| |
Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1697 | - 2 Dec 1697: Opening of St Paul's Cathedral
Official opening of St Paul's Cathedral
|
| 2 | 1698 | - 1698: Steam Engine
Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery
- 1698: Darien Expedition
Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama
- 1698: Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers
Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers - repealed after five years
- 4 Jan 1698: Palace of Whitehall
Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire
- 14 Nov 1698: Eddystone Lighthouse first lit
Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier
|
| 3 | 1700 | - 1700: Population
Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million
|
| 4 | 1701 | - 1701: Act of Settlement
Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne
- 23 May 1701: Captain Kidd hanged
After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain
William Kidd hanged in London
|
| 5 | 1702 | - 8 Mar 1702: Queen Anne
Anne Stuart becomes Queen
- 11 Mar 1702: The Daily Courant
First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)
|
| 6 | 1703 | - 4 Aug 1703: British take Gibraltar
British take Gibraltar
- 24 Nov 1703—2 Dec 1703: Most violent storms of the millennium
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)
|
| 7 | 1704 | - 1704: Penal Code enacted
Penal Code enacted - Catholics barred from voting, education and the military
- 13 Aug 1704: Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim (referred to in some countries as the Second Battle of Höchstädt), fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession.[1] Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement.
|
| 8 | 1705 | - 1705: Thomas Newcomen
First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710
or 1711)
- 1705: Isaac Newton knighted
Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)
|
| 9 | 1706 | - 1706: First evening newspaper
First evening newspaper The Evening Post' issued in London
|
| 10 | 1707 | - 16 Jan 1707: Union with Scotland
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: The Kingdom of Great Britain established
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
|
| 11 | 1708 | - 1708: First Jacobite rising
First Jacobite rising in Scotland
- 1708: Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
|
| 12 | 1709 | - 1709: Second Eddystone lighthouse completed
Second Eddystone lighthouse completed
- 1709: First Copyright Act passed
First Copyright Act passed
- 1709: bread riots in Britain
Bad harvests throughout Europe - bread riots in Britain
- 2 Feb 1709: Alexander Selkirk rescued
Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book
Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) by Daniel Defoe
|
| 13 | 1710 | - 1710: Tax on Apprentice Indentures
Tax on Apprentice Indentures introduced
|
| 14 | 1711 | - 1711: Incorporation of South Sea Company
Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London.
The South Sea Company was a British joint-stock company founded in 1711, created as a public-private partnership to consolidate and reduce the cost of national debt. The company was also granted a monopoly to trade with South America, hence its name.
- 11 Aug 1711: First meeting at Ascot
First race meeting at Ascot
|
| 15 | 1712 | - 1712: Soap Tax
Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853)
- 1712: Last trial for witchcraft
Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham)
- 1712: Toleration Act passed
Toleration Act passed - first relief to non-Anglicans
|
| 16 | 1713 | - 1713: 3,000 coffee houses in London
By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London
|
| 17 | 1714 | - 1714: Longitude Act
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: Schism Act
Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England
- 1714: Oath of Allegiance
Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism
- 1 Aug 1714: Queen Anne Stuart dies
Queen Anne Stuart dies - George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).
|
| 18 | 1715 | - 1715: Second Jacobite rebellion
Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen')
- 1 Aug 1715: Riot Act passed
Riot Act passed
|
| 19 | 1716 | - 1716: Septennial Act
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: Frost Fair
Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair
|
| 20 | 1717 | - 1717: First Masonic Lodge
First Masonic Lodge opens in London
- 1717: Golden Guinea
Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings
|
| 21 | 1719 | - 1719: Third Jacobite rising
Third abortive Jacobite rising
|
| 22 | 1720 | - 1720: South Sea Bubble
South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley - government assumes
control of National Debt
- 1720: Manufacturing towns
Manufacturing towns start to increase in population - rise of new wealth
- 1720: Wallpaper
Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England
|
| 23 | 1721 | - 2 Apr 1721: Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)
|
| 24 | 1722 | - 1722: Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland
Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland
- 1722: Knatchbull's Act
The Workhouse Test Act also known as the General Act or Knatchbull's Act was poor relief legislation passed by the British government by Sir Edward Knatchbull in 1723. The "workhouse test" was that a person who wanted to receive poor relief had to enter a workhouse and undertake a set amount of work. The test was intended to prevent irresponsible claims on a parish's poor rate.
|
| 25 | 1723 | - 1723: Excise tax
Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate
- 1723: Waltham Black Acts
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
|
| 26 | 1724 | - 1724: Gin drinking
Rapid growth of gin drinking in England
- 1724: Longman's founded
Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)
|
| 27 | 1726 | - 1726: First circulating library
First circulating library opened in Edinburgh
- 1726: Invention of the chronometer
A marine chronometer is a clock that is precise and accurate enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. When first developed in the 18th century, it was a major technical achievement, as accurate knowledge of the time over a long sea voyage is necessary for navigation, lacking electronic or communications aids. The first true chronometer was the life work of one man, John Harrison, spanning 31 years of persistent experimentation and test that revolutionized naval navigation enabling the Age of Discovery and Colonialism to accelerate
|
| 28 | 1727 | - 1727: Board of Manufacturers established
Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland
- 11 Jun 1727: George I dies
George I dies - George II Hanover becomes king
|
| 29 | 1729 | - 9 Nov 1729: Treaty of Seville
Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain - Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar
|
| 30 | 1730 | - 1730: Irish famine
Irish famine
|
| 31 | 1731 | - 1731: Invention of seed drill
Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701]
- 1731: Invention of sextant
Invention of sextant by John Hadley
|
| 32 | 1732 | - 7 Dec 1732: Opera House opens
Covent Garden Opera House opens
|
| 33 | 1733 | - 1733: Excise crisis
Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine - Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax
- 1733: Latin in parish registers
Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed - some continued in Latin for a few years
- 1733: John Kay invents the flying shuttle
John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry
|
| 34 | 1734 | - 1734: Kent's Directory
Kent's Directory published
|
| 35 | 1737 | - 1737: Licensing Act
Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)
|
| 36 | 1738 | - 24 May 1738: John Wesley
John Wesley has his conversion experience
|
| 37 | 1739 | - 1739: Methodist revival
Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival
- 7 Apr 1739: Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York
- 23 Oct 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear
War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain
|
| 38 | 1741 | - 1741: Benjamin Ingham
Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites - Earliest Moravian registers
|
| 39 | 1742 | - 1742: England goes to war with Spain
England goes to war with Spain - incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade
|
| 40 | 1743 | - 16 Jun 1743: Battle of Dettingen
(June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen - last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle
|
| 41 | 1744 | - 1744: God Save the King
Tune 'God Save the King' makes its appearance
|
| 42 | 1745 | - 1745: Jacobite rebellion in Scotland
Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five')
- 19 Aug 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie
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
|
| 43 | 1746 | - 16 Apr 1746: Battle of Culloden
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
|
| 44 | 1747 | - 1747: Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions
Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland. It abolished the traditional rights of jurisdiction afforded to a Scottish clan chief.
