The British Empire in 100 Facts

The British Empire was once the largest and most powerful in the world. Spread as far and wide as Canada, Australia, India and Africa, it used to be said that the sun never set on it as it always had at least one of its territories in daylight. Spanning 500 years, the British Empire is a massive subject, with dozens of books written on it – but often so specific as to tell the story of a single regiment fighting an obscure colonial battle. The British Empire in 100 Facts, by contrast, is a whirlwind tour of the Empire that condenses its history into short, easy-to-read chapters on its main trends and themes – from voyages under Elizabeth I to eventual demise with the Independence and Partition of India and the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Along the way are some interesting factoids: the flushable toilet was an imperial invention, Sir Isaac Newton was easily distracted from his scientific work, India used to have a Great Wall of its own… This is a book that dishes out the great imperial experiment in bite-sized portions for the reader with a casual appetite for history.