June 2012
30 posts
27 days to go!
The BBC World Service is the world’s largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in English and 27 other world languages to average weekly audiences of 188 million.
Find out more about the BBC World Service.
28 days to go!
London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo, which opened in 1828.
Its newest exhibit - Penguin Beach - recently saw the inhabitants getting into the Olympic spirit.
29 days to go!
The Olympic Torch will end the day in Nottingham. The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth, was born in Nottingham back in 1829.
Did you know that the Salvation Army owns Hadleigh Farm, the venue for the London 2012 Olympic Mountain Biking?
Find out more about Olympic Mountain Biking.
GB rider Liam Killeen test out the course at Hadleigh Farm
30 days to go!
As part of the legacy of the London 2012 Games, £30m will be invested in the UK’s first ever National Sports and Exercise Medicine Centre of Excellence to promote sport and physical activity within healthcare.
Find out more about the Centre.
31 days to go!
Nearly 31 million visitors are expected to come the UK in 2012 - will you be one of them?
Find out more about what there is to see and do in the UK.
32 days to go!
Did you know that Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone and today there are more than 32 million telephone lines in the UK alone.
Find out more about British inventions and innovation.
33 days to go!
Giant Olympic Rings are decorating cities across the UK. Recently Rings have been unveiled in Heathrow airport, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Whilst in Glasgow’s George Square the London 2012 Olympic Games are being celebrated alongside a massive 33ft long set of Olympic Rings.
Find out more about how other cities are celebrating the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Olympic Rings in Glasgow...
34 days to go!
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held at 34 venues around the United Kingdom.
Find out more about the Games venues.
35 days to go!
It’s 35 years since the first BRIT awards were won, with The Beatles winning Outstanding Contribution, Best British Group and Best British Album in 1977. In 2012, Adele and Ed Sheeran were the stars of the show winning two awards each.
Find out more about GREAT British Music.
36 days to go!
As part of the 2012 Shakespeare Festival, 36 Shakespeare plays were performed in 36 different languages by performers from around the world.
Find out more about the World Shakespeare festival.
37 days to go!
The UK’s thriving fashion industry brings £37 billion to the economy every year. Last week we saw the exciting future of British fashion at the London Graduate Fashion Week, which celebrated the work of more than 1000 fashion students.
Find out more about GREAT British fashion.
38 days to go!
The Olympic torch will travel through Yorkshire today from Hull to York. York is a city renown for its history and architecture, including the iconic York Minster.
The history of York Minster begins in the 7th century AD and the building we recognise today is thought to have areas over 800 years old. There are many examples of medieval stained glass in the Minister, including the magnificent...
39 days to go!
There are 39 theatres in London’s West End Theatreland putting on plays and musicals to annual audiences of over 13 million.
Find out more about current performances.
40 days to go!
40% of applicants for the volunteer role of Games Maker said that London 2012 has inspired them to volunteer for the first time.
Find out more about some of the Games Makers and the training they are doing.
41 days to go!
Riders from 41 different nations will compete in equestrian events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The riders include HM Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips. Zara will join the Equestrian Eventing Team and is following in the footsteps of her mother, Princess Anne, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Learn more about Zara’s qualification and Equestrian...
42 days to go!
42 test events have been held in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
These events not only demonstrated London’s readiness to stage the Games but also allowed hundreds of thousands of spectators to enjoy world class sport in Olympic and Paralympic venues.
Find out more about the test events.
Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament
Great Britain...
43 days to go!
Today is the Olympic Torch’s last day in Scotland.
It set off from Edinburgh’s Old Town and we can expect some stunning photos of the torch passing through the iconic Edinburgh landscape.
You can compare the picture of Edinburgh today with how it looked back in 1943 by viewing this British Council video:
44 days to go!
Artistic Director, Danny Boyle, has recently released details of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Alongside the thousands of human volunteers who have worked tirelessly for months to perfect the performances, will be 44 horses, chickens, ducks, geese and cows.
They will also be helped out by a couple of goats and a flock of sheep and their hard working sheep dogs.
Find out more...
45 days to go!
The Olympic Park will be a haven for wildlife with 45 hectares of habitat being created including reedbeds, grasslands, ponds, woodlands, bird and bat boxes.
Find out more about Britain’s wildlife.
46 days to go!
46,000 people have worked on the construction of the Olympic Park including 350 apprentices who have learned new skills and will be able to work in the construction industry after the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Find out more about the London 2012 Apprenticeships programme [PDF document]
47 days to go!
At the Beijing 2009 Summer Olympic Games, Team GB won 47 Olympic medals - the most they had won at any summer games since 1908.
Find out more about the Team GB athletes who are hoping to win medals in London.
48 days to go!
London last hosted the Olympic Games in 1948. The 1948 Games were the first to take place after a 12 year break because of World War II.
In 2012, London will become the first city ever to host the Games three times - in 1908, 1948 and 2012. Find out more about London’s Olympic history.
49 days to go!
The Olympic Torch continues its journey around the UK and today arrives in Scotland. 2012 marks the year of Creative Scotland, a celebration of Scottish art and culture.
One project, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, will see the entire story of Scotland stitched onto 49,000 metres of yarn.
Learn more about Creative Scotland 2012.
Copyright- VisitScotland/ScottishViewpoint
50 days to go!
The skyline above the Olympic Park site was greatly improved by the removal of 50 electricity pylons. The pylons were replaced by two 6km tunnels beneath the Olympic Park that will enable the power needed for the Games and legacy developments to be carried underground.
Learn more about building the Olympic Park site.
51 days to go!
The Olympic Torch will start the day in Dublin today in its only excursion outside the UK ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Forty one inspirational people have been chosen to carry the torch, including former professional rugby union player Denis Hickie, who earned 51 international caps for Ireland.
Find out more about Denis and the other torchbearers in Ireland.
52 days to go!
The British Grand Prix is a highlight in the annual Formula 1 World Championship calendar.
The drivers reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour as they complete 52 laps of the Silverstone course.
Find out more about Silverstone and the Grand Prix.
by natures wonder
53 days to go!
Not long now - only 53 days until the Opening Ceremony takes place in the Olympic Stadium.
Did you know that as well as being the lightest Olympic Stadium ever built, at 50 metres high, the stadium is just over 1 metre taller than another famous London landmark, Nelson’s Column.
Find out more about things to see and do in London.
By James Stringer
54 days to go!
The Olympic Torch will be in Northern Ireland today - 54 days until the Olympic Games.
Did you know that the survivors from the sinking of RMS Titanic arrived in New York at Pier 54 and that the Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland 100 years ago.
You can learn more about the Titanic at Titanic Belfast.
55 days to go!
The Olympic Torch will end the day in the Isle of Man today.
Did you know that 55 years ago in 1957, Scotsman Bob McIntyre became the first rider to lap the Isle of Man TT Mountain circuit at 100 miles per hour.
Today, competitors in the world famous motorcycle race can reach 200 mph.
Learn more about the TT and other attractions on the Isle of Man.
56 days to go!
The Velodrome is one of the most iconic venues of the London 2012 Games.
56km of sustainable sourced timber laid to form the 250 metre Velodrome track.
You can take a virtual tour of the Velodrome.
