20 things Manchester gave to the world
Manchester has helped shape the rest of the world through ground breaking inventions and great ideas.
As Tony Wilson once said "This is Manchester, we do things differently here". This city has helped shape the rest of the world through ground breaking inventions and great ideas. Here are some of the best...
1. Coronation Street Britain's longest-running soap and most loved street.
2. The computer Alan Turing is regarded the father of modern day computer science after completely revolutionising the way we communicate. Made the Deputy Director of the computing laboratory at the University of Manchester, which also developed the first computer.
3. Votes for women Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragette movement that helped women win the right to vote was born in Moss Side. In 1999, Time named Pankhurst as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating: "She shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back."
4. Libraries The oldest public library in the English speaking world opened in Manchester by wealthy Mancunian Humphrey Chetham in 1953.
5. British fashion Manchester was the beating heart of the Industrial Revolution, with its factories fuelling the evolution of British fashion. The city also remains an important force in the fashion world with Sarah Burton, famous for designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress, learning her craft at Manchester Metropolitan University. Editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman said "Manchester's importance to fashion is unquestionable."
6. Great music There is simply no other city in the UK which compares with Manchester in terms of music. From Joy Division to The Smiths to Oasis- Manchester is renowned for its rich musical heritage.
7. Canals The Bridgewater Canal opened in 1761 was the first artificial waterway fully independent of natural rivers.
8. The submarine In 1878 a Moss Side vicar Rev George Garrett invented the first mechanically powered submarine.
9. Railway The railway revolution started when the world's first true railway began operating from a purpose-built station on Liverpool Road in 1830. Victoria Station is one of the world's oldest continuously operating stations and remains the second largest station.
10. Socialism Karl Marx and Frederick Engels first met in Manchester in 1842. Engels moved to Manchester in 1842 to work at the family firm, Ermen and Engels which made sewing threads.