Timeline: Annie Wilson Judd: The genealogy of the Selwyn and related families.

	Date	Event(s)
1	1642	1642—1642: The Civil War interrupted the keeping of parish registers 1642—1642: English theatres closed by Puritans (till 1660) 22 Aug 1642—22 Aug 1642: Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham - First Civil War in England (to 1649) 13 Nov 1642—13 Nov 1642: Battle of Turnham Green - Royalist forces withdraw in face of the Parliamentarian army and fail to take London 24 Nov 1642—24 Nov 1642: Abel Janszoon Tasman discovers Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) 18 Dec 1642—18 Dec 1642: Abel Janszoon Tasman first European to set foot in New Zealand
2	1643	13 Dec 1643—13 Dec 1643: Battle of Alton - victory for Parliamentarians - Sir Richard Bolle killed in St Lawrence's church
3	1644	29 Jun 1644—29 Jun 1644: Battle of Cropredy Bridge - Royalists beat the Parliamentarian forces 2 Jul 1644—2 Jul 1644: Battle of Marston Moor, near York - Parliamentarian forces beat the Royalists
4	1645	1645—1645: Battle of Philiphaugh in Scotland 1645—1645: Scotland: Each county and burgh ordered to raise and maintain a number of foot soldiers, according to population, to serve as militia - population of Scotland estimated at 420,000 1645—1645: Plague made its last appearance in Scotland 14 Jun 1645—14 Jun 1645: Battle of Naseby: Parliament's New Model Army crushes the Royalist forces
5	1646	5 May 1646—5 May 1646: Charles I surrenders to the Scottish Army at Newark 20 Jun 1646—20 Jun 1646: Royalists sign articles of surrender at Oxford
6	1648	1648—1648: Society of Friends (Quakers) founded by George Fox 1648—1648: First practical thermometers made
7	1649	1649—1649: Cromwell's Irish campaign starts 1649—1649: King Charles II proclaimed King of Scots and England in Scotland 6 Jan 1649—6 Jan 1649: 'Rump' Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial 30 Jan 1649—30 Jan 1649: King Charles I executed 19 May 1649—19 May 1649: Commonwealth declared 20 Dec 1649—20 Dec 1649: Theatres banned by Cromwell 20 Dec 1649—20 Dec 1649: Christmas banned by Cromwell
8	1650	1650—1650: Coffee brought to England about this time
9	1651	1651—1651: The second English Civil War (1651-1652) 1651—1651: Scottish prisoners transported to the British settlements in America 3 Sep 1651—3 Sep 1651: Battle of Worcester
10	1653	1653—1653: Commonwealth registers start 1653—1653: Under the Act of Settlement Cromwell's opponents stripped of land 1653—1653: Provincial probate courts abolished - probates granted only in London 20 Apr 1653—20 Apr 1653: Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament 16 Dec 1653—16 Dec 1653: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
11	1657	1657—1657: Post Office established by Act of Parliament [others say 1660] 1657—1657: A few Jews permitted to settle in England
12	1658	1658—1658: Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) Lord Protector (-1660) 3 Sep 1658—3 Sep 1658: Death of Oliver Cromwell
13	1659	1659—1659: Start of national meteorological Temperature records in the UK 6 Feb 1659—6 Feb 1659: Date of first known bank cheque to be drawn
14	1660	1660—1660: Commonwealth registers ended, Parish Registers resumed 1660—1660: Provincial Probate Courts re-established 1660—1660: Clarendon code restricts Puritans' religious freedom 1660—1660: Composition of light discovered by Newton 1660—1660: Honourable East India Company founded by British 1 Jan 1660—1 Jan 1660: Samuel Pepys starts his diary 29 May 1660—29 May 1660: Restoration of British monarchy (Charles II) - 'Oak Apple Day' - theatres reopened 17 Oct 1660—17 Oct 1660: Ten Regicides are executed at Charing Cross or Tyburn 28 Nov 1660—28 Nov 1660: Twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society 8 Dec 1660—8 Dec 1660: First actress plays in London (Margaret Hughes as Desdemona)
15	1661	1661—1661: Restoration of Episcopacy in Scotland 1661—1661: Board of Trade founded in London 1661—1661: Hand-struck postage stamps first used 1661—1661: Corporation Act prevents non-Anglicans from holding municipal office 30 Jan 1661—30 Jan 1661: Oliver Cromwell formally 'executed', having been dead for over two years!
16	1662	1662—1662: 'Hearth Tax' introduced - until 1689 (1690 in Scotland) 1662—1662: Poor Relief Act or Act of Settlement' - gave JPs the power to return any wandering poor to the parish of origin (repealed 1834) 1662—1662: Tea introduced to Britain 24 Aug 1662—24 Aug 1662: Act of Uniformity - Acceptance of Book of Common Prayer required - About 2,000 vicars and rectors driven from their parishes as nonconformists (Presbyterians and Independents) - Persecution of all non-conformists - Presbyterianism dis-established - Episcopalian Church of England restored
17	1664	29 May 1664—29 May 1664: Oak Apple Day - the birthday of Charles II and the day when he entered London at the Restoration; commanded by Act of Parliament in 1664 to be observed as a day of thanksgiving. A special service (expunged in 1859) was inserted in the Book of Common Prayer and people wore sprigs of oak with gilded oak-apples on that day. 27 Aug 1664—27 Aug 1664: Nieuw Amsterdam becomes New York as 300 English soldiers under Col. Mathias Nicolls take the town from the Dutch under orders from Charles II. The town is renamed after the King's brother James, Duke of York
18	1665	1665—1665: Great Plague of London (July-October) kills over 60,000 1665—1665: Five-mile Act restricts non-conformist ministers in Britain 7 Nov 1665—7 Nov 1665: The ?London Gazette' first published - one of the official journals of record of the United Kingdom government and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United Kingdom
19	1666	1666—1666: Use of semaphore signalling pioneered by Lord Worcester 1666—1666: Newton formulated Laws of Gravity 2 Sep 1666—2 Sep 1666: Great Fire of London, after a drought beginning 27 June (2-6 Sep)
20	1668	1668—1668: British East India Company obtains control of Bombay 1668—1668: Newton constructs reflecting telescope
21	1669	31 May 1669—31 May 1669: Last entry in Pepys's diary
22	1670	26 May 1670—26 May 1670: King Charles II and King Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover
23	1671	9 May 1671—9 May 1671: Thomas Blood caught stealing the Crown Jewels
24	1672	1672—1672: High Court of Justiciary established in Scotland 1672—1672: War with Holland (to 1674) - British Army increased to 10,000 men
25	1673	1673—1673: First Test Act deprives British Catholics and Non-conformists of Public Office
26	1674	10 Nov 1674—10 Nov 1674: Treaty of Westminster - Netherlands cedes New Netherlands (on the eastern coast of North America) to Britain
27	1675	1675—1675: Beginning of Whig party under Shaftsbury 1675—1675: Rebuilding of St Paul's started by Wren (completed 1710) 4 Mar 1675—4 Mar 1675: John Flamsteed appointed first Astronomer Royal of England 10 Aug 1675—10 Aug 1675: Building of Royal Greenwich Observatory started
28	1676	1676—1676: Compton Census, named after its initiator Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was intended to discover the number of Anglican conformists, Roman Catholic recusants and Protestant dissenters in England and Wales from enquiries made in individual parishes
29	1677	1677—1677: Lee's Collection of Names of Merchants in London' published
30	1678	1678—1678: Extension of Test Act to peers
31	1679	1679—1679: Tories first so named 27 May 1679—27 May 1679: Habeas Corpus Act becomes law in England - (later repealed from time to time)
32	1680	1680—1680: William Dockwra(y) begins his London Penny Post 1680—1680: Dodo becomes extinct in Mauritius through over-hunting
33	1681	1681—1681: Second Test Act (against non-conformists) passed by Westminster Parliament 1681—1681: Oil lighting first used in London streets
34	1682	1682—1682: Pennsylvania founded by William Penn 1682—1682: Library of Advocates founded in Edinburgh - later National Library of Scotland 1682—1682: Halley observes the comet which bears his name
35	1683	1683—1683: Wild boar become extinct in Britain 6 Jun 1683—6 Jun 1683: Ashmolean Museum opened at Oxford - first museum in Britain
36	1685	1685—1685: James the Second (1685-1689, died 1701) - Monmouth rebellion and battle of Sedgemoor - British Army raised to 20,000 men 1685—1685: Earl of Argyll's Invasion of Scotland 1685—1685: Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes - 320 executed, 800 transported
37	1686	1686—1686: Release of all prisoners held for their religious beliefs
38	1687	4 Apr 1687—4 Apr 1687: James II issues the Declaration of Indulgence, suspending laws against Catholics and non-conformists 5 Jul 1687—5 Jul 1687: Newton published his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' - written in Latin
39	1688	1688—1688: British Army raised to 40,000 1688—1688: Bill of Rights limits the powers of the monarchy over parliament 1688—1688: Hearth Tax abolished 1688—1688: Mutiny Act Feb 1688—Feb 1688: Edward Lloyd's Coffee House opens - later became Lloyd's of London Nov 1688—Nov 1688: The Glorious Revolution: James II abdicates 5 Nov 1688—5 Nov 1688: William of Orange lands at Torbay Dec 1688—Dec 1688: Siege of Londonderry (began Dec 1688; ended 28 Jul 1689)
40	1689	1689—1689: Devonport naval dockyard established 13 Feb 1689—13 Feb 1689: William III and Mary II, daughter of James II, jointly take the throne (only William, however, has regal power) 12 Mar 1689—12 Mar 1689: Deposed James VII & II flees to Ireland - defeated at the Battle of the Boyne (1 Jul 1690) 24 May 1689—24 May 1689: Toleration Act passed for Protestant non-conformists 27 Jul 1689—27 Jul 1689: Battle of Killiecrankie in Scotland - Jacobites defeated Government troops but at high cost 16 Dec 1689—16 Dec 1689: Bill of Rights passed by Parliament, ending King's divine right to raise taxes or wage war
41	1690	20 May 1690—20 May 1690: England passes Act of Grace, forgiving Roman Catholic followers of James II
42	1692	1692—1692: Land Tax introduced - originally designed as an annual tax on personal estate, public offices and land. For practical purposes, however, assessors tended to avoid assessing items of wealth other than landed property so that it became known as the Land Tax. 1692—1692: French intention to invade England came to nothing 13 Feb 1692—13 Feb 1692: The massacre of Glencoe - Clan Campbell sides with King William and murders members of Clan McDonald
43	1693	4 Aug 1693—4 Aug 1693: Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Pierre P?rignon 's invention of Champagne
44	1694	1694—1694: National Debt came into effect in England 1694—1694: Stamp Duties introduced into Britain from Holland 1694—1694: Mary II death leaves William III as sole ruler 1694—1694: Triennial Act, new Parliamentary elections every three years 1694—1694: Scotland: Poll Tax imposed on all over sixteen, except the destitute and insane (-1699) 27 Jul 1694—27 Jul 1694: Bank of England founded by William Paterson (a Scot)
45	1695	1695—1695: Freedom of Press in England granted 1695—1695: Bank of Scotland founded 1695—1695: Act of Parliament imposes a fine on all who fail to inform the parish minister of the birth of a child (repealed 1706) 1695—1695: Start of Dissenters' lists in parish registers - children born but not christened in the parish church - some were named 'Papist' and others 'Protestants'
46	1697	2 Dec 1697—2 Dec 1697: Official opening of St Paul's Cathedral
47	1698	1698—1698: Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery 1698—1698: Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama 1698—1698: Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers - repealed after five years 4 Jan 1698—4 Jan 1698: Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire 14 Nov 1698—14 Nov 1698: Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier
48	1700	1700—1700: Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million
49	1701	1701—1701: Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne 23 May 1701—23 May 1701: After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd hanged in London
50	1702	8 Mar 1702—8 Mar 1702: Anne Stuart becomes Queen 11 Mar 1702—11 Mar 1702: First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)
51	1703	4 Aug 1703—4 Aug 1703: British take Gibraltar 24 Nov 1703—24 Nov 1703: Climate: Most violent storms of the millennium cause vast damage across southern England - about a third of Britain's merchant fleet lost, and Eddystone lighthouse destroyed on 27 November (Nov 24 - Dec 2)
52	1704	1704—1704: Penal Code enacted - Catholics barred from voting, education and the military 13 Aug 1704—13 Aug 1704: Battle of Blenheim
53	1705	1705—1705: First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710 or 1711) 1705—1705: Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)
54	1706	1706—1706: First evening newspaper The Evening Post' issued in London
55	1707	16 Jan 1707—16 Jan 1707: Union with Scotland - Scots agree to send 16 peers and 45 MPs to English Parliament in return for full trading privileges - Scottish Parliament meets for the last time in March 1 May 1707—1 May 1707: English and Scottish Parliaments united by an Act of the English Parliament - The Kingdom of Great Britain established - largest free-trade area in Europe at the time
56	1708	1708—1708: First Jacobite rising in Scotland 1708—1708: Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
57	1709	1709—1709: Second Eddystone lighthouse completed 1709—1709: First Copyright Act pass 1709—1709: Bad harvests throughout Europe - bread riots in Britain 2 Feb 1709—2 Feb 1709: Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) by Daniel Defoe
58	1710	1710—1710: Tax on Apprentice Indentures introduced
59	1711	1711—1711: Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London 11 Aug 1711—11 Aug 1711: First race meeting at Ascot
60	1712	1712—1712: Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853) 1712—1712: Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham) 1712—1712: Toleration Act passed - first relief to non-Anglicans
61	1713	1713—1713: By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London
62	1714	1714—1714: Longitude Act: prize of ?20,000 offered to the inventor of a workable method of determining a ship's longitude (won by John Harrison in 1773 for his chronometer). 1714—1714: Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England 1714—1714: Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism 1 Aug 1714—1 Aug 1714: Queen Anne Stuart dies - George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).
63	1715	1715—1715: Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen') 1 Aug 1715—1 Aug 1715: Riot Act passed
64	1716	1716—1716: The Septennial Act of Britain leads to greater electoral corruption - general elections now to be held once every 7 years instead of every 3 (until 1911) 1716—1716: Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair
65	1717	1717—1717: First Masonic Lodge opens in London 1717—1717: Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings
66	1719	1719—1719: Third abortive Jacobite rising
67	1720	1720—1720: South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley - government assumes control of National Debt 1720—1720: Manufacturing towns start to increase in population - rise of new wealth 1720—1720: Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England
68	1721	2 Apr 1721—2 Apr 1721: Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)
69	1722	1722—1722: Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland 1722—1722: Knatchbull's Act, poor laws
70	1723	1723—1723: Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate 1723—1723: The Waltham Black Acts add 50 capital offences to the penal code - people could be sentenced to death for theft and poaching - repealed in 1827 1723—1723: The Workhouse Act or Test - to get relief, a poor person has to enter Workhouse
71	1724	1724—1724: Rapid growth of gin drinking in England 1724—1724: Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)
72	1726	1726—1726: First circulating library opened in Edinburgh 1726—1726: Invention of the chronometer by John Harrison
73	1727	1727—1727: Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland 11 Jun 1727—11 Jun 1727: George I dies - George II Hanover becomes king
74	1729	9 Nov 1729—9 Nov 1729: Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain - Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar
75	1730	1730—1730: Irish famine
76	1731	1731—1731: Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701] 1731—1731: Invention of sextant by John Hadley
77	1732	7 Dec 1732—7 Dec 1732: Covent Garden Opera House opens
78	1733	1733—1733: Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine - Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax 1733—1733: Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed - some continued in Latin for a few years 1733—1733: John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry
79	1734	1734—1734: Kent's Directory published
80	1737	1737—1737: Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)
81	1738	24 May 1738—24 May 1738: John Wesley has his conversion experience
82	1739	1739—1739: Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival 7 Apr 1739—7 Apr 1739: Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York 23 Oct 1739—23 Oct 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain
83	1741	1741—1741: Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites - Earliest Moravian registers
84	1742	1742—1742: England goes to war with Spain - incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade
85	1743	16 Jun 1743—16 Jun 1743: (June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen - last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle
86	1744	1744—1744: Tune 'God Save the King' makes its appearance
87	1745	1745—1745: Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five') 19 Aug 1745—19 Aug 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie (The Young Pretender) lands in the western Highlands - raises support among Episcopalian and Catholic clans - The Pretender's army invades Perth, Edinburgh, and England as far as Derby
