From Russia from love

There's no denying that Russia is a place of glamour, excitement and with more than a touch of intrigue. But most Britons probably have no idea how much it has contributed to their daily existence - until now

Here, we celebrate ten top exports from Russia which have influenced Britain throughout the ages, from some of the most important technological advances to arts and culture to the slightly more humorous offerings...

Tetris

Twenty five years old last month, the fiddly videogame was invented by a 29-year old Russian programmer Alex Pajitnov in 1984. The game has since sold 70 million copies around the globe and is regularly voted one of the top games of all time.

Rocket Boots

Created by Viktor Gordeyev, the boots designed to speed up walking were first seen in the 1960s and were re-developed by scientists in early 2000, targeting both military and civilian markets. They can reach a top speed of 35kmph!

Russian Standard Vodka

Meaning 'little water', vodka is perhaps the most famous export from Russian shores and St Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev is quoted as saying, 'Drinking is Russia's delight' in the 11th century.

Judging from the rise in popularity of vodka over the coming centuries, he was on to something and by the 1470s, the production of vodka was at its highest level ever. In the mid-16th century, the country's national drink was officially given the name 'vodka' and in 1894, the government asked acclaimed scientist Dmitri Mendeleev (Professor of Chemistry at St.Petersburg University and founder of the Periodic Table of Elements) to establish standards of vodka production.

The main finding of his research was that the finest strength of vodka to be 40 per cent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof. Mendeleev's recipe was adopted by the government as the absolute standard for Russian vodka.