historic-uk.com

781Ap TIL that in 1671 a man attempted to steal the Crown Jewels, and when he was caught he was brought before King Charles II, who found him so amusing that not only did her pardon the man, but he also ended up giving him massive lands in Ireland and a pension of £500 a year (£92,000 today)
wonlM TIL of the 1752 adoption of the Gregorian calendar in the UK. To align the UK with Western Europe, the year 1751 was only 282 days and in 1752 it was deemed neccessary to eliminate 11 days with Sept 14th coming after Sept 2nd.
4kB0b TIL that, in 1604, King James I wrote ‘A Counterblaste to Tobacco’, in which he described smoking as a ‘custome lothesome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs