Timeline: Vernon Francis Hannaby: Our Family History

1675—1675: Beginning of Whig party under Shaftsbury
1675—1675: Rebuilding of St Paul's started by Wren (completed 1710)
4 Mar 1675—4 Mar 1675: John Flamsteed appointed first Astronomer Royal of England
10 Aug 1675—10 Aug 1675: Building of Royal Greenwich Observatory started

1676

1676—1676: Compton Census, named after its initiator Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was intended to discover the number of Anglican conformists, Roman Catholic recusants and Protestant dissenters in England and Wales from enquiries made in individual parishes

1677

1677—1677: Lee's Collection of Names of Merchants in London' published

1678

1678—1678: Extension of Test Act to peers

1679

1679—1679: Tories first so named
27 May 1679—27 May 1679: Habeas Corpus Act becomes law in England - (later repealed from time to time)

1680

1680—1680: William Dockwra(y) begins his London Penny Post
1680—1680: Dodo becomes extinct in Mauritius through over-hunting

1681

1681—1681: Second Test Act (against non-conformists) passed by Westminster Parliament
1681—1681: Oil lighting first used in London streets

1682

1682—1682: Pennsylvania founded by William Penn
1682—1682: Library of Advocates founded in Edinburgh - later National Library of Scotland
1682—1682: Halley observes the comet which bears his name

1683

1683—1683: Wild boar become extinct in Britain
6 Jun 1683—6 Jun 1683: Ashmolean Museum opened at Oxford - first museum in Britain

1685

1685—1685: James the Second (1685-1689, died 1701) - Monmouth rebellion and battle of Sedgemoor - British Army raised to 20,000 men
1685—1685: Earl of Argyll's Invasion of Scotland
1685—1685: Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes - 320 executed, 800 transported

1686

1686—1686: Release of all prisoners held for their religious beliefs

1687

4 Apr 1687—4 Apr 1687: James II issues the Declaration of Indulgence, suspending laws against Catholics and non-conformists
5 Jul 1687—5 Jul 1687: Newton published his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' - written in Latin

1688

1688—1688: British Army raised to 40,000
1688—1688: Bill of Rights limits the powers of the monarchy over parliament
1688—1688: Hearth Tax abolished
1688—1688: Mutiny Act
Feb 1688—Feb 1688: Edward Lloyd's Coffee House opens - later became Lloyd's of London
Nov 1688—Nov 1688: The Glorious Revolution: James II abdicates
5 Nov 1688—5 Nov 1688: William of Orange lands at Torbay
Dec 1688—Dec 1688: Siege of Londonderry (began Dec 1688; ended 28 Jul 1689)

1689

1689—1689: Devonport naval dockyard established
13 Feb 1689—13 Feb 1689: William III and Mary II, daughter of James II, jointly take the throne (only William, however, has regal power)
12 Mar 1689—12 Mar 1689: Deposed James VII & II flees to Ireland - defeated at the Battle of the Boyne (1 Jul 1690)
24 May 1689—24 May 1689: Toleration Act passed for Protestant non-conformists
27 Jul 1689—27 Jul 1689: Battle of Killiecrankie in Scotland - Jacobites defeated Government troops but at high cost
16 Dec 1689—16 Dec 1689: Bill of Rights passed by Parliament, ending King's divine right to raise taxes or wage war

1690

20 May 1690—20 May 1690: England passes Act of Grace, forgiving Roman Catholic followers of James II

1692

1692—1692: Land Tax introduced - originally designed as an annual tax on personal estate, public offices and land. For practical purposes, however, assessors tended to avoid assessing items of wealth other than landed property so that it became known as the Land Tax.
1692—1692: French intention to invade England came to nothing
13 Feb 1692—13 Feb 1692: The massacre of Glencoe - Clan Campbell sides with King William and murders members of Clan McDonald

