A South London resident waters the vegetables planted on the roof of her Anderson shelter.
In 1938, with the outbreak of World War II on the horizon, Sir John Anderson was placed in charge of air-raid preparations in Britain. He commissioned engineers to design a cheap and simple shelter which could be distributed to the population, the result was the Anderson Shelter. Although the shelter would not provide protection from a direct hit for example, it would protect those within from the deadly flying debris and shrapnel produced during attacks.
Six feet tall, 6.5 feet long, and 4.5 feet wide, the corrugated metal shelters were a snug fit for a family of six. They were buried four feet under owner’s gardens and their arched roofs covered with a layer of soil.
The shelters were distributed for free to poorer residents. Wealthier residents could purchase one for a small fee.
Many chose to incorporate the shelters into their gardens, planting vegetables and flowers on top of them. Residents even held competitions for prettiest shelter.
By the time the Blitz began, over 2 million Anderson shelters had been erected.
SCULPTURE: “LADY GODIVA” by John Thomas (1813 - 1862), UK.
According to the legend dating back to at least the 13th century, Lady Godiva (b. around 1040 — d. between 1066 and 1086), a countess whose name (Godgifu or Godgyfu) translates from Latin as 'gift of God,' rode through the streets of Coventry, Warwickshire, England, in 11th century AD, with nothing but her long hair covering her.
This act was a condition set by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia, to lower taxes for the people.
She rode through the town while the inhabitants stayed indoors with windows and doors shut.
According to that legend, her husband, moved by her bravery, kept his promise and reduced the taxes.
This myth portrays Lady Godiva as possibly the first woman to use her body to defend a social cause.
Nothing new here gov'nr. With the modern drive towards electric vehicles we would have thought it's all new, but ahh, not so...
The notion of a fleet of electric taxi cabs purring around the streets of the capital may still sound the stuff of sci-fi, but they were already a familiar sight on the Victorian roads over a century ago. Developed by Mr Walter Bersey they entered service in 1897, the Bersey taxi was London’s first “self-propelled” vehicle, and at their peak, there were no less than 75 of these electric cabs going about their business on London’s streets. With a speed of 8mph and a range of 30 miles between charges they were guaranteed to have "no smell, no noise, no heat, no vibration, no possible danger, and it has been found that vehicles built on this company’s system do not frighten passing horses"…Unfortunately the world wasn't ready for this mode of transport and they only lasted until 1900.
Nestorian tombstones found in Quanzhou, China with carvings of the cross rising from a lotus and inscriptions of the name of the departed individual as well as the individual’s birth year and it’s corresponding Chinese zodiac.