88	1746	16 Apr 1746—16 Apr 1746: Battle of Culloden - last battle fought in Britain - 5,000 Highlanders routed by the Duke of Cumberland and 9,000 loyalists Scots - Young Pretender Charles flees to Continent, ending Jacobite hopes forever - the wearing of the kilt prohibited
89	1747	1747—1747: Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland 1747—1747: Act for Pacification of the Highlands
90	1749	27 Apr 1749—27 Apr 1749: First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park, London)
91	1750	Feb 1750—Feb 1750: Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with predictions of an apocalypse (Feb/Mar) 16 Nov 1750—16 Nov 1750: Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)
92	1751	Mar 1751—Mar 1751: Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed - royal assent to the bill was given on 22 May 1751 - decision to adopt Gregorian Calendar in 1752: In and throughout all his
93	1752	1752—1752: Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning conductor 1 Jan 1752—1 Jan 1752: Beginning of the year 1752 [Scotland had adopted January as the start of the year in 1600, and some other countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar as early as 1582] 3 Sep 1752—3 Sep 1752: Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14
94	1753	1753—1753: Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum 1 May 1753—1 May 1753: Publication of ?Species Plantarum' by Linnaeus and the formal start date of plant taxonomy
95	1754	1754—1754: Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used - Quakers & Jews exempt 1754—1754: In the General Election, the Cow Inn at Haslemere, Surrey caused a national scandal by subdividing the freehold to create eight votes instead of one 1754—1754: First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India
96	1755	1755—1755: Publication of Dictionary of the English Language' by Dr Samuel Johnson 1755—1755: Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827) 2 Dec 1755—2 Dec 1755: Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire
97	1756	15 May 1756—15 May 1756: The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins Jun 1756—Jun 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta - 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British sources
98	1757	1757—1757: The foundation laid for the Empire of India 14 Mar 1757—14 Mar 1757: Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca 23 Jun 1757—23 Jun 1757: The Nawab of Bengal tries to expel the British, but is defeated at the battle of Plassey (Palashi, June 23) - the East India Company forces are led by Robert Clive
99	1758	1758—1758: India stops being merely a commercial venture - England begins dominating it politically - The East India Company retains its monopoly although it ceased to trade
100	1759	1759—1759: Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels 15 Jan 1759—15 Jan 1759: British Museum opens to the public in London 16 Oct 1759—16 Oct 1759: Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed
101	1760	1760—1760: Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland 5 May 1760—5 May 1760: First use of hangman's drop 25 Oct 1760—25 Oct 1760: George II dies - George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called first Industrial Revolution'
102	1761	16 Jan 1761—16 Jan 1761: British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
103	1762	1762—1762: Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
104	1763	1763—1763: Treaty of Paris - gives back to France everything Pitt fought to obtain - (Newfoundland [fishing], Guadaloupe and Martininque [sugar], Dakar [gum]) - but English displaces French as the international language
105	1764	1764—1764: Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared 1764—1764: Practice of numbering houses introduced to London 1764—1764: James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny (but destroyed 1768) 1764—1764: Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight
106	1765	1765—1765: The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe 22 Mar 1765—22 Mar 1765: Stamp Act passed - imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the American colonies (repealed the following year)
107	1766	1766—1766: Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK 5 Dec 1766—5 Dec 1766: Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie
108	1767	1767—1767: Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
109	1768	9 Jan 1768—9 Jan 1768: Philip Astley starts his circus in London 6 Dec 1768—6 Dec 1768: The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica' published in Edinburgh by William Smellie
110	1769	1769—1769: Arkwright invents water frame (textile production) 1769—1769: Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand 6 Sep 1769—6 Sep 1769: David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon
111	1770	1770—1770: Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications 28 Apr 1770—28 Apr 1770: Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) ? Aug 21: formally claims Australia for Britain
112	1771	1771—1771: Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
113	1772	1772—1772: First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company 1772—1772: Morning Post' first published (until 1937) 14 May 1772—14 May 1772: Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England
114	1774	13 Sep 1774—13 Sep 1774: Cook arrives on Easter Island
115	1775	19 Apr 1775—19 Apr 1775: Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (1775- 1783)
116	1776	1776—1776: Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population 1776—1776: Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine 4 Jul 1776—4 Jul 1776: American Declaration of Independence 7 Sep 1776—7 Sep 1776: First attack on a warship by a submarine - David Bushnell's ?Turtle' attacked HMS Eagle in New York harbour. The attack was perhaps spectacular (a charge did detonate beneath the ship) but was nevertheless unsuccessful. 'Turtle' was a one man Affair man-powered [Les Moore]
117	1777	1777—1777: Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
118	1779	1779—1779: Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent 1779—1779: First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson 1779—1779: First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland 14 Feb 1779—14 Feb 1779: Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii 23 Sep 1779—23 Sep 1779: Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
119	1780	1780—1780: Male Servants Tax 1780—1780: The English Reform Movement - until now, only landowners and tenants (freeholders with 40 shillings per year or more) allowed to vote, and in open poll books 1780—1780: Fountain pen invented 1780—1780: About this time the word 'Quiz' entered the language, said to have been invented as a wager by Mr Daly, a Dublin theatre manager 4 May 1780—4 May 1780: First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June) 2 Jun 1780—2 Jun 1780: Jun 2- 8: The Gordon Riots - Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure - for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread
120	1782	1782—1782: Gilbert's Act establishes outdoor poor relief - the way of life of the poor beginning to alter due to industrialisation - New factories in rapidly expanding towns required a workforce that would adjust to new work patterns 1782—1782: James Watt patents his steam engine
121	1783	1783—1783: Duty payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry - repealed 1794) - led to a fall in entries! 3 Sep 1783—3 Sep 1783: Treaty of Versailles (Britain/US) 3 Nov 1783—3 Nov 1783: Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)
122	1784	1784—1784: Pitt's India Act - the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics 1784—1784: Wesley breaks with the Church of England 1784—1784: First golf club founded at St Andrews 1784—1784: Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle 2 Aug 1784—2 Aug 1784: First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)
123	1785	1785—1785: Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million) 1 Jan 1785—1 Jan 1785: John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal Register for 3 years)
124	1787	1787—1787: MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
125	1788	1788—1788: First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland 1788—1788: Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not enforced) 1788—1788: First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade - stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships 1788—1788: King George III's mental illness occasions the Regency Crisis - Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox attack ministry of William Pitt - trying to obtain full regal powers for the Prince of Wales 1788—1788: Gibbon completes Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' 26 Jan 1788—26 Jan 1788: First convicts (and free settlers) arrive in New South Wales (left Portsmouth 13 May 1787) ? the 'First Fleet'; eleven ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip
126	1789	28 Apr 1789—28 Apr 1789: Mutiny on HMS Bounty - Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island
127	1790	1790—1790: Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
128	1791	1791—1791: John Bell, printer, abandons the long s' (the 's' that looks like an 'f') 1791—1791: Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain 4 Dec 1791—4 Dec 1791: First publication of The Observer - world's oldest Sunday newspaper
129	1792	1792—1792: Repression in Britain (restrictions on freedom of the press) - Fox gets Libel Act through Parliament, requiring a jury and not a judge to determine libel 1792—1792: Boyle's Street Directory published 1792—1792: Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot 1 Oct 1792—1 Oct 1792: Introduction of Money Orders in Britain 1 Dec 1792—1 Dec 1792: King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia
130	1793	11 Feb 1793—11 Feb 1793: Britain declares war on France (1793-1802) 15 Apr 1793—15 Apr 1793: ?5 notes first issued by the Bank of England
131	1794	1794—1794: Abolition of Parish Register duties 6 Oct 1794—6 Oct 1794: The prosecutor for Britain, Lord Justice Eyre, charges reformers with High Treason - he argued that, since reform of parliament would lead to revolution and revolution to executing the King, the desire for reform endangered the King's life and was therefore treasonous
132	1795	1795—1795: The Famine Year 1795—1795: Foundation of the Orange Order 1795—1795: Speenhamland Act proclaims that the Parish is responsible for bringing up the labourer's wage to subsistence level - towards the end of the eighteenth century, the number of poor and unemployed increased dramatically - price increases during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) far outstripped wage rises - many small farmers were bankrupted by the move towards enclosures and became landless labourers - their wages were often pitifully low 1795—1795: Pitt and Grenville introduce The Gagging Acts' or 'Two Bills' (the Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices Bills) - outlawed the mass meeting and the political lecture. 1795—1795: Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy
133	1796	1796—1796: Pitt's Reign of Terror': More treason trials - leading radicals emigrate 1796—1796: Legacy Tax on sums over ?20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and grandparents 14 May 1796—14 May 1796: Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England
134	1797	1797—1797: England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments 1797—1797: Mutinies in the British Navy at Spithead and Nore 1797—1797: Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical publications 1797—1797: The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press 22 Feb 1797—22 Feb 1797: French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all captured 2 days later 26 Feb 1797—26 Feb 1797: First ?1 (and ?2) notes issued by Bank of England
135	1798	1798—1798: First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner Feb 1798—Feb 1798: The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die - Irish Parliament abolished (Feb-Oct) 1 Aug 1798—1 Aug 1798: Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)
136	1799	1799—1799: Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York 1799—1799: Foundation of the Royal Institution of Great Britain 9 Jan 1799—9 Jan 1799: Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure 12 Jul 1799—12 Jul 1799: 'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations 15 Jul 1799—15 Jul 1799: ?Rosetta Stone' discovered in Egypt made possible the deciphering (in 1822) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
137	1800	1800—1800: Electric light first produced by Sir Humphrey Davy 1800—1800: Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) 1800—1800: Royal College of Surgeons founded 1800—1800: Herschel discovers infra-red light 1800—1800: Volta makes first electrical battery 2 Jul 1800—2 Jul 1800: Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
138	1801	1801—1801: Grand Union Canal opens in England 1801—1801: Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London 1 Jan 1801—1 Jan 1801: Union Jack becomes the official British flag 10 Mar 1801—10 Mar 1801: First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000. Population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural) 24 Dec 1801—24 Dec 1801: Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco
139	1802	25 Mar 1802—25 Mar 1802: Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands ? the 'Peace of Amiens' as it was known brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars ? one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again
140	1803	1803—1803: Poaching made a Capital offense in England if capture resisted 1803—1803: Richard Trevithick built another steam carriage and ran it in London as the first self-propelled vehicle in the capital and the first London bus 1803—1803: Semaphore signaling perfected by Admiral Popham 30 Apr 1803—30 Apr 1803: Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States 12 May 1803—12 May 1803: Peace of Amiens ends ? resumption of war with France ? The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5) 23 Jul 1803—23 Jul 1803: First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to Croydon, horse-drawn)