- 1747: Act for Pacification
Act for Pacification of the Highlands
|
| 45 | 1749 | - 27 Apr 1749: Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks
First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park,
London)
|
| 46 | 1750 | - Feb 1750: Earthquakes in London and the Home Counties
Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with
predictions of an apocalypse (Feb/Mar)
- 16 Nov 1750: Westminster Bridge opened
Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)
|
| 47 | 1751 | - Mar 1751: Chesterfield's Calendar Act
Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed - royal assent to the bill was given on 22
May 1751 - It reformed the calendar of England and British Dominions so that a new year began on 1 January rather than 25 March (Lady Day) and would run according to the Gregorian calendar, as used in most of western Europe.
|
| 48 | 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
|
| 49 | 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
|
| 50 | 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
|
| 51 | 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
|
| 52 | 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
|
| 53 | 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
|
| 54 | 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
|
| 55 | 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'
|
| 56 | 1761 | - 16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry
British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
|
| 57 | 1762 | - 1762: Cigars introduced
Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
|
| 58 | 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.
|
| 59 | 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
|
| 60 | 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)
|
| 61 | 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
|
| 62 | 1767 | - 1767: James Watt
Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
|
| 63 | 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
|
| 64 | 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
|
| 65 | 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
|
| 66 | 1771 | - 1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates
Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
|
| 67 | 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
|
| 68 | 1774 | - 13 Sep 1774: Easter Island
Cook arrives on Easter Island
|
| 69 | 1775 | - 19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington
Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)
|
| 70 | 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
|
| 71 | 1777 | - 1777: Circular saw
Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
|
| 72 | 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
|
| 73 | 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
|
| 74 | 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
|
| 75 | 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)
|
| 76 | 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)
|
| 77 | 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)
|
| 78 | 1787 | - 1787: Marylebone Cricket Club
MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
|
| 79 | 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
|
| 80 | 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
|
| 81 | 1790 | - 1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened
Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
|
| 82 | 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
|
| 83 | 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
|
| 84 | 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
|
| 85 | 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
|
| 86 | 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
|
| 87 | 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
|
| 88 | 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
|
| 89 | 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)
|
| 90 | 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
|
| 91 | 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
|
| 92 | 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
|
| 93 | 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
|
| 94 | 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)
|
| 95 | 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
|
| 96 | 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
|
| 97 | 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
|
| 98 | 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
|
| 99 | 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
|
| 100 | 1809 | - 12 Feb 1809: Charles Darwin
Birth of Charles Darwin
- 18 Sep 1809: Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House opens in London
|
| 101 | 1810 | - 1810: John McAdam
John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling
|
| 102 | 1811 | - 5 Feb 1811: Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
|
| 103 | 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
|
| 104 | 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'
|
| 105 | 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)
|
| 106 | 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
|
| 107 | 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
|
| 108 | 1817 | - 1817: March of the Manchester Blanketeers
March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended
- 1817: Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
|
| 109 | 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
|
| 110 | 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.
|
| 111 | 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
|
| 112 | 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
|
| 113 | 1822 | - 14 Jun 1822: Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
|
| 114 | 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')
|
| 115 | 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
|
| 116 | 1825 | - 27 Sep 1825: Stockton to Darlington Railway
Stockton to Darlington Railway opens - world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
|
| 117 | 1827 | - 1827: Ohm's Law
Ohm's Law published
|
| 118 | 1828 | - 25 Oct 1828: St Katharine Docks
St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
|
| 119 | 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!)
|
| 120 | 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!
|
| 121 | 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
|
| 122 | 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
|
| 123 | 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
|
| 124 | 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
|
| 125 | 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
|
| 126 | 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
|
| 127 | 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
|
| 128 | 1838 | - 28 Jun 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria
Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
|
| 129 | 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
|
| 130 | 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
|
| 131 | 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)
|
| 132 | 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
|
| 133 | 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
|
| 134 | 1844 | - 6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded
YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
|
| 135 | 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
|
| 136 | 1846 | - 10 Sep 1846: Sewing machine is patented
The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
|
| 137 | 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)
|
| 138 | 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
|
| 139 | 1849 | - 1849: Florin introduced
Florin(2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
|
| 140 | 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
|
| 141 | 1852 | - 1852: Tasmania
Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
- 1852: Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo established in USA
|
| 142 | 1853 | - 1853: Vaccination against smallpox
Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
|
| 143 | 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)
|
| 144 | 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)
|
| 145 | 1857 | - 1857: Transatlantic cable
Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
|
| 146 | 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
|
| 147 | 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'
|
| 148 | 1860 | - 29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts
First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
|
| 149 | 1861 | - 25 May 1861: American Civil War begins
American Civil War begins
|
| 150 | 1862 | - 20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test
First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
|
| 151 | 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.
