Your phone charger can electrocute a toddler who pokes a fork into the socket. The British plug cannot. That difference comes from a 1947 engineering project that refused every shortcut and turned a household plug into one of the most deliberately safe objects ever mass-produced. Britain published BS 1363 in 1947, built for the post-war housing boom. The country was wiring millions of new homes at once and needed one standard that would work safely for everyone. They picked the most paranoid option available. The earth pin (the large top prong) is longer than the other two. When you push a British plug in, the earth pin goes in first. Inside the socket, it presses a lever that opens two metal shutters covering the live and neutral slots. A fork pushed into an empty British socket hits only shutters. The shutters block it. The two conducting pins are also coated in plastic for their lower half. A plug halfway out of the wall is still safe to touch. You would have to pull it completely clear before any live metal is exposed. Inside every plug is its own fuse. UK homes wire their sockets in a loop called a ring circuit, which runs at 32 amps, enough to melt a lamp's cord if the cord fails. So each plug carries a fuse matched to the appliance: 3 amps for a lamp, 13 for a kettle. When something goes wrong in your appliance's wiring, only that plug's fuse blows. The standard US plug (flat two-pin or three-pin) has none of the pin coating and no individual fuse. American building codes began requiring shuttered outlets in new construction in 2008, decades after Britain made shutters standard. Even those newer shuttered versions lack pin coating and plug-level fuses. Britain's plug is bulky because a fuse, a shutter mechanism, insulated pins, and three contact prongs all need room. The plug looks the way it does because safety engineers refused to sacrifice any of those features to make it smaller, and that decision is now 79 years old.

I did this same post on my Facebook handle some 15 years ago: Let me bring it here on X: Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, the Premier of the Western Region, used a British-made Sten submachine gun to defend himself and his family when coup plotters stormed his official residence in Ibadan. The details of Akintola's armament and defense during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état include the following: The Weapon: The Sten gun was a widely used 9mm submachine gun in the mid-20th century. The Nigeria Army stocked them as well. During his target practices, it was one of the primary weapons Akintola familiarized himself with for protection during periods of rising political tension. The Training: Akintola's target practice was reportedly tutored by Lt. Col. Abogo Largema while Largema was the commanding officer in Ibadan. (Largema was also killed during the same coup at a hotel in Lagos). The Shootout: When coup plotters led by Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi stormed the Premier's residence in the early hours of January 15, 1966, Akintola mounted a gallant defense. He fired back at the intruders using his Sten rifle, engaging in a gunfight that delayed the plotters for several hours. The Final Moments: Despite his resistance, he eventually ran out of ammunition. The soldiers ultimately overwhelmed the house, and he was taken out. Now You Know

A crucial crucial point. A lot goes into the funnel - not a lot comes out.

Africa’s wealthy class is growing faster than even the Gulf, in what @YinkaWrites calls the "paradox of Africa's millionaire growth." Read more of his full view: semafor.com/article/06/08/20…

Erdogan and Putin, the End of an Unlikely Partnership nytimes.com/2026/06/07/opini…

Mom: Turn off the TV, let it rest. The fridge since 2008:

How do you explain to people who don’t watch footie that the guys celebrating aren’t even PSG fans? Football hating is one of the best thing about this game, fam

😂😂😂

How I go to bed knowing I can still bant Arsenal with European trophies

Yeah sex is great but have you ever scrolled on X after Arsenal lose another final?

Arsenal haters scrolling through the timeline right now

MAX DOWMAN YOUNGEST PLAYER TO LOSE A UCL FINAL

UCL titles in the last 30 years. Manchester United: 2 Liverpool: 2 Chelsea: 2 Manchester City: 1 Arsenal: 0

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Top lad

This is actually the best thing he’s written. And he goes further than at any previous time, including on saying that the status quo was broken since Blair’s time.

> Starbucks' AI can't even count coffee cups right > Microsoft pulling the plug on Claude for its own team > Uber burned $3.4B in AI budget in 4 months just to see zero return 3 massive setbacks for AI taking our jobs this week. NATURE IS HEALING. WE ARE SO BACK.

How Michael Carrick saved Manchester United’s season 🔺 Surveying players on best positions 🔺 Connection all across Carrington 🔺 Overriding questions on experience 🔺 Board approval at ExCo in Monaco 🔺 Other managers considered FREE to read ⬇️ #MUFC nytimes.com/athletic/7300363…

my Dokita 🙌🏿