said chemist was a minor celebrity in the UK.
O come on what country wants to be remembered for helping people get it up?
I didn't say they wanted to be remembered for it, I just said that they are.
Tiptree jam (Wilkin & Sons) is found just about everywhere nowadays. As for biscuits and sweets, Walkers, Quality Street, Cadburry, etc. are all very widespread in Europe and beyond. Except for Fortnum & Mason, you can find all these brands even in a small supermarket in Belgium.
Tiptree jam, have never seen it when I've traveled in Europe, and certainly not in Japan or the US. Walkers and Cadburry they sell regularly here and elsewhere. But Quality Street? Never even heard of it.
Just a side note, Walkers is Scottish. I don't know if you'd want to call a Scotsman British. One has told me it was okay (I think on this forum), but most I've met said it was not likely to be a message delivered in good health.
I didn't say they wanted to be remembered for it, I just said that they are.
health.[/quote]
Tongue firmly in cheek.
Its actually manufactured in Ireland, its really inflated our GDP.
Tiptree jam, have never seen it when I've traveled in Europe, and certainly not in Japan or the US.
They sell Tiptree jam in Carrefour hypermarkets, as well as some smaller subsidiaries (like GB in Belgium). In Japan, just go to any Meiji-ya, or some other supermarkets with imported products. I could even find Belgian jam in local, regular (not import specialist) supermarket in Tokyo !
Walkers and Cadburry they sell regularly here and elsewhere. But Quality Street? Never even heard of it.
Quality Street is an old British brand, It now belongs to the Nestle Group. When I was a child, there were always some at my grandmother's house. So it's been a while since it has gone international (much longer than Tiptree, which was hard to find in Belgium 10 years ago).
Just a side note, Walkers is Scottish. I don't know if you'd want to call a Scotsman British.
Of course ! What is more British than a Scotsman ? Great Britain is an island composed of Scotland, England and Wales (and Cornwall if you insisit that it is not really English). So I would understand that the status of people in Northern Ireland isn't clear, as they are not geographically British, but are politically. But Scotland is not even a matter for discussion. Never English, but unmistakably British.
gaijinalways
09-01-08, 06:29
Quality Street is an old British brand, It now belongs to the Nestle Group. When I was a child, there were always some at my grandmother's house. So it's been a while since it has gone international (much longer than Tiptree, which was hard to find in Belgium 10 years ago).
I didn't know it was under the Nestle brand now, still haven't seen it unless they changed the name too.
But Scotland is not even a matter for discussion. Never English, but unmistakably British.
You best explain it to a pub full of Scotsman then, but make sure an exit is handy if you wish to avoid flying bottles.
I didn't know it was under the Nestle brand now, still haven't seen it unless they changed the name too.
Here it is (http://www.qualitystreet.co.uk/home/). If you see the boxes, maybe you'll remember seeing it. The boxes used to be different though; less purple, with a big picture of an early 19th-century British soldier and a woman in the middle.
You best explain it to a pub full of Scotsman then, but make sure an exit is handy if you wish to avoid flying bottles.
I don't think you understand. They don't have the choice. Britishness is not just a political thing but a geographic one too. I am rather in favour of the independence of Scotland, but they would still be British (and European) after that, because they live on an island called Britain. Now if they want to dig a (Panama-like) canal along the border to make it a separate island, then we could discuss... But what's the point ?
Silverbackman
12-01-08, 07:48
Don't forget unifying India, lol.
