Re outdoor outlets, the weatherproofed BS1363 style are becoming more common in Britain as people want to use more in the way of garden tools etc.
One problem I've had to explain more than once is that some types are weatherproof
only when not in use. They are
not IP55-rated when the cover is open and a plug inserted. It can be difficult to get across the point that these types shouldn't be left with equipment plugged in unattended in all weathers (e.g. an ornamental fountain pump).
(220V @ 50hz was decided upon as the standard here as far back as 1925, DC systems which exsisted in some parts of the cities were gone by 1926! I think the UK's 240V standard came a lot later
It did indeed. The conversion of the whole network to the standard 240V wasn't completed until the early 1970s, so for many years people had to cope with various nominals voltages such as 220/380, 230/400, 240/415 and 250/433V. Equipment which was more sensitive to the variations, such as TVs, was fitted with adjustable voltage taps until about 30 years ago.
As for DC, quite a lot of the old 3-wire DC distribution networks in British towns survived well into the 1950s.
I have to agree with the Irish decision to not adopt the British style rewireable fuses which were in widespread use. Those things really kept British overcurrent protection in a relatively primitive state of affairs for far too long.
