| |
Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1752 | - 1752: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning conductor
- 3 Sep 1752: Julian Calendar dropped
Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14
|
| 2 | 1753 | - 1753: British Museum
Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum
- 1 May 1753: Species Plantarum
Publication of 'Species Plantarum' by Linnaeus and the formal start date of plant taxonomy
|
| 3 | 1754 | - 1754: Hardwicke Act
Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used - Quakers & Jews exempt
- 1754: Cow Inn at Haslemere
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: British troops
First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India
|
| 4 | 1755 | - 1755: Dr Samuel Johnson
Publication of Dictionary of the English Language' by Dr Samuel Johnson
- 1755—1827: Canal construction began
Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827)
- 2 Dec 1755: Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed
Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire
|
| 5 | 1756 | - 15 May 1756: Seven Years War
The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins
- Jun 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta - 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British
sources
|
| 6 | 1757 | - 1757: Empire of India
The foundation laid for the Empire of India
- 14 Mar 1757: Admiral Byng
Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca
- 23 Jun 1757: battle of Plassey
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
|
| 7 | 1759 | - 1759: Methodist chapels
Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels
- 15 Jan 1759: British Museum
British Museum opens to the public in London
- 16 Oct 1759: Third Eddystone Lighthouse
Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed
|
| 8 | 1760 | - 1760: Carron Iron Works
Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland
- 5 May 1760: First use of hangman's drop
First use of hangman's drop
- 25 Oct 1760: George II dies
George II dies - George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called first Industrial Revolution'
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| 9 | 1761 | - 16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry
British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
|
| 10 | 1762 | - 1762: Cigars introduced
Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
|
| 11 | 1763 | - 10 Feb 1763: Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris - The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Peace of Paris and the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Britain's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War.
|
| 12 | 1764 | - 1764: Lloyd's Register of shipping
Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared
- 1764: Practice of numbering houses
Practice of numbering houses introduced to London
- 1764: James Hargeaves
James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn.
- 1764: Mozart
Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight
|
| 13 | 1765 | - 1765: The potato
The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe
- 22 Mar 1765: Stamp Act passed
Stamp Act passed - imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the
American colonies (repealed the following year)
|
| 14 | 1766 | - 1766: National records on rainfall start
Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK
- 5 Dec 1766: Christie's auction house
Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie
|
| 15 | 1767 | - 1767: James Watt
Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
|
| 16 | 1768 | - 9 Jan 1768: Philip Astley starts his circus
Philip Astley starts his circus in London
- 6 Dec 1768: Encyclopaedia Britannica
The first edition of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' published in Edinburgh by
William Smellie
|
| 17 | 1769 | - 1769: Arkwright invents water frame
Arkwright invents water frame (textile production)
- 1769: New Zealand
Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand
- 6 Sep 1769: First Shakespeare festival
David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon
|
| 18 | 1770 | - 1770: Clyde Trust
Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications
- 28 Apr 1770: Botany Bay
Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) ? Aug 21: formally claims
Australia for Britain
|
| 19 | 1771 | - 1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates
Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
|
| 20 | 1772 | - 1772: First Travellers' Cheques
First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company
- 1772: Morning Post first published
'Morning Post' first published (until 1937)
- 14 May 1772: Judge Mansfield
Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England
|
| 21 | 1774 | - 13 Sep 1774: Easter Island
Cook arrives on Easter Island
|
| 22 | 1775 | - 19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington
Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)
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| 23 | 1776 | - 1776: Somerset House
Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population
- 1776: First commercial steam engine
Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine
- 4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence
American Declaration of Independence
- 7 Sep 1776: First submarine attack
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 - man-powered affair
|
| 24 | 1777 | - 1777: Circular saw
Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
|
| 25 | 1779 | - 1779: Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent
- 1779: First iron bridge built
First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson
- 1779: First Spinning Mills
First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland
- 14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook
Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii
- 23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA
Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
|
| 26 | 1780 | - 1780: Male Servants Tax
Male Servants Tax
- 1780: English Reform Movement
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: Quiz
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: The Derby
First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June)
- 2 Jun 1780—8 Jun 1780: The Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure and for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread
|
| 27 | 1782 | - 1782: The Relief of the Poor Act 1782
Thomas 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: James Watt patents his steam engine
James Watt patents his steam engine
|
| 28 | 1783 | - 1783: Parish Register
Duty payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry - repealed 1794) - led to a fall in entries!
- 3 Nov 1783: Public execution
Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)
|
| 29 | 1784 | - 1784: Pitt's India Act
Pitt's India Act - the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics
- 1784: Wesley
Wesley breaks with the Church of England
- 1784: St Andrews
First golf club founded at St Andrews
- 1784: Threshing Machine
Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle
- 2 Aug 1784: 1st Mail Coaches
First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)
|
| 30 | 1785 | - 1785: Sunday School Society founded
Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million)
- 1 Jan 1785: The Times
John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal
Register for 3 years)
|
| 31 | 1787 | - 1787: Marylebone Cricket Club
MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
|
| 32 | 1788 | - 1788: 1st Steamboat
First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland
- 1788: Chimney Sweepers
Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not
enforced)
- 1788: First slave carrying act
First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade - stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships
- 1788: Regency Crisis
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: Gibbon completes 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
Gibbon completes 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
- 26 Jan 1788: First convicts arrive in New South Wales
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
|
| 33 | 1789 | - 28 Apr 1789: Mutiny on HMS Bounty
Mutiny on HMS Bounty - Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift
and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island
|
| 34 | 1790 | - 1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened
Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
|
| 35 | 1791 | - 1791: John Bell, printer, abandons the long 's'
John Bell, printer, abandons the long 's' (the 's' that looks like an 'f')
- 1791: Establishment of the Ordnance Survey
Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain
- 4 Dec 1791: First publication of The Observer
First publication of The Observer - world's oldest Sunday newspaper
|
| 36 | 1792 | - 1792: Repression in Britain
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: Boyle's Street Directory
Boyle's Street Directory published
- 1792: Coal-gas lighting invented
Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot
- 1 Oct 1792: Introduction of Money Orders
Introduction of Money Orders in Britain
- 1 Dec 1792: King's Proclamation
King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia
|
| 37 | 1793 | - 11 Feb 1793: Britain-French war
Britain declares war on France (1793-1802)
- 15 Apr 1793: £5 notes issued
£5 notes first issued by the Bank of England
|
| 38 | 1794 | - 1794: Abolition of Parish Register duties
Abolition of Parish Register duties
- 6 Oct 1794: Lord Justice Eyre
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
|
| 39 | 1795 | - 1795: The Famine Year
The Famine Year
- 1795: Foundation of the Orange Order
Foundation of the Orange Order
- 1795: Speenhamland Act
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: The Gagging Acts
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: Consumption of lime juice
Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy
|
| 40 | 1796 | - 1796: Pitt's Reign of Terror
Pitt's 'Reign of Terror': More treason trials - leading radicals emigrate
- 1796: Legacy Tax
Legacy Tax on sums over £20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and
grandparents
- 14 May 1796: Smallpox
Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England
|
| 41 | 1797 | - 1797: Bank of England suspends cash payments
England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments
- 1797: Mutinies in the Roayl Navy
Mutinies in the Roayl Navy at Spithead and Nore
- 1797: Tax on newspapers increased
Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical
publications
- 1797: First copper pennies
The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press
- 22 Feb 1797: French invade Fishguard
French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all the French were captured 2 days later
- 26 Feb 1797: First £1 notes
First £1 (and £2) notes issued by Bank of England
|
| 42 | 1798 | - 1798: Vaccination
First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner
- Feb 1798: The Irish Rebellion
The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die - Irish
Parliament abolished (Feb-Oct)
- 1 Aug 1798: Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)
|
| 43 | 1799 | - 1799: Royal Military College Sandhurst
Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York
- 1799: Foundation of the Royal Institution
The Royal Institution was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, including Henry Cavendish and its first president, George Finch, the 9th Earl of Winchilsea, for "diffusing the knowledge, and facilitating the general introduction, of useful mechanical inventions and improvements; and for teaching, by courses of philosophical lectures and experiments, the application of science to the common purposes of life."
- 9 Jan 1799: Income tax
Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure
- 12 Jul 1799: Combination Laws
'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations
- 15 Jul 1799: Rosetta Stone
'Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
|
| 44 | 1800 | - 1800: First electric light
produced by Sir Humphrey Davy
- 1800: Richard Trevithick
Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)
- 1800: Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons founded
- 1800: Infra-red light discovered
Herschel discovers infra-red light
- 1800: first electrical battery
Volta makes first electrical battery
- 2 Jul 1800: union of Great Britain and Ireland
Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
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| 45 | 1801 | - 1801: Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal opens in England
- 1801: Elgin Marbles
Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London
- 1 Jan 1801: Union Jack
Union Jack becomes the official British flag
- 10 Mar 1801: First census
First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural)
- 24 Dec 1801: First self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
|
| 46 | 1802 | - 25 Mar 1802: Treaty of Amiens
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
|
| 47 | 1803 | - 1803: Poaching
Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted
- 1803: Richard Trevithick
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: Semaphore signaling
Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham
- 30 Apr 1803: Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States
- 12 May 1803: Napoleonic Wars
Peace of Amiens ends - resumption of war with France - The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5)
- 23 Jul 1803: First public railway opens
First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to
Croydon, horse-drawn)
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| 48 | 1804 | - 1804: Australia
Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia'
- 21 Feb 1804: Penydarren Railway
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: The Royal Horticultural Society
John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society
- 2 Dec 1804: Napoleon
Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French
- 12 Dec 1804: Spain declares war
Spain declares war on Britain
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| 49 | 1805 | - 1805: London docks opened
The London docks were constructed in Wapping downstream from the City of London between 1799 and 1815, at a cost exceeding £5½ million
- 21 Oct 1805: Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
- 2 Dec 1805: Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
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| 50 | 1806 | - 1806: Dartmoor Prison opened
Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners)
- 9 Jan 1806: Nelson buried
Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London
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| 51 | 1807 | - 25 Mar 1807: Act prohibiting slavery
Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808, but does not prohibit colonial slavery
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| 52 | 1808 | - 1808: Gas lighting
Gas lighting in London streets
- 13 Jul 1808: Hot Wednesday
'Hot Wednesday' - temperature of 101F in the shade recorded in London
- 20 Dec 1808: Beethoven
Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna
|
| 53 | 1809 | - 12 Feb 1809: Charles Darwin
Birth of Charles Darwin
- 18 Sep 1809: Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House opens in London
|
| 54 | 1810 | - 1810: John McAdam
John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling
|
| 55 | 1811 | - 5 Feb 1811: Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
|
| 56 | 1812 | - 11 May 1812: Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated
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: Start of American 'War of 1812'
Start of American 'War of 1812' (to 1814) against England and Canada
- Oct 1812: Napoleon retreats
Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses
|
| 57 | 1813 | - 1813: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast
Ireland: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast
- 1813: Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'
Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'
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| 58 | 1814 | - 1 Jan 1814: Invasion of France
Invasion of France by Allies
- 6 Apr 1814: Napoleon abdicates
Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
- 13 Aug 1814: Convention of London signed
Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch
- 24 Aug 1814: The British burn the White House
The British burn the White House
- 29 Nov 1814: The Times printed by a mechanical apparatus
'The Times' first printed by a 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1100 sheets per hour)
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| 59 | 1815 | - 1815: Trial by Jury established in Scotland
Trial by Jury established in Scotland
- 1815: Davy safety lamp
Davy develops the safety lamp for miners
- 18 Jun 1815: The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena
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| 60 | 1816 | - 1816: Income tax abolished
Income tax abolished
- 1816: Silver coins
For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value - the first official 'token' coinage
- 1816: year without a summer
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: Large scale emigration to North America
Large scale emigration to North America, Trans-Atlantic packet service begins
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| 61 | 1817 | - 1817: March of the Manchester Blanketeers
March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended
- 1817: Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
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| 62 | 1818 | - 1818: Manchester cotton spinners' strike
Manchester cotton spinners' strike
- 20 Oct 1818: 'Convention of 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
|
| 63 | 1819 | - 1819: the Dandy Horse becomes popular
Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular
- 1819: Britain returns to gold standard
Britain returns to gold standard
- 1819: Singapore founded
Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles
- May 1819: SS 'Savannah'
SS 'Savannah' first steamship to cross Atlantic reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819. Voyage used both sail & steam
- 16 Aug 1819: Peterloo Massacre at Manchester
Peterloo Massacre at Manchester, a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St.
Peter's Fields, Manchester and demand Parliamentary Reform. Mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others.
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| 64 | 1820 | - 1820: Cato Street Conspiracy
Cato Street Conspiracy - plot to assissinate British cabinet
- 1820: Spanish Inquisition
Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition
- 29 Jan 1820: George IV
Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent
- 1 Aug 1820: Regent's Canal opens
Regent's Canal in London opens
- 17 Aug 1820: Queen Caroline
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
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| 65 | 1821 | - 1821: Principles of electro-magnetic rotation
Faraday publishes 'Principles of electro-magnetic rotation'
- 1821: The Hay Wain
Constable paints 'The Hay Wain'
- 5 May 1821: Death of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena
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| 66 | 1822 | - 14 Jun 1822: Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
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| 67 | 1823 | - 1823: Peel begins penal reforms
Peel begins penal reforms - death penalty abolished for over 100 crimes
- 1823: Rugby Football
Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School
- 1823: MacIntosh
Rubberised waterproof material produced by MacIntosh
- 2 Dec 1823: US President James Monroe
US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in
future European conflicts (the 'Monroe Doctrine')
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| 68 | 1824 | - 1824: RSPCA
RSPCA established
- 1824: Portland cement
Portland cement patented
- 4 Mar 1824: (RNLI) founded
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded (called the 'National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck' until 1854)
- 10 May 1824: National Gallery opens
National Gallery in London opens to the public
|
| 69 | 1825 | - 27 Sep 1825: Stockton to Darlington Railway
Stockton to Darlington Railway opens - world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
|
| 70 | 1827 | - 1827: Ohm's Law
Ohm's Law published
|
| 71 | 1828 | - 25 Oct 1828: St Katharine Docks
St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
|
| 72 | 1829 | - 1829: London Metropolitan Police Force
London Metropolitan Police Force formed, nicknamed 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel
- 1829: Louis Braille
Louis Braille invents his system of finger-reading for the blind
- 10 Jun 1829: Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race
First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race
- 6 Oct 1829: George Stephenson's Rocket
George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to
complete the trial!)
|
| 73 | 1830 | - 1830: Uprisings and agitation across Europe
Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium
- Jul 1830: Fall of Charles X
Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons - Louis Philippe (the
Citizen King) on the throne
- 15 Sep 1830: Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened
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!
|
| 74 | 1831 | - 1831: A list of parish registers compiled
A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled
- 1 Jun 1831: North Magnetic Pole
James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole
- 1 Aug 1831: 'New' London Bridge opens
'New' London Bridge opens (replaced 1973) old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished
|
| 75 | 1832 | - 1832: Electoral Register
Electoral Registers introduced
- 1832: Electric telegraph invented
Electric telegraph invented by Morse
- 7 Jun 1832: Representation of the People Act
Reform Bill passed - Representation of the People Act
|
| 76 | 1833 | - Jan 1833: Falkland Islands
In December 1832, two naval vessels were sent by the United Kingdom to reassert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), after the United Provinces of South America (part of which later became Argentina) ignored British diplomatic protests over the appointment of Luis Vernet as governor of the Falkland Islands and a dispute over fishing rights.
- 29 Aug 1833: Factory Act
Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9
|
| 77 | 1834 | - 1834: Babbage
Babbage invents forerunner of the computer
- 18 Mar 1834: Tolpuddle Martyrs
'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities
- 1 May 1834: Slavery abolished
Slavery abolished in British possessions
|
| 78 | 1835 | - 1835: First railway boom
First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway
- 25 Dec 1835: Christmas
Christmas becomes a national holiday
|
| 79 | 1836 | - 1836: First Potato famine
First Potato famine in Ireland
- 30 Jan 1836: Menai Straits Bridge opened
Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge
- 25 Feb 1836: Samuel Colt
Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver'
- 6 Mar 1836: Death of Davy Crockett
The Alamo falls to Mexican troops - death of Davy Crockett
- Jul 1836: Arc de Triomphe
Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
|
| 80 | 1837 | - 1837: Pitman shorthand
Pitman introduces his shorthand system
- 1837: P&O Founded
P&O Founded
- 20 Jun 1837: King William IV dies
William IV dies - accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901)
- 1 Jul 1837: Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales
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: Buckingham Palace
Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace
- 20 Jul 1837: Euston Railway station
Euston Railway station opens - first in London
|
| 81 | 1838 | - 28 Jun 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria
Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
|
| 82 | 1839 | - 1839: First Opium War
First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) - Britain captures Hong Kong
- 1839: Kirkpatrick MacMillan
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: Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber
|
| 83 | 1840 | - 1840: Census
Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain
- 1840: Last convicts landed in NSW
Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed
elsewhere)
- 10 Jan 1840: Penny Postage
Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
|
| 84 | 1841 | - 1841: Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook starts package tours
- 10 Feb 1841: Penny Red
Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp
- 6 Jun 1841: First full census
June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded(Population 18.5M)
|
| 85 | 1842 | - 1842: Income Tax reintroduced
Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
- 30 Mar 1842: Ether used as an anesthetic
Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
- 29 Aug 1842: Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
|
| 86 | 1843 | - 1843: First Christmas card
First Christmas card in England
- 27 May 1843: Great Hall of Euston station opens
The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London
- 19 Jul 1843: SS Great Britain
Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
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| 87 | 1844 | - 6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded
YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
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| 88 | 1845 | - 1845: Tarmac laid for first time
Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
- 17 Mar 1845: Rubber band patented
The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
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| 89 | 1846 | - 10 Sep 1846: Sewing machine is patented
The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
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| 90 | 1847 | - 1847: Mormons
US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
- Jan 1847: Anesthetic used for the first time in England
An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
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| 91 | 1848 | - 1848: Chewing gum
First commercial production of chewing gum
- 24 Jan 1848: California gold rush
Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush
- 11 Jul 1848: Waterloo station opens
Waterloo railway station in London opens
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| 92 | 1849 | - 1849: Florin introduced
Florin(2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
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| 93 | 1851 | - 1851: Gold Rush
Gold discovered in Australia
- 1 May 1851: 'Crystal Palace' exhibition
Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
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| 94 | 1852 | - 1852: Tasmania
Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
- 1852: Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo established in USA
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| 95 | 1853 | - 1853: Vaccination against smallpox
Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
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| 96 | 1854 | - 1854: Cigarettes introduced into Britain
Cigarettes introduced into Britain
- 27 Mar 1854: Crimean War
Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
- 25 Oct 1854: charge of the Light Brigade
Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
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| 97 | 1856 | - 1856: End of Crimean War
End of Crimean War
- 29 Jan 1856: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warran
Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts
during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
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| 98 | 1857 | - 1857: Transatlantic cable
Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
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| 99 | 1858 | - 1858: The great stink
'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
- 1858: Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
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| 100 | 1859 | - 25 Apr 1859: Work Started on the Suez canal
Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869)
- 4 May 1859: Royal Albert Bridge opened
Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon
and Cornwall
- 24 Nov 1859: The Origin of Species published
Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
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| 101 | 1860 | - 29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts
First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
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| 102 | 1861 | - 25 May 1861: American Civil War begins
American Civil War begins
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| 103 | 1862 | - 20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test
First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
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| 104 | 1863 | - 1863: Football Association founded
Football Association founded (UK)
- 1863: Broadmoor opens
Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England
- 10 Jan 1863: London Underground
First section of the London Underground Railway opens - In 1855 an Act of Parliament was passed approving the construction of an underground railway between Paddington Station and Farringdon Street via King's Cross which was to be called the Metropolitan Railway.
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| 105 | 1864 | - 1864: First recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship
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: Great Sheffield Flood
The Great Sheffield Flood - over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time
- 20 Aug 1864: Red Cross established
Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
- 8 Dec 1864: Clifton Suspension Bridge
Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened
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| 106 | 1865 | - 1865: First woman doctor in England
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908]
- 1865: Last convicts landed in NSW
First concrete roads built in Britain
- 14 Apr 1865: End of American Civil War
End of American Civil War - slavery abolished in USA
- 14 Apr 1865: Abraham Lincoln assassinated
Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
- 5 Jul 1865: Salvation Army founded
William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
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| 107 | 1867 | - 1 Jul 1867: Canadian Confederation
The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
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| 108 | 1868 | - 1868: Last convicts landed in Australia
Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
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| 109 | 1869 | - 1869: Washing machines
Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented
- 23 Nov 1869: Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
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| 110 | 1870 | - 1870: General Post Office
GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
- 1870: Dr Thomas Barnardo
Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children
- 1870: Water closets
Water closets come into wide use
- 1870: Diamonds
Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa
- 1 Oct 1870: First British postcard
First British postcard - halfpenny post
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| 111 | 1871 | - 27 Mar 1871: First Rugby Football international
First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh
- 29 Mar 1871: Royal Albert Hall
Opening of Royal Albert Hall, London
- 29 Jun 1871: Trades Unions legalised
Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal
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| 112 | 1872 | - 1872: Licensing hours introduced
Licensing hours introduced
- 1872: Penalties introduced
Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
- 4 Dec 1872: Mary Celeste
American ship 'Mary Celeste' is found abandoned by the British brig 'Dei Gratia' in the Atlantic Ocean
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| 113 | 1874 | - 1874: 56-hour week
Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
- 5 Apr 1874: Birkenhead Park opened
Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world - features of it later copied in Central Park, New York
|
| 114 | 1875 | - 1875: London's main sewage system completed.
Joseph Bazalgette, a civil engineer and Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, was given responsibility for the work. He designed an extensive underground sewerage system that diverted waste to the Thames Estuary, downstream of the main centre of population. Six main interceptor sewers, totalling almost 100 miles (160 km) in length, were constructed, some incorporating stretches of London's 'lost' rivers. Three of these sewers were north of the river, the southernmost, low-level one being incorporated in the Thames Embankment.
- 1 Jan 1875: Second Class passenger facilities abolished
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)
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| 115 | 1876 | - 14 Feb 1876: Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights
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| 116 | 1877 | - 1877: Edison invents microphone
Edison invents microphone and phonograph
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| 117 | 1878 | - 1878: Electric lamp invented
Edison & Swan invent electric lamp
- 1878: Red Flag Act in
Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph
- 1878: CID established
Criminal Investigation Department established at New Scotland Yard
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| 118 | 1879 | - 18 Sep 1879: Blackpool illuminations
Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
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| 119 | 1880 | - 1880: Education Act:
Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
- 1880: Malaria
Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria
- 2 Aug 1880: Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK
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| 120 | 1881 | - 1881: Postal Orders introduced
Postal Orders introduced
- 1881: Flogging abolished
Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy
- Sep 1881: First town with electricity supply
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: Gunfight at OK Corral
Gunfight at OK Corral
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| 121 | 1882 | - 1882: Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
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Abt 1752 - 1843 (~ 91 years)