I'm surprised you don't have sports listed, I read a book (Tim Harris Sport Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know) on the history of sport listed numerous sports where the modern form of them were either invented, developed, or organised by the British. From memory these included
Football / Soccer
Rugby
Cricket
Tennis
Golf
First purpose built motor racing track
Table Tennis
Badminton
First artificial ice rinks
Believe it or not organised alpine skying
Mountain climbing - 31 Swiss Alp peaks first climbed by holidaying brits
First modern grandstands
Boxing
Horse racing - most modern forms and rules
Snooker / billiards
First public swimming pools for sport
Another contribution could be the The Royal Society - Bill Bryson has just written a book on it "Seeing Further". Started in 1660, Bryson considers that it was fundamental to the creation of modern science. "The Royal Society continues to do today what it set out to do all those years ago. Its members have split the atom, discovered the double helix, the electron, the computer and the World Wide Web. Truly international in its outlook, it has created modern science"
Members included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, John Locke, Alexander Fleming. Wiki has another list under "List_of_Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society" Membership is not limited to British citizens.
I'm surprised you don't have sports listed, I read a book (Tim Harris Sport Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know) on the history of sport listed numerous sports where the modern form of them were either invented, developed, or organised by the British. From memory these included
Football / Soccer
Rugby
Cricket
Tennis
Golf
First purpose built motor racing track
Table Tennis
Badminton
First artificial ice rinks
Believe it or not organised alpine skying
Mountain climbing - 31 Swiss Alp peaks first climbed by holidaying brits
First modern grandstands
Boxing
Horse racing - most modern forms and rules
Snooker / billiards
First public swimming pools for sport
Very good point. I have added a new option for sports and another for games. :smile:
as tempting as it is to say the English language, it is not properly a British contribution. It's as much an imposition of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans on the native British. It's kind of an anti-British contribution.
Hey, this looks like an interesting thread, after all...!!
I will expand my answer tomorrow... but now, I will say that one of the best british inventions are... Daleks!!... :D :D
http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/new-dalek/new-series-dalek-3d.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBSOhODoch0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek
:D :D :D
;)
The title of the thread causes me a problem because it uses the world as the target. Once you do that you have to look at the whole of history and the contributions made by previous civilizations. However if 窶弩orld窶 was to be replaced by 窶廴odern World窶 a different picture emerges.
And so, thinking Modern World I suggest something not on the poll, The Victorians.
Arrogant, hypocritical, often cruel, and usually self centered and selfish..
Abusive and abusing 窶ｦ窶ｦ窶ｦ.. and yet at the same time a benevolent society, even altruistic, that were the quintessence of Britishness.
Hard and brutal at home, yet at the same time begining the social reforms to improve life for the worst off. Arrogant and worse to the people of the lands they invaded and then tried to improve with schooling and medicines and political reform.
They colonised and exploited and at the same time brought in reforms and improvements for so many, and yet at the same time during all their abuse and exploitation most were not even being aware they were doing so.
There is a famous British poet who, more than any other exemplifies Victorianism, Rudyard Kipling.
A shallow reading of his work and judgment against today窶冱 values and he comes across as a condescending bore and yet 窶ｦ窶ｦ窶ｦ
And yet take one example, The White Mans Burden and think about the times in which he wrote it, the audience for whom it was written, and the perception that so many White Victorians had of the world.
A world they had or were invading, colonising, and in the case of the USA, had engaged in wholesale genocide of the indigenous people and were now about to get stuck into the Philippines.
The Victorians also brought in the concept of Fair Play, and yet swindled millions by mendaciousness and downright cheating. They progressed a Parliamentary system that introduced universal suffrage and at the same time perpetuated an electoral system that sees all too often the party that the least percentage of the electorate gaining office.
It is that system that saw the most awful British Prime Minister who led the most awful British Government, that is Blair and New Labour, being elected by only four people in ten voting for them.
The British nation can best be summed up by paraphrasing the opening lines of Charles Dickens book, A Tale of Two Cities窶
窶弋hey are the best of nations, and the worst of nations.窶
Oh yes, and of course, let's not overlook Cambridge University, though in saying that I must declare an interest!
Cambrius (The Red)
19-04-10, 13:47
The English language.
Ah but is it something unique about the English language, or is it that it窶冱 so widely spoken because of what the British did?
After all, any language in which a persons nose runs but his feet smell can窶冲 be all that great!
As you said in another thread @Gwyllgi, the British have done "a lot of good things and bad things".