141	1804	1804—1804: Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed 'Australia' 21 Feb 1804—21 Feb 1804: Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers. It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of A ?2 coin. 3 Mar 1804—3 Mar 1804: John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society 2 Dec 1804—2 Dec 1804: Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French 12 Dec 1804—12 Dec 1804: Spain declares war on Britain
142	1805	1805—1805: London docks opened 21 Oct 1805—21 Oct 1805: Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar 2 Dec 1805—2 Dec 1805: Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
143	1806	1806—1806: Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners) 9 Jan 1806—9 Jan 1806: Nelson buried in St Paul's cathedral, London
144	1807	25 Mar 1807—25 Mar 1807: Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808 ? but does not prohibit colonial slavery
145	1808	1808—1808: Gas lighting in London streets 13 Jul 1808—13 Jul 1808: 'Hot Wednesday' ? temperature of 101?F in the shade recorded in London 20 Dec 1808—20 Dec 1808: Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna
146	1809	12 Feb 1809—12 Feb 1809: Birth of Charles Darwin 18 Sep 1809—18 Sep 1809: Royal Opera House opens in London
147	1810	1810—1810: John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling
148	1811	5 Feb 1811—5 Feb 1811: Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
149	1812	11 May 1812—11 May 1812: Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated ? shot as he entered the House of Commons by a bankrupt Liverpool broker, John Bellingham, who was subsequently hanged 18 Jun 1812—18 Jun 1812: Start of American 'War of 1812' (to 1814) against England and Canada Oct 1812—Oct 1812: Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses
150	1813	1813—1813: Ireland: First recorded '12th of July' sectarian riots in Belfast 1813—1813: Jane Austen wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'
151	1814	1 Jan 1814—1 Jan 1814: Invasion of France by Allies 6 Apr 1814—6 Apr 1814: Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba 13 Aug 1814—13 Aug 1814: Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch 24 Aug 1814—24 Aug 1814: The British burn the White House 29 Nov 1814—29 Nov 1814: 'The Times' first printed by a 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1100 sheets per hour) 24 Dec 1814—24 Dec 1814: Treaty of Ghent signed ending the 1812 war between Britain and the US
152	1815	1815—1815: Trial by Jury established in Scotland 1815—1815: Davy develops the safety lamp for miners 18 Jun 1815—18 Jun 1815: The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena
153	1816	1816—1816: Income tax abolished 1816—1816: For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value ? the first official 'token' coinage 1816—1816: Climate: the 'year without a summer' ? followed a volcanic explosion of the mountain 'Tambora in Indonesia the previous year the biggest volcanic explosion in 10000 years 1816—1816: Large scale emigration to North America 1816—1816: Trans-Atlantic packet service begins
154	1817	1817—1817: March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended 1817—1817: Constable painted 'Flatford Mill'
155	1818	1818—1818: Manchester cotton spinners' strike 20 Oct 1818—20 Oct 1818: 'Convention of 1818' signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the US-Canada border on the 49th parallel for most of its length
156	1819	1819—1819: Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular 1819—1819: Britain returns to gold standard 1819—1819: Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles May 1819—May 1819: SS 'Savannah' first steamship to cross Atlantic reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 Days mostly under sail) 16 Aug 1819—16 Aug 1819: Peterloo Massacre at Manchester ? a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester ? demand Parliamentary Reform ? mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others
157	1820	1820—1820: Cato Street Conspiracy ? plot to assissinate British cabinet 1820—1820: Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition 29 Jan 1820—29 Jan 1820: Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent 1 Aug 1820—1 Aug 1820: Regent's Canal in London opens 17 Aug 1820—17 Aug 1820: Trial of Queen Caroline to prove her infidelities so George IV can divorce her ? George tries to secure a Bill of Pains and Penalties against her ? Caroline is virtually acquitted because bill passed by such a small majority of Lords
158	1821	1821—1821: Faraday publishes 'Principles of electro-magnetic rotation' 1821—1821: Constable paints 'The Hay Wain' 5 May 1821—5 May 1821: Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena
159	1822	14 Jun 1822—14 Jun 1822: Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
160	1823	1823—1823: New laws concerning marriage by license ? 'very troublesome' according to some the Act was repealed all in a hurry at the beginning of the next session 1823—1823: Peel begins penal reforms ? death penalty abolished for over 100 crimes 1823—1823: Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School 1823—1823: Rubberised waterproof material produced by MacIntosh 2 Dec 1823—2 Dec 1823: US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts (the 'Monroe Doctrine')
161	1824	1824—1824: RSPCA established 1824—1824: Portland cement patented 4 Mar 1824—4 Mar 1824: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded (called the 'National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck' until 1854) 10 May 1824—10 May 1824: National Gallery in London opens to the public
162	1825	27 Sep 1825—27 Sep 1825: Stockton to Darlington Railway opens ? world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
163	1827	1827—1827: Ohm's Law published
164	1828	25 Oct 1828—25 Oct 1828: St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
165	1829	1829—1829: London Metropolitan Police Force formed, nicknamed 'Bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel 1829—1829: Louis Braille invents his system of finger-reading for the blind 10 Jun 1829—10 Jun 1829: First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race 6 Oct 1829—6 Oct 1829: George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to complete the trial!)
166	1830	1830—1830: Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium Jul 1830—Jul 1830: Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons ? Louis Philippe (the Citizen King) on the throne 15 Sep 1830—15 Sep 1830: George Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened by the Duke of Wellington ? first mail carried by rail, and first death on the railway as William Huskisson, a leading politician, is run over!