1693

4 Aug 1693—4 Aug 1693: Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Pierre P?rignon 's invention of Champagne

1694

1694—1694: National Debt came into effect in England
1694—1694: Stamp Duties introduced into Britain from Holland
1694—1694: Mary II death leaves William III as sole ruler
1694—1694: Triennial Act, new Parliamentary elections every three years
1694—1694: Scotland: Poll Tax imposed on all over sixteen, except the destitute and insane (-1699)
27 Jul 1694—27 Jul 1694: Bank of England founded by William Paterson (a Scot)

1695

1695—1695: Freedom of Press in England granted
1695—1695: Bank of Scotland founded
1695—1695: Act of Parliament imposes a fine on all who fail to inform the parish minister of the birth of a child (repealed 1706)
1695—1695: Start of Dissenters' lists in parish registers - children born but not christened in the parish church - some were named 'Papist' and others 'Protestants'

1697

2 Dec 1697—2 Dec 1697: Official opening of St Paul's Cathedral

1698

1698—1698: Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery
1698—1698: Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama
1698—1698: Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers - repealed after five years
4 Jan 1698—4 Jan 1698: Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire
14 Nov 1698—14 Nov 1698: Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier

1700

1700—1700: Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million

1701

1701—1701: Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne
23 May 1701—23 May 1701: After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd hanged in London

1702

8 Mar 1702—8 Mar 1702: Anne Stuart becomes Queen
11 Mar 1702—11 Mar 1702: First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)

1703

4 Aug 1703—4 Aug 1703: British take Gibraltar
24 Nov 1703—24 Nov 1703: Climate: Most violent storms of the millennium cause vast damage across southern England - about a third of Britain's merchant fleet lost, and Eddystone lighthouse destroyed on 27 November (Nov 24 - Dec 2)

1704

1704—1704: Penal Code enacted - Catholics barred from voting, education and the military
13 Aug 1704—13 Aug 1704: Battle of Blenheim

1705

1705—1705: First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710 or 1711)
1705—1705: Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)

1706

1706—1706: First evening newspaper The Evening Post' issued in London

1707

16 Jan 1707—16 Jan 1707: Union with Scotland - Scots agree to send 16 peers and 45 MPs to English Parliament in return for full trading privileges - Scottish Parliament meets for the last time in March
1 May 1707—1 May 1707: English and Scottish Parliaments united by an Act of the English Parliament - The Kingdom of Great Britain established - largest free-trade area in Europe at the time

1708

1708—1708: First Jacobite rising in Scotland
1708—1708: Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls

1709

1709—1709: Second Eddystone lighthouse completed
1709—1709: First Copyright Act pass
1709—1709: Bad harvests throughout Europe - bread riots in Britain
2 Feb 1709—2 Feb 1709: Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) by Daniel Defoe

1710

1710—1710: Tax on Apprentice Indentures introduced

1711

1711—1711: Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London
11 Aug 1711—11 Aug 1711: First race meeting at Ascot

1712

1712—1712: Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853)
1712—1712: Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham)
1712—1712: Toleration Act passed - first relief to non-Anglicans

1713

1713—1713: By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London

1714

1714—1714: Longitude Act: prize of ?20,000 offered to the inventor of a workable method of determining a ship's longitude (won by John Harrison in 1773 for his chronometer).
1714—1714: Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England
1714—1714: Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism
1 Aug 1714—1 Aug 1714: Queen Anne Stuart dies - George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).

1715

1715—1715: Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen')
1 Aug 1715—1 Aug 1715: Riot Act passed

1716

1716—1716: The Septennial Act of Britain leads to greater electoral corruption - general elections now to be held once every 7 years instead of every 3 (until 1911)
1716—1716: Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair

1717

1717—1717: First Masonic Lodge opens in London
1717—1717: Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings

1719

1719—1719: Third abortive Jacobite rising

1720

1720—1720: South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley - government assumes control of National Debt
1720—1720: Manufacturing towns start to increase in population - rise of new wealth
1720—1720: Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England

1721

2 Apr 1721—2 Apr 1721: Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)

1722

1722—1722: Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland
1722—1722: Knatchbull's Act, poor laws