Here, I want to comment what the thread is intended about, the contributions in ideas, technology and culture... in the modern world. :good_job:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It is easy to overlook many of the realms in which the British have made contributions, but I think that @Maciamo gave a very interesting list, and from there I will comment what are the most relevant from my point of view.
The English language
There has to be a reason why English is the most widely language spoken today in the World. The initial reasons were colonialism and imperialism. However the English language have some traits that are very much convenient. It is a non heavily inflected language, with SVO syntax which uses the Latin alphabet.
German with an divided predicate architecture, or Chinese with its complicated Logograms would not be so easy to internationalize, even in similar conditions.
The agricultural & industrial revolutions
I will stress more the Industrial Revolution, which in its core it is the use of chemical energy to produce work ...
http://www.cida.ve/~briceno/cursos/astrof_observ/clase1/watteng.jpg
... this "phylosophy" made possible many other things...
Mechanical inventions (railway, gas turbine, jet engine, automobile, etc.)
Economics (mercantilism, free trade, capitalism, liberalism)
This have to be taken with perspective.
Aren't we seeing in the World the truimph of supposedly "surpassed" economical theories like Mercantilism and Dirigism (Japan, China, Korea,... )?
("Mercantilism" was a name given to something that almost all the European goverments from 1500 to 1750 practiced, and likewise "Capitalism" was a name given to an already in place practice.)
However, Economics as a science (Political Economics) was born in England... with Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Stuart Mill and Karl Marx as the first classics... and later we have other great British economists like Alfred Marshall, John M. Keynes and J.K. Galbraith.
However normal people don't realize that many of this supposedly "theories" in reality want to sell "liberal"/conservative ideology in a fancy package. And don't realize that many of the Nobel Prizes given mostly to Americans and British "economists" in recent decades, are plain fraud and political agenda.
Economics is one of the most ideologisized "sciences". Full of "respect to authority" and with a lot of "heretics"...
Only if you dedicate yourself to study the basics of its inception and phylosophy durign a long time, could you perceive a glimpse of truth out of all the propaganda.
Scientists & philosophers (Bacon, Locke, Newton, Darwin, Russell...)
Extremely important those and many others... like Sir Arthur Edington, Lord Kelvin, Ernest Rutherford... the list is unending.
Politicians (Walpole, Disraeli, Gladstone, Churchill, Thatcher, Blair...)
Don't forget David Lloyd George... ;)
On the other hand, Thatcher and Blair could be good known... but I do not see in them a positive contribution.
Parliamentary monarchy
Sorry, I am republican. Although one has to admit than parlamentary monarchies in Europe have done very well (UK, Belgium, Sweden... just to name a few)... I will exclude some other perverted ones, no to start a fight in this thread.
Literature & Poetry (Shakespeare, Milton, Bronte's, Kipling, Dickens, Elliot...) Crime fictions (Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes...) Children stories (Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Harry Potter...)
And many others authors like D.H. Lawrence, or Olaf Stapledon, ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_Stapledon
Pop music (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen, Robbie Williams, All Saints...)
Don't forget Elton John... ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlz6mTyiMZc
Luxury cars (Roll Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Lotus, Aston Martin)
Fashion (Burberry, Dunhill, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, FCUK)
:good_job:
( Don't forget the Rover http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_(autom%C3%B3vil) )
http://www.repuestos-seo.com/images/p0012151.jpg :heart:
Oxford & Cambridge universities :good_job:
The Commonwealth of Nations :good_job:
Negative & colour photography :good_job:
Sports (tennis, badminton, cricket, golf, rugby, boxing...) :good_job:
Don't forget... SOCCER!!! :cool-v:
@Maciamo wrote...
Many famous novels and children stories are also British. Many of them were adapted by Disney or Hollywood :
- Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Marry Poppins, Oliver Twist, Lords of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.
