28th August: Liverpool

On this date in 1207 Liverpool, England, was created as a borough by King John. Here are some facts about the City of Liverpool you may not know.

1. At one time Liverpool was the second-most powerful city of the British Empire after London, and had the world’s largest harbour.
2. Liverpool holds the Guinness Book of Records title for being the Capital of Pop. More artists with a Liverpool origin have had a number one hit than from anywhere else. Musicians from Liverpool include Billy J Kramer, Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, Billy Fury, A Flock of Seagulls, Echo and the Bunnymen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Frankie Vaughan, Anathema, Ladytron, The Zutons, Atomic Kitten, Heidi Range and Rebecca Ferguson. And The Beatles. The city is also home to the oldest surviving professional symphony orchestra in the UK, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. It's also one of the few UK cities to feature in the title of a number one hit - Long Haired Lover from Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond in 1972.
3. Liverpool has the largest collection of Grade II-listed buildings outside London. The city has 2,500 listed buildings and 250 public monuments.
4. Possibly its most famous building is the Liver Building with the 6 metre high "Liver Birds" on top of it. According to legend, one bird looks at the city and its people while the other looks out at the port and the sailors. It's said if the birds ever turn to look at each other, the city will crumble.
5. Another famous building is the Anglican Cathedral. Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1904, it's the largest cathedral in Britain and the fifth largest in the world. It also has the heaviest bells in the world. London may have Big Ben but Liverpool has Great George, which weighs in at 15 tonnes, is 2.9m in diameter and has to be rung using a hammer. That's almost as heavy as the rest of the thirteen bells put together (they have a combined weight of 17 tonnes).
6. Liverpool has an impressive list of things it had before any other city in the UK and in some cases, the world. It had the first lending library, school of tropical medicine, American consul, school for the blind, Mechanics' Institute, High School for Girls, council house, lifeboat station, public baths, district nurse, purpose-built ambulance, motorised municipal fire-engine, free school Milk, cancer research centre, integrated sewer system, Underwriters' Association and has the oldest surviving repertory theatre, the Liverpool Playhouse. The world’s first passenger railway line was built in 1830, from Liverpool to Manchester.
7. The population was 478,580 in 2015.
8. Liverpool’s waterfront has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
9. People from Liverpool are sometimes nicknamed "Scousers". Scouse was a type of stew eaten by poor people in the city. Ingredients include lamb or beef, Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes and Onions.
10. Liverpool is the most successful footballing city in England, home to both Liverpool and Everton soccer teams. It has won 27 League championships, four European Cups, three UEFA Cups, one Cup Winners cup, 11 FA Cups, and six League Cups.