|
| 152 | 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
|
| 153 | 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
|
| 154 | 1867 | - 1 Jul 1867: Canadian Confederation
The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
|
| 155 | 1868 | - 1868: Last convicts landed in Australia
Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
|
| 156 | 1869 | - 1869: Washing machines
Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented
- 23 Nov 1869: Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
|
| 157 | 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
|
| 158 | 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
|
| 159 | 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
|
| 160 | 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
|
| 161 | 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)
|
| 162 | 1876 | - 14 Feb 1876: Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights
|
| 163 | 1877 | - 1877: Edison invents microphone
Edison invents microphone and phonograph
|
| 164 | 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
|
| 165 | 1879 | - 18 Sep 1879: Blackpool illuminations
Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
|
| 166 | 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
|
| 167 | 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
|
| 168 | 1882 | - 1882: Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
|
| 169 | 1883 | - 1883: Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France
- 24 May 1883: Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River)
- 1 Aug 1883: Parcel post starts in Britain
Parcel post starts in Britain
- 27 Aug 1883: Eruption of Krakatoa
Eruption of Krakatoa near Java - 30,000 killed by tidal wave
|
| 170 | 1884 | - 31 May 1884: Kellogg's corn flakes
John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes
- 13 Oct 1884: Greenwich made prime meridian
Greenwich made prime meridian of the world
|
| 171 | 1885 | - 1885: Carl Benz
Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car
- 1885: Gottlieb Daimler
Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle
- 1885: first coated photographic paper
Eastman makes first coated photographic paper
- Mar 1885: First UK cremation in modern times
First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking
- 5 Sep 1885: Severn Tunnel
The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel
- 29 Sep 1885: Blackpool Trams
First electric tramcar used at Blackpool
|
| 172 | 1886 | - 20 Jan 1886: Mersey railway opened
Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales
- May 1886: Coca-Cola
Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named 'Coca-Cola'
- 29 May 1886: Putney Bridge
Putney Bridge opens in London
|
| 173 | 1887 | - 1887: Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car
Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car
|
| 174 | 1888 | - 1888: Suez Canal
Convention of Constantinople guarantees free maritime passage through Suez Canal in war and peace
- 1888: Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper active in east London during the latter half of the year
- 1888: County Councils
County Councils set up in Britain
- 1888: Pneumatic tyre invented
Dunlop invents pneumatic tyre
- 1888: First box camera
First box camera - George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film
- 20 Mar 1888: Football League
Football League formed
|
| 175 | 1889 | - 1889: Celluloid film
Celluloid film produced
- 1889: Dock Strike
Dock Strike - docker's won their 'Docker's Tanner' 6 old pennies
- 31 Mar 1889: Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower completed (to mark centenary of French Revolution)
- 14 May 1889: NSPCC charity launched
Children's charity NSPCC launched in London
- 3 Jun 1889: Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway completed from coast to coast
- 28 Sep 1889: Length of a metre defined
Length of a metre defined
|
| 176 | 1890 | - 4 Mar 1890: Forth railway bridge opens
Forth railway bridge opens - took six years to build
- 4 Nov 1890: City & South London Railway opens
City & South London Railway opens - London's first deep-level tube railway
and first major railway in the world to use electric traction
|
| 177 | 1891 | - 1891: Primary education
Primary education made free and compulsory
- 18 Mar 1891: London & Paris
First telephone link between London & Paris
- 4 May 1891: Reichenbach Falls
Fictional date when Sherlock Holmes throws Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls, then disappears for 3 years! (published in 1893)
- 24 Aug 1891: Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera
|
| 178 | 1892 | - 1892: Electric oven invented
Electric oven invented
- 1892: Shop Hours Act
Shop Hours Act - limit 74 hours per week for under-18's
- 6 Oct 1892: Alfred Lord Tennyson
Alfred Lord Tennyson dies, aged 83, at his house Aldworth, near Haslemere
|
| 179 | 1893 | - 1893: Henry Ford
Henry Ford's first car
- 1893: Zip fastener invented
Zip fastener invented
|
| 180 | 1894 | - 1894: Picture postcard
Picture postcard introduced in Britain
- 1 Jan 1894: Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal opens
- 1 Mar 1894: Blackpool Tower opens
Blackpool Tower opens
- 30 Jun 1894: Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge first opens
- 2 Aug 1894: Death duties
Death duties first introduced in Britain
|
| 181 | 1895 | - 1895: Promenade Concerts
Sir Henry Wood starts Promenade Concerts in London
- 12 Jan 1895: The National Trust
The National Trust founded in England
- 24 May 1895: Henry Irving
Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted
- 28 May 1895: Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde sent to prison
- 12 Jul 1895: First recorded motor journey of any length
First recorded motor journey of any length (56 miles) in Britain
- 17 Oct 1895: First motor offences
First people in Britain to be charged with motor offences - John Henry Knight and James Pullinger of Farnham, Surrey
- Nov 1895: X-rays discovered
X-rays discovered
|
| 182 | 1896 | - 5 Apr 1896: First modern Olympic Games
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
- 2 Jun 1896: Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi receives a British patent (later disputed) for the radio
|
| 183 | 1897 | - 1897: Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector
|
| 184 | 1898 | - 1898: First photograph using artificial light
First photograph using artificial light
- 1898: Zeppelin airship
Zeppelin builds airship
- 17 Mar 1898: USS Holland launched
USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine
- 27 Jun 1898: First solo circumnavigation of the globe
The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by
Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)
|
| 185 | 1899 | - 6 Mar 1899: Aspirin