Although not intended to be purely infantile or young literature, one good example of what you mention is precisely "The Jungle Book" of Kipling... and besides, there is something there, that easily could be used and adapted to the tastes of different cultures, other than British...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogQ0uge06o (USA Jungle Book )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4o88SFIqPo (Japanese J.B.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzMyhGnRSm0 (Soviet J.B.)
Regards.
I would say one of the great things about the English language is that it has assimilated many other words from other languages. What does this say about the culture, maybe that it is confident and adaptive, and that is maybe why it has done so well in many areas
The Brits have done many good and not so good things, my theory is that when you are a powerful nation that whatever you do good or bad it is magnified, look at the USA today. In my small country good and bad things have happened, but it really only impacts on the people here
Tea? I'm not sure the brits get credit for that. I heard they stole that idea from a territory that they conquered. They should have credit for promoting it, but I don't think they get credit for inventing it.
English? I'm surprised to see English getting so many votes. It's not an easy second language to learn from what I understand. It has lots of inconsistencies and exceptions. Consider the time it takes french high schoolers to learn different languages to the same standard of proficiency:
2000 hours studying German
1500 hours studying English
1000 hours studying Italian
150 hours studying Esperanto
English didn't do too well in that study.
I think Bletchly Park and Alan Turing were very significant, and should be listed.
Tea? I'm not sure the brits get credit for that. I heard they stole that idea from a territory that they conquered. They should have credit for promoting it, but I don't think they get credit for inventing it.
No, no, the brits did invent tea. One guy one day thought that it would be nice to give flavour to water, so he mixed various chemicals into a test tube and tea was created... :rolleyes2:
Tea is a plant. It is native to China, and was drunk there for centuries before the Brits first tasted it. BUT it is the Brits who spread the use of tea around the world, it is them who started tea plantations in India, Malaysia or Africa, and it is also the Brits who developed what we call 'black tea'. The Chinese traditionally drank green tea. It's the same plant, it's just that leaves needed to be fermented to make black tea. Apparently it happened by accident when the British brought tea back to Europe; the leaves fermented during the many-month-long sea journey.
Then, most of the world's most famous tea brands (Fortnum & Mason, Taylors of Harrogate, Twinings, Lipton...) and tea blends (Earl Grey, English Breakfast...) are British. So I think we can give them so credit.
English? I'm surprised to see English getting so many votes. It's not an easy second language to learn from what I understand. It has lots of inconsistencies and exceptions. Consider the time it takes french high schoolers to learn different languages to the same standard of proficiency:
2000 hours studying German
1500 hours studying English
1000 hours studying Italian
150 hours studying Esperanto
English didn't do too well in that study.
Obviously French speakers will learn Italian faster than English. It's so much more similar. Esperanto is a very basic language. The beauty of English is that it has more words, more nuances, and more flexibility (while keeping a advanced and efficient grammar) than about any other language. There are many reasons why English became the world's lingua franca, and English could never have become so pre-eminent without an intrinsic superiority over other languages. The more languages I learn, the more I realise how much English is better in almost every way.
I think Bletchly Park and Alan Turing were very significant, and should be listed.
In what sense are they contributions to the world ?
No, no, the brits did invent tea ... was drunk there for centuries before the Brits first tasted it
That's an obvious contradiction. As much as you want to credit brits for advancing tea, they do not get credit for a Chinese invention. This would be like saying that the Japanese invented cars. They may have advanced cars more than anyone, but they did not invent them.
That's not to say it doesn't belong on the list, but it's misleading to list it alongside true inventions. It should be qualified (eg. "advancement of teas"). It's easy to advance ideas - inventing something very original is a higher level of creativity than improving on something.
In what sense are they contributions to the world ?
In then sense that stopping Hitler contributed immeasurably to the well-being of everyone worldwide, even the Germans themselves (who made internal efforts to stop him). And in the sense that turing complete languages still continue to advance all but the most primitive tribal communities worldwide.
Sitting in a traditional British pub, with real ale. It's becoming harder to do, given the decline in numbers of decent pubs.
Wow that is an impressive list :) Well done!
Impressive list indeed! Every country would be proud of.
I can't believe though that people voted for constitutional monarchy. I'm pretty sure that something alike existed at time in Roman Empire. Also Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth constitutional monarchy dates back to 1495.
Aristander
12-09-10, 02:46
Well one thing the British won't be remembered for is their cooking! :laughing:
I concur, and I think this lack of taste got to be mostly genetic.
English language, definetely. And globalization. It is not on the list, but I think it is one of major contributions of British people, in positive and negative sense.
All other listed contributions( architecture, literature etc) are more or less of average level if we talk about Brits and not only their specialty.
Aristander
12-09-10, 20:23
It is true that British have made almost uncountable contributions to our current world culture, but the real question is why? What were the contributing factors that put the British into this position?
Would another culture or people if put into the same position over the last 500 years have provided so much and what will be long term effects of this influence?
1000 years from now will the influence of the British still have as much influence as the cultural imprint left by the Greco-Romans? Will the English language give birth to a common world language? Will Shakespeare still be taught? Will the music of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd be remembered? There are a multitude of other influences that have been mentioned here, how much will still be meaningful in another Millennium?
All other listed contributions( architecture, literature etc) are more or less of average level if we talk about Brits and not only their specialty.
I agree on Architecture, but literature i think they are above average.
I agree on Architecture, but literature i think they are above average.
It could be said that they are in top five, but far away that it is their greatest contribution to the world. I believe that Russian literature (Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Chekhov, Pushkin, Tolstoy...) is unexcelled.
The agricultural & industrial revolutions
John Major's 'Traffic Cones Hotline' must surely rank as a contender?
Rastko Pocesta
20-10-10, 17:45
I voted for both Scientists and Philosophers and Literature and Poetry.
crudshoveller
02-03-11, 20:01
The falsely convicted who are later exonerated by late arriving DNA evidence (at least 250 now exonerated by Innocence Project initiative) might be choose to focus on Alec Jeffrey's contribution to forensic science. In that first case, in typical fashion, available evidence pointed to an innocent man, who again in typical fashion, confessed to the crime (rape/murder) while in police custody.
I think as a second string I might vote for the example of the British legal system, being especially mindful of the enlightened changes instituted by Henry II.
It is true that British have made almost uncountable contributions to our current world culture, but the real question is why? What were the contributing factors that put the British into this position?
Simply the sea. As an island nation the British came to the realisation around the time of King Henry VIII that the only way to adequately defend Britain was to dominate the sea and he is credited with the beginning of what what was to become (arguably) the world's greatest naval power.
Later, it was Queen Elizabeth I who saw the advantages for Britain in the New World and it was under her authorisation that many voyages of discovery and conquest first began. I suppose she could be credited (for good or bad) with the beginnings of what was to become the British Empire.
Of course, it can be argued that if it wasn't for the competition with traditional enemies such as Spain and France that it would not have come about, but when was it never thus?
Antigine - I think its more complicated than it being an island
A book I have sums up the developments that have led to the modern world, where it can be argued that Britain's role played more that its share, and in many cases it was unquestionably the leader. These developments include
1) A shift from a low productivity, subsistence agriculture to a high productivity, capitalist one
2) The rise of representative democracy - way ahead of the continent, starting with the Magna Carta in the 1200's. Not necessarily talking full democracy here
3) Government by the rule of law (common law) - again way ahead of the continent
4) The birth and development of science -apart from greats like Newton, we are really talking about the birth of proper scientific practice
5)The rise and rise of technology
6) The health transition, by which the average human lifespan doubled or trebled
7) The development of secure property rights - again way ahead of the continent
8) The development of modern public finance - e.g because of this they were able to finance wars etc more easily than say the French, despite having a smaller population
9) The globalization of trade and investment
10) The slow march of freedom of speech
11) The abolition of torture and other non- reason based methods of trial as a means of determining guilt or innocence - again way ahead of the continent
12) The construction of effective government programmes for the relief of poverty etc. (eventually!)
13) The birth of mass migration - ie from Britain to the Anglo countries
14) The development and spread of a genuine global tongue
15) The diversion of young male testosterone into sporting activities rather than military or other violent activities. A significant proportion of modern sports were developed in Britain
I'm not saying that Britain is responsible for all the above, but it did play a major part. I think things like common law and property rights were a major enabler for many of the other developments
Hi Mike, of course it is more involved, isn't it always? Which is why I used "simply" as the first word, because at the most basic level being an island nation was the reason for its unique development, the mentality and mind-set of it's people and, therefore, it's contributions to the world.
Yes the island thing was a big part of it
marica mandic
16-04-11, 08:54
I have waited to post this thread as the list may be longer than that of any other countries. Britain has had a remarkably important role in shaping today's world compared to its tiny size (half the land area of France or Texas).
British inventions alone include the steam engine, the gas turbine, the railway, the gas stove/cooker, the car, negative & colour photography, radio waves, the jet engine and arguably also video games.
We also owe to Britain the agricultural and industrial revolutions, and a big part in the development of mercantilism, free trade, capitalism, economic liberalism.
England was the first major country to have a parliament (after Iceland and the Isle of Man).
English is now the most widely spoken language around the world, and the official language of science, computering, aviation and diplomacy, among others.
But Britain's contribution to the world are not limited to its system and inventions. Britain is has given the world famous brands of food, drinks and clothes, such as :
- Tea & Jam : Fortnum & Mason, Lipton, Twinings, Pickwick, Whittards, Wilkin & Son Tiptree, Chivers/Hartleys, Rather Jolly, Thursday Cottage...
- Clothes : Burberry, Paul Smith, Alred Dunhill, Vivienne Westwood, FCUK...
- Cars : Roll Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Lotus, Aston Martin, MG, Mini Cooper, Rover
Many famous novels and children stories are also British. Many of them were adapted by Disney or Hollywood :
- Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Marry Poppins, Oliver Twist, Lords of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.
Related threads :
Greatest contributions of :
Ancient Egypt (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19850) - Ancient Greece (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20654) - Ancient Rome (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20285)
India (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19746) - China (http://www.wa-pedia.com/forum/chinese-culture-history-143/what-greatest-chinese-contribution-s-world-44197/) - Japan (http://www.wa-pedia.com/forum/all-things-japanese-26/greatest-japanese-contribution-world-16125/)
Belgium (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16861) - Britain (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036) - France (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16869) - Germany (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16867) - Netherlands (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16865) - Italy (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16873) - Poland (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036) - Spain (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18036)
English is realy important language. Maybe in next 20 years 60% of Earth population will
speak english.
I think we've done bloody well for ourselves! ENG-A-LAND ENG-A-LAND ENG-A-LAND :D
I think we've done bloody well for ourselves! ENG-A-LAND ENG-A-LAND ENG-A-LAND :D
AHEM! British...
Yeah but let's face it, England did most of the work...and there's no equivalent chant for the UK
I wouldn't have said the English language. If anything thats probably one of the things i despise the most - the fact that it has destroyed so many native languages across the world and wiped them out, i find that a very sad thing indeed. Plus its nothing but a mix-mash of French/Latin and Germanic, it would have been "cooler" had it just have been Germanic
I think that you will find that it was the British who invented the game of football.
They also began the first football league in 1888.
and ...... they are still teaching the rest of the world how to play the game.
Mzungu mchagga
09-08-11, 10:18
I think that you will find that it was the British who invented the game of football.
They also began the first football league in 1888.
and ...... they are still teaching the rest of the world how to play the game.
:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:
Oooohhh!
Now I know what we forgot!!
The Greatest British Invention of all times!
Absurd Humor!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol5Dfs7jqFI
Definitely the humour! It is possibly the best thing about the British, the ability to laugh at themselves.
BBC, broadcasting to 100 countries around the world. It was only source of reliable information in many countries under regimes, or so poor that didn't have their own radio or tv station.
And not just those living under dodgy regimes. The BBC World Service was the only link to the outside world for anyone living in remote places and communities. It is not quite so significant now with satelite access virtually everywhere, but not so long ago it was the only way of hearing any news for a great many.
Anglicanism is just another form of Catholicism
Agreed.
HOBNOBS I agree!!! YUMMY!! One can get addicted to them.....
Oh god how I hate hobnobs. :rolleyes2:
as tempting as it is to say the English language, it is not properly a British contribution. It's as much an imposition of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans on the native British. It's kind of an anti-British contribution.
Um, I presumed people were talking about modern "British" peoples here, not the extinct ethnicity. :useless:
Ah but is it something unique about the English language, or is it that it窶冱 so widely spoken because of what the British did?
After all, any language in which a persons nose runs but his feet smell can窶冲 be all that great!
It's flexible. It's obvious you're subtly advocating Welsh here by the way.
Don't forget the Rover
Rovers were awful, I didn't mourn their death. MGs were better, but not by much. Rover's have a bad image, they're only bought by old people and pakistanis in England itself.
Land Rover, Jaguar, Bentley and Aston Martin are all more worthy of praise, and the rebadged Opals - Vauxhall.
I heard they stole that idea from a territory that they conquered. They should have credit for promoting it, but I don't think they get credit for inventing it.
No, I believe it was stolen from China actually, the plants were smuggled out since the Chinese tried to keep them for themselves. They were then grown in India and a trade established.
That's basically what happened with rubber in Brazil - it was monopolised by them and the British broke the monopoly by smuggling the plant out and planting it in Malaya, indirectly killing the Brazilian economy at the time.
English? I'm surprised to see English getting so many votes. It's not an easy second language to learn from what I understand. It has lots of inconsistencies and exceptions. Consider the time it takes french high schoolers to learn different languages to the same standard of proficiency:
2000 hours studying German
1500 hours studying English
1000 hours studying Italian
150 hours studying Esperanto
English didn't do too well in that study.
What do you expect? German and English are Germanic, those other two are Romanic - of course the last two will be easier! :confused2:
spongetaro
31-12-11, 12:14
The Beatles
Certainly not the women, British and irish women are by far the least attractive (and also fattest) in europe (average-wise). British men arent any better either.
What do you expect? German and English are Germanic, those other two are Romanic - of course the last two will be easier! :confused2:
English is by far the least germanic of the germanic languages, I would put it in borderline category just like french (bordierline latin/germanic slighty leaning towards latin) and romanian (borderline latin/slavic, slighty leaning towards latin). When listening english language at first I can recognize a lot of similar phonetic to french, Which I dont get slighty at all when I listen scandinavian languages, dutch or german.
And about the Brits Behaving like other germanic people...
Certainly British(including the english) and also the Irish are quite alien culturally in many ways compared to continental europeans and scandinavians, they also dont have the typical germanic aurea which is peaceful and relaxed in terms of sexuality, brits always like to appear aggresive/threatening (even from highschool ages) and they are way more agressive sexually speaking, they flirt a lot compared to real germanics, and you see how there is accepted for men to pay the bills, there is still a lot of gender disparity where the men is supposed to hunt women, I dont see german/dutch/scandinavian men acting that way, they dont hunt women in that way, and most men would refuse to pay the bills for women, neither those women would like to feel lower than men accepting that. Also british men like to show who is more agressive and more manly when they are with their counterparts, which is frowned upon in germanic societies where there is not social pressure to show/prove how masculine you are. Also we could start about how many brits are suffering from social-class inferiority complex, which reminds me a lot how the french are, which in real germanic countries is practically absent. Many brits care a lot to confirm that they belong to certain social class ( be it middle-class, upper-middle class, working class, etc).
English is by far the least germanic of the germanic languages, I would put it in borderline category just like french (bordierline latin/germanic slighty leaning towards latin) and romanian (borderline latin/slavic, slighty leaning towards latin). When listening english language at first I can recognize a lot of similar phonetic to french, Which I dont get slighty at all when I listen scandinavian languages, dutch or german.
