Maybe it's because it rhymes with 'dull', or maybe it's because it gave the world John Prescott, but the Yorkshire city of Hull gets a lot of bad press. Back in 1642, however, when warring King Charles I turned up at its gates and demanded access to the armory he'd stashed there, Hull's mayor told him that he couldn't come in unless he calmed down. Charlie being the proud sort stood his ground, at which point Hull's mayor gave the order to fire on the King and his men. After a vicious battle, Hull prevailed and Charlie went home to lick his wounds, though Hull had lit the fuse that would see the English Civil War kick off good style a few months later.