Aspirin first marketed by Bayer
- 11 Oct 1899: Second Boer War
Start of Second Boer War
|
| 186 | 1900 | - 1900: School leaving age
School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years
- 1900: Central Line
Central Line opens in London: underground is electrified
- 1900: Escalators
Escalator shown at Paris exhibition
- 9 Feb 1900: Davis Cup
Davis Cup tennis competition established
- 27 Feb 1900: Labour Party formed
Labour Party formed
|
| 187 | 1901 | - 1901: Commonwealth of Australia
Commonwealth of Australia founded
- 1901: Vacuum cleaner
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner
- 22 Jan 1901: Queen Victoria dies
Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king
- 2 Feb 1901: Queen Victoria's funeral
Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore
Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park
- Jun 1901: Concentration camps
Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War
- 2 Oct 1901: Britain's first submarine launched
Britain's first submarine launched
- 12 Dec 1901: Radio transmission across the Atlantic
First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse
code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
|
| 188 | 1902 | - 1902: Balfour's Education Act
Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education
- 1902: Cremation Act
Cremation Act - cremation can only take place at officially recognised establishments, and with two death certificates issued
- 1902: Marie Curie
Marie Curie discovers radioactivity
- 24 May 1902: Empire Day
Empire Day (later Commonwealth Day) first celebrated
- 31 May 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging
Treaty of Vereeniging ends Second Boer War
- 9 Aug 1902: Edward VII
Coronation of Edward VII
|
| 189 | 1903 | - 1903: Workers' Education Association (WEA)
Workers' Education Association (WEA) formed in Britain
- 1903: Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union formed in Britain by Emmeline Pankhurst
- 1903: Henry Ford
Henry Ford sets up his motor company
- 14 Dec 1903: First flight
First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright
|
| 190 | 1904 | - 1904: Leeds University established
Leeds University established
- 8 Apr 1904: Entente Cordiale
France and UK sign the Entente Cordiale
- 4 May 1904: Panama Canal
America takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French (completed 1914)
|
| 191 | 1905 | - 1905: Prime Minister
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: Aliens Act in Britain
Aliens Act in Britain: Home Office controls immigration
- 11 Apr 1905: Special Theory of Relativity
Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity
|
| 192 | 1906 | - 1906: Free school meals
Introduction of free school meals for poor children
- 10 Feb 1906: HMS Dreadnought
Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship
- 15 Mar 1906: Rolls-Royce Ltd
Rolls-Royce Ltd registered
- 26 May 1906: Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge opened in London
- 20 Sep 1906: RMS Mauretania
Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne
|
| 193 | 1907 | - 1907: New Zealand
New Zealand becomes a Dominion
- 1907: Imperial College, London
Imperial College, London, is established
- 1907: First airship flies over London
First airship flies over London
- 1907: colour photography
Lumiere develops a process for colour photography
- Jul 1907: Bakelite
Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated
- 1 Aug 1907: Baden-Powell
Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island
- 9 Nov 1907: Cullinan Diamond
The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday
|
| 194 | 1908 | - 1908: Coal Mines Regulation Act
Coal Mines Regulation Act in Britain limits men to an eight hour day
- 1908: Separate courts for juveniles
Separate courts for juveniles established in Britain
- 1908: Lord Baden-Powell
Lord Baden-Powell starts the Boy Scout movement
- 1 Jul 1908: SOS
SOS became effective as an international signal of distress
- 12 Aug 1908: First Ford Model T
First 'Model T' Ford made
|
| 195 | 1909 | - 1909: Beveridge Report
Beveridge Report prompts creation of labour Exchanges
- 1909: Peary reaches the north pole
Peary reaches the north pole
- 1909: First commercial manufacture of Bakelite
First commercial manufacture of Bakelite - start of the plastic age
- 1 Jan 1909: Old Age Pensions Act
Old Age Pensions Act came into force
- 16 Jan 1909: Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole
- 15 Mar 1909: Selfridges
Selfridges department store opens in London
- 25 Jul 1909: Bleriot flies across the Channel
Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)
|
| 196 | 1910 | - 1910: Railway and coal strikes
Railway strike and coal strikes in Britain
- 1910: Constitutional crisis in Britain
The 1909 People's Budget was a product of then British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's Liberal government, introducing many unprecedented taxes on the wealthy and radical social welfare programmes to Britain's political life. It was championed by Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George and his strong ally Winston Churchill, who was then President of the Board of Trade; the duo was called the "Terrible Twins" by contemporaries
- 1910: Dr Crippen
Dr Crippen caught by radio telegraphy; hanged 23 Nov at Pentonville
- 1910: Madame Curie
Madame Curie isolates radium
- 1910: Halley's comet
Halley's comet reappears
- 1910: Tango becomes popular
Tango becomes popular in North America and Europe
- 6 May 1910: Edward VII dies
Edward VII dies - George V becomes King
|
| 197 | 1911 | - 1911: Parliament Act
Parliament Act in Britain reduces the power of the House of Lords
- 1911: British MPs receive a salary
British MPs receive a salary
- 1911: Official Secrets Act
First British Official Secrets Act
- 1911: theory of atomic structures
Rutherford: theory of atomic structures
- 1911: Strikes by seamen, dock and transport workers
Strikes by seamen, dock and transport workers (1911-1912)
- 2 Apr 1911: Census
Census: Population - England and Wales: 36 Million; Scotland: 4.6 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
- 22 Jun 1911: George V
Coronation of George V
- 14 Dec 1911: National Insurance
National Insurance introduced in Britain
|
| 198 | 1912 | - 1912: Irish Home Rule crisis
Irish Home Rule crisis grows in Britain
- 1912: Britain nationalises the telephone system
Britain nationalises the telephone system
- 1912: Discovery of the 'Piltdown Man'
Discovery of the 'Piltdown Man' - The significance of the specimen remained the subject of controversy until it was exposed in 1953 as a forgery, consisting of the lower jawbone of an orangutan deliberately combined with the skull of a fully developed modern human.
