Timeline: Peter Saunders: Our Family History

1818—1818: Manchester cotton spinners' strike
20 Oct 1818—20 Oct 1818: 'Convention of 1818' signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the US-Canada border on the 49th parallel for most of its length

1819

1819—1819: Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular
1819—1819: Britain returns to gold standard
1819—1819: Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles
May 1819—May 1819: SS 'Savannah' first steamship to cross Atlantic reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days mostly under sail)
16 Aug 1819—16 Aug 1819: Peterloo Massacre at Manchester ? a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester ? demand Parliamentary Reform ? mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others

1820

1820—1820: Cato Street Conspiracy ? plot to assissinate British cabinet
1820—1820: Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition
29 Jan 1820—29 Jan 1820: Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent
1 Aug 1820—1 Aug 1820: Regent's Canal in London opens
17 Aug 1820—17 Aug 1820: Trial of Queen Caroline to prove her infidelities so George IV can divorce her ? George tries to secure a Bill of Pains and Penalties against her ? Caroline is virtually acquitted because bill passed by such a small majority of Lords

1821

1821—1821: Faraday publishes 'Principles of electro-magnetic rotation'
1821—1821: Constable paints 'The Hay Wain'
5 May 1821—5 May 1821: Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena

1822

14 Jun 1822—14 Jun 1822: Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society

1823

1823—1823: New laws concerning marriage by license ? 'very troublesome' according to some the Act was repealed all in a hurry at the beginning of the next session
1823—1823: Peel begins penal reforms ? death penalty abolished for over 100 crimes
1823—1823: Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School
1823—1823: Rubberised waterproof material produced by MacIntosh
2 Dec 1823—2 Dec 1823: US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts (the 'Monroe Doctrine')

1824

1824—1824: RSPCA established
1824—1824: Portland cement patented
4 Mar 1824—4 Mar 1824: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded (called the 'National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck' until 1854)
10 May 1824—10 May 1824: National Gallery in London opens to the public

1825

27 Sep 1825—27 Sep 1825: Stockton to Darlington Railway opens ? world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains

1827

1827—1827: Ohm's Law published

1828

25 Oct 1828—25 Oct 1828: St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)

1829

1829—1829: London Metropolitan Police Force formed, nicknamed 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel
1829—1829: Louis Braille invents his system of finger-reading for the blind
10 Jun 1829—10 Jun 1829: First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race
6 Oct 1829—6 Oct 1829: George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to complete the trial!)

1830

1830—1830: Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium
Jul 1830—Jul 1830: Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons ? Louis Philippe (the Citizen King) on the throne
15 Sep 1830—15 Sep 1830: George Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened by the Duke of Wellington ? first mail carried by rail, and first death on the railway as William Huskisson, a leading politician, is run over!

1831

1831—1831: A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled
1 Jun 1831—1 Jun 1831: James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole
1 Aug 1831—1 Aug 1831: 'New' London Bridge opens (replaced 1973) ? old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished

1832

1832—1832: Electoral Registers introduced
1832—1832: Electric telegraph invented by Morse
7 Jun 1832—7 Jun 1832: Reform Bill passed ? Representation of the People Act

1833

Jan 1833—Jan 1833: Britain invades the Falkland Islands
29 Aug 1833—29 Aug 1833: Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9

1834

1834—1834: Babbage invents forerunner of the computer
18 Mar 1834—18 Mar 1834: 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities
1 May 1834—1 May 1834: Slavery abolished in British possessions

1835

1835—1835: Christmas becomes a national holiday
1835—1835: First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway

1836

1836—1836: First Potato famine in Ireland
30 Jan 1836—30 Jan 1836: Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened ? considered the world's first modern suspension bridge
25 Feb 1836—25 Feb 1836: Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver'
6 Mar 1836—6 Mar 1836: The Alamo falls to Mexican troops - death of Davy Crockett
Jul 1836—Jul 1836: Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris

1837

1837—1837: Pitman introduces his shorthand system
1837—1837: P&O Founded
20 Jun 1837—20 Jun 1837: William IV dies - accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901)
1 Jul 1837—1 Jul 1837: Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales - Registration Districts were formed covering several parishes; initially they had the same boundaries as the Poor Law boundaries set up in 1834
13 Jul 1837—13 Jul 1837: Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace
20 Jul 1837—20 Jul 1837: Euston Railway station opens - first in London

1838

28 Jun 1838—28 Jun 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey

1839

1839—1839: First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) - Britain captures Hong Kong
1839—1839: Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan refines the primitive bicycle adding a mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel,thus creating the first true 'bicycle' in the modern Sense
1839—1839: Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber

1840

1840—1840: Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain
1840—1840: Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed elsewhere)
10 Jan 1840—10 Jan 1840: Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally

1841

1841—1841: Thomas Cook starts package tours
10 Feb 1841—10 Feb 1841: Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp
6 Jun 1841—6 Jun 1841: June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded (Population 18.5M)

1842

1842—1842: Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
30 Mar 1842—30 Mar 1842: Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
29 Aug 1842—29 Aug 1842: Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong

1843

1843—1843: First Christmas card in England
27 May 1843—27 May 1843: The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London
19 Jul 1843—19 Jul 1843: Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched

1844

6 Jun 1844—6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams

1845

1845—1845: Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
17 Mar 1845—17 Mar 1845: The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry

1846

10 Sep 1846—10 Sep 1846: The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe

1847

1847—1847: US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
Jan 1847—Jan 1847: An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)

1848

1848—1848: First commercial production of chewing gum
24 Jan 1848—24 Jan 1848: Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush
11 Jul 1848—11 Jul 1848: Waterloo railway station in London opens

1849

1849—1849: Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!

1851

1851—1851: Gold discovered in Australia
1 May 1851—1 May 1851: Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park

1852

1852—1852: Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
1852—1852: Wells Fargo established in USA

1853

1853—1853: Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain

1854

1854—1854: Cigarettes introduced into Britain
27 Mar 1854—27 Mar 1854: Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
25 Oct 1854—25 Oct 1854: Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)

1856

1856—1856: End of Crimean War
29 Jan 1856—29 Jan 1856: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)

1857

1857—1857: Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable

1858

1858—1858: 'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
1858—1858: Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London

1859

1859—1859: Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain
25 Apr 1859—25 Apr 1859: Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869)
4 May 1859—4 May 1859: Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon and Cornwall
24 Nov 1859—24 Nov 1859: Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'

1860

29 Aug 1860—29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead

1861

25 May 1861—25 May 1861: American Civil War begins

1862

1862—1862: Lincoln issues first legal US paper money (Greenbacks)
20 Apr 1862—20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard

1863

1863—1863: Football Association founded (UK)
1863—1863: Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England
10 Jan 1863—10 Jan 1863: First section of the London Underground Railway opens

1864

1864—1864: A man-powered submarine, 'Hunley' sank a Federal steam ship USS Housatonic at the entrance to Charleston harbour in 1864 - the first recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship
11 Mar 1864—11 Mar 1864: The Great Sheffield Flood - over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time
20 Aug 1864—20 Aug 1864: Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
8 Dec 1864—8 Dec 1864: Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened

1865

1865—1865: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908]
1865—1865: First concrete roads built in Britain
14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865: End of American Civil War - slavery abolished in USA
14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865: Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
5 Jul 1865—5 Jul 1865: William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London

1867

1 Jul 1867—1 Jul 1867: The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation

1868

1868—1868: Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)

1869

1869—1869: Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented
23 Nov 1869—23 Nov 1869: Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton

1870

1870—1870: GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
1870—1870: Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children
1870—1870: Water closets come into wide use
1870—1870: Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa
1 Oct 1870—1 Oct 1870: First British postcard - halfpenny post

1871

27 Mar 1871—27 Mar 1871: First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh
29 Mar 1871—29 Mar 1871: Opening of Royal Albert Hall, London
29 Jun 1871—29 Jun 1871: Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal

1872

1872—1872: Licensing hours introduced
1872—1872: Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
4 Dec 1872—4 Dec 1872: American ship 'Mary Celeste' is found abandoned by the British brig 'Dei Gratia' in the Atlantic Ocean

1874

1874—1874: Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
5 Apr 1874—5 Apr 1874: Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world - features of it later copied in Central Park, New York

1875

1875—1875: London's main sewage system completed
1 Jan 1875—1 Jan 1875: Midland Railway abolishes Second Class passenger facilities, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies followed during the rest of the year. (Third Class was renamed Second Class in 1956)

1876

14 Feb 1876—14 Feb 1876: Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights

1877

1877—1877: Edison invents microphone and phonograph

1878

1878—1878: Edison & Swan invent electric lamp
1878—1878: Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph
1878—1878: CID established at New Scotland Yard

1879

18 Sep 1879—18 Sep 1879: Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time

1880

1880—1880: Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
1880—1880: Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria
2 Aug 1880—2 Aug 1880: Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK

1881

1881—1881: Postal Orders introduced
1881—1881: Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy
Sep 1881—Sep 1881: Godalming in Surrey became the first town in England to have a public electricity supply installed (but in 1884 it reverted to gas lighting until 1904)
26 Oct 1881—26 Oct 1881: Gunfight at OK Corral

1882

1882—1882: Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed

1883

1883—1883: Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France
24 May 1883—24 May 1883: Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River)
1 Aug 1883—1 Aug 1883: Parcel post starts in Britain
27 Aug 1883—27 Aug 1883: Eruption of Krakatoa near Java - 30,000 killed by tidal wave

1884

31 May 1884—31 May 1884: John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes
13 Oct 1884—13 Oct 1884: Greenwich made prime meridian of the world

1885

1885—1885: Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car
1885—1885: Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle
1885—1885: Eastman makes first coated photographic paper
1885—1885: Canadian Pacific Railway completed
Mar 1885—Mar 1885: First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking
5 Sep 1885—5 Sep 1885: The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel
29 Sep 1885—29 Sep 1885: First electric tramcar used at Blackpool

1886

20 Jan 1886—20 Jan 1886: Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales
May 1886—May 1886: Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named 'Coca-Cola'
29 May 1886—29 May 1886: Putney Bridge opens in London

1887

1887—1887: Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car

1888

1888—1888: Convention of Constantinople guarantees free maritime passage through Suez Canal in war and peace
1888—1888: Jack the Ripper active in east London during the latter half of the year
1888—1888: County Councils set up in Britain
1888—1888: Dunlop invents pneumatic tyre
1888—1888: First box camera - George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film
20 Mar 1888—20 Mar 1888: Football League formed

1889

1889—1889: Celluloid film produced
1889—1889: Dock Strike - docker's won their 'Docker's Tanner' 6 old pennies
31 Mar 1889—31 Mar 1889: Eiffel Tower completed (to mark centenary of French Revolution)
14 May 1889—14 May 1889: Children's charity NSPCC launched in London
3 Jun 1889—3 Jun 1889: Canadian Pacific Railway completed from coast to coast
28 Sep 1889—28 Sep 1889: Length of a metre defined

1890

4 Mar 1890—4 Mar 1890: Forth railway bridge opens - took six years to build
4 Nov 1890—4 Nov 1890: City & South London Railway opens - London's first deep-level tube railway and first major railway in the world to use electric traction

1891

1891—1891: Primary education made free and compulsory
18 Mar 1891—18 Mar 1891: First telephone link between London & Paris
4 May 1891—4 May 1891: Fictional date when Sherlock Holmes throws Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls, then disappears for 3 years! (published in 1893)
24 Aug 1891—24 Aug 1891: Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera

1892

1892—1892: Electric oven invented
1892—1892: Shop Hours Act - limit 74 hours per week for under-18's
6 Oct 1892—6 Oct 1892: Alfred Lord Tennyson dies, aged 83, at his house Aldworth, near Haslemere

1893

1893—1893: Henry Ford's first car
1893—1893: Zip fastener invented

1894

1894—1894: Picture postcard introduced in Britain
1 Jan 1894—1 Jan 1894: Manchester Ship Canal opens
1 Mar 1894—1 Mar 1894: Blackpool Tower opens
30 Jun 1894—30 Jun 1894: Tower Bridge first opens
2 Aug 1894—2 Aug 1894: Death duties first introduced in Britain

1895

1895—1895: Sir Henry Wood starts Promenade Concerts in London
12 Jan 1895—12 Jan 1895: The National Trust founded in England
24 May 1895—24 May 1895: Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted
28 May 1895—28 May 1895: Oscar Wilde sent to prison
12 Jul 1895—12 Jul 1895: First recorded motor journey of any length (56 miles) in Britain
17 Oct 1895—17 Oct 1895: First people in Britain to be charged with motor offences - John Henry Knight and James Pullinger of Farnham, Surrey
Nov 1895—Nov 1895: X-rays discovered

1896

5 Apr 1896—5 Apr 1896: First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
2 Jun 1896—2 Jun 1896: Guglielmo Marconi receives a British patent (later disputed) for the radio

1897

1897—1897: Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector

1898

1898—1898: First photograph using artificial light
1898—1898: Zeppelin builds airship
1898—1898: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded
17 Mar 1898—17 Mar 1898: USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine
27 Jun 1898—27 Jun 1898: The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)

1899

6 Mar 1899—6 Mar 1899: Aspirin first marketed by Bayer
11 Oct 1899—11 Oct 1899: Start of Second Boer War

1900

1900—1900: School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years
1900—1900: Central Line opens in London: underground is electrified
1900—1900: Escalator shown at Paris exhibition
9 Feb 1900—9 Feb 1900: Davis Cup tennis competition established
27 Feb 1900—27 Feb 1900: Labour Party formed

1901

1901—1901: Commonwealth of Australia founded
1901—1901: Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner
22 Jan 1901—22 Jan 1901: Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king
2 Feb 1901—2 Feb 1901: Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park
Jun 1901—Jun 1901: Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War
2 Oct 1901—2 Oct 1901: Britain's first submarine launched
12 Dec 1901—12 Dec 1901: First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland

1902

1902—1902: Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education
1902—1902: Cremation Act - cremation can only take place at officially recognised establishments, and with two death certificates issued
1902—1902: Marie Curie discovers radioactivity
24 May 1902—24 May 1902: Empire Day (later Commonwealth Day) first celebrated
31 May 1902—31 May 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging ends Second Boer War
9 Aug 1902—9 Aug 1902: Coronation of Edward VII

1903

1903—1903: Workers' Education Association (WEA) formed in Britain
1903—1903: Women's Social and Political Union formed in Britain by Emmeline Pankhurst
1903—1903: Henry Ford sets up his motor company
14 Dec 1903—14 Dec 1903: First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright

1904

1904—1904: Leeds University established
8 Apr 1904—8 Apr 1904: France and UK sign the Entente Cordiale
4 May 1904—4 May 1904: America takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French (completed 1914)

