Timeline: Reginald Archer Smith: Our Family History

1898 - 1969 (70 years)

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Craig Beebe Hazlewood (1918 - 1967)

Ida Marguerite Hess (1911 - 1975)

Son Talbot (1898 - )

	Date	Event(s)
1	1897	4 Mar 1897—14 Sep 1901: William McKinley U.S. Presidency
2	1898	1898—1898: First photograph using artificial light 1898—1898: Zeppelin builds airship 1898—1898: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded 17 Mar 1898—17 Mar 1898: USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine 21 Apr 1898—13 Aug 1989: Spanish-American War 27 Jun 1898—27 Jun 1898: The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)
3	1899	4 Feb 1899—2 Jul 1902: Philippine-American War 6 Mar 1899—6 Mar 1899: Aspirin first marketed by Bayer 11 Oct 1899—11 Oct 1899: Start of Second Boer War 18 Oct 1899—7 Sep 1901: Boxer Rebellion
4	1900	1900—1900: School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years 1900—1900: Central Line opens in London: underground is electrified 1900—1900: Escalator shown at Paris exhibition 9 Feb 1900—9 Feb 1900: Davis Cup tennis competition established 27 Feb 1900—27 Feb 1900: Labour Party formed
5	1901	1901—1901: Commonwealth of Australia founded 1901—1901: Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner 22 Jan 1901—22 Jan 1901: Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king 2 Feb 1901—2 Feb 1901: Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park Jun 1901—Jun 1901: Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War 14 Sep 1901—4 Mar 1909: Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Presidency 2 Oct 1901—2 Oct 1901: Britain's first submarine launched 12 Dec 1901—12 Dec 1901: First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
6	1902	1902—1902: Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education 1902—1902: Cremation Act - cremation can only take place at officially recognised establishments, and with two death certificates issued 1902—1902: Marie Curie discovers radioactivity 24 May 1902—24 May 1902: Empire Day (later Commonwealth Day) first celebrated 31 May 1902—31 May 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging ends Second Boer War 9 Aug 1902—9 Aug 1902: Coronation of Edward VII
7	1903	1903—1903: Workers' Education Association (WEA) formed in Britain 1903—1903: Women's Social and Political Union formed in Britain by Emmeline Pankhurst 1903—1903: Henry Ford sets up his motor company 14 Dec 1903—14 Dec 1903: First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright 17 Dec 1903: First Flight
8	1904	1904—1904: Leeds University established 8 Apr 1904—8 Apr 1904: France and UK sign the Entente Cordiale 4 May 1904—4 May 1904: America takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French (completed 1914)
9	1905	1905—1905: The title 'Prime Minister' noted in a royal warrant for the first time - placed the Prime Minister in order of precedence in Britain immediately after the Archbishop of York 1905—1905: Aliens Act in Britain: Home Office controls immigration 1905—1905: Germany lays down the first Dreadnought battleship 11 Apr 1905—11 Apr 1905: Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity
10	1906	1906—1906: Introduction of free school meals for poor children 10 Feb 1906—10 Feb 1906: Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship 15 Mar 1906—15 Mar 1906: Rolls-Royce Ltd registered 26 May 1906—26 May 1906: Vauxhall Bridge opened in London 20 Sep 1906—20 Sep 1906: Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne
11	1907	1907—1907: New Zealand becomes a Dominion 1907—1907: Imperial College, London, is established 1907—1907: First airship flies over London 1907—1907: Lumiere develops a process for colour photography Jul 1907—Jul 1907: Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated 1 Aug 1907—1 Aug 1907: Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island 9 Nov 1907—9 Nov 1907: The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday
12	1908	1908—1908: Coal Mines Regulation Act in Britain limits men to an eight hour day 1908—1908: Separate courts for juveniles established in Britain 1908—1908: Lord Baden-Powell starts the Boy Scout movement 1908: Model T 1 Jul 1908—1 Jul 1908: SOS became effective as an international signal of distress 12 Aug 1908—12 Aug 1908: First 'Model T' Ford made
13	1909	1909—1909: Beveridge Report prompts creation of labour Exchanges 1909—1909: Peary reaches the north pole 1909—1909: First commercial manufacture of Bakelite - start of the plastic age 1 Jan 1909—1 Jan 1909: Old Age Pensions Act came into force 16 Jan 1909—16 Jan 1909: Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole 4 Mar 1909—4 Mar 1913: William Howard Taft U.S. Presidency 15 Mar 1909—15 Mar 1909: Selfridges department store opens in London 25 Jul 1909—25 Jul 1909: Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)
14	1910	1910—1910: Railway strike and coal strikes in Britain 1910—1910: Constitutional crisis in Britain 1910—1910: Dr Crippen caught by radio telegraphy; hanged 23 Nov at Pentonville 1910—1910: Madame Curie isolates radium 1910—1910: Halley's comet reappears 1910—1910: Tango becomes popular in North America and Europe 6 May 1910—6 May 1910: Edward VII dies - George V becomes King
15	1911	1911—1911: Parliament Act in Britain reduces the power of the House of Lords 1911—1911: British MPs receive a salary 1911—1911: First British Official Secrets Act 1911—1911: Rutherford: theory of atomic structures 1911—1911: Strikes by seamen, dock and transport workers (1911-1912) 2 Apr 1911—2 Apr 1911: Census: Population - England and Wales: 36 Million; Scotland: 4.6 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million 22 Jun 1911—22 Jun 1911: Coronation of George V 14 Dec 1911—14 Dec 1911: National Insurance introduced in Britain
16	1912	1912—1912: Irish Home Rule crisis grows in Britain 1912—1912: Britain nationalises the telephone system 1912—1912: Discovery of the 'Piltdown Man' - hoax, exposed in 1953 18 Jan 1912—18 Jan 1912: Captain Scott's last expedition - he and his team reach the south pole on Jan 18th; all die on the way back, their bodies found in November 14 Apr 1912—14 Apr 1912: The 'unsinkable' Titanic sinks on maiden voyage - loss of 1,513 lives 15 Apr 1912: Titanic Sinks 13 May 1912—13 May 1912: Royal Flying Corps (later the RAF) founded in Britain
17	1913	1913—1913: Third Irish Home Rule Bill rejected by House of Lords - threat of civil war in Ireland - formation of Ulster Volunteers to oppose Home Rule 1913—1913: Suffragette demonstrations in London - Mrs Pankhurst imprisoned 1913—1913: Trade Union Act in Britain establishes the right to use Union funds for political purposes 1913—1913: Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley of Sheffield 1913—1913: Geiger invents his counter to measure radioactivity 4 Mar 1913—4 Mar 1921: Woodrow Wilson U.S. Presidency 4 Jun 1913—4 Jun 1913: Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby and dies