- 18 Jan 1912: Captain Scott's last expedition
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: Titanic sinks
The 'unsinkable' Titanic sinks on maiden voyage - loss of 1,513 lives
- 13 May 1912: Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps (later merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the RAF) founded in Britain
|
| 199 | 1913 | - 1913: Third Irish Home Rule Bill rejected by House of Lords
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: Suffragette demonstrations
Suffragette demonstrations in London - Mrs Pankhurst imprisoned
- 1913: Trade Union Act
Trade Union Act in Britain establishes the right to use Union funds for political purposes
- 1913: Stainless steel invented
Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley of Sheffield
- 1913: Geiger Counter
Geiger invents his counter to measure radioactivity
- 4 Jun 1913: Emily Davison
Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby and dies
|
| 200 | 1914 | - 1914: Irish Home Rule Act
Irish Home Rule Act provides for a separate Parliament in Ireland; the position of Ulster to be decided after the War
- 1914: Chaplin and De Mille
Chaplin and De Mille make their first films
- 28 Jun 1914: Archduke Ferdinand
Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo
- 4 Aug 1914: Britain declares war on Germany
Britain declares war on Germany, citing Belgian neutrality as reason
- 5 Aug 1914: British cableship Telconia
British cableship Telconia cut through all five of Germany's undersea telegraph
links to the outside world
- 15 Aug 1914: Panama Canal opened
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: Battle of Ypres
Battle of Ypres - beginning of trench warfare on western front
- 27 Nov 1914: First policewoman
First policewoman goes on duty in Britain
- 16 Dec 1914: German battleships
German battleships bombard Hartlepool and Scarborough
|
| 201 | 1915 | - 1915: Junkers
Junkers construct first fighter aeroplane
- 1915: Automatic telephone exchange
First automatic telephone exchange in Britain
- 19 Jan 1915: Zeppelin air raid
First Zeppelin air raid on England, over East Anglia - four killed
- Feb 1915: Submarine blockade
Submarine blockade of Britain starts
- Apr 1915: Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres - poison gas used for first time
- 25 Apr 1915: Gallipoli campaign
Gallipoli campaign starts (declared ANZAC Day in 1916)
- 7 May 1915: RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off coast of Ireland - 1,198 died
- 16 May 1915: Women's Institute
First meeting of a British WI (Women's Institute) took place in Llanfairpwll
(aka Llanfair PG), Anglesey
|
| 202 | 1916 | - 1916: Compulsory military service
Compulsory military service introduced in Britain
- Feb 1916: Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun - appalling losses on both sides, stalemate continues
- 24 Apr 1916: Easter Rising in Ireland
Easter Rising in Ireland - after the leaders are executed, public opinion backs
independence
- 21 May 1916: Daylight Saving Time
First use of Daylight Saving Time in UK
- 31 May 1916: Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland - only major naval battle between the British and
German fleets
- 5 Jun 1916: Death of Kitchener
Sinking of HMS Hampshire and death of Kitchener
- 3 Aug 1916: Sir Roger Casement
Sir Roger Casement, Irish nationalist, activist, patriot and poet, hanged at Pentonville Prison for treason
- 15 Sep 1916: First use of tanks in battle
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: David Lloyd-George
Lloyd-George becomes British Prime Minister of the coalition government
|
| 203 | 1917 | - 1917: Battle of Cambrai
Battle of Cambrai - first use of massed tanks, but effect more psychological than actual
- 1917: Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour is established in Britain
- Feb 1917: February revolution in Russia
February revolution in Russia; Tsar Nicholas abdicates
- 16 Apr 1917: Lenin returns to Russia
Lenin returns to Russia after exile
- 17 Apr 1917: USA declares war on Germany
USA declares war on Germany
- 26 May 1917: George V
George V changes surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor (Royal proclamation on 17 July)
- Jul 1917: Battle of Passchendaele
Battle of Passchendaele - little gained by either side (Jul-Nov)
- 7 Nov 1917: 'October' Revolution
'October' Revolution in Russia - Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government;
Lenin becomes Chief Commissar
- 6 Dec 1917: Halifax (Nova Scotia) Explosion
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: British forces capture Jerusalem
British forces capture Jerusalem
|
| 204 | 1918 | - 1918: The Vote
Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons)
- 1918: War of Independence
War of Independence in Ireland
- 18 Jan 1918: Bentley Motors
Bentley Motors founded
- 8 Mar 1918: 'Flu pandemic
Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic
- Jul 1918: Battle of the Marne
Second Battle of the Marne: last major German offensive in WW1 (Jul-Aug)
- 1 Oct 1918: Lawrence of Arabia
Arab forces under Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus
- 11 Nov 1918: Armistice signed
Armistice signed - end of the Great War
- Dec 1918: First woman elected to House of Commons
First woman elected to House of Commons, Countess Markiewicz as a Sinn Fein
member refused to take her seat
|
| 205 | 1919 | - 1919: Working Week
Britain adopts a 48-hour working week
- 1919: Sir Ernest Rutherford
Sir Ernest Rutherford publishes account of splitting the atom
- 15 Jun 1919: Alcock and Brown
Alcock and Brown complete first nonstop flight across the Atlantic
- 28 Jun 1919: Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles signed
|
| 206 | 1920 | - 1920: The Channel
Regular cross-channel air service starts
- 1920: Marconi
Marconi opens a radio broadcasting station in Britain
- 1920: Tommy Gun
Thompson patents his machine gun (Tommy gun)
- Feb 1920: 1st Petrol Station
First roadside petrol filling station in UK - opened by the Automobile Association at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
|
| 207 | 1921 | - 1921: Railway Act
Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained
- 1921: Insulin
Insulin discovery announced
- 1921: Birth Control
First birth control clinic
- 19 Jun 1921: Census
Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
- 6 Dec 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free
State and Northern Ireland
|
| 208 | 1922 | - 1922: Law of Property Act
Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended
- 1 Jun 1922: RUC
Royal Ulster Constabulary founded
- Oct 1922: BBC
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)
|
| 209 | 1923 | - 1923: Road Classification
Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers
- 1923: Edwin Hubble
Edwin Hubble shows there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way
