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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1840 | - 10 Jan 1840—10 Jan 1840: Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
|
| 2 | 1841 | - 6 Jun 1841—6 Jun 1841: June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded (Population 18.5M)
|
| 3 | 1851 | - 1 May 1851—1 May 1851: Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
|
| 4 | 1853 | - 1853—1853: Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
|
| 5 | 1856 | - 29 Jan 1856—29 Jan 1856: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts
during the Crimean War
|
| 6 | 1859 | - 1859—1859: Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain
- 4 May 1859—4 May 1859: Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon
and Cornwall
- 24 Nov 1859—24 Nov 1859: Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
|
| 7 | 1860 | - 29 Aug 1860—29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
|
| 8 | 1861 | - 25 May 1861—25 May 1861: American Civil War begins
|
| 9 | 1862 | - 20 Apr 1862—20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
|
| 10 | 1864 | - 20 Aug 1864—20 Aug 1864: Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
|
| 11 | 1865 | - 5 Jul 1865—5 Jul 1865: William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
|
| 12 | 1870 | - 1870—1870: GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
- 1870—1870: Water closets come into wide use
- 1 Oct 1870—1 Oct 1870: First British postcard - halfpenny post
|
| 13 | 1872 | - 1872—1872: Licensing hours introduced
- 1872—1872: Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
|
| 14 | 1874 | - 1874—1874: Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
|
| 15 | 1880 | - 1880—1880: Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
|
| 16 | 1883 | - 1 Aug 1883—1 Aug 1883: Parcel post starts in Britain
|
| 17 | 1888 | - 1888—1888: County Councils set up in Britain
|
| 18 | 1890 | - 4 Nov 1890—4 Nov 1890: City & South London Railway opens - London's first deep-level tube railway
|
| 19 | 1891 | - 1891—1891: Primary education made free and compulsory
|
| 20 | 1892 | - 1892—1892: Shop Hours Act - limit 74 hours per week for under-18's
|
| 21 | 1894 | - 2 Aug 1894—2 Aug 1894: Death duties first introduced in Britain
|
| 22 | 1900 | - 1900—1900: School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years
|
| 23 | 1901 | - 22 Jan 1901—22 Jan 1901: Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king
|
| 24 | 1902 | - 1902—1902: Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education
- 9 Aug 1902—9 Aug 1902: Coronation of Edward VII
|
| 25 | 1906 | - 1906—1906: Introduction of free school meals for poor children
|
| 26 | 1909 | - 1 Jan 1909—1 Jan 1909: Old Age Pensions Act came into force
|
| 27 | 1910 | - 1910—1910: Constitutional crisis in Britain
|
| 28 | 1911 | - 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
|
| 29 | 1912 | - 1912—1912: Britain nationalises the telephone system
|
| 30 | 1913 | - 1913—1913: Suffragette demonstrations in London - Mrs Pankhurst imprisoned
|
| 31 | 1914 | - 4 Aug 1914—4 Aug 1914: Britain declares war on Germany, citing Belgian neutrality as reason
- Oct 1914—Oct 1914: Battle of Ypres - beginning of trench warfare on western front
|
| 32 | 1915 | - 1915—1915: First automatic telephone exchange in Britain
- 16 May 1915—16 May 1915: First meeting of a British WI took place in Llanfairpwll, Anglesey
|
| 33 | 1916 | - 1916—1916: Compulsory military service introduced in Britain
- 21 May 1916—21 May 1916: First use of Daylight Saving Time in UK
|
| 34 | 1918 | - 1918—1918: Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons)
- 8 Mar 1918—8 Mar 1918: Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic
- 11 Nov 1918—11 Nov 1918: Armistice signed
|
| 35 | 1919 | - 1919—1919: Britain adopts a 48-hour working week
|
| 36 | 1920 | - Feb 1920—Feb 1920: First roadside petrol filling station in UK - opened by the Automobile Association
at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
|
| 37 | 1921 | - 19 Jun 1921—19 Jun 1921: Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
|
| 38 | 1922 | - 1922—1922: Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended
|
| 39 | 1923 | - 1923—1923: Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers
|
| 40 | 1926 | - 1926—1926: Adoption of children is legalised in Britain
- 3 May 1926—3 May 1926: General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)
|
| 41 | 1928 | - 1928—1928: Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes
|
| 42 | 1929 | - 1929—1929: Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain
- 1929—1929: Minimum age for a marriage in Britain now 16 for both sexes, with parental consent (or a licence) needed for anyone under 21
|
| 43 | 1931 | - 26 Apr 1931—26 Apr 1931: Census: Population - England and Wales; 40 Million; Scotland: 4.8 Million; N Ireland: 1.24 Million
|
| 44 | 1932 | - 1932—1932: Great Hunger March of unemployed to London
|
| 45 | 1935 | - 1935—1935: London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme
|
| 46 | 1936 | - 5 Dec 1936—5 Dec 1936: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10)
|
| 47 | 1937 | - 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
|
| 48 | 1938 | - 1938—1938: Principle of paid holidays established in Britain
- 29 Sep 1938—29 Sep 1938: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time'
|
| 49 | 1939 | - 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
- 3 Sep 1939—3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany
|
| 50 | 1940 | - 11 May 1940—11 May 1940: National Government formed under Churchill
- 13 May 1940—13 May 1940: Germany invades France
- 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
|
| 51 | 1941 | - 1941—1941: Britain introduces severe rationing
|
| 52 | 1944 | - 6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy
|
| 53 | 1945 | - 8 May 1945—8 May 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe)
- 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
|
| 54 | 1946 | - 1 Jan 1946—1 Jan 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport
|
| 55 | 1947 | - 1947—1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much
flooding later
- 1 Apr 1947—1 Apr 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
|
| 56 | 1948 | - 1 Jan 1948—1 Jan 1948: British Railways nationalised
- 5 Jul 1948—5 Jul 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
|
1839 - 