1905

1905—1905: The title 'Prime Minister' noted in a royal warrant for the first time - placed the Prime Minister in order of precedence in Britain immediately after the Archbishop of York
1905—1905: Aliens Act in Britain: Home Office controls immigration
1905—1905: Germany lays down the first Dreadnought battleship
11 Apr 1905—11 Apr 1905: Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity

1906

1906—1906: Introduction of free school meals for poor children
10 Feb 1906—10 Feb 1906: Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship
15 Mar 1906—15 Mar 1906: Rolls-Royce Ltd registered
26 May 1906—26 May 1906: Vauxhall Bridge opened in London
20 Sep 1906—20 Sep 1906: Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne

1907

1907—1907: New Zealand becomes a Dominion
1907—1907: Imperial College, London, is established
1907—1907: First airship flies over London
1907—1907: Lumiere develops a process for colour photography
Jul 1907—Jul 1907: Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated
1 Aug 1907—1 Aug 1907: Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island
9 Nov 1907—9 Nov 1907: The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday

1908

1908—1908: Coal Mines Regulation Act in Britain limits men to an eight hour day
1908—1908: Separate courts for juveniles established in Britain
1908—1908: Lord Baden-Powell starts the Boy Scout movement
1 Jul 1908—1 Jul 1908: SOS became effective as an international signal of distress
12 Aug 1908—12 Aug 1908: First 'Model T' Ford made

1909

1909—1909: Beveridge Report prompts creation of labour Exchanges
1909—1909: Peary reaches the north pole
1909—1909: First commercial manufacture of Bakelite - start of the plastic age
1 Jan 1909—1 Jan 1909: Old Age Pensions Act came into force
16 Jan 1909—16 Jan 1909: Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole
15 Mar 1909—15 Mar 1909: Selfridges department store opens in London
25 Jul 1909—25 Jul 1909: Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)

1910

1910—1910: Railway strike and coal strikes in Britain
1910—1910: Constitutional crisis in Britain
1910—1910: Dr Crippen caught by radio telegraphy; hanged 23 Nov at Pentonville
1910—1910: Madame Curie isolates radium
1910—1910: Halley's comet reappears
1910—1910: Tango becomes popular in North America and Europe
6 May 1910—6 May 1910: Edward VII dies - George V becomes King

1911

1911—1911: Parliament Act in Britain reduces the power of the House of Lords
1911—1911: British MPs receive a salary
1911—1911: First British Official Secrets Act
1911—1911: Rutherford: theory of atomic structures
1911—1911: Strikes by seamen, dock and transport workers (1911-1912)
2 Apr 1911—2 Apr 1911: Census: Population - England and Wales: 36 Million; Scotland: 4.6 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
22 Jun 1911—22 Jun 1911: Coronation of George V
14 Dec 1911—14 Dec 1911: National Insurance introduced in Britain

1912

1912—1912: Irish Home Rule crisis grows in Britain
1912—1912: Britain nationalises the telephone system
1912—1912: Discovery of the 'Piltdown Man' - hoax, exposed in 1953
18 Jan 1912—18 Jan 1912: Captain Scott's last expedition - he and his team reach the south pole on Jan 18th; all die on the way back, their bodies found in November
14 Apr 1912—14 Apr 1912: The 'unsinkable' Titanic sinks on maiden voyage - loss of 1,513 lives
13 May 1912—13 May 1912: Royal Flying Corps (later the RAF) founded in Britain

1913

1913—1913: Third Irish Home Rule Bill rejected by House of Lords - threat of civil war in Ireland - formation of Ulster Volunteers to oppose Home Rule
1913—1913: Suffragette demonstrations in London - Mrs Pankhurst imprisoned
1913—1913: Trade Union Act in Britain establishes the right to use Union funds for political purposes
1913—1913: Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley of Sheffield
1913—1913: Geiger invents his counter to measure radioactivity
4 Jun 1913—4 Jun 1913: Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby and dies

1914

1914—1914: Irish Home Rule Act provides for a separate Parliament in Ireland; the position of Ulster to be decided after the War
1914—1914: Chaplin and De Mille make their first films
28 Jun 1914—28 Jun 1914: Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo
4 Aug 1914—4 Aug 1914: Britain declares war on Germany, citing Belgian neutrality as reason
5 Aug 1914—5 Aug 1914: British cableship Telconia cut through all five of Germany's undersea telegraph links to the outside world
15 Aug 1914—15 Aug 1914: Panama Canal opened, the Canal cement boat 'Ancon' making the first official transit (plans for a grand opening were cancelled due to the start of WW1)
Oct 1914—Oct 1914: Battle of Ypres - beginning of trench warfare on western front
27 Nov 1914—27 Nov 1914: First policewoman goes on duty in Britain
16 Dec 1914—16 Dec 1914: German battleships bombard Hartlepool and Scarborough

1915

1915—1915: Junkers construct first fighter aeroplane
1915—1915: First automatic telephone exchange in Britain
19 Jan 1915—19 Jan 1915: First Zeppelin air raid on England, over East Anglia - four killed
Feb 1915—Feb 1915: Submarine blockade of Britain starts
Apr 1915—Apr 1915: Second Battle of Ypres - poison gas used for first time
25 Apr 1915—25 Apr 1915: Gallipoli campaign starts (declared ANZAC Day in 1916)
7 May 1915—7 May 1915: RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off coast of Ireland - 1,198 died
16 May 1915—16 May 1915: First meeting of a British WI (Women's Institute) took place in Llanfairpwll (aka Llanfair PG), Anglesey

1916

1916—1916: Compulsory military service introduced in Britain
Feb 1916—Feb 1916: Battle of Verdun - appalling losses on both sides, stalemate continues
24 Apr 1916—24 Apr 1916: Easter Rising in Ireland - after the leaders are executed, public opinion backs independence
21 May 1916—21 May 1916: First use of Daylight Saving Time in UK
31 May 1916—31 May 1916: Battle of Jutland - only major naval battle between the British and German fleets
5 Jun 1916—5 Jun 1916: Sinking of HMS Hampshire and death of Kitchener
3 Aug 1916—3 Aug 1916: Sir Roger Casement hanged at Pentonville Prison for treason
15 Sep 1916—15 Sep 1916: First use of tanks in battle, but of limited effect (Battle of the Somme 1 July to 18 Nov: over 1 million casualties)
7 Dec 1916—7 Dec 1916: Lloyd-George becomes British Prime Minister of the coalition government

1917

1917—1917: Battle of Cambrai - first use of massed tanks, but effect more psychological than actual
1917—1917: Ministry of Labour is established in Britain
Feb 1917—Feb 1917: February revolution in Russia; Tsar Nicholas abdicates
16 Apr 1917—16 Apr 1917: Lenin returns to Russia after exile
17 Apr 1917—17 Apr 1917: USA declares war on Germany
26 May 1917—26 May 1917: George V changes surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor (Royal proclamation on 17 July)
Jul 1917—Jul 1917: Battle of Passchendaele - little gained by either side (Jul-Nov)
7 Nov 1917—7 Nov 1917: 'October' Revolution in Russia - Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government; Lenin becomes Chief Commissar
6 Dec 1917—6 Dec 1917: Halifax (Nova Scotia) Explosion, one of the world's largest artificial non-nuclear explosions to date: a ship loaded with wartime explosives blew up after a collision, obliterating buildings and structures within two square kilometres of the explosion
9 Dec 1917—9 Dec 1917: British forces capture Jerusalem

