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The Royal Cypher is a monogram-like emblem representing a country’s reigning monarch. Usually consisting of the sovereign’s initials and title, this is often interwoven with a crown. In Commonwealth countries, such as Great Britain, the title is abbreviated to “R” – short for “Rex” or “Regina”, the Latin words for king and queen.

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A postman walking up the garden path has been a familiar sight for more than 200 years. Today, postmen and women have been allowed to adopt a more casual uniform including shorts and polo shirts, but this hasn’t always been the case.

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Stamp vending machines were an invention of the early 20th century, in the days when the price of a first-class British stamp was one penny and featured King Edward VII.

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The famous theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, has had a massive influence on science, despite being born 140 years ago. His theory of relativity provides the basis of modern physics, while his algebraic formula, E=MC², recognising the link between mass and energy, is known as the “world’s most famous equation”.

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The world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was launched in Britain in May 1840. It depicted a dignified profile picture of Queen Victoria and received its name because of its colour and its face value of one penny.

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