- 1923: Radio Broadcasts
First American broadcasts heard in Britain
- 1 Jan 1923: Railway Grouping
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: Tutankhamun
Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
- 28 Apr 1923: Wembley
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: Radio Times
First publication of Radio Times
|
| 210 | 1924 | - 4 Jan 1924: Labour government
First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald
- 5 Feb 1924: Greenwich Time Signals
Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were
first broadcast by the BBC
- 31 Mar 1924: British Imperial Airways
British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British
airline companies - became BOAC in 1940)
|
| 211 | 1925 | - 1925: Gold Standard
Britain returns to gold standard
- 18 Jul 1925: Mein Kampf
Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
|
| 212 | 1926 | - 1926: TV
First public demonstration of television (TV) by John Logie Baird
- 1926: Adoption of children
Adoption of children is legalised in Britain
- 1926: Kodak
Kodak produces 16mm movie film
- 1926: Walt Disney
Walt Disney arrives in Hollywood
- 21 Apr 1926: Princess Elizabeth
Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, born
- 3 May 1926: General Strike
General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)
- 31 Oct 1926: Houdini
Death of Harry Houdini
|
| 213 | 1927 | - 1927: 1st 'Talkie' film
Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer)
- 7 Jan 1927: Telephone
First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London
- 22 Jan 1927: BBC
First football broadcast by BBC (Arsenal v Sheffield United at Highbury)
- 1 May 1927: Imperial Airways
First cooked meals on a scheduled flight introduced by Imperial Airways from
London to Paris
- 20 May 1927: Lindbergh solo Atlantic flight
Lindbergh makes solo flight across the Atlantic, in 33 hours
- 24 Jul 1927: The Menin Gate
The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
|
| 214 | 1928 | - 1928: Vote
Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes
- 26 Apr 1928: Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds opens in London
- 15 Sep 1928: Penicillin
Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
|
| 215 | 1929 | - 1929: Poor Law
Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain
- 1929: Minimum age for a marriage in Britain raised
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: TV
BBC begins experimental TV transmissions
|
| 216 | 1930 | - 1930: First Nazis elected
First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag
- 1930: Youth Hostel Association
Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain
- 30 Jan 1930: Adolf Hitler
Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
- 31 Jan 1930: Scotch Tape
3M begins marketing Scotch Tape
- 6 Mar 1930: Birdseye
Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas
- 5 Oct 1930: R101
R101 airship disaster - British abandons airship construction
|
| 217 | 1931 | - 1931: Banking
Collapse of the German banking system; 3,000 banks there close
- 14 Apr 1931: Highway Code
Highway Code first issued
- 26 Apr 1931: Census
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: National Government
National Government formed to deal with economic crisis - Britain comes off
gold standard
- 11 Dec 1931: Statute of Westminster
Statute of Westminster: British Dominions become independent sovereign states
|
| 218 | 1932 | - 1932: Great Hunger March
Great Hunger March of unemployed to London
- 1932: Cockroft and Walton
Cockroft and Walton accelerate particles to disintegrate an atomic nucleus
- 1932: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Thomas Beecham established the London Philharmonic Orchestra
- 21 May 1932: Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot
- Oct 1932: Moseley
Moseley founds British Union of Fascists
- 3 Oct 1932: Iraq
Iraq gains independence from Britain
- 3 Oct 1932: The Times
'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface
|
| 219 | 1933 | - 1933: Polythene discovered
ICI scientists discover polythene
- 1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain
Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year
- 12 Nov 1933: Loch Ness Monster
First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
|
| 220 | 1934 | - 18 Jul 1934: Mersey Tunnel
King George V opens Mersey Tunnel
- 2 Aug 1934: Adolf Hitler
Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany
- 26 Sep 1934: RMS Queen Mary launched
RMS Queen Mary launched by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland
- 30 Nov 1934: The Flying Scotsman
First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
|
| 221 | 1935 | - 1935: Green Belt
London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme
- 1935: Malcolm Campbell
Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell
- 28 Feb 1935: Nylon
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: Hore-Belisha
Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas
in Britain
- 1 Jun 1935: Voluntary driving tests introduced
Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK
- 30 Jul 1935: Penguin paperbacks
Penguin paperbacks launched
|
| 222 | 1936 | - 1936: Jet engine
Jet engine first tested
- 20 Jan 1936: George V
George V dies
- 5 May 1936: Spitfire
First flight of a Spitfire
- 24 Jul 1936: Speaking clock
'Speaking clock' service starts in UK
- 2 Nov 1936: BBC
British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's
first public TV transmission
- 30 Nov 1936: Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace destroyed by fire
- 5 Dec 1936: Edward VIII abdicates
Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) - popular carol that Christmas:
'Hark the Herald Angels sing Mrs Simpson's got our King'
|
| 223 | 1937 | - 1937: 999
'999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London
- 1937: Billy Butlin
Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp
- 12 Apr 1937: Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft
- 12 May 1937: King George VI
Coronation of King George VI
- 28 May 1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes PM
Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister - policy of appeasement towards
Hitler
- 3 Jun 1937: Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson
- 4 Dec 1937: The Dandy'
'The Dandy' comic first published
|
| 224 | 1938 | - 1938: Paid holidays
Principle of paid holidays established in Britain
- 1938: HMS Rodney
HMS Rodney first ship to be equipped with radar
- 1938: Lajos Biro
First practical ball-point pen produced by Hungarian journalist, Lajos Biro
- 12 Mar 1938: Germany annexes Austria
Germany invades and annexes Austria
- 3 Jul 1938: Mallard
A4 Steam loco 'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h) at Stoke Bank south of Grantham on the East Coast Main Line; still world record for a steam locomotive.