1918

1918—1918: Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons)
1918—1918: War of Independence in Ireland
18 Jan 1918—18 Jan 1918: Bentley Motors founded
8 Mar 1918—8 Mar 1918: Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic
Jul 1918—Jul 1918: Second Battle of the Marne: last major German offensive in WW1 (Jul-Aug)
1 Oct 1918—1 Oct 1918: Arab forces under Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus
11 Nov 1918—11 Nov 1918: Armistice signed
Dec 1918—Dec 1918: First woman elected to House of Commons, Countess Markiewicz as a Sinn Fein member refused to take her seat

1919

1919—1919: Britain adopts a 48-hour working week
1919—1919: Sir Ernest Rutherford publishes account of splitting the atom
15 Jun 1919—15 Jun 1919: Alcock and Brown complete first nonstop flight across the Atlantic
28 Jun 1919—28 Jun 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed

1920

1920—1920: Regular cross-channel air service starts
1920—1920: Marconi opens a radio broadcasting station in Britain
1920—1920: Thompson patents his machine gun (Tommy gun)
Feb 1920—Feb 1920: First roadside petrol filling station in UK - opened by the Automobile Association at Aldermaston on the Bath Road

1921

1921—1921: Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained
1921—1921: Insulin discovery announced
1921—1921: First birth control clinic
19 Jun 1921—19 Jun 1921: Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
6 Dec 1921—6 Dec 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland

100

1922

1922—1922: Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended
1 Jun 1922—1 Jun 1922: Royal Ulster Constabulary founded
Oct 1922—Oct 1922: BBC established as a monopoly, and begins transmissions in November (2LO in London on 14 Nov; 5IT in Birmingham and 2ZY in Manchester on 15 Nov)

101

1923

1923—1923: Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers
1923—1923: Hubble shows there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way
1923—1923: First American broadcasts heard in Britain
1 Jan 1923—1 Jan 1923: The majority of the railway companies in Great Britain grouped into four main companies, the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, LMSR - lasted until nationalisation in 1948
16 Feb 1923—16 Feb 1923: Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
28 Apr 1923—28 Apr 1923: First Wembley cup final (West Ham 0, Bolton 2) - 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles ' popular song of the time became the West Ham anthem
28 Sep 1923—28 Sep 1923: First publication of Radio Times

102

1924

4 Jan 1924—4 Jan 1924: First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald
5 Feb 1924—5 Feb 1924: Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were first broadcast by the BBC
31 Mar 1924—31 Mar 1924: British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British airline companies - became BOAC in 1940)

103

1925

1925—1925: Britain returns to gold standard
18 Jul 1925—18 Jul 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf

104

1926

1926—1926: First public demonstration of television (TV) by John Logie Baird
1926—1926: Adoption of children is legalised in Britain
1926—1926: Kodak produces 16mm movie film
1926—1926: Walt Disney arrives in Hollywood
21 Apr 1926—21 Apr 1926: Princess Elizabeth born
3 May 1926—3 May 1926: General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)
31 Oct 1926—31 Oct 1926: Death of Harry Houdini

105

1927

1927—1927: Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer)
7 Jan 1927—7 Jan 1927: First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London
22 Jan 1927—22 Jan 1927: First football broadcast by BBC (Arsenal v Sheffield United at Highbury)
1 May 1927—1 May 1927: First cooked meals on a scheduled flight introduced by Imperial Airways from London to Paris
20 May 1927—20 May 1927: Lindbergh makes solo flight across the Atlantic, in 33? hours
31 May 1927—31 May 1927: Last Ford Model T rolls off assembly line
24 Jul 1927—24 Jul 1927: The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres

106

1928

1928—1928: Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes
26 Apr 1928—26 Apr 1928: Madame Tussauds opens in London
15 Sep 1928—15 Sep 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)

107

1929

1929—1929: Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain
1929—1929: Minimum age for a marriage in Britain (which had been 14 for a boy and 12 for a girl) now 16 for both sexes, with parental consent (or a licence) needed for anyone under 21
1929—1929: BBC begins experimental TV transmissions

108

1930

1930—1930: First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag
1930—1930: Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain
30 Jan 1930—30 Jan 1930: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
31 Jan 1930—31 Jan 1930: 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape
6 Mar 1930—6 Mar 1930: Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas
5 Oct 1930—5 Oct 1930: R101 airship disaster - British abandons airship construction

109

1931

1931—1931: Statute of Westminster: British Dominions become independent sovereign states
1931—1931: Collapse of the German banking system; 3,000 banks there close
14 Apr 1931—14 Apr 1931: Highway Code first issued
26 Apr 1931—26 Apr 1931: Census: Population - England and Wales; 40 Million; Scotland: 4.8 Million; N Ireland: 1.24 Million (Unfortunately, the census was destroyed by fire in WW2)
21 Oct 1931—21 Oct 1931: National Government formed to deal with economic crisis - Britain comes off gold standard

110

1932

1932—1932: Great Hunger March of unemployed to London
1932—1932: Moseley founds British Union of Fascists
1932—1932: Cockroft and Walton accelerate particles to disintegrate an atomic nucleus
1932—1932: Sir Thomas Beecham established the London Philharmonic Orchestra
21 May 1932—21 May 1932: Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot
3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: Iraq gains independence from Britain
3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: 'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface

111

1933

1933—1933: ICI scientists discover polythene
1933—1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year
12 Nov 1933—12 Nov 1933: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken

112

1934

1934—1934: Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany
18 Jul 1934—18 Jul 1934: King George V opens Mersey Tunnel
26 Sep 1934—26 Sep 1934: RMS Queen Mary launched
30 Nov 1934—30 Nov 1934: First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')

113

1935

1935—1935: London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme
1935—1935: Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell
28 Feb 1935—28 Feb 1935: Nylon first produced by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers' research group at DuPont (there is no evidence to the widely-supposed story that the name derives from New York-London)
12 Mar 1935—12 Mar 1935: Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas in Britain
1 Jun 1935—1 Jun 1935: Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK
30 Jul 1935—30 Jul 1935: Penguin paperbacks launched

114

1936

1936—1936: Jet engine first tested
20 Jan 1936—20 Jan 1936: George V dies
5 May 1936—5 May 1936: First flight of a Spitfire
24 Jul 1936—24 Jul 1936: 'Speaking clock' service starts in UK
2 Nov 1936—2 Nov 1936: British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's first public TV transmission
30 Nov 1936—30 Nov 1936: Crystal Palace destroyed by fire
5 Dec 1936—5 Dec 1936: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) - popular carol that Christmas: 'Hark the Herald Angels sing Mrs Simpson's got our King'

115

1937

1937—1937: '999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London
1937—1937: Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp
12 Apr 1937—12 Apr 1937: Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft
12 May 1937—12 May 1937: Coronation of King George VI
28 May 1937—28 May 1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister - policy of appeasement towards Hitler
3 Jun 1937—3 Jun 1937: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson
4 Dec 1937—4 Dec 1937: 'The Dandy' first published

116

1938

1938—1938: Principle of paid holidays established in Britain
1938—1938: HMS Rodney first ship to be equipped with radar
1938—1938: First practical ball-point pen produced by Hungarian journalist, Lajos Biro
12 Mar 1938—12 Mar 1938: Germany invades and annexes Austria
3 Jul 1938—3 Jul 1938: 'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive
27 Sep 1938—27 Sep 1938: Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank
29 Sep 1938—29 Sep 1938: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time'
30 Oct 1938—30 Oct 1938: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA

117

1939

1939—1939: Germany annexes Czechoslovakia
1939—1939: Start of evacuation of women and children from London
1939—1939: Coldest winter in Britain since 1894, though this could not be publicised at the time
1 Sep 1939—1 Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland
3 Sep 1939—3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany
6 Sep 1939—6 Sep 1939: First air-raid on Britain
11 Sep 1939—11 Sep 1939: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France
14 Oct 1939—14 Oct 1939: HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives
7 Dec 1939—7 Dec 1939: 'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain - 7,400 men on 5 ships
17 Dec 1939—17 Dec 1939: 'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo

118

1940

1 Apr 1940—1 Apr 1940: BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd
11 May 1940—11 May 1940: National Government formed under Churchill
13 May 1940—13 May 1940: Germany invades France
27 May 1940—27 May 1940: Start of the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk (27 May - 4 Jun)
25 Jun 1940—25 Jun 1940: Fall of France to Germany
7 Sep 1940—7 Sep 1940: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing
15 Sep 1940—15 Sep 1940: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain
14 Nov 1940—14 Nov 1940: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed

119

1941

1941—1941: Britain introduces severe rationing
1941—1941: First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle
1941—1941: Bailey invents his portable military bridge
1941—1941: First use of antibiotics
10 May 1941—10 May 1941: Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland
27 May 1941—27 May 1941: 'Bismark' sunk
22 Jun 1941—22 Jun 1941: Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
1 Jul 1941—1 Jul 1941: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain
Dec 1941—Dec 1941: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England
Dec 1941—Dec 1941: 'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America
7 Dec 1941—7 Dec 1941: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour
8 Dec 1941—8 Dec 1941: USA enters WWII
24 Dec 1941—24 Dec 1941: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese

120

1942

1942—1942: Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with Max Neumann - used to crack German codes
1942—1942: Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam
30 May 1942—30 May 1942: Over 1,000 allied bombers raid Cologne
4 Jun 1942—4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway
19 Aug 1942—19 Aug 1942: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops
6 Sep 1942—6 Sep 1942: Germans defeated at Stalingrad
3 Oct 1942—3 Oct 1942: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany - first man-made object to reach space
23 Oct 1942—23 Oct 1942: Battle of El Alamein - Montgomery defeats Rommel
2 Dec 1942—2 Dec 1942: 'Manhattan Project' - a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction

121

1943

1943—1943: Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins
16 May 1943—16 May 1943: 'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF
24 Jul 1943—24 Jul 1943: Allies invade Italy - Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July

122

1944

6 Apr 1944—6 Apr 1944: PAYE income tax begins
4 Jun 1944—4 Jun 1944: Allies enter Rome
6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy
12 Jun 1944—12 Jun 1944: First V1 flying bombs hit London
8 Sep 1944—8 Sep 1944: First V2 rocket bombs hit London
11 Sep 1944—11 Sep 1944: Allies enter Germany
16 Dec 1944—16 Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive

123

1945

4 Feb 1945—4 Feb 1945: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
29 Mar 1945—29 Mar 1945: Last V1 flying bomb attack
25 Apr 1945—25 Apr 1945: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops
30 Apr 1945—30 Apr 1945: Hitler commits suicide
8 May 1945—8 May 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe)
9 May 1945—9 May 1945: Channel Islands liberated
26 Jun 1945—26 Jun 1945: UN Charter signed in San Francisco
16 Jul 1945—16 Jul 1945: First ever atomic bomb exploded in a test in New Mexico (although there were other forms of atomic device before that, such as the Pile at Stagg Field, first critical on 2nd Dec 1942)
26 Jul 1945—26 Jul 1945: Labour win UK General Election - Churchill out of office
29 Jul 1945—29 Jul 1945: BBC Light Programme starts
6 Aug 1945—6 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
9 Aug 1945—9 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
15 Aug 1945—15 Aug 1945: VJ Day (Victory in Japan)
2 Sep 1945—2 Sep 1945: Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri
24 Oct 1945—24 Oct 1945: United Nations Organisation comes into existence
4 Nov 1945—4 Nov 1945: UNESCO founded

124

1946

1946—1946: Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)
1946—1946: Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio - until 2004
1 Jan 1946—1 Jan 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport
1 Mar 1946—1 Mar 1946: Bank of England nationalised

125

1947

1947—1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much flooding later
1947—1947: First British nuclear reactor developed
1 Jan 1947—1 Jan 1947: Coal Mines nationalised
23 Feb 1947—23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded
1 Mar 1947—1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations
1 Apr 1947—1 Apr 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
26 Oct 1947—26 Oct 1947: British military occupation ends in Iraq
20 Nov 1947—20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey

126

1948

1948—1948: British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports
1948—1948: Transistor radio invented
1948—1948: Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark
1 Jan 1948—1 Jan 1948: British Railways nationalised
5 Jul 1948—5 Jul 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
29 Jul 1948—29 Jul 1948: London Olympics begin

127

1949

1949—1949: Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)
1949—1949: De Haviland produces the Comet - first jet airliner
15 Mar 1949—15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing ends in Britain
4 Apr 1949—4 Apr 1949: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO

128

1950

19 May 1950—19 May 1950: Points rationing ends in Britain
26 May 1950—26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ends in Britain
11 Jul 1950—11 Jul 1950: 'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV
9 Sep 1950—9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing ends in Britain
28 Dec 1950—28 Dec 1950: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park

129

1951

3 May 1951—3 May 1951: Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London
28 May 1951—28 May 1951: First Goon Show broadcast
20 Dec 1951—20 Dec 1951: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor

130

1952

1952—1952: Contraceptive pill invented
1952—1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia
1952—1952: Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects
1952—1952: Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany
6 Feb 1952—6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies
21 Feb 1952—21 Feb 1952: Identity Cards abolished in Britain
2 May 1952—2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London and Johannesburg
5 Jul 1952—5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)
16 Aug 1952—16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster
6 Sep 1952—6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed
3 Oct 1952—3 Oct 1952: End of tea rationing in Britain
1 Nov 1952—1 Nov 1952: The first H-bomb ever ('Mike') was exploded by the USA - the mushroom cloud was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised.
25 Nov 1952—25 Nov 1952: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London
4 Dec 1952—4 Dec 1952: Great smog hits London

131

1953

31 Jan 1953—31 Jan 1953: Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century - severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives - - effects travelled from the west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even worse affected with over a thousand deaths]
5 Feb 1953—5 Feb 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain
5 Mar 1953—5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin
26 Mar 1953—26 Mar 1953: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine
24 Apr 1953—24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted
25 Apr 1953—25 Apr 1953: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA
2 Jun 1953—2 Jun 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II
26 Sep 1953—26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)

132

1954

1954—1954: First comprehensive school opens in London
1954—1954: Routemaster bus starts operating in London
1954—1954: First transistor radios sold
6 May 1954—6 May 1954: First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)
3 Jul 1954—3 Jul 1954: Food rationing officially ends in Britain
5 Jul 1954—5 Jul 1954: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
30 Sep 1954—30 Sep 1954: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned

133

1955

1955—1955: 'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons
27 Jul 1955—27 Jul 1955: Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends
22 Sep 1955—22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV starts in Britain

134

1956

1956—1956: Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland
1 Mar 1956—1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)
17 Apr 1956—17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957
3 Jun 1956—3 Jun 1956: 3rd class travel abolished on British Railways (renamed 'Third Class' as 'Second Class', which had been abolished in 1875 leaving just First and Third Class)
31 Oct 1956—31 Oct 1956: Britain and France invade Suez