167	1831	1831—1831: A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled 1 Jun 1831—1 Jun 1831: James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole 1 Aug 1831—1 Aug 1831: 'New' London Bridge opens (replaced 1973) ? old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished
168	1832	1832—1832: Electoral Registers introduced 1832—1832: Electric telegraph invented by Morse 7 Jun 1832—7 Jun 1832: Reform Bill passed ? Representation of the People Act
169	1833	Jan 1833—Jan 1833: Britain invades the Falkland Islands 29 Aug 1833—29 Aug 1833: Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9
170	1834	1834—1834: Babbage invents forerunner of the computer 18 Mar 1834—18 Mar 1834: 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities 1 May 1834—1 May 1834: Slavery abolished in British possessions
171	1835	1835—1835: Christmas becomes a national holiday 1835—1835: First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway
172	1836	1836—1836: First Potato famine in Ireland 30 Jan 1836—30 Jan 1836: Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened ? considered the world's first modern suspension bridge 25 Feb 1836—25 Feb 1836: Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver' 6 Mar 1836—6 Mar 1836: The Alamo falls to Mexican troops - death of Davy Crockett Jul 1836—Jul 1836: Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
173	1837	1837—1837: Pitman introduces his shorthand system 1837—1837: P&O Founded 20 Jun 1837—20 Jun 1837: William IV dies - accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901) 1 Jul 1837—1 Jul 1837: Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales - Registration Districts were formed covering several parishes; initially they had the same boundaries as the Poor Law boundaries set up in 1834 13 Jul 1837—13 Jul 1837: Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace 20 Jul 1837—20 Jul 1837: Euston Railway station opens - first in London
174	1838	28 Jun 1838—28 Jun 1838: Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
175	1839	1839—1839: First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) - Britain captures Hong Kong 1839—1839: Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan refines the primitive bicycle adding a mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel,thus creating the first true 'bicycle' in the modern Sense 1839—1839: Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber
176	1840	1840—1840: Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain 1840—1840: Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed elsewhere) 10 Jan 1840—10 Jan 1840: Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
177	1841	1841—1841: Thomas Cook starts package tours 10 Feb 1841—10 Feb 1841: Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp 6 Jun 1841—6 Jun 1841: June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded (Population 18.5M)
178	1842	1842—1842: Income Tax reintroduced in Britain 30 Mar 1842—30 Mar 1842: Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America) 29 Aug 1842—29 Aug 1842: Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
179	1843	1843—1843: First Christmas card in England 27 May 1843—27 May 1843: The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London 19 Jul 1843—19 Jul 1843: Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
180	1844	6 Jun 1844—6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
181	1845	1845—1845: Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham) 17 Mar 1845—17 Mar 1845: The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
182	1846	10 Sep 1846—10 Sep 1846: The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
183	1847	1847—1847: US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre Jan 1847—Jan 1847: An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
184	1848	1848—1848: First commercial production of chewing gum 24 Jan 1848—24 Jan 1848: Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush 11 Jul 1848—11 Jul 1848: Waterloo railway station in London opens
185	1849	1849—1849: Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
186	1851	1851—1851: Gold discovered in Australia 1 May 1851—1 May 1851: Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
187	1852	1852—1852: Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement 1852—1852: Wells Fargo established in USA
188	1853	1853—1853: Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
189	1854	1854—1854: Cigarettes introduced into Britain 27 Mar 1854—27 Mar 1854: Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War) 25 Oct 1854—25 Oct 1854: Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
190	1856	1856—1856: End of Crimean War 29 Jan 1856—29 Jan 1856: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
191	1857	1857—1857: Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
192	1858	1858—1858: 'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work 1858—1858: Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
193	1859	1859—1859: Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain 25 Apr 1859—25 Apr 1859: Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869) 4 May 1859—4 May 1859: Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon and Cornwall 24 Nov 1859—24 Nov 1859: Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
194	1860	29 Aug 1860—29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
195	1861	25 May 1861—25 May 1861: American Civil War begins
196	1862	1862—1862: Lincoln issues first legal US paper money (Greenbacks) 20 Apr 1862—20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
197	1863	1863—1863: Football Association founded (UK) 1863—1863: Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England 10 Jan 1863—10 Jan 1863: First section of the London Underground Railway opens
198	1864	1864—1864: A man-powered submarine, 'Hunley' sank a Federal steam ship USS Housatonic at the entrance to Charleston harbour in 1864 - the first recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship 11 Mar 1864—11 Mar 1864: The Great Sheffield Flood - over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time 20 Aug 1864—20 Aug 1864: Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention 8 Dec 1864—8 Dec 1864: Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened
199	1865	1865—1865: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908] 1865—1865: First concrete roads built in Britain 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865: End of American Civil War - slavery abolished in USA 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865: Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth 5 Jul 1865—5 Jul 1865: William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
200	1867	1 Jul 1867—1 Jul 1867: The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
201	1868	1868—1868: Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
202	1869	1869—1869: Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented 23 Nov 1869—23 Nov 1869: Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
203	1870	1870—1870: GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised) 1870—1870: Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children 1870—1870: Water closets come into wide use 1870—1870: Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa 1 Oct 1870—1 Oct 1870: First British postcard - halfpenny post
204	1871	27 Mar 1871—27 Mar 1871: First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh 29 Mar 1871—29 Mar 1871: Opening of Royal Albert Hall, London 29 Jun 1871—29 Jun 1871: Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal
205	1872	1872—1872: Licensing hours introduced 1872—1872: Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales) 4 Dec 1872—4 Dec 1872: American ship 'Mary Celeste' is found abandoned by the British brig 'Dei Gratia' in the Atlantic Ocean
206	1874	1874—1874: Factory Act introduces 56-hour week 5 Apr 1874—5 Apr 1874: Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world - features of it later copied in Central Park, New York
207	1875	1875—1875: London's main sewage system completed 1 Jan 1875—1 Jan 1875: Midland Railway abolishes Second Class passenger facilities, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies followed during the rest of the year. (Third Class was renamed Second Class in 1956)
208	1876	14 Feb 1876—14 Feb 1876: Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights
209	1877	1877—1877: Edison invents microphone and phonograph