18	1914	1914—1914: Irish Home Rule Act provides for a separate Parliament in Ireland; the position of Ulster to be decided after the War 1914—1914: Chaplin and De Mille make their first films 28 Jun 1914—28 Jun 1914: Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo 28 Jul 1914—11 Nov 1918: World War I 4 Aug 1914—4 Aug 1914: Britain declares war on Germany, citing Belgian neutrality as reason 5 Aug 1914—5 Aug 1914: British cableship Telconia cut through all five of Germany's undersea telegraph links to the outside world 15 Aug 1914—15 Aug 1914: Panama Canal opened, the Canal cement boat 'Ancon' making the first official transit (plans for a grand opening were cancelled due to the start of WW1) Oct 1914—Oct 1914: Battle of Ypres - beginning of trench warfare on western front 27 Nov 1914—27 Nov 1914: First policewoman goes on duty in Britain 16 Dec 1914—16 Dec 1914: German battleships bombard Hartlepool and Scarborough
19	1915	1915—1915: Junkers construct first fighter aeroplane 1915—1915: First automatic telephone exchange in Britain 19 Jan 1915—19 Jan 1915: First Zeppelin air raid on England, over East Anglia - four killed Feb 1915—Feb 1915: Submarine blockade of Britain starts Apr 1915—Apr 1915: Second Battle of Ypres - poison gas used for first time 25 Apr 1915—25 Apr 1915: Gallipoli campaign starts (declared ANZAC Day in 1916) 7 May 1915—7 May 1915: RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off coast of Ireland - 1,198 died 16 May 1915—16 May 1915: First meeting of a British WI (Women's Institute) took place in Llanfairpwll (aka Llanfair PG), Anglesey
20	1916	1916—1916: Compulsory military service introduced in Britain Feb 1916—Feb 1916: Battle of Verdun - appalling losses on both sides, stalemate continues 24 Apr 1916—24 Apr 1916: Easter Rising in Ireland - after the leaders are executed, public opinion backs independence 21 May 1916—21 May 1916: First use of Daylight Saving Time in UK 31 May 1916—31 May 1916: Battle of Jutland - only major naval battle between the British and German fleets 5 Jun 1916—5 Jun 1916: Sinking of HMS Hampshire and death of Kitchener 3 Aug 1916—3 Aug 1916: Sir Roger Casement hanged at Pentonville Prison for treason 15 Sep 1916—15 Sep 1916: First use of tanks in battle, but of limited effect (Battle of the Somme 1 July to 18 Nov: over 1 million casualties) 7 Dec 1916—7 Dec 1916: Lloyd-George becomes British Prime Minister of the coalition government
21	1917	1917—1917: Battle of Cambrai - first use of massed tanks, but effect more psychological than actual 1917—1917: Ministry of Labour is established in Britain Feb 1917—Feb 1917: February revolution in Russia; Tsar Nicholas abdicates 16 Apr 1917—16 Apr 1917: Lenin returns to Russia after exile 17 Apr 1917—17 Apr 1917: USA declares war on Germany 26 May 1917—26 May 1917: George V changes surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor (Royal proclamation on 17 July) Jul 1917—Jul 1917: Battle of Passchendaele - little gained by either side (Jul-Nov) 7 Nov 1917—7 Nov 1917: 'October' Revolution in Russia - Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government; Lenin becomes Chief Commissar 6 Dec 1917—6 Dec 1917: Halifax (Nova Scotia) Explosion, one of the world's largest artificial non-nuclear explosions to date: a ship loaded with wartime explosives blew up after a collision, obliterating buildings and structures within two square kilometres of the explosion 9 Dec 1917—9 Dec 1917: British forces capture Jerusalem
22	1918	1918—1918: Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons) 1918—1918: War of Independence in Ireland 18 Jan 1918—18 Jan 1918: Bentley Motors founded 8 Mar 1918—8 Mar 1918: Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic Jul 1918—Jul 1918: Second Battle of the Marne: last major German offensive in WW1 (Jul-Aug) 1 Oct 1918—1 Oct 1918: Arab forces under Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus 11 Nov 1918—11 Nov 1918: Armistice signed Dec 1918—Dec 1918: First woman elected to House of Commons, Countess Markiewicz as a Sinn Fein member refused to take her seat
23	1919	1919—1919: Britain adopts a 48-hour working week 1919—1919: Sir Ernest Rutherford publishes account of splitting the atom 15 Jun 1919—15 Jun 1919: Alcock and Brown complete first nonstop flight across the Atlantic 28 Jun 1919—28 Jun 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed
24	1920	1920—1920: Regular cross-channel air service starts 1920—1920: Marconi opens a radio broadcasting station in Britain 1920—1920: Thompson patents his machine gun (Tommy gun) Feb 1920—Feb 1920: First roadside petrol filling station in UK - opened by the Automobile Association at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
25	1921	1921—1921: Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained 1921—1921: Insulin discovery announced 1921—1921: First birth control clinic 4 Mar 1921—2 Aug 1923: Warren G. Harding U.S. Presidency 19 Jun 1921—19 Jun 1921: Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million 6 Dec 1921—6 Dec 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland
26	1922	1922—1922: Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended 1 Jun 1922—1 Jun 1922: Royal Ulster Constabulary founded Oct 1922—Oct 1922: BBC established as a monopoly, and begins transmissions in November (2LO in London on 14 Nov; 5IT in Birmingham and 2ZY in Manchester on 15 Nov)
27	1923	1923—1923: Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers 1923—1923: Hubble shows there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way 1923—1923: First American broadcasts heard in Britain 1 Jan 1923—1 Jan 1923: The majority of the railway companies in Great Britain grouped into four main companies, the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, LMSR - lasted until nationalisation in 1948 16 Feb 1923—16 Feb 1923: Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun 28 Apr 1923—28 Apr 1923: First Wembley cup final (West Ham 0, Bolton 2) - 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles ' popular song of the time became the West Ham anthem 2 Aug 1923—4 Mar 1929: Calvin Coolidge U.S. Presidency 28 Sep 1923—28 Sep 1923: First publication of Radio Times
28	1924	4 Jan 1924—4 Jan 1924: First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald 5 Feb 1924—5 Feb 1924: Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were first broadcast by the BBC 31 Mar 1924—31 Mar 1924: British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British airline companies - became BOAC in 1940)
29	1925	1925—1925: Britain returns to gold standard 18 Jul 1925—18 Jul 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
30	1926	1926—1926: First public demonstration of television (TV) by John Logie Baird 1926—1926: Adoption of children is legalised in Britain 1926—1926: Kodak produces 16mm movie film 1926—1926: Walt Disney arrives in Hollywood 21 Apr 1926—21 Apr 1926: Princess Elizabeth born 3 May 1926—3 May 1926: General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more) 31 Oct 1926—31 Oct 1926: Death of Harry Houdini
31	1927	1927—1927: Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer) 7 Jan 1927—7 Jan 1927: First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London 22 Jan 1927—22 Jan 1927: First football broadcast by BBC (Arsenal v Sheffield United at Highbury) 1 May 1927—1 May 1927: First cooked meals on a scheduled flight introduced by Imperial Airways from London to Paris 20 May 1927—20 May 1927: Lindbergh makes solo flight across the Atlantic, in 33? hours 31 May 1927—31 May 1927: Last Ford Model T rolls off assembly line 24 Jul 1927—24 Jul 1927: The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
32	1928	1928—1928: Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes 26 Apr 1928—26 Apr 1928: Madame Tussauds opens in London 15 Sep 1928—15 Sep 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
33	1929	1929—1929: Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain 1929—1929: Minimum age for a marriage in Britain (which had been 14 for a boy and 12 for a girl) now 16 for both sexes, with parental consent (or a licence) needed for anyone under 21 1929—1929: BBC begins experimental TV transmissions 4 Mar 1929—4 Mar 1933: Herbert Hoover U.S. Presidency
34	1930	1930—1930: First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag 1930—1930: Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain 30 Jan 1930—30 Jan 1930: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany 31 Jan 1930—31 Jan 1930: 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape 6 Mar 1930—6 Mar 1930: Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas 5 Oct 1930—5 Oct 1930: R101 airship disaster - British abandons airship construction
35	1931	1931—1931: Statute of Westminster: British Dominions become independent sovereign states 1931—1931: Collapse of the German banking system; 3,000 banks there close 14 Apr 1931—14 Apr 1931: Highway Code first issued 26 Apr 1931—26 Apr 1931: Census: Population - England and Wales; 40 Million; Scotland: 4.8 Million; N Ireland: 1.24 Million (Unfortunately, the census was destroyed by fire in WW2) 21 Oct 1931—21 Oct 1931: National Government formed to deal with economic crisis - Britain comes off gold standard
36	1932	1932—1932: Great Hunger March of unemployed to London 1932—1932: Moseley founds British Union of Fascists 1932—1932: Cockroft and Walton accelerate particles to disintegrate an atomic nucleus 1932—1932: Sir Thomas Beecham established the London Philharmonic Orchestra 21 May 1932—21 May 1932: Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot 3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: Iraq gains independence from Britain 3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: 'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface
37	1933	1933—1933: ICI scientists discover polythene 1933—1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year 4 Mar 1933—12 Apr 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt U.S. Presidency 12 Nov 1933—12 Nov 1933: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
38	1934	1934—1934: Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany 18 Jul 1934—18 Jul 1934: King George V opens Mersey Tunnel 26 Sep 1934—26 Sep 1934: RMS Queen Mary launched 30 Nov 1934—30 Nov 1934: First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
39	1935	1935—1935: London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme 1935—1935: Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell 28 Feb 1935—28 Feb 1935: Nylon first produced by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers' research group at DuPont (there is no evidence to the widely-supposed story that the name derives from New York-London) 12 Mar 1935—12 Mar 1935: Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas in Britain 1 Jun 1935—1 Jun 1935: Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK 30 Jul 1935—30 Jul 1935: Penguin paperbacks launched
40	1936	1936—1936: Jet engine first tested 20 Jan 1936—20 Jan 1936: George V dies 5 May 1936—5 May 1936: First flight of a Spitfire 24 Jul 1936—24 Jul 1936: 'Speaking clock' service starts in UK 2 Nov 1936—2 Nov 1936: British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's first public TV transmission 30 Nov 1936—30 Nov 1936: Crystal Palace destroyed by fire 5 Dec 1936—5 Dec 1936: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) - popular carol that Christmas: 'Hark the Herald Angels sing Mrs Simpson's got our King'
41	1937	1937—1937: '999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London 1937—1937: Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp 12 Apr 1937—12 Apr 1937: Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft 12 May 1937—12 May 1937: Coronation of King George VI 28 May 1937—28 May 1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister - policy of appeasement towards Hitler 3 Jun 1937—3 Jun 1937: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson 4 Dec 1937—4 Dec 1937: 'The Dandy' first published
42	1938	1938—1938: Principle of paid holidays established in Britain 1938—1938: HMS Rodney first ship to be equipped with radar 1938—1938: First practical ball-point pen produced by Hungarian journalist, Lajos Biro 12 Mar 1938—12 Mar 1938: Germany invades and annexes Austria 3 Jul 1938—3 Jul 1938: 'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive 27 Sep 1938—27 Sep 1938: Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank 29 Sep 1938—29 Sep 1938: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time' 30 Oct 1938—30 Oct 1938: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA
43	1939	1939—1939: Germany annexes Czechoslovakia 1939—1939: Start of evacuation of women and children from London 1939—1939: Coldest winter in Britain since 1894, though this could not be publicised at the time 1 Sep 1939—1 Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland 1 Sep 1939—2 Sep 1945: World War II 3 Sep 1939—3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany 6 Sep 1939—6 Sep 1939: First air-raid on Britain 11 Sep 1939—11 Sep 1939: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France 14 Oct 1939—14 Oct 1939: HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives 7 Dec 1939—7 Dec 1939: 'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain - 7,400 men on 5 ships 17 Dec 1939—17 Dec 1939: 'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo
44	1940	1 Apr 1940—1 Apr 1940: BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd 11 May 1940—11 May 1940: National Government formed under Churchill 13 May 1940—13 May 1940: Germany invades France 27 May 1940—27 May 1940: Start of the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk (27 May - 4 Jun) 25 Jun 1940—25 Jun 1940: Fall of France to Germany 7 Sep 1940—7 Sep 1940: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing 15 Sep 1940—15 Sep 1940: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain 14 Nov 1940—14 Nov 1940: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
45	1941	1941—1941: Britain introduces severe rationing 1941—1941: First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle 1941—1941: Bailey invents his portable military bridge 1941—1941: First use of antibiotics 10 May 1941—10 May 1941: Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland 27 May 1941—27 May 1941: 'Bismark' sunk 22 Jun 1941—22 Jun 1941: Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa) 1 Jul 1941—1 Jul 1941: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain Dec 1941—Dec 1941: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England Dec 1941—Dec 1941: 'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America 7 Dec 1941—7 Dec 1941: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour 8 Dec 1941—8 Dec 1941: USA enters WWII 24 Dec 1941—24 Dec 1941: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
46	1942	1942—1942: Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with Max Neumann - used to crack German codes 1942—1942: Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam 30 May 1942—30 May 1942: Over 1,000 allied bombers raid Cologne 4 Jun 1942—4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway 19 Aug 1942—19 Aug 1942: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops 6 Sep 1942—6 Sep 1942: Germans defeated at Stalingrad 3 Oct 1942—3 Oct 1942: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany - first man-made object to reach space 23 Oct 1942—23 Oct 1942: Battle of El Alamein - Montgomery defeats Rommel 2 Dec 1942—2 Dec 1942: 'Manhattan Project' - a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
47	1943	1943—1943: Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins 16 May 1943—16 May 1943: 'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF 24 Jul 1943—24 Jul 1943: Allies invade Italy - Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
48	1944	6 Apr 1944—6 Apr 1944: PAYE income tax begins 4 Jun 1944—4 Jun 1944: Allies enter Rome 6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy 12 Jun 1944—12 Jun 1944: First V1 flying bombs hit London 8 Sep 1944—8 Sep 1944: First V2 rocket bombs hit London 11 Sep 1944—11 Sep 1944: Allies enter Germany 16 Dec 1944—16 Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
49	1945	4 Feb 1945—4 Feb 1945: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin 29 Mar 1945—29 Mar 1945: Last V1 flying bomb attack 12 Apr 1945—20 Jan 1953: Harry S. Truman U.S. Presidency 25 Apr 1945—25 Apr 1945: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops 30 Apr 1945—30 Apr 1945: Hitler commits suicide 8 May 1945—8 May 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe) 9 May 1945—9 May 1945: Channel Islands liberated 26 Jun 1945—26 Jun 1945: UN Charter signed in San Francisco 16 Jul 1945—16 Jul 1945: First ever atomic bomb exploded in a test in New Mexico (although there were other forms of atomic device before that, such as the Pile at Stagg Field, first critical on 2nd Dec 1942) 26 Jul 1945—26 Jul 1945: Labour win UK General Election - Churchill out of office 29 Jul 1945—29 Jul 1945: BBC Light Programme starts 6 Aug 1945—6 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima 9 Aug 1945—9 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki 15 Aug 1945—15 Aug 1945: VJ Day (Victory in Japan) 2 Sep 1945—2 Sep 1945: Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri 24 Oct 1945—24 Oct 1945: United Nations Organisation comes into existence 4 Nov 1945—4 Nov 1945: UNESCO founded
50	1946	1946—1946: Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948) 1946—1946: Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio - until 2004 1 Jan 1946—1 Jan 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport 1 Mar 1946—1 Mar 1946: Bank of England nationalised
51	1947	1947—1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much flooding later 1947—1947: First British nuclear reactor developed 1 Jan 1947—1 Jan 1947: Coal Mines nationalised 23 Feb 1947—23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded 1 Mar 1947—1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations 1 Apr 1947—1 Apr 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain 26 Oct 1947—26 Oct 1947: British military occupation ends in Iraq 20 Nov 1947—20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey
52	1948	1948—1948: British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports 1948—1948: Transistor radio invented 1948—1948: Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark 1 Jan 1948—1 Jan 1948: British Railways nationalised 5 Jul 1948—5 Jul 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain 29 Jul 1948—29 Jul 1948: London Olympics begin
53	1949	1949—1949: Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap) 1949—1949: De Haviland produces the Comet - first jet airliner 15 Mar 1949—15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing ends in Britain 4 Apr 1949—4 Apr 1949: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
54	1950	19 May 1950—19 May 1950: Points rationing ends in Britain 26 May 1950—26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ends in Britain 25 Jun 1950—27 Jul 1953: Korean War 11 Jul 1950—11 Jul 1950: 'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV 9 Sep 1950—9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing ends in Britain 28 Dec 1950—28 Dec 1950: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
55	1951	3 May 1951—3 May 1951: Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London 28 May 1951—28 May 1951: First Goon Show broadcast 20 Dec 1951—20 Dec 1951: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
56	1952	1952—1952: Contraceptive pill invented 1952—1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia 1952—1952: Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects 1952—1952: Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany 6 Feb 1952—6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies 21 Feb 1952—21 Feb 1952: Identity Cards abolished in Britain 2 May 1952—2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London and Johannesburg 5 Jul 1952—5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross) 16 Aug 1952—16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster 6 Sep 1952—6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed 3 Oct 1952—3 Oct 1952: End of tea rationing in Britain 1 Nov 1952—1 Nov 1952: The first H-bomb ever ('Mike') was exploded by the USA - the mushroom cloud was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised. 25 Nov 1952—25 Nov 1952: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London 4 Dec 1952—4 Dec 1952: Great smog hits London
57	1953	20 Jan 1953—20 Jan 1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower U.S. Presidency 31 Jan 1953—31 Jan 1953: Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century - severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives - - effects travelled from the west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even worse affected with over a thousand deaths] 5 Feb 1953—5 Feb 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain 5 Mar 1953—5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin 26 Mar 1953—26 Mar 1953: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine 24 Apr 1953—24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted 25 Apr 1953—25 Apr 1953: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA 2 Jun 1953—2 Jun 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II 26 Sep 1953—26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
58	1954	1954—1954: First comprehensive school opens in London 1954—1954: Routemaster bus starts operating in London 1954—1954: First transistor radios sold 6 May 1954—6 May 1954: First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs) 3 Jul 1954—3 Jul 1954: Food rationing officially ends in Britain 5 Jul 1954—5 Jul 1954: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin 30 Sep 1954—30 Sep 1954: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
59	1955	1955—1955: 'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons 27 Jul 1955—27 Jul 1955: Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends 22 Sep 1955—22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV starts in Britain
60	1956	1956—1956: Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland 1 Mar 1956—1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc) 17 Apr 1956—17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957 3 Jun 1956—3 Jun 1956: 3rd class travel abolished on British Railways (renamed 'Third Class' as 'Second Class', which had been abolished in 1875 leaving just First and Third Class) 31 Oct 1956—31 Oct 1956: Britain and France invade Suez
61	1957	1957—1957: Britain introduces parking meters 1957—1957: Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland) 11 Jan 1957—11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister 14 May 1957—14 May 1957: Post-Suez petrol rationing ends 15 May 1957—15 May 1957: Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island 25 May 1957—25 May 1957: Treaty of Rome to create European Economic Community (EEC) of six countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg - became operational Jan 1958 4 Dec 1957—4 Dec 1957: Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them 25 Dec 1957—25 Dec 1957: Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
62	1958	1958—1958: Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND) 1958—1958: Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce 1958—1958: USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) 13 May 1958—13 May 1958: Velcro trade mark registered 26 Jul 1958—26 Jul 1958: Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales' 5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979) 5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway
63	1959	3 Feb 1959—3 Feb 1959: 'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper 17 Feb 1959—17 Feb 1959: Vanguard 2 satellite launched - first to measure cloud-cover distribution 24 May 1959—24 May 1959: Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day Aug 1959—Aug 1959: BMC Mini car launched 26 Sep 1959—30 Apr 1975: Vietnam War 3 Oct 1959—3 Oct 1959: Postcodes introduced in Britain 1 Nov 1959—1 Nov 1959: First section of M1 motorway opened
64	1960	17 Mar 1960—17 Mar 1960: New ?1 notes issued by Bank of England 18 Mar 1960—18 Mar 1960: Last steam locomotive of British Railways named 21 Jul 1960—21 Jul 1960: Francis Chichester arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II (took 40 days), winning the first single-handed transatlantic yacht race which he co-founded 12 Aug 1960—12 Aug 1960: Echo I, the first (passive) communications satellite, launched 12 Sep 1960—12 Sep 1960: MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced 1 Oct 1960—1 Oct 1960: HMS 'Dreadnought' nuclear submarine launched 2 Nov 1960—2 Nov 1960: Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case
65	1961	1 Jan 1961—1 Jan 1961: Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK 20 Jan 1961—22 Nov 1963: John F. Kennedy U.S. Presidency 13 Mar 1961—13 Mar 1961: Black & White ?5 notes cease to be legal tender 14 Mar 1961—14 Mar 1961: New English Bible (New Testament) published 1 May 1961—1 May 1961: Betting shops legal in Britain
66	1962	1962—1962: Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration 1962—1962: Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies 1962—1962: Britain and France agree to construct 'Concorde' 25 May 1962—25 May 1962: Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz) 15 Jun 1962—15 Jun 1962: First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos) Jul 1962—Jul 1962: First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl 10 Jul 1962—10 Jul 1962: First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul 24 Oct 1962—24 Oct 1962: Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war
67	1963	1963—1963: France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC Jan 1963—Jan 1963: Cold weather forces cancellation of most football matches (only 4 English First Division matches in the month) - the first 'pools panel' created 27 Mar 1963—27 Mar 1963: Beeching Report on British Railways (the 'Beeching Axe') 1 Aug 1963—1 Aug 1963: Minimum prison age raised to 17 8 Aug 1963—8 Aug 1963: 'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train 17 Sep 1963—17 Sep 1963: Fylingdales (Yorks) early warning system operational 18 Nov 1963—18 Nov 1963: Dartford Tunnel opens 22 Nov 1963—20 Jan 1969: Lyndon B. Johnson U.S. Presidency 23 Nov 1963—23 Nov 1963: First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV
68	1964	1 Jan 1964—1 Jan 1964: First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV 9 Apr 1964—9 Apr 1964: First Greater London Council (GLC) election 21 Apr 1964—21 Apr 1964: BBC2 TV launched 22 Aug 1964—22 Aug 1964: 'Match of the Day' starts on BBC2 4 Sep 1964—4 Sep 1964: Forth road bridge opens
69	1965	1965—1965: Britain enacts first Race Relations Act 7 Feb 1965—7 Feb 1965: First US raids against North Vietnam 7 Apr 1965—7 Apr 1965: Winston Churchill dies 1 Aug 1965—1 Aug 1965: TV cigarette advertising banned in Britain 8 Oct 1965—8 Oct 1965: Post Office Tower operational in London 28 Oct 1965—28 Oct 1965: Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then abolished 18 Dec 1969 22 Dec 1965—22 Dec 1965: 70mph speed limit introduced on British roads
70	1966	14 Feb 1966—14 Feb 1966: Australia converts from ? to $ 3 May 1966—3 May 1966: 'The Times' begins to print news on its front page in place of classified Advertisements 30 Jul 1966—30 Jul 1966: World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany) 8 Sep 1966—8 Sep 1966: First Severn road bridge opens 21 Oct 1966—21 Oct 1966: Aberfan disaster - slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children 1 Dec 1966—1 Dec 1966: First Christmas stamps issued in Britain
71	1967	4 Jan 1967—4 Jan 1967: Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on Conniston Water - his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002 18 Mar 1967—18 Mar 1967: 'Torrey Canyon' oil tanker runs aground off Lands End first major oil spill 28 May 1967—28 May 1967: Francis Chichester arrives in Plymouth after solo circumnavigation in Gipsy Moth IV (he was knighted 7th July at Greenwich by the queen using the sword with which Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake four centuries earlier 27 Jun 1967—27 Jun 1967: First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain - at Enfield branch of Barclays 1 Jul 1967—1 Jul 1967: First colour TV in Britain 14 Aug 1967—14 Aug 1967: Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK 20 Sep 1967—20 Sep 1967: 'QE2' launched on Clydebank 27 Sep 1967—27 Sep 1967: 'Queen Mary' arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage 30 Sep 1967—30 Sep 1967: BBC Radios 1 2 3 & 4 open first record played on Radio 1 was the controversial 'Flowers in the Rain' by 'The Move' 5 Oct 1967—5 Oct 1967: Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts
72	1968	18 Feb 1968—18 Feb 1968: British Standard Time introduced - Summer Time became permanent but arguments prevailed and Britain reverted to GMT in October 1971 18 Apr 1968—18 Apr 1968: London Bridge sold (and eventually moved to Arizona) - modern London Bridge, built around it as it was demolished, was opened in Mar 1973 20 Apr 1968—20 Apr 1968: Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration 23 Apr 1968—23 Apr 1968: Issue of 5p and 10p decimal coins in Britain 29 May 1968—29 May 1968: Manchester United first English club to win the European Cup 11 Aug 1968—11 Aug 1968: Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (Carlisle- Liverpool) 16 Sep 1968—16 Sep 1968: Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain 5 Oct 1968—5 Oct 1968: Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland
73	1969	20 Jan 1969—9 Aug 1974: Richard Nixon U.S. Presidency 2 Mar 1969—2 Mar 1969: Maiden flight of 'Concorde', at Toulouse 7 Mar 1969—7 Mar 1969: Victoria Line tube opens in London 17 Apr 1969—17 Apr 1969: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 2 May 1969—2 May 1969: Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) 20 Jul 1969: Apollo 11 Moon Landing 31 Jul 1969—31 Jul 1969: Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain 14 Aug 1969—14 Aug 1969: Civil disturbances in Ulster - Britain sends troops to support civil authorities 7 Sep 1969—7 Sep 1969: First episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' recorded 14 Oct 1969—14 Oct 1969: 50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)
74	1970	1970—1970: Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service 17 Jun 1970—17 Jun 1970: Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain 19 Jun 1970—19 Jun 1970: Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister 30 Jul 1970—30 Jul 1970: Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims 19 Sep 1970—19 Sep 1970: First Glastonbury Festival held 20 Nov 1970—20 Nov 1970: Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain
75	1971	1971—1971: Banking and Financial Dealings Act - replaced the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 1971—1971: Sunday becomes the seventh day in the week as UK adopts decision of the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) to call Monday the first day 1971—1971: 'Greenpeace' founded 1971—1971: Rolls-Royce declared bankrupt 3 Jan 1971—3 Jan 1971: Open University starts 15 Feb 1971—15 Feb 1971: Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland 9 Aug 1971—9 Aug 1971: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland 28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973) 28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: UK launches its first (and only) satellite, Prospero
76	1972	1972—1972: Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland 1972—1972: Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports 1972—1972: Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK 1972—1972: Domestic video cassette recorders introduced 30 Jan 1972—30 Jan 1972: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland 28 May 1972—28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
77	1973	1 Jan 1973—1 Jan 1973: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark) 17 Mar 1973—17 Mar 1973: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen 1 Apr 1973—1 Apr 1973: VAT introduced in Britain 26 Sep 1973—26 Sep 1973: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time 14 Oct 1973—14 Oct 1973: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey 31 Dec 1973—31 Dec 1973: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to conserve power
78	1974	1974—1974: New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries 1 Jun 1974—1 Jun 1974: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people 9 Aug 1974—20 Jan 1977: Gerald Ford U.S. Presidency 7 Nov 1974—7 Nov 1974: Lord Lucan disappears 21 Nov 1974—21 Nov 1974: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
79	1975	1975—1975: Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2 11 Feb 1975—11 Feb 1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition) 28 Feb 1975—28 Feb 1975: Moorgate tube crash in London - over 43 deaths, greatest loss of life on the Underground in peacetime. The cause of the incident was never conclusively determined 4 Mar 1975—4 Mar 1975: Charlie Chaplin knighted 5 Jun 1975—5 Jun 1975: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community 29 Oct 1975—29 Oct 1975: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder 3 Nov 1975—3 Nov 1975: First North Sea oil comes ashore 29 Nov 1975—29 Nov 1975: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the following year) 27 Dec 1975—27 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
80	1976	1976—1976: 'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland 1976—1976: Deaths exceeded live births in E&W for first time since records began in 1837 1976—1976: James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister 1976—1976: National Theatre opens in London 21 Jan 1976—21 Jan 1976: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service 1 Apr 1976—1 Apr 1976: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 6 Aug 1976—6 Aug 1976: Drought Act 1976 comes into force ? the long, hot summer
81	1977	20 Jan 1977—20 Jan 1981: Jimmy Carter U.S. Presidency 2 Mar 1977—2 Mar 1977: 'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National 25 May 1977—25 May 1977: George Lucas' film Star Wars' released 5 Jun 1977—5 Jun 1977: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale 7 Jun 1977—7 Jun 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London 22 Nov 1977—22 Nov 1977: Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated
82	1978	8 Apr 1978—8 Apr 1978: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts 1 May 1978—1 May 1978: First May Day holiday in Britain 25 Jul 1978—25 Jul 1978: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham 30 Nov 1978—30 Nov 1978: Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13 Nov 1979)
83	1979	1 Mar 1979—1 Mar 1979: 32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against 30 Mar 1979—30 Mar 1979: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster 31 Mar 1979—31 Mar 1979: Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta 4 May 1979—4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister 1 Jul 1979—1 Jul 1979: Sony introduces the Walkman 27 Aug 1979—27 Aug 1979: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland 18 Sep 1979—18 Sep 1979: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
84	1980	5 May 1980—5 May 1980: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages 8 Dec 1980—8 Dec 1980: John Lennon assassinated in New York
85	1981	20 Jan 1981—20 Jan 1989: Ronald Reagan U.S. Presidency 25 Jan 1981—25 Jan 1981: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain 29 Mar 1981—29 Mar 1981: First London marathon run 11 Apr 1981—11 Apr 1981: Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots 25 Apr 1981—25 Apr 1981: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain 27 Apr 1981—27 Apr 1981: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system) 29 Jul 1981—29 Jul 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996) 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches the first PC 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches its PC ? starts the general use of personal computers 12 Aug 1981: Personal Computer
86	1982	26 Jan 1982—26 Jan 1982: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population) 5 Feb 1982—5 Feb 1982: Laker Airways collapses 19 Feb 1982—19 Feb 1982: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership 18 Mar 1982—18 Mar 1982: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia 2 Apr 1982—2 Apr 1982: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands 5 Apr 1982—5 Apr 1982: Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands 2 May 1982—2 May 1982: British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General Belgrano 28 May 1982—28 May 1982: First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green) 14 Jun 1982—14 Jun 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands 21 Jun 1982—21 Jun 1982: Prince William is born 20 Jul 1982—20 Jul 1982: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park) 19 Sep 1982—19 Sep 1982: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time 1 Oct 1982: Compact_Disc 11 Oct 1982—11 Oct 1982: Mary Rose' raised in the Solent (sank in 1545) 31 Oct 1982—31 Oct 1982: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7) 2 Nov 1982—2 Nov 1982: Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown' 4 Nov 1982—4 Nov 1982: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads 12 Dec 1982—12 Dec 1982: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)
87	1983	1983—1983: First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson) 17 Jan 1983—17 Jan 1983: Start of breakfast TV in Britain 31 Jan 1983—31 Jan 1983: Seat belt law comes into force 21 Apr 1983—21 Apr 1983: ?1 coin into circulation in Britain 7 Oct 1983—7 Oct 1983: Plans to abolish GLC announced 26 Nov 1983—26 Nov 1983: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly ?26 million are stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport
88	1984	6 Mar 1984—6 Mar 1984: Miners strike begins 17 Apr 1984—17 Apr 1984: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London 22 Jun 1984—22 Jun 1984: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic 9 Jul 1984—9 Jul 1984: York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the Rose Window' not affected 12 Oct 1984—12 Oct 1984: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed 24 Oct 1984—24 Oct 1984: Miners' strike ? High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets 3 Dec 1984—3 Dec 1984: British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading
89	1985	3 Mar 1985—3 Mar 1985: Miners agree to call off strike 11 Mar 1985—11 Mar 1985: Al Fayed buys Harrods 13 Jul 1985—13 Jul 1985: Live Aid' pop concert raises over ?50M for famine relief 1 Sep 1985—1 Sep 1985: Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)
90	1986	31 Mar 1986—31 Mar 1986: GLC and 6 metropolitan councils abolished 26 Apr 1986—26 Apr 1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident - radiation reached Britain on 2 Ma 26 May 1986—26 May 1986: The European Community adopts the European flag 23 Jul 1986—23 Jul 1986: Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey 27 Oct 1986—27 Oct 1986: 'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market 29 Oct 1986—29 Oct 1986: M25 motorway ring around London completed
91	1987	1987—1987: World population crossed the 5 billion mark 2 Feb 1987—2 Feb 1987: Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991) 6 Mar 1987—6 Mar 1987: Car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise' capsizes off Zeebrugge - 188 die 1 Jul 1987—1 Jul 1987: Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel 19 Aug 1987—19 Aug 1987: Hungerford Massacre - Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle 16 Oct 1987—16 Oct 1987: The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England 19 Oct 1987—19 Oct 1987: 'Black Monday' in the City of London - Stock Market crash 8 Nov 1987—8 Nov 1987: Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony 18 Nov 1987—18 Nov 1987: King's Cross fire in London - 31 people die
92	1988	5 Feb 1988—5 Feb 1988: First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity 6 Jul 1988—6 Jul 1988: Piper Alpha disaster - North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire killing 167 men 15 Nov 1988—15 Nov 1988: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act - reformulated the statutory basis of copyright law (including performing rights) in the UK 12 Dec 1988—12 Dec 1988: Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains 21 Dec 1988—21 Dec 1988: Lockerbie disaster - Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland
93	1989	1989—1989: Poll Tax implemented in Scotland 20 Jan 1989—20 Jan 1993: George H. W. Bush U.S. Presidency 14 Feb 1989—14 Feb 1989: The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit 2 Mar 1989—2 Mar 1989: EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century 9 Nov 1989—9 Nov 1989: Berlin Wall torn down 21 Nov 1989—21 Nov 1989: Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live
94	1990	11 Feb 1990—11 Feb 1990: Nelson Mandela released in South Africa 31 Mar 1990—31 Mar 1990: Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England & Wales 25 Apr 1990—25 Apr 1990: Hubble space telescope launched 2 Aug 1990—28 Feb 1991: Gulf War 22 Nov 1990—22 Nov 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister) 1 Dec 1990—1 Dec 1990: Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle
95	1991	1991—1991: Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax) 1991—1991: The 'Internet' comes into existence 18 May 1991—18 May 1991: Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space Aug 1991—Aug 1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union 6 Sep 1991—6 Sep 1991: Leningrad renamed St Petersburg 5 Nov 1991—5 Nov 1991: Robert Maxwell drowns at sea
96	1992	7 Feb 1992—7 Feb 1992: European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty 22 Apr 1992—22 Apr 1992: Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons 15 Aug 1992—15 Aug 1992: Football Premier League kicks off in England 16 Sep 1992—16 Sep 1992: 'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM 20 Nov 1992—20 Nov 1992: Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over ?50 million worth of damage 24 Nov 1992—24 Nov 1992: The Queen describes this year as an 'Annus Horribilis'
97	1993	1993—1993: Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000) 1993—1993: Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax 20 Jan 1993—20 Jan 2001: Bill Clinton U.S. Presidency Jul 1993—Jul 1993: Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)
98	1994	1994—1994: 15 million people now connected to the Internet 12 Mar 1994—12 Mar 1994: Church of England ordains its first female priests 6 May 1994—6 May 1994: Channel Tunnel open to traffic 19 Nov 1994—19 Nov 1994: National Lottery starts
99	1995	26 Feb 1995—26 Feb 1995: Nick Leeson brings down Barings Bank 15 Jul 1995—15 Jul 1995: First item sold on Amazon.com 16 Nov 1995—16 Nov 1995: The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old 22 Nov 1995—22 Nov 1995: Toy Story' released - first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery
100	1996	9 Feb 1996—9 Feb 1996: IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands - ends 17 month ceasefire 13 Mar 1996—13 Mar 1996: Dunblane massacre 15 Jun 1996—15 Jun 1996: IRA bomb explodes in Manchester 5 Jul 1996—5 Jul 1996: Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly) 28 Aug 1996—28 Aug 1996: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced
101	1997	30 Mar 1997—30 Mar 1997: Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls) 1 May 1997—1 May 1997: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as Prime Minister) 6 May 1997—6 May 1997: Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government control 11 May 1997—11 May 1997: First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry Kasparov) 1 Jul 1997—1 Jul 1997: Hong Kong returned to China 19 Jul 1997—19 Jul 1997: IRA declares a ceasefire 31 Aug 1997—31 Aug 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris 25 Sep 1997—25 Sep 1997: Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time
102	1998	10 Apr 1998—10 Apr 1998: Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland - effectively implemented in May 2007 14 Aug 1998—14 Aug 1998: Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people 27 Sep 1998—27 Sep 1998: 'Google' search engine founded
103	1999	1999—1999: World population reaches 6 billion 1 Jan 1999—1 Jan 1999: European Monetary Union begins - UK opts out - by the end of the year the Euro has approximately the same value as the US Dollar 1 Jul 1999—1 Jul 1999: The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth - powers are officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh 11 Aug 1999—11 Aug 1999: Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall 11 Nov 1999—11 Nov 1999: Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords
104	2000	1 Jan 2000—1 Jan 2000: The year in Britain started with a 'flu bug rather than a millennium bug Mar 2000—Mar 2000: London Eye opens, late but popular 22 Apr 2000—22 Apr 2000: The Big Number Change takes place in the UK - affected telephone dialling codes assigned to Cardiff, Coventry, London, Northern Ireland, Portsmouth and Southampton 4 May 2000—4 May 2000: Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord Mayor of London!) 10 Jun 2000—10 Jun 2000: Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly declared dangerous and closed - finally reopened Feb 2002 25 Jul 2000—25 Jul 2000: A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with the loss of all lives Sep 2000—Sep 2000: 'People Power' emerged suddenly as protestors against high Road Fuel Tax used mobile phones and the Internet to co-ordinate blockades on fuel depots - resulted in nationwide panic buying of fuel and service stations running out across the country Oct 2000—Oct 2000: Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many parts of Britain (Oct-Dec) 17 Oct 2000—17 Oct 2000: Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused by a broken rail
105	2001	20 Jan 2001—20 Jan 2009: George W. Bush U.S. Presidency Feb 2001—Feb 2001: Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK - lasted until October - caused postponement of local and general elections from May to June 12 May 2001—12 May 2001: FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - first time away from Wembley since 1922 7 Jun 2001—7 Jun 2001: General Election - Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time they had succeeded in gaining a second term 1 Sep 2001—1 Sep 2001: New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC] 11 Sep 2001: War On Terror 7 Nov 2001—7 Nov 2001: Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks Dec 2001—Dec 2001: UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class definitives already on sale)
106	2002	1 Jan 2002—1 Jan 2002: Twelve major countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Holland, Irish Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and their dependents start using the Euro instead of their old national currencies; the UK stays out - the Euro worth 62?p at this time 22 Feb 2002—22 Feb 2002: Millennium Bridge over the Thames in London finally opens 30 Mar 2002—30 Mar 2002: The Queen Mother dies, aged 101 years 2 Jul 2002—2 Jul 2002: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon
107	2003	17 Feb 2003—17 Feb 2003: Start of Congestion Charge for traffic entering central London 10 Aug 2003—10 Aug 2003: Temperatures reach record high of 101 F (38.3 C) in Kent 24 Oct 2003—24 Oct 2003: Last commercial flight of Concorde 22 Nov 2003—22 Nov 2003: England wins Rugby World Cup in nail-biting final in Australia - first northern hemisphere team to do this 13 Dec 2003—13 Dec 2003: Saddam Hussein captured near his home town of Tikrit (executed 30 Dec 2006) 26 Dec 2003—26 Dec 2003: Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton from the builder's yard in France 2004
108	2004	29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Ireland becomes first country in the world to ban smoking in public places 29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Alistair Cooke dies at the age of 95 - until four weeks previously, and since 1946, he had broadcast his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio 1 May 2004—1 May 2004: Enlargement of the European Union to include 25 members by the entry of 10 new states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus
109	2005	16 Feb 2005—16 Feb 2005: Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into force 18 Feb 2005—18 Feb 2005: Ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England & Wales (had already been a similar law for about two years in Scotland) 6 Jul 2005—6 Jul 2005: London chosen as venue for the 2012 Olympic Games 7 Jul 2005—7 Jul 2005: Suicide bombers attack London for the first time 28 Jul 2005—28 Jul 2005: IRA declare an end to their 'armed struggle' 12 Sep 2005—12 Sep 2005: England regain the 'Ashes' after a gripping Test series (but are whitewashed 5-0 in the return series in Australia 2007) 9 Dec 2005—9 Dec 2005: Last Routemaster bus runs on regular service in London 11 Dec 2005—11 Dec 2005: Explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead 21 Dec 2005—21 Dec 2005: Same-sex civil partnerships begin - famously, on this day, between Elton John and David Furnish
110	2006	1 Mar 2006—1 Mar 2006: Welsh Assembly Building opened by the Queen 26 Mar 2006—26 Mar 2006: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland 21 Apr 2006—21 Apr 2006: 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II 21 Aug 2006—21 Aug 2006: UK postage rates start to be measured by size as well as by weight
111	2007	1 Jan 2007—1 Jan 2007: Further enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania 19 Feb 2007—19 Feb 2007: Extension of Congestion Charge zone for London, westwards 8 May 2007—8 May 2007: A Northern Ireland Executive formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein) 1 Jul 2007—1 Jul 2007: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in England (thus completing cover of the entire UK) 14 Nov 2007—14 Nov 2007: First rail service direct from St Pancras to France (replacing that from Waterloo)