135

1957

1957—1957: Britain introduces parking meters
1957—1957: Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)
11 Jan 1957—11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
14 May 1957—14 May 1957: Post-Suez petrol rationing ends
15 May 1957—15 May 1957: Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island
25 May 1957—25 May 1957: Treaty of Rome to create European Economic Community (EEC) of six countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg - became operational Jan 1958
4 Dec 1957—4 Dec 1957: Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them
25 Dec 1957—25 Dec 1957: Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast

136

1958

1958—1958: Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)
1958—1958: Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce
1958—1958: USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
13 May 1958—13 May 1958: Velcro trade mark registered
26 Jul 1958—26 Jul 1958: Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales'
5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)
5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway

137

1959

3 Feb 1959—3 Feb 1959: 'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper
17 Feb 1959—17 Feb 1959: Vanguard 2 satellite launched - first to measure cloud-cover distribution
24 May 1959—24 May 1959: Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day
Aug 1959—Aug 1959: BMC Mini car launched
3 Oct 1959—3 Oct 1959: Postcodes introduced in Britain
1 Nov 1959—1 Nov 1959: First section of M1 motorway opened

138

1960

17 Mar 1960—17 Mar 1960: New ?1 notes issued by Bank of England
18 Mar 1960—18 Mar 1960: Last steam locomotive of British Railways named
21 Jul 1960—21 Jul 1960: Francis Chichester arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II (took 40 days), winning the first single-handed transatlantic yacht race which he co-founded
12 Aug 1960—12 Aug 1960: Echo I, the first (passive) communications satellite, launched
12 Sep 1960—12 Sep 1960: MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced
1 Oct 1960—1 Oct 1960: HMS 'Dreadnought' nuclear submarine launched
2 Nov 1960—2 Nov 1960: Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case

139

1961

1 Jan 1961—1 Jan 1961: Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK
13 Mar 1961—13 Mar 1961: Black & White ?5 notes cease to be legal tender
14 Mar 1961—14 Mar 1961: New English Bible (New Testament) published
1 May 1961—1 May 1961: Betting shops legal in Britain

140

1962

1962—1962: Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration
1962—1962: Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies
1962—1962: Britain and France agree to construct 'Concorde'
25 May 1962—25 May 1962: Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz)
15 Jun 1962—15 Jun 1962: First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos)
Jul 1962—Jul 1962: First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl
10 Jul 1962—10 Jul 1962: First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul
24 Oct 1962—24 Oct 1962: Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war

141

1963

1963—1963: France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC
Jan 1963—Jan 1963: Cold weather forces cancellation of most football matches (only 4 English First Division matches in the month) - the first 'pools panel' created
27 Mar 1963—27 Mar 1963: Beeching Report on British Railways (the 'Beeching Axe')
1 Aug 1963—1 Aug 1963: Minimum prison age raised to 17
8 Aug 1963—8 Aug 1963: 'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train
17 Sep 1963—17 Sep 1963: Fylingdales (Yorks) early warning system operational
18 Nov 1963—18 Nov 1963: Dartford Tunnel opens
23 Nov 1963—23 Nov 1963: First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV

142

1964

1 Jan 1964—1 Jan 1964: First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV
9 Apr 1964—9 Apr 1964: First Greater London Council (GLC) election
21 Apr 1964—21 Apr 1964: BBC2 TV launched
22 Aug 1964—22 Aug 1964: 'Match of the Day' starts on BBC2
4 Sep 1964—4 Sep 1964: Forth road bridge opens

143

1965

1965—1965: Britain enacts first Race Relations Act
7 Feb 1965—7 Feb 1965: First US raids against North Vietnam
7 Apr 1965—7 Apr 1965: Winston Churchill dies
1 Aug 1965—1 Aug 1965: TV cigarette advertising banned in Britain
8 Oct 1965—8 Oct 1965: Post Office Tower operational in London
28 Oct 1965—28 Oct 1965: Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then abolished 18 Dec 1969
22 Dec 1965—22 Dec 1965: 70mph speed limit introduced on British roads

144

1966

14 Feb 1966—14 Feb 1966: Australia converts from ? to $
3 May 1966—3 May 1966: 'The Times' begins to print news on its front page in place of classified Advertisements
30 Jul 1966—30 Jul 1966: World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany)
8 Sep 1966—8 Sep 1966: First Severn road bridge opens
21 Oct 1966—21 Oct 1966: Aberfan disaster - slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children
1 Dec 1966—1 Dec 1966: First Christmas stamps issued in Britain

145

1967

4 Jan 1967—4 Jan 1967: Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on Conniston Water - his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002
18 Mar 1967—18 Mar 1967: 'Torrey Canyon' oil tanker runs aground off Lands End first major oil spill
28 May 1967—28 May 1967: Francis Chichester arrives in Plymouth after solo circumnavigation in Gipsy Moth IV (he was knighted 7th July at Greenwich by the queen using the sword with which Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake four centuries earlier
27 Jun 1967—27 Jun 1967: First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain - at Enfield branch of Barclays
1 Jul 1967—1 Jul 1967: First colour TV in Britain
14 Aug 1967—14 Aug 1967: Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK
20 Sep 1967—20 Sep 1967: 'QE2' launched on Clydebank
27 Sep 1967—27 Sep 1967: 'Queen Mary' arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage
30 Sep 1967—30 Sep 1967: BBC Radios 1 2 3 & 4 open first record played on Radio 1 was the controversial 'Flowers in the Rain' by 'The Move'
5 Oct 1967—5 Oct 1967: Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts

146

1968

18 Feb 1968—18 Feb 1968: British Standard Time introduced - Summer Time became permanent but arguments prevailed and Britain reverted to GMT in October 1971
18 Apr 1968—18 Apr 1968: London Bridge sold (and eventually moved to Arizona) - modern London Bridge, built around it as it was demolished, was opened in Mar 1973
20 Apr 1968—20 Apr 1968: Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration
23 Apr 1968—23 Apr 1968: Issue of 5p and 10p decimal coins in Britain
29 May 1968—29 May 1968: Manchester United first English club to win the European Cup
11 Aug 1968—11 Aug 1968: Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (Carlisle- Liverpool)
16 Sep 1968—16 Sep 1968: Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain
5 Oct 1968—5 Oct 1968: Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland

147

1969

2 Mar 1969—2 Mar 1969: Maiden flight of 'Concorde', at Toulouse
7 Mar 1969—7 Mar 1969: Victoria Line tube opens in London
17 Apr 1969—17 Apr 1969: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
2 May 1969—2 May 1969: Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
31 Jul 1969—31 Jul 1969: Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain
14 Aug 1969—14 Aug 1969: Civil disturbances in Ulster - Britain sends troops to support civil authorities
7 Sep 1969—7 Sep 1969: First episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' recorded
14 Oct 1969—14 Oct 1969: 50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)

148

1970

1970—1970: Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service
17 Jun 1970—17 Jun 1970: Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain
19 Jun 1970—19 Jun 1970: Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister
30 Jul 1970—30 Jul 1970: Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims
19 Sep 1970—19 Sep 1970: First Glastonbury Festival held
20 Nov 1970—20 Nov 1970: Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain

149

1971

1971—1971: Banking and Financial Dealings Act - replaced the Bank Holidays Act of 1871
1971—1971: Sunday becomes the seventh day in the week as UK adopts decision of the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) to call Monday the first day
1971—1971: 'Greenpeace' founded
1971—1971: Rolls-Royce declared bankrupt
3 Jan 1971—3 Jan 1971: Open University starts
15 Feb 1971—15 Feb 1971: Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland
9 Aug 1971—9 Aug 1971: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland
28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973)
28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: UK launches its first (and only) satellite, Prospero