1723

1723—1723: Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate
1723—1723: The Waltham Black Acts add 50 capital offences to the penal code - people could be sentenced to death for theft and poaching - repealed in 1827
1723—1723: The Workhouse Act or Test - to get relief, a poor person has to enter Workhouse

1724

1724—1724: Rapid growth of gin drinking in England
1724—1724: Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)

1726

1726—1726: First circulating library opened in Edinburgh
1726—1726: Invention of the chronometer by John Harrison

1727

1727—1727: Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland
11 Jun 1727—11 Jun 1727: George I dies - George II Hanover becomes king

1729

9 Nov 1729—9 Nov 1729: Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain - Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar

1730

1730—1730: Irish famine

1731

1731—1731: Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701]
1731—1731: Invention of sextant by John Hadley

1732

7 Dec 1732—7 Dec 1732: Covent Garden Opera House opens

1733

1733—1733: Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine - Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax
1733—1733: Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed - some continued in Latin for a few years
1733—1733: John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry

1734

1734—1734: Kent's Directory published

1737

1737—1737: Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)

1738

24 May 1738—24 May 1738: John Wesley has his conversion experience

1739

1739—1739: Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival
7 Apr 1739—7 Apr 1739: Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York
23 Oct 1739—23 Oct 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain

1741

1741—1741: Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites - Earliest Moravian registers

1742

1742—1742: England goes to war with Spain - incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade

1743

16 Jun 1743—16 Jun 1743: (June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen - last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle

1744

1744—1744: Tune 'God Save the King' makes its appearance

1745

1745—1745: Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five')
19 Aug 1745—19 Aug 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie (The Young Pretender) lands in the western Highlands - raises support among Episcopalian and Catholic clans - The Pretender's army invades Perth, Edinburgh, and England as far as Derby

1746

16 Apr 1746—16 Apr 1746: Battle of Culloden - last battle fought in Britain - 5,000 Highlanders routed by the Duke of Cumberland and 9,000 loyalists Scots - Young Pretender Charles flees to Continent, ending Jacobite hopes forever - the wearing of the kilt prohibited

1747

1747—1747: Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland
1747—1747: Act for Pacification of the Highlands

1749

27 Apr 1749—27 Apr 1749: First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park, London)

1750

Feb 1750—Feb 1750: Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with predictions of an apocalypse (Feb/Mar)
16 Nov 1750—16 Nov 1750: Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)

1751

Mar 1751—Mar 1751: Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed - royal assent to the bill was given on 22 May 1751 - decision to adopt Gregorian Calendar in 1752: In and throughout all his

1752

1752—1752: Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning conductor
1 Jan 1752—1 Jan 1752: Beginning of the year 1752 [Scotland had adopted January as the start of the year in 1600, and some other countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar as early as 1582]
3 Sep 1752—3 Sep 1752: Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14

1753

1753—1753: Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum
1 May 1753—1 May 1753: Publication of ?Species Plantarum' by Linnaeus and the formal start date of plant taxonomy

1754

1754—1754: Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used - Quakers & Jews exempt
1754—1754: In the General Election, the Cow Inn at Haslemere, Surrey caused a national scandal by subdividing the freehold to create eight votes instead of one
1754—1754: First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India

1755

1755—1755: Publication of Dictionary of the English Language' by Dr Samuel Johnson
1755—1755: Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827)
2 Dec 1755—2 Dec 1755: Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire

1756

15 May 1756—15 May 1756: The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins
Jun 1756—Jun 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta - 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British sources

1757

1757—1757: The foundation laid for the Empire of India
14 Mar 1757—14 Mar 1757: Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca
23 Jun 1757—23 Jun 1757: The Nawab of Bengal tries to expel the British, but is defeated at the battle of Plassey (Palashi, June 23) - the East India Company forces are led by Robert Clive

1758

1758—1758: India stops being merely a commercial venture - England begins dominating it politically - The East India Company retains its monopoly although it ceased to trade

1759

1759—1759: Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels
15 Jan 1759—15 Jan 1759: British Museum opens to the public in London
16 Oct 1759—16 Oct 1759: Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed

1760

1760—1760: Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland
5 May 1760—5 May 1760: First use of hangman's drop
25 Oct 1760—25 Oct 1760: George II dies - George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called first Industrial Revolution'

1761

16 Jan 1761—16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry, India from the French

1762

1762—1762: Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba

1763

1763—1763: Treaty of Paris - gives back to France everything Pitt fought to obtain - (Newfoundland [fishing], Guadaloupe and Martininque [sugar], Dakar [gum]) - but English displaces French as the international language

1764

1764—1764: Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared
1764—1764: Practice of numbering houses introduced to London
1764—1764: James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny (but destroyed 1768)
1764—1764: Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight

1765

1765—1765: The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe
22 Mar 1765—22 Mar 1765: Stamp Act passed - imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the American colonies (repealed the following year)

1766

1766—1766: Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK
5 Dec 1766—5 Dec 1766: Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie

1767

1767—1767: Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt

1768

9 Jan 1768—9 Jan 1768: Philip Astley starts his circus in London
6 Dec 1768—6 Dec 1768: The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica' published in Edinburgh by William Smellie

1769

1769—1769: Arkwright invents water frame (textile production)
1769—1769: Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand
6 Sep 1769—6 Sep 1769: David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon

1770

1770—1770: Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications
28 Apr 1770—28 Apr 1770: Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) ? Aug 21: formally claims Australia for Britain

1771

1771—1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England

1772

1772—1772: First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company
1772—1772: Morning Post' first published (until 1937)
14 May 1772—14 May 1772: Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England

1774

13 Sep 1774—13 Sep 1774: Cook arrives on Easter Island

1775

19 Apr 1775—19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)

1776

1776—1776: Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population
1776—1776: Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine
4 Jul 1776—4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence
7 Sep 1776—7 Sep 1776: First attack on a warship by a submarine - David Bushnell's ?Turtle' attacked HMS Eagle in New York harbour. The attack was perhaps spectacular (a charge did detonate beneath the ship) but was nevertheless unsuccessful. 'Turtle' was a one man Affair man-powered [Les Moore]

1777

1777—1777: Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.

1779

1779—1779: Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent
1779—1779: First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson
1779—1779: First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland
14 Feb 1779—14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii
23 Sep 1779—23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head

1780

1780—1780: Male Servants Tax
1780—1780: The English Reform Movement - until now, only landowners and tenants (freeholders with 40 shillings per year or more) allowed to vote, and in open poll books
1780—1780: Fountain pen invented
1780—1780: About this time the word 'Quiz' entered the language, said to have been invented as a wager by Mr Daly, a Dublin theatre manager
4 May 1780—4 May 1780: First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June)
2 Jun 1780—2 Jun 1780: Jun 2- 8: The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure - for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread

1782

1782—1782: Gilbert's Act establishes outdoor poor relief - the way of life of the poor beginning to alter due to industrialisation - New factories in rapidly expanding towns required a workforce that would adjust to new work patterns
1782—1782: James Watt patents his steam engine

1783

1783—1783: Duty payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry - repealed 1794) - led to a fall in entries!
3 Sep 1783—3 Sep 1783: Treaty of Versailles (Britain/US)
3 Nov 1783—3 Nov 1783: Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)

1784

1784—1784: Pitt's India Act - the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics
1784—1784: Wesley breaks with the Church of England
1784—1784: First golf club founded at St Andrews
1784—1784: Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle
2 Aug 1784—2 Aug 1784: First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)

100

1785

1785—1785: Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million)
1 Jan 1785—1 Jan 1785: John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal Register for 3 years)

101

1787

1787—1787: MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London

102

1788

1788—1788: First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland
1788—1788: Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not enforced)
1788—1788: First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade - stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships
1788—1788: King George III's mental illness occasions the Regency Crisis - Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox attack ministry of William Pitt - trying to obtain full regal powers for the Prince of Wales
1788—1788: Gibbon completes Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
26 Jan 1788—26 Jan 1788: First convicts (and free settlers) arrive in New South Wales (left Portsmouth 13 May 1787) ? the 'First Fleet'; eleven ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip

103

1789

28 Apr 1789—28 Apr 1789: Mutiny on HMS Bounty - Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island

104

1790

1790—1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland

105

1791

1791—1791: John Bell, printer, abandons the long s' (the 's' that looks like an 'f')
1791—1791: Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain
4 Dec 1791—4 Dec 1791: First publication of The Observer - world's oldest Sunday newspaper

106

1792

1792—1792: Repression in Britain (restrictions on freedom of the press) - Fox gets Libel Act through Parliament, requiring a jury and not a judge to determine libel
1792—1792: Boyle's Street Directory published
1792—1792: Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot
1 Oct 1792—1 Oct 1792: Introduction of Money Orders in Britain
1 Dec 1792—1 Dec 1792: King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia

107

1793

11 Feb 1793—11 Feb 1793: Britain declares war on France (1793-1802)
15 Apr 1793—15 Apr 1793: ?5 notes first issued by the Bank of England

108

1794

1794—1794: Abolition of Parish Register duties
6 Oct 1794—6 Oct 1794: The prosecutor for Britain, Lord Justice Eyre, charges reformers with High Treason - he argued that, since reform of parliament would lead to revolution and revolution to executing the King, the desire for reform endangered the King's life and was therefore treasonous

109

1795

1795—1795: The Famine Year
1795—1795: Foundation of the Orange Order
1795—1795: Speenhamland Act proclaims that the Parish is responsible for bringing up the labourer's wage to subsistence level - towards the end of the eighteenth century, the number of poor and unemployed increased dramatically - price increases during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) far outstripped wage rises - many small farmers were bankrupted by the move towards enclosures and became landless labourers - their wages were often pitifully low
1795—1795: Pitt and Grenville introduce The Gagging Acts' or 'Two Bills' (the Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices Bills) - outlawed the mass meeting and the political lecture.
1795—1795: Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy

110

1796

1796—1796: Pitt's Reign of Terror': More treason trials - leading radicals emigrate
1796—1796: Legacy Tax on sums over ?20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and grandparents
14 May 1796—14 May 1796: Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England

111

1797

1797—1797: England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments
1797—1797: Mutinies in the British Navy at Spithead and Nore
1797—1797: Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical publications
1797—1797: The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press
22 Feb 1797—22 Feb 1797: French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all captured 2 days later
26 Feb 1797—26 Feb 1797: First ?1 (and ?2) notes issued by Bank of England

112

1798

1798—1798: First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner
Feb 1798—Feb 1798: The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die - Irish Parliament abolished (Feb-Oct)
1 Aug 1798—1 Aug 1798: Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)

113

1799

1799—1799: Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York
1799—1799: Foundation of the Royal Institution of Great Britain
9 Jan 1799—9 Jan 1799: Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure
12 Jul 1799—12 Jul 1799: 'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations
15 Jul 1799—15 Jul 1799: ?Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics

114

1800

1800—1800: Electric light first produced by Sir Humphrey Davy
1800—1800: Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)
1800—1800: Royal College of Surgeons founded
1800—1800: Herschel discovers infra-red light
1800—1800: Volta makes first electrical battery
2 Jul 1800—2 Jul 1800: Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland

115

1801

1801—1801: Grand Union Canal opens in England
1801—1801: Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London
1 Jan 1801—1 Jan 1801: Union Jack becomes the official British flag
10 Mar 1801—10 Mar 1801: First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural)
24 Dec 1801—24 Dec 1801: Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco

116

1802

25 Mar 1802—25 Mar 1802: Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands ? the 'Peace of Amiens' as it was known brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars ? one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again

117

1803

1803—1803: Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted
1803—1803: Richard Trevithick built another steam carriage and ran it in London as the first self-propelled vehicle in the capital and the first London bus
1803—1803: Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham
30 Apr 1803—30 Apr 1803: Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States
12 May 1803—12 May 1803: Peace of Amiens ends ? resumption of war with France ? The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5)
23 Jul 1803—23 Jul 1803: First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to Croydon, horse-drawn)

118

1804

1804—1804: Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia'
21 Feb 1804—21 Feb 1804: Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers. It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of A ?2 coin.
3 Mar 1804—3 Mar 1804: John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society
2 Dec 1804—2 Dec 1804: Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French
12 Dec 1804—12 Dec 1804: Spain declares war on Britain

119

1805

1805—1805: London docks opened
21 Oct 1805—21 Oct 1805: Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
2 Dec 1805—2 Dec 1805: Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians

120

1806

1806—1806: Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners)
9 Jan 1806—9 Jan 1806: Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London

121

1807

25 Mar 1807—25 Mar 1807: Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808 ? but does not prohibit colonial slavery

122

1808

1808—1808: Gas lighting in London streets
13 Jul 1808—13 Jul 1808: 'Hot Wednesday' ? temperature of 101?F in the shade recorded in London
20 Dec 1808—20 Dec 1808: Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna

123

1809

12 Feb 1809—12 Feb 1809: Birth of Charles Darwin
18 Sep 1809—18 Sep 1809: Royal Opera House opens in London

124

1810

1810—1810: John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling

125

1811

5 Feb 1811—5 Feb 1811: Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane

126

1812

11 May 1812—11 May 1812: Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated ? shot as he entered the House of Commons by a bankrupt Liverpool broker, John Bellingham, who was subsequently hanged
18 Jun 1812—18 Jun 1812: Start of American 'War of 1812' (to 1814) against England and Canada
Oct 1812—Oct 1812: Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses

127

1813

1813—1813: Ireland: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast
1813—1813: Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'

128

1814

1 Jan 1814—1 Jan 1814: Invasion of France by Allies
6 Apr 1814—6 Apr 1814: Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
13 Aug 1814—13 Aug 1814: Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch
24 Aug 1814—24 Aug 1814: The British burn the White House
29 Nov 1814—29 Nov 1814: 'The Times' first printed by a 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1100 sheets per hour)
24 Dec 1814—24 Dec 1814: Treaty of Ghent signed ending the 1812 war between Britain and the US

129

1815

1815—1815: Trial by Jury established in Scotland
1815—1815: Davy develops the safety lamp for miners
18 Jun 1815—18 Jun 1815: The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena

130

1816

1816—1816: Income tax abolished
1816—1816: For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value ? the first official 'token' coinage
1816—1816: Climate: the 'year without a summer' ? followed a volcanic explosion of the mountain 'Tambora in Indonesia the previous year the biggest volcanic explosion in 10000 years
1816—1816: Large scale emigration to North America
1816—1816: Trans-Atlantic packet service begins

131

1817

1817—1817: March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended
1817—1817: Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'

132

1818

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

133

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

134

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

135

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

136

1822

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

137

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')

138

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

139

1825

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

140

1827

1827—1827: Ohm's Law published

141

1828

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

142

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!)

143

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!

144

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

145

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

146

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

147

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

148

1835

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

149

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

150

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

151

1838

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

152

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

153

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

154

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)

155

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

156

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

157

1844

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

158

1845

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

159

1846

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

160

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)

161

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

162

1849

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

163

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

164

1852

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

165

1853

1853—1853: Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain

166

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)

167

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)

168

1857

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

169

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

170

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'

171

1860

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

172

1861

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

173

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

174

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

175

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

176

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

177

1867

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

178

1868

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

179

1869

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

180

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

181

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

182

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

183

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

184

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)

185

1876

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

186

1877

1877—1877: Edison invents microphone and phonograph

187

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

188

1879

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

189

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

190

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

191

1882

1882—1882: Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed

192

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

193

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

194

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

195

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

196

1887

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

197

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

198

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

199

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

200

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

201

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

202

1893

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

203

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

204

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

205

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

206

1897

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

207

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)

208

1899

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

209

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

210

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

211

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

212

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

213

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)

214

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

215

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

216

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