210	1878	1878—1878: Edison & Swan invent electric lamp 1878—1878: Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph 1878—1878: CID established at New Scotland Yard
211	1879	18 Sep 1879—18 Sep 1879: Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
212	1880	1880—1880: Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds 1880—1880: Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria 2 Aug 1880—2 Aug 1880: Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK
213	1881	1881—1881: Postal Orders introduced 1881—1881: Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy Sep 1881—Sep 1881: Godalming in Surrey became the first town in England to have a public electricity supply installed (but in 1884 it reverted to gas lighting until 1904) 26 Oct 1881—26 Oct 1881: Gunfight at OK Corral
214	1882	1882—1882: Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
215	1883	1883—1883: Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France 24 May 1883—24 May 1883: Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River) 1 Aug 1883—1 Aug 1883: Parcel post starts in Britain 27 Aug 1883—27 Aug 1883: Eruption of Krakatoa near Java - 30,000 killed by tidal wave
216	1884	31 May 1884—31 May 1884: John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes 13 Oct 1884—13 Oct 1884: Greenwich made prime meridian of the world
217	1885	1885—1885: Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car 1885—1885: Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle 1885—1885: Eastman makes first coated photographic paper 1885—1885: Canadian Pacific Railway completed Mar 1885—Mar 1885: First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking 5 Sep 1885—5 Sep 1885: The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel 29 Sep 1885—29 Sep 1885: First electric tramcar used at Blackpool
218	1886	20 Jan 1886—20 Jan 1886: Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales May 1886—May 1886: Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named 'Coca-Cola' 29 May 1886—29 May 1886: Putney Bridge opens in London
219	1887	1887—1887: Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car
220	1888	1888—1888: Convention of Constantinople guarantees free maritime passage through Suez Canal in war and peace 1888—1888: Jack the Ripper active in east London during the latter half of the year 1888—1888: County Councils set up in Britain 1888—1888: Dunlop invents pneumatic tyre 1888—1888: First box camera - George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film 20 Mar 1888—20 Mar 1888: Football League formed
221	1889	1889—1889: Celluloid film produced 1889—1889: Dock Strike - docker's won their 'Docker's Tanner' 6 old pennies 31 Mar 1889—31 Mar 1889: Eiffel Tower completed (to mark centenary of French Revolution) 14 May 1889—14 May 1889: Children's charity NSPCC launched in London 3 Jun 1889—3 Jun 1889: Canadian Pacific Railway completed from coast to coast 28 Sep 1889—28 Sep 1889: Length of a metre defined
222	1890	4 Mar 1890—4 Mar 1890: Forth railway bridge opens - took six years to build 4 Nov 1890—4 Nov 1890: City & South London Railway opens - London's first deep-level tube railway and first major railway in the world to use electric traction
223	1891	1891—1891: Primary education made free and compulsory 18 Mar 1891—18 Mar 1891: First telephone link between London & Paris 4 May 1891—4 May 1891: Fictional date when Sherlock Holmes throws Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls, then disappears for 3 years! (published in 1893) 24 Aug 1891—24 Aug 1891: Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera
224	1892	1892—1892: Electric oven invented 1892—1892: Shop Hours Act - limit 74 hours per week for under-18's 6 Oct 1892—6 Oct 1892: Alfred Lord Tennyson dies, aged 83, at his house Aldworth, near Haslemere
225	1893	1893—1893: Henry Ford's first car 1893—1893: Zip fastener invented
226	1894	1894—1894: Picture postcard introduced in Britain 1 Jan 1894—1 Jan 1894: Manchester Ship Canal opens 1 Mar 1894—1 Mar 1894: Blackpool Tower opens 30 Jun 1894—30 Jun 1894: Tower Bridge first opens 2 Aug 1894—2 Aug 1894: Death duties first introduced in Britain
227	1895	1895—1895: Sir Henry Wood starts Promenade Concerts in London 12 Jan 1895—12 Jan 1895: The National Trust founded in England 24 May 1895—24 May 1895: Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted 28 May 1895—28 May 1895: Oscar Wilde sent to prison 12 Jul 1895—12 Jul 1895: First recorded motor journey of any length (56 miles) in Britain 17 Oct 1895—17 Oct 1895: First people in Britain to be charged with motor offences - John Henry Knight and James Pullinger of Farnham, Surrey Nov 1895—Nov 1895: X-rays discovered
228	1896	5 Apr 1896—5 Apr 1896: First modern Olympic Games held in Athens 2 Jun 1896—2 Jun 1896: Guglielmo Marconi receives a British patent (later disputed) for the radio
229	1897	1897—1897: Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector
230	1898	1898—1898: First photograph using artificial light 1898—1898: Zeppelin builds airship 1898—1898: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded 17 Mar 1898—17 Mar 1898: USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine 27 Jun 1898—27 Jun 1898: The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)
231	1899	6 Mar 1899—6 Mar 1899: Aspirin first marketed by Bayer 11 Oct 1899—11 Oct 1899: Start of Second Boer War
232	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
233	1901	1901—1901: Commonwealth of Australia founded 1901—1901: Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner 22 Jan 1901—22 Jan 1901: Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king 2 Feb 1901—2 Feb 1901: Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park Jun 1901—Jun 1901: Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War 2 Oct 1901—2 Oct 1901: Britain's first submarine launched 12 Dec 1901—12 Dec 1901: First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
234	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
235	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
236	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)
237	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
238	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
239	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
240	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 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
241	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 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)
242	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
243	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
244	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 13 May 1912—13 May 1912: Royal Flying Corps (later the RAF) founded in Britain
245	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 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
246	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 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
247	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
248	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
249	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
250	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
251	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
252	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
253	1921	1921—1921: Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained 1921—1921: Insulin discovery announced 1921—1921: First birth control clinic 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
254	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)
255	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 28 Sep 1923—28 Sep 1923: First publication of Radio Times
256	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)
257	1925	1925—1925: Britain returns to gold standard 18 Jul 1925—18 Jul 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
258	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
259	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
260	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)
261	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
262	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
263	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
264	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
265	1933	1933—1933: ICI scientists discover polythene 1933—1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year 12 Nov 1933—12 Nov 1933: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken