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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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BSA
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(Birmingham Small Arms) Munitions company which diversified in the first decade of the century into manufacturing motor cycles. Their first model, in 1908, was described in a magazine of the time as 'by no means a potterer'. By the 1920s BSA was a leading make, but in the 1960s it declined with the rest of the British *motor cycle industry and in 1971 production ceased. The name was subsequently revived for a new company, based in Gloucestershire, which makes relatively light models mainly for export.
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BSI (British Standards Institution) Body established in 1901 in the engineering industry, and known under this name from 1931. It was created out of frustration at the range of incompatible components, from screw threads up to steel girders. As early as 1903 the kitemark (a symbol in the shape of a kite with an S in the middle) was introduced to identify goods produced to an established standard – it was first used on tramway lines. Over the decades the principle has been extended not only throughout manufacturing, but also to less tangible areas such as safety and management. In recent years standardization within the European Community has been the major issue.
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