Rosetta Stone
British Museum opened in 1759. The original museum was based on the 37,000-piece collection of Sir Hans Sloane, a scientist and physician. The museum grew quickly as Great Britain entered its colonial period. Today the museum’s collection exceeds eight million objects, and over six million visitors enter its doors each year. Some of its acquisitions, for example the Rosetta Stone, have caused controversy. Children can visit the museum website at: British Museum.
Concorde
Concorde flew for the first time in 1976. A British company and a French company formed a joint cooperation to fund and build 20 Concorde planes. The planes mainly flew from London and Paris to New York and Washington, DC. Flights were expensive, but passengers arrived at their destinations in less than half the usual flight time. Due to less travel after September 11, 2001, and increased costs, the planes were retired on November 26, 2003.
“The Mousetrap,” a mystery play by Agatha Christie, opened in London in 1952. It became one of the longest running plays in theater history. Nightly performances of the play continued until March 6, 2020, when COVID-19 caused the theater to close. The play reopened in May 2021. The play continues to run, and tickets are available at least through a large portion of 2025.
The Flying Scotsman in 1934 became the first locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour. The train connected London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Today the locomotive is on exhibit at the National Railway Museum in the United Kingdom. Today’s fastest train is the Shanghai Maglev, which travels at more than 267 miles per hour. Children could conduct research to find the speeds of other trains.
Phileas Fogg won his wager in 1872. The main character of Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days returned to the Reform Club in London under the time limit of 80 days. He won the bet of 20,000 pounds. Could children find out how much 20,000 pounds was in dollars in 1872? Children can read Around the World in Eighty Days at: Project Gutenberg.