Sir Robert Charlton, or Bobby Charlton, is the living legend of English football. His career began in 1953 in Manchester United where he spent almost his entire active football life. For these 20 years in the most successful British football club Charlton made 759 appearances and scored 249 goals. He survived the Munich plane crash in 1958 and later became captain of the team, with whom he won the European Cup in 1968. Meanwhile, Sir Bobby Charlton was the star of the English national team, leading it to its one and only World Cup victory in 1966. The same year the football genius was appointed European Footballer of the year. Bobby Charlton remains in the history books as the top goalscorer of the English national team with 49 goals achieved in 106 games. The great footballer decided to leave Manchester United in 1973 and moved to Preston North End. After a season there, he finished his career in Waterford United in 1975. True to his favourite club, Bobby Charlton entered the board of directors of Manchester United in 1984 and is still there today. In 1994 due to his outstanding accomplishments towards Great Britain he was knighted and acquired the right to use the title “Sir” in front of his name.

David Beckham is one of the most prominent British football players of our time. He started playing for Manchester United in 1993 and in the next 10 years became both the main figure of the team and one of the most successful English players. Beckham won the Premier League title six times and the UEFA Champions League during his stay in Manchester once. Furthermore, two FA Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and one UEFA Super Cup from this period must be added to his honours. In 2003 David Beckham was transferred to Real Madrid where he played until 2007 and won one Primera Division title. Then he joined the MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy and still continues playing for them. Beckham also has 99 appearances for the English football national team and was its captain for a certain period of time. Apart from being a strong personality on the playing field, Beckham is also famous for his personal life – participating in many commercials, turning himself into a fashion icon, his substantial charity work and becoming Officer of the Order of the British Empire. All this contributes to his immense significance both as a sportsman and as a celebrity.

Nigel Mansell is one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Formula One, the most famous racing championship on the planet. During his 15-years-long career Mansell won 31 races, a fabulous achievement that ranks him fourth in terms of number of victories after Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The most successful British F1 pilot competed for the teams of Lotus, Ferrari, Williams and McLaren. In 1992 he finally won the championship and moved to the American CART series, today called “Champ Car”. There Mansell won the title in his first season in 1993 and became the first rookie to boast of such an achievement. Thus he is the only person in history to hold the titles in Formula One and the CART series simultaneously. Nigel Mansell was awarded the title Sports Personality of the Year by BBC in 1986 and 1992. Furthermore, in recognition of his merits the great racer was immortalised in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sir Stephen Redgrave is arguably the best rower worldwide and the most successful British athlete of all time. His long and spectacular international rowing career began in 1979 with his participation in the Junior World Rowing Championship. A year later he became silver medalist in the double sculls for juniors. This marked the start of an amazing series of achievements that very few athletes have ever reached. Redgrave won the titles on five consecutive Olympic Games in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 – only four other Olympians have done the same. In Seoul 1988 he added a bronze medal to his rich collection. The nine titles, two silver medals and one bronze medal from World Rowing Championships won between 1986 and 1999 prove once again his huge importance for British and world sport. In 2000 Sir Stephen Redgrave was declared Sports Personality of the Year by BBC and retired from the sport. Serving as an acknowledgment for his extraordinary career, Stephen Redgrave became Knight Bachelor in 2001 and acquired the title 'Sir' in front of his name.

Martin Johnson is considered the best contemporary English rugby player. He led the national team as a captain to its last World Cup and Grand Slam victories in 2003. Johnson spent his entire career in one team – Leicester Tigers, recording 307 appearances in the period from 1989 to 2005. With Leicester he won the league six times and the prestigious Heineken Cup two times. Martin Johnson is widely known for his leadership skills and gentlemanly attitude towards the game, making him one of the most respected players in the world. He is also recognized as one of the best locks of all times. In 2004 Martin Johnson became Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Called the father of English literature, Chaucer is accorded a leading place among English poets prior to Shakespeare. This author used the English language when most court poetry was still written either in Latin or Anglo-Norman. His works are organised into three chronological sections: the French period (up to 1372), the Italian period (1372 - 1385) and the English period (1387 - 1400). The most important work of the French period is 'Book of Duchess'. Achievements from the Italian period include T'he House of Fame', 'The Parliament of Fowls' and T'he Legend of Good Women'. T'he Canterbury Tales', from the English period, is regarded as Chaucer's most outstanding poetic work, its central theme being a pilgrimage of about 30 people to the sanctuary of the martyr St. Thomas a Becket.

It was a foggy day in London, and the fog was heavy and dark. Animate London, with smarting eyes and irritated lungs, was blinking, wheezing, and choking; inanimate London was a sooty spectre, divided in purpose between being visible and invisible, and so being wholly neither.

Recognised as one of the outstanding English prose writers, known for his opposition to social injustice and inequality, Dickens is the author of many novels that are shining examples of his genius. His career as a novelist took off in 1833, when his essays and short stories were published in periodicals. Among other novels, he wrote 'The Pickwick Papers' (1836), 'Oliver Twist' (1837-39), 'The Old Curiosity Shop' (1840-41), 'A Christmas Carol' (1843), 'David Copperfield' (1849-50), 'Hard Times' (1854), 'Little Dorrit' (1855-57), 'A Tale Of Two Cities' (1859), 'Great Expectations' (1860-61) and T'he Mystery Of Edwin Drood' (1870). A number of films based on Dickens's novels have been made; one of the most noteworthy being David Lean's grave version of 'Oliver Twist'. His novella A 'Christmas Carol', a much-cherished work, has been adapted for the screen on countless occasions.

You find no man at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

Dr. Samuel Johnson's gifts as a poet, essayist, journalist and critic made him one of the most conspicuous men of 18th-Century life and letters. His translation of Pope's 'Messiah' into Latin appeared in 1731. His other important works include 'A Voyage to Abbyssinia' (1735), 'Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth' (1745), 'The Vanity of Human Wishes' (1749), 'Proposals for a New Edition of Shakespeare' (1756) and 'The Prince of Abbyssinia' (1759). His most outstanding accomplishment, though, was 'A Dictionary of the English Language' (1755). A publication of biographical essays of English poets in 1781 under the title 'The Lives of the Poets' marked the end of his career.