Timeline: Reginald SKAIFE: The Housemans of Nidderdale

The Housemans of Nidderdale
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1898 - 1985 (87 years)

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Timeline

Reginald SKAIFE (1898 - 1985)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1898	1898—1898: First photograph using artificial light 1898—1898: Zeppelin builds airship 1898—1898: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded 17 March 1898—17 March 1898: USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine 27 June 1898—27 June 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)
2	1899	6 March 1899—6 March 1899: Aspirin first marketed by Bayer 11 October 1899—11 October 1899: Start of Second Boer War
3	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 February 1900—9 February 1900: Davis Cup tennis competition established 27 February 1900—27 February 1900: Labour Party formed
4	1901	1901—1901: Commonwealth of Australia founded 1901—1901: Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner 22 January 1901—22 January 1901: Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king 2 February 1901—2 February 1901: Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park June 1901—June 1901: Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War 2 October 1901—2 October 1901: Britain's first submarine launched 12 December 1901—12 December 1901: First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
5	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 August 1902—9 August 1902: Coronation of Edward VII
6	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 December 1903—14 December 1903: First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright
7	1904	1904—1904: Leeds University established 8 April 1904—8 April 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)
8	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 April 1905—11 April 1905: Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity
9	1906	1906—1906: Introduction of free school meals for poor children 10 February 1906—10 February 1906: Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship 15 March 1906—15 March 1906: Rolls-Royce Ltd registered 26 May 1906—26 May 1906: Vauxhall Bridge opened in London 20 September 1906—20 September 1906: Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne
10	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 July 1907—July 1907: Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated 1 August 1907—1 August 1907: Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island 9 November 1907—9 November 1907: The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday
11	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 July 1908—1 July 1908: SOS became effective as an international signal of distress 12 August 1908—12 August 1908: First 'Model T' Ford made
12	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 January 1909—1 January 1909: Old Age Pensions Act came into force 16 January 1909—16 January 1909: Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole 15 March 1909—15 March 1909: Selfridges department store opens in London 25 July 1909—25 July 1909: Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)
13	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
14	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 April 1911—2 April 1911: Census: Population - England and Wales: 36 Million; Scotland: 4.6 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million 22 June 1911—22 June 1911: Coronation of George V 14 December 1911—14 December 1911: National Insurance introduced in Britain
15	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 January 1912—18 January 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 April 1912—14 April 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
16	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 June 1913—4 June 1913: Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby and dies
17	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 June 1914—28 June 1914: Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo 4 August 1914—4 August 1914: Britain declares war on Germany, citing Belgian neutrality as reason 5 August 1914—5 August 1914: British cableship Telconia cut through all five of Germany's undersea telegraph links to the outside world 15 August 1914—15 August 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) October 1914—October 1914: Battle of Ypres - beginning of trench warfare on western front 27 November 1914—27 November 1914: First policewoman goes on duty in Britain 16 December 1914—16 December 1914: German battleships bombard Hartlepool and Scarborough
18	1915	1915—1915: Junkers construct first fighter aeroplane 1915—1915: First automatic telephone exchange in Britain 19 January 1915—19 January 1915: First Zeppelin air raid on England, over East Anglia - four killed February 1915—February 1915: Submarine blockade of Britain starts April 1915—April 1915: Second Battle of Ypres - poison gas used for first time 25 April 1915—25 April 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
19	1916	1916—1916: Compulsory military service introduced in Britain February 1916—February 1916: Battle of Verdun - appalling losses on both sides, stalemate continues 24 April 1916—24 April 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 June 1916—5 June 1916: Sinking of HMS Hampshire and death of Kitchener 3 August 1916—3 August 1916: Sir Roger Casement hanged at Pentonville Prison for treason 15 September 1916—15 September 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 December 1916—7 December 1916: Lloyd-George becomes British Prime Minister of the coalition government
20	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 February 1917—February 1917: February revolution in Russia; Tsar Nicholas abdicates 16 April 1917—16 April 1917: Lenin returns to Russia after exile 17 April 1917—17 April 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) July 1917—July 1917: Battle of Passchendaele - little gained by either side (Jul-Nov) 7 November 1917—7 November 1917: 'October' Revolution in Russia - Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government; Lenin becomes Chief Commissar 6 December 1917—6 December 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 December 1917—9 December 1917: British forces capture Jerusalem
21	1918	1918—1918: Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons) 1918—1918: War of Independence in Ireland 18 January 1918—18 January 1918: Bentley Motors founded 8 March 1918—8 March 1918: Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic July 1918—July 1918: Second Battle of the Marne: last major German offensive in WW1 (Jul-Aug) 1 October 1918—1 October 1918: Arab forces under Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus 11 November 1918—11 November 1918: Armistice signed December 1918—December 1918: First woman elected to House of Commons, Countess Markiewicz as a Sinn Fein member refused to take her seat
22	1919	1919—1919: Britain adopts a 48-hour working week 1919—1919: Sir Ernest Rutherford publishes account of splitting the atom 15 June 1919—15 June 1919: Alcock and Brown complete first nonstop flight across the Atlantic 28 June 1919—28 June 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed
23	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) February 1920—February 1920: First roadside petrol filling station in UK - opened by the Automobile Association at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
24	1921	1921—1921: Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained 1921—1921: Insulin discovery announced 1921—1921: First birth control clinic 19 June 1921—19 June 1921: Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million 6 December 1921—6 December 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland
25	1922	1922—1922: Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended 1 June 1922—1 June 1922: Royal Ulster Constabulary founded October 1922—October 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)
26	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 January 1923—1 January 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 February 1923—16 February 1923: Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun 28 April 1923—28 April 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 September 1923—28 September 1923: First publication of Radio Times
27	1924	4 January 1924—4 January 1924: First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald 5 February 1924—5 February 1924: Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were first broadcast by the BBC 31 March 1924—31 March 1924: British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British airline companies - became BOAC in 1940)
28	1925	1925—1925: Britain returns to gold standard 18 July 1925—18 July 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
29	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 April 1926—21 April 1926: Princess Elizabeth born 3 May 1926—3 May 1926: General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more) 31 October 1926—31 October 1926: Death of Harry Houdini
30	1927	1927—1927: Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer) 7 January 1927—7 January 1927: First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London 22 January 1927—22 January 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 July 1927—24 July 1927: The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
31	1928	1928—1928: Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes 26 April 1928—26 April 1928: Madame Tussauds opens in London 15 September 1928—15 September 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
32	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
33	1930	1930—1930: First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag 1930—1930: Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain 30 January 1930—30 January 1930: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany 31 January 1930—31 January 1930: 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape 6 March 1930—6 March 1930: Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas 5 October 1930—5 October 1930: R101 airship disaster - British abandons airship construction
34	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 April 1931—14 April 1931: Highway Code first issued 26 