150

1972

1972—1972: Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland
1972—1972: Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports
1972—1972: Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK
1972—1972: Domestic video cassette recorders introduced
30 Jan 1972—30 Jan 1972: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland
28 May 1972—28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris

151

1973

1 Jan 1973—1 Jan 1973: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark)
17 Mar 1973—17 Mar 1973: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen
1 Apr 1973—1 Apr 1973: VAT introduced in Britain
26 Sep 1973—26 Sep 1973: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time
14 Oct 1973—14 Oct 1973: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey
31 Dec 1973—31 Dec 1973: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to conserve power

152

1974

1974—1974: New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries
1 Jun 1974—1 Jun 1974: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people
7 Nov 1974—7 Nov 1974: Lord Lucan disappears
21 Nov 1974—21 Nov 1974: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA

153

1975

1975—1975: Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2
11 Feb 1975—11 Feb 1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition)
28 Feb 1975—28 Feb 1975: Moorgate tube crash in London - over 43 deaths, greatest loss of life on the Underground in peacetime. The cause of the incident was never conclusively determined
4 Mar 1975—4 Mar 1975: Charlie Chaplin knighted
5 Jun 1975—5 Jun 1975: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community
29 Oct 1975—29 Oct 1975: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder
3 Nov 1975—3 Nov 1975: First North Sea oil comes ashore
29 Nov 1975—29 Nov 1975: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the following year)
27 Dec 1975—27 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force

154

1976

1976—1976: 'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland
1976—1976: Deaths exceeded live births in E&W for first time since records began in 1837
1976—1976: James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister
1976—1976: National Theatre opens in London
21 Jan 1976—21 Jan 1976: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service
1 Apr 1976—1 Apr 1976: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
6 Aug 1976—6 Aug 1976: Drought Act 1976 comes into force ? the long, hot summer

155

1977

2 Mar 1977—2 Mar 1977: 'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National
25 May 1977—25 May 1977: George Lucas' film Star Wars' released
5 Jun 1977—5 Jun 1977: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale
7 Jun 1977—7 Jun 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London
22 Nov 1977—22 Nov 1977: Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated

156

1978

8 Apr 1978—8 Apr 1978: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts
1 May 1978—1 May 1978: First May Day holiday in Britain
25 Jul 1978—25 Jul 1978: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham
30 Nov 1978—30 Nov 1978: Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13 Nov 1979)

157

1979

1 Mar 1979—1 Mar 1979: 32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against
30 Mar 1979—30 Mar 1979: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster
31 Mar 1979—31 Mar 1979: Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta
4 May 1979—4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister
1 Jul 1979—1 Jul 1979: Sony introduces the Walkman
27 Aug 1979—27 Aug 1979: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland
18 Sep 1979—18 Sep 1979: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools

158

1980

5 May 1980—5 May 1980: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages
8 Dec 1980—8 Dec 1980: John Lennon assassinated in New York

159

1981

25 Jan 1981—25 Jan 1981: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain
29 Mar 1981—29 Mar 1981: First London marathon run
11 Apr 1981—11 Apr 1981: Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots
25 Apr 1981—25 Apr 1981: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain
27 Apr 1981—27 Apr 1981: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system)
29 Jul 1981—29 Jul 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996)
12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches the first PC
12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches its PC ? starts the general use of personal computers

160

1982

26 Jan 1982—26 Jan 1982: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population)
5 Feb 1982—5 Feb 1982: Laker Airways collapses
19 Feb 1982—19 Feb 1982: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership
18 Mar 1982—18 Mar 1982: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia
2 Apr 1982—2 Apr 1982: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
5 Apr 1982—5 Apr 1982: Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands
2 May 1982—2 May 1982: British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General Belgrano
28 May 1982—28 May 1982: First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green)
14 Jun 1982—14 Jun 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands
21 Jun 1982—21 Jun 1982: Prince William is born
20 Jul 1982—20 Jul 1982: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park)
19 Sep 1982—19 Sep 1982: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time
11 Oct 1982—11 Oct 1982: Mary Rose' raised in the Solent (sank in 1545)
31 Oct 1982—31 Oct 1982: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7)
2 Nov 1982—2 Nov 1982: Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown'
4 Nov 1982—4 Nov 1982: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads
12 Dec 1982—12 Dec 1982: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)

161

1983

1983—1983: First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson)
17 Jan 1983—17 Jan 1983: Start of breakfast TV in Britain
31 Jan 1983—31 Jan 1983: Seat belt law comes into force
21 Apr 1983—21 Apr 1983: ?1 coin into circulation in Britain
7 Oct 1983—7 Oct 1983: Plans to abolish GLC announced
26 Nov 1983—26 Nov 1983: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly ?26 million are stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport

162

1984

6 Mar 1984—6 Mar 1984: Miners strike begins
17 Apr 1984—17 Apr 1984: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London
22 Jun 1984—22 Jun 1984: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic
9 Jul 1984—9 Jul 1984: York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the Rose Window' not affected
12 Oct 1984—12 Oct 1984: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed
24 Oct 1984—24 Oct 1984: Miners' strike ? High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets
3 Dec 1984—3 Dec 1984: British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading

163

1985

3 Mar 1985—3 Mar 1985: Miners agree to call off strike
11 Mar 1985—11 Mar 1985: Al Fayed buys Harrods
13 Jul 1985—13 Jul 1985: Live Aid' pop concert raises over ?50M for famine relief
1 Sep 1985—1 Sep 1985: Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)

164

1986

31 Mar 1986—31 Mar 1986: GLC and 6 metropolitan councils abolished
26 Apr 1986—26 Apr 1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident - radiation reached Britain on 2 Ma
26 May 1986—26 May 1986: The European Community adopts the European flag
23 Jul 1986—23 Jul 1986: Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey
27 Oct 1986—27 Oct 1986: 'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market
29 Oct 1986—29 Oct 1986: M25 motorway ring around London completed

165

1987

1987—1987: World population crossed the 5 billion mark
2 Feb 1987—2 Feb 1987: Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991)
6 Mar 1987—6 Mar 1987: Car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise' capsizes off Zeebrugge - 188 die
1 Jul 1987—1 Jul 1987: Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel
19 Aug 1987—19 Aug 1987: Hungerford Massacre - Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle
16 Oct 1987—16 Oct 1987: The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England
19 Oct 1987—19 Oct 1987: 'Black Monday' in the City of London - Stock Market crash
8 Nov 1987—8 Nov 1987: Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony
18 Nov 1987—18 Nov 1987: King's Cross fire in London - 31 people die

166

1988

5 Feb 1988—5 Feb 1988: First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity
6 Jul 1988—6 Jul 1988: Piper Alpha disaster - North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire killing 167 men
15 Nov 1988—15 Nov 1988: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act - reformulated the statutory basis of copyright law (including performing rights) in the UK
12 Dec 1988—12 Dec 1988: Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains
21 Dec 1988—21 Dec 1988: Lockerbie disaster - Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland

167

1989

1989—1989: Poll Tax implemented in Scotland
14 Feb 1989—14 Feb 1989: The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
2 Mar 1989—2 Mar 1989: EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century
9 Nov 1989—9 Nov 1989: Berlin Wall torn down
21 Nov 1989—21 Nov 1989: Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live

168

1990

11 Feb 1990—11 Feb 1990: Nelson Mandela released in South Africa
31 Mar 1990—31 Mar 1990: Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England & Wales
25 Apr 1990—25 Apr 1990: Hubble space telescope launched
22 Nov 1990—22 Nov 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister)
1 Dec 1990—1 Dec 1990: Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle

169

1991

1991—1991: Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax)
1991—1991: The 'Internet' comes into existence
18 May 1991—18 May 1991: Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space
Aug 1991—Aug 1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union
6 Sep 1991—6 Sep 1991: Leningrad renamed St Petersburg
5 Nov 1991—5 Nov 1991: Robert Maxwell drowns at sea

170

1992

7 Feb 1992—7 Feb 1992: European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty
22 Apr 1992—22 Apr 1992: Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons
15 Aug 1992—15 Aug 1992: Football Premier League kicks off in England
16 Sep 1992—16 Sep 1992: 'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM
20 Nov 1992—20 Nov 1992: Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over ?50 million worth of damage
24 Nov 1992—24 Nov 1992: The Queen describes this year as an 'Annus Horribilis'

171

1993

1993—1993: Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000)
1993—1993: Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax
Jul 1993—Jul 1993: Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)

172

1994

1994—1994: 15 million people now connected to the Internet
12 Mar 1994—12 Mar 1994: Church of England ordains its first female priests
6 May 1994—6 May 1994: Channel Tunnel open to traffic
19 Nov 1994—19 Nov 1994: National Lottery starts

173

1995

26 Feb 1995—26 Feb 1995: Nick Leeson brings down Barings Bank
15 Jul 1995—15 Jul 1995: First item sold on Amazon.com
16 Nov 1995—16 Nov 1995: The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old
22 Nov 1995—22 Nov 1995: Toy Story' released - first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery

174

1996

9 Feb 1996—9 Feb 1996: IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands - ends 17 month ceasefire
13 Mar 1996—13 Mar 1996: Dunblane massacre
15 Jun 1996—15 Jun 1996: IRA bomb explodes in Manchester
5 Jul 1996—5 Jul 1996: Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly)
28 Aug 1996—28 Aug 1996: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced

175

1997

30 Mar 1997—30 Mar 1997: Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls)
1 May 1997—1 May 1997: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as Prime Minister)
6 May 1997—6 May 1997: Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government control
11 May 1997—11 May 1997: First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry Kasparov)
1 Jul 1997—1 Jul 1997: Hong Kong returned to China
19 Jul 1997—19 Jul 1997: IRA declares a ceasefire
31 Aug 1997—31 Aug 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris
25 Sep 1997—25 Sep 1997: Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time

176

1998

10 Apr 1998—10 Apr 1998: Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland - effectively implemented in May 2007
14 Aug 1998—14 Aug 1998: Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people
27 Sep 1998—27 Sep 1998: 'Google' search engine founded

177

1999

1999—1999: World population reaches 6 billion
1 Jan 1999—1 Jan 1999: European Monetary Union begins - UK opts out - by the end of the year the Euro has approximately the same value as the US Dollar
1 Jul 1999—1 Jul 1999: The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth - powers are officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh
11 Aug 1999—11 Aug 1999: Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall
11 Nov 1999—11 Nov 1999: Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords

178

2000

1 Jan 2000—1 Jan 2000: The year in Britain started with a 'flu bug rather than a millennium bug
Mar 2000—Mar 2000: London Eye opens, late but popular
22 Apr 2000—22 Apr 2000: The Big Number Change takes place in the UK - affected telephone dialling codes assigned to Cardiff, Coventry, London, Northern Ireland, Portsmouth and Southampton
4 May 2000—4 May 2000: Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord Mayor of London!)
10 Jun 2000—10 Jun 2000: Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly declared dangerous and closed - finally reopened Feb 2002
25 Jul 2000—25 Jul 2000: A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with the loss of all lives
Sep 2000—Sep 2000: 'People Power' emerged suddenly as protestors against high Road Fuel Tax used mobile phones and the Internet to co-ordinate blockades on fuel depots - resulted in nationwide panic buying of fuel and service stations running out across the country
Oct 2000—Oct 2000: Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many parts of Britain (Oct-Dec)
17 Oct 2000—17 Oct 2000: Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused by a broken rail

179

2001

Feb 2001—Feb 2001: Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK - lasted until October - caused postponement of local and general elections from May to June
12 May 2001—12 May 2001: FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - first time away from Wembley since 1922
7 Jun 2001—7 Jun 2001: General Election - Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time they had succeeded in gaining a second term
1 Sep 2001—1 Sep 2001: New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC]
7 Nov 2001—7 Nov 2001: Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks
Dec 2001—Dec 2001: UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class definitives already on sale)

180

2002

1 Jan 2002—1 Jan 2002: Twelve major countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Holland, Irish Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and their dependents start using the Euro instead of their old national currencies; the UK stays out - the Euro worth 62?p at this time
22 Feb 2002—22 Feb 2002: Millennium Bridge over the Thames in London finally opens
30 Mar 2002—30 Mar 2002: The Queen Mother dies, aged 101 years
2 Jul 2002—2 Jul 2002: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon

181

2003

17 Feb 2003—17 Feb 2003: Start of Congestion Charge for traffic entering central London
10 Aug 2003—10 Aug 2003: Temperatures reach record high of 101 F (38.3 C) in Kent
24 Oct 2003—24 Oct 2003: Last commercial flight of Concorde
22 Nov 2003—22 Nov 2003: England wins Rugby World Cup in nail-biting final in Australia - first northern hemisphere team to do this
13 Dec 2003—13 Dec 2003: Saddam Hussein captured near his home town of Tikrit (executed 30 Dec 2006)
26 Dec 2003—26 Dec 2003: Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton from the builder's yard in France 2004

182

2004

29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Ireland becomes first country in the world to ban smoking in public places
29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Alistair Cooke dies at the age of 95 - until four weeks previously, and since 1946, he had broadcast his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio
1 May 2004—1 May 2004: Enlargement of the European Union to include 25 members by the entry of 10 new states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus

183

2005

16 Feb 2005—16 Feb 2005: Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into force
18 Feb 2005—18 Feb 2005: Ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England & Wales (had already been a similar law for about two years in Scotland)
6 Jul 2005—6 Jul 2005: London chosen as venue for the 2012 Olympic Games
7 Jul 2005—7 Jul 2005: Suicide bombers attack London for the first time
28 Jul 2005—28 Jul 2005: IRA declare an end to their 'armed struggle'
12 Sep 2005—12 Sep 2005: England regain the 'Ashes' after a gripping Test series (but are whitewashed 5-0 in the return series in Australia 2007)
9 Dec 2005—9 Dec 2005: Last Routemaster bus runs on regular service in London
11 Dec 2005—11 Dec 2005: Explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead
21 Dec 2005—21 Dec 2005: Same-sex civil partnerships begin - famously, on this day, between Elton John and David Furnish

184

2006

1 Mar 2006—1 Mar 2006: Welsh Assembly Building opened by the Queen
26 Mar 2006—26 Mar 2006: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland
21 Apr 2006—21 Apr 2006: 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
21 Aug 2006—21 Aug 2006: UK postage rates start to be measured by size as well as by weight

185

2007

1 Jan 2007—1 Jan 2007: Further enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania
19 Feb 2007—19 Feb 2007: Extension of Congestion Charge zone for London, westwards
8 May 2007—8 May 2007: A Northern Ireland Executive formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein)
1 Jul 2007—1 Jul 2007: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in England (thus completing cover of the entire UK)
14 Nov 2007—14 Nov 2007: First rail service direct from St Pancras to France (replacing that from Waterloo)