This is obvious to me when I look at French or Italian too, but most of the basic words are still Germanic. I once set myself the task of seeing if I could write a paragraph using only the Romance (French, Latin, etc..) words in English. It failed because basic vocabulary such as "and" and "the" are still Germanic.
There's a group of amateur linguists who've attempted to replace all non-Germanic words in English, they call it "Anglic". It probably wouldn't be too hard to do the opposite with English, to replace all non-Romance vocabulary whilst borrowing a few things from Norman French to fill in the gaps in the basic core vocabulary.
Certainly British(including the english) and also the Irish are quite alien culturally in many ways compared to continental europeans and scandinavians, they also dont have the typical germanic aurea which is peaceful and relaxed in terms of sexuality,
That's largely due to the influence of the Puritans, English Civil War and Victorian ideals about morality. Similar ideals would have existed in Europe once but Britain is just more conservative.
Taboos are breaking down, but when debating whether the Brits are like other Germanics, I don't really think sex is relevant.
brits always like to appear aggresive/threatening (even from highschool ages) and they are way more agressive sexually speaking, they flirt a lot compared to real germanics, and you see how there is accepted for men to pay the bills, there is still a lot of gender disparity where the men is supposed to hunt women, I dont see german/dutch/scandinavian men acting that way, they dont hunt women in that way, and most men would refuse to pay the bills for women, neither those women would like to feel lower than men accepting that.
We're in a position where women ask for equal rights and yet expect such things whether they are contradictory or not. Britain is probably more culturally conservative as I said.
Also british men like to show who is more agressive and more manly when they are with their counterparts, which is frowned upon in germanic societies where there is not social pressure to show/prove how masculine you are.
I don't tend to notice much. I think there's a fear of becoming effeminate, men and women still think and act differently on the whole no matter how equal they are. This stems from the very nature of the genders and some differences are a positive thing.
Also we could start about how many brits are suffering from social-class inferiority complex, which reminds me a lot how the french are, which in real germanic countries is practically absent. Many brits care a lot to confirm that they belong to certain social class ( be it middle-class, upper-middle class, working class, etc).
Class exists but is not as strong as it once was. I think the Normans brought class to Britain, you have to remember that England has rarely witnessed the sharp changes seen in Europe. Here for example, we had a revolution a long time before the French - the English Civil War. The outcome was dramatic and stricter values were imposed by the Puritans. Then it was reversed, the monarchy was restored and the brief republic ended. The French revolution on the other hand had a much great impact.
The whole debate as to whether we're more similar to French or Germans, Romanics or Germanics has been done many times before and ultimately ends with a result biased towards the particular feelings of the individual person.
Personally I see France, Belgium and obviously Ireland and the Anglosphere as most similar to us. The Germans and Dutch don't feel as close as those others but this may just be my perception. Within Belgium I'm more drawn to Walonia, but that's just my own views.
The whole debate as to whether we're more similar to French or Germans, Romanics or Germanics has been done many times before and ultimately ends with a result biased towards the particular feelings of the individual person.
Personally I see France, Belgium and obviously Ireland and the Anglosphere as most similar to us. The Germans and Dutch don't feel as close as those others but this may just be my perception. Within Belgium I'm more drawn to Walonia, but that's just my own views.
I do agree, I put Northern French people ( the fraction above paris) and Belgian wallons as the closest matches to British people. I'd say anything from paris to south is more latin/romance influenced than brits are, and anything north of wallonia is more germanic (flemish people have a lot of dutch in them, although with more central european inputs). It is not even considering the Irish whom culturally are obviously the closest to the Brits (even considering the english alone).
What about Alan Turing, the father of computing. If you read up about him you will see what a wonderful contribution he has made to the world
s
Boxing wasn't invented by the British, it was invented by the Ancient Greeks, and Tennis was invented by the French.
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