- 27 Sep 1938: RMS Queen Elizabeth
Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank
- 29 Sep 1938: Peace in our time
Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time'
- 30 Oct 1938: The War of the Worlds
Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA
|
| 225 | 1939 | - 1939: Czechoslovakia
Germany annexes Czechoslovakia
- 1939: London evacuation
Start of evacuation of women and children from London
- 1939: Coldest winter in Britain
Coldest winter in Britain since 1894, though this could not be publicised at the time
- 1 Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland
Germany invades Poland
- 3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war
Britain and France declare war on Germany
- 6 Sep 1939: First air-raid
First air-raid on Britain
- 11 Sep 1939: British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France
- 14 Oct 1939: HMS Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives
- 7 Dec 1939: Canadian troops
'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain - 7,400 men on 5 ships
- 17 Dec 1939: Admiral Graf Spee
'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo
|
| 226 | 1940 | - 1 Apr 1940: BOAC starts operations
BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd
- 11 May 1940: National Government
National Government formed under Churchill
- 13 May 1940: Germany invades France
Germany invades France, Frances signs armistice on 22 June 1940
- 27 May 1940—4 Jun 1940: Dunkirk
Start of the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk
- 25 Jun 1940: Fall of France
Fall of France to Germany
- 7 Sep 1940: The Blitz
Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing
- 15 Sep 1940: Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain
- 11 Nov 1940—12 Nov 1940: Battle of Taranto
The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers (Swordfish) from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean Sea to attack the Italian fleet in Taranto harbour.
- 14 Nov 1940: Coventry bombed
Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
|
| 227 | 1941 | - 1941: Rationing
Britain introduces severe rationing
- 1941: Bailey bridge
Bailey invents his portable military bridge
- 1941: antibiotics
First use of antibiotics
- 10 May 1941: Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland
- 15 May 1941: First British jet aircraft flies
First British jet aircraft flies, The Gloster E.28/39, (also referred to as the "Gloster Whittle", "Gloster Pioneer", or "Gloster G.40") based on work of Frank Whittle
- 27 May 1941: Bismark
'Bismark' sunk by Swordfish aircraft flying from HMS Ark Royal
- 22 Jun 1941: Operation Barbarossa
Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
- 1 Jul 1941: Canada
First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain
- 14 Nov 1941: HMS Ark Royal III
The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the third ship to bear the name, sinks near Gibraltar after being torpedoed by U-81 the previous day.
- Dec 1941: Canadian forces
Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England
- Dec 1941: Manhattan Project
'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America
- 7 Dec 1941: Pearl Harbour
Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour, USA then enters World War II
- 24 Dec 1941: Hong Kong
Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
|
| 228 | 1942 | - 1942: Alan Turing
Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with Max Neumann - used to crack German codes
- 1942: Oxfam
Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam
- 30 May 1942: 1,000 bomber raid
Over 1,000 allied bombers raid Cologne
- 4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway. Only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy attack against Midway Atoll, inflicting irreparable damage on the Japanese fleet. 4 Japanese carriers were sunk
- 19 Aug 1942: Dieppe raid
Abortive raid on Nazi held Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops
- 6 Sep 1942: Stalingrad
Germans defeated at Stalingrad
- 3 Oct 1942: V2
First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany - first man-made object to reach space
- 23 Oct 1942: Battle of El Alamein
Battle of El Alamein - Montgomery defeats Rommel
- 2 Dec 1942: Manhattan Project
'Manhattan Project' - a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
|
| 229 | 1943 | - 1943: Round-the-clock bombing
Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins
- 16 May 1943: Dam Buster
'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF
- 24 Jul 1943: Benito Mussolini resigns
Allies invade Italy - Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
|
| 230 | 1944 | - 6 Apr 1944: PAYE
PAYE (Paye As You Earn) income tax begins
- 4 Jun 1944: Rome
Allies enter Rome
- 6 Jun 1944: D-Day
D-Day invasion of Normandy
- 12 Jun 1944: First V1 flying bombs
First V1 flying bombs hit London
- 8 Sep 1944: V2 rocket
First V2 rocket bombs hit London
- 11 Sep 1944: Allies enter Germany
Allies enter Germany
- 16 Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
|
| 231 | 1945 | - 4 Feb 1945: Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
- 29 Mar 1945: V1 flying bomb
Last V1 flying bomb attack
- 25 Apr 1945: Berlin surrounded
Berlin surrounded by Russian troops
- 30 Apr 1945: Hitler commits suicide
Hitler commits suicide
- 8 May 1945: VE Day
VE Day (Victory in Europe)
- 9 May 1945: Channel Islands
Channel Islands liberated
- 26 Jun 1945: United Nations
UN Charter signed in San Francisco
- 16 Jul 1945: First ever atomic bomb
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: Labour win General Election
Labour win UK General Election - Churchill out of office
- 29 Jul 1945: BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme starts
- 6 Aug 1945: Hiroshima
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
- 9 Aug 1945: Nagasaki
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
- 15 Aug 1945: VJ Day
VJ Day (Victory in Japan)
- 2 Sep 1945: Japanese surrender
Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri
- 24 Oct 1945: United Nations
United Nations Organisation comes into existence
- 4 Nov 1945: UNESCO
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)founded
|
| 232 | 1946 | - 1946: NHS
Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)
- 1946: Alistair Cooke
Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio - until 2004
- 1 Jan 1946: Heathrow Airport
First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport
- 1 Mar 1946: Bank of England
Bank of England nationalised
|
| 233 | 1947 | - 1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years
Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much flooding later
- 1947: First British nuclear reactor
First British nuclear reactor developed
- 1 Jan 1947: National Coal Board
Coal Mines nationalised
- 23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded
- 1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund begins financial operations
- 1 Apr 1947: School leaving age
School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
- 26 Oct 1947: British military occupation
British military occupation ends in Iraq
- 20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten
Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in
Westminster Abbey
|
| 234 | 1948 | - 1948: British Citizenship Act
British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports
- 1948: Transistor radio
Transistor radio invented
- 1948: Long-playing record
Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark
- 1 Jan 1948: British Railways
British Railways nationalised
- 5 Jul 1948: NHS
National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
- 29 Jul 1948: London Olympics
London Olympics begin
|
| 235 | 1949 | - 1949: Bristol Brabazon
Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)
- 1949: De Haviland Comet
De Haviland produces the Comet - first jet airliner
- 15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing
Clothes rationing ends in Britain
- 4 Apr 1949: NATO
Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
|
| 236 | 1950 | - 26 May 1950: Petrol rationing
Petrol rationing ends in Britain
- 11 Jul 1950: Andy Pandy
'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV
- 9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing
Soap rationing ends in Britain
- 28 Dec 1950: Peak District
The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
|
| 237 | 1951 | - 3 May 1951: Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London
- 28 May 1951: The Goon Show
First Goon Show broadcast
- 20 Dec 1951: Experimental Breeder Reactor
Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
|
| 238 | 1952 | - 1952: Contraceptive pill
Contraceptive pill invented
- 1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb
Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia
- 1952: Radioactive carbon
Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects
- 1952: Bonn Convention
Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany
- 6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies
King George VI dies
- 21 Feb 1952: ID Cards abolished
Identity Cards abolished in Britain
- 2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service
First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London
and Johannesburg
- 5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London
Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)
- 16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth flood disaster
Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster
- 6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes
DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed including Test Pilot John Derry. The DH110 was the prototype of the Royal Navy's Sea Vixen fighter jet.
- 3 Oct 1952: Tea rationing
End of tea rationing in Britain
- 1 Nov 1952: First H-bomb
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: The Mousetrap
Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London
- 4 Dec 1952: The Great Smog
Great smog hits London
|
| 239 | 1953 | - 31 Jan 1953: East Coast Floods
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: Sweet rationing ends
Sweet rationing ends in Britain
- 5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin
Death of Stalin
- 26 Mar 1953: Polio vaccine
Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine
- 24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted
Winston Churchill knighted
- 25 Apr 1953: DNA
Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA
- 2 Jun 1953: Elizabeth II
Coronation of Elizabeth II
- 26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends
Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
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| 240 | 1954 | - 1954: Comprehensive school
First comprehensive school opens in London
- 1954: Routemaster bus
Routemaster bus starts operating in London
- 1954: Transistor radios
First transistor radios sold
- 6 May 1954: Roger Bannister
First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)
- 3 Jul 1954: Food rationing
Food rationing officially ends in Britain
- 5 Jul 1954: first television news bulletin
BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
- 30 Sep 1954: USS Nautilus
First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
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| 241 | 1955 | - 1955: Self-grip wrench
'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons
- 27 Jul 1955: Allied occupation of Austria ends
Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends
- 22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV
Commercial TV starts in Britain
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| 242 | 1956 | - 1956: First nuclear power station
Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland
- 1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet
Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)
- 17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds
Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957
- 3 Jun 1956: 3rd class travel
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: Suez Crisis
Britain and France invade Suez
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| 243 | 1957 | - 1957: Parking meters
Britain introduces parking meters
- 1957: Helvetica
Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)
- 11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
- 14 May 1957: Petrol rationing
Post-Suez petrol rationing ends
- 15 May 1957: British hydrogen bomb
Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island
- 25 May 1957: Treaty of Rome
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: Lewisham rail disaster
Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them
- 25 Dec 1957: Christmas TV broadcast
Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
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| 244 | 1958 | - 1958: Anti-nuclear protest
Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)
- 1958: Rise of Computers
Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce
- 1958: ICBM
USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
- 13 May 1958: Velcro
Velcro trade mark registered
- 26 Jul 1958: Prince of Wales
Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales'
- 5 Dec 1958: Subscriber Trunk Dialling
Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)
- 5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens
Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway
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| 245 | 1959 | - 3 Feb 1959: The Day The Music Died
'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and
The Big Bopper
- 24 May 1959: Commonwealth Day
Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day
- Aug 1959: Mini
BMC Mini car launched
- 3 Oct 1959: Postcodes introduced
Postcodes introduced in Britain
- 1 Nov 1959: M1 motorway
First section of M1 motorway opened
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| 246 | 1960 | - 17 Mar 1960: New Pound Notes
New £1 notes issued by Bank of England
- 18 Mar 1960: Last steam locomotive
Last steam locomotive of British Railways named 'Evening Star'
- 21 Jul 1960: Francis Chichester
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 Sep 1960: MoT tests
MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced
- 1 Oct 1960: HMS Dreadnought
HMS 'Dreadnought' the Royal Navy's 1st nuclear submarine launched
- 2 Nov 1960: Lady Chatterley's Lover
Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case
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| 247 | 1961 | - 1 Jan 1961: Farthing
Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK
- 13 Mar 1961: £5 notes
Black & White £5 notes cease to be legal tender
- 14 Mar 1961: New English Bible
New English Bible (New Testament) published
- 1 May 1961: Betting shops
Betting shops legal in Britain
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| 248 | 1962 | - 1962: Commonwealth Immigrants Act
Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration
- 1962: Thalidomide
Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies
- 1962: Concorde
Britain and France agree to construct 'Concorde'
- 25 May 1962: Coventry Cathedral
Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz)
- 15 Jun 1962: Berkeley Power Station
First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos)
- Jul 1962: Hovercraft
First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl
- 10 Jul 1962: Telstar
First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul
- 24 Oct 1962: Cuba missile crisis
Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war
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| 249 | 1963 | - 1963: EEC
France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC
- Jan 1963: Cold weather
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: Beeching Axe
Richard Beeching Report on British Railways - 'The Reshaping of British Railways' published (the 'Beeching Axe')
- 1 Aug 1963: Minimum prison age
Minimum prison age raised to 17
- 8 Aug 1963: Great Train Robbery
'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. £2.6 Million stolen
- 17 Sep 1963: Fylingdales
Fylingdales (Yorkshire) early warning radar system operational
- 18 Nov 1963: Dartford Tunnel
Dartford Tunnel opens
- 23 Nov 1963: Dr Who
First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV
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1888 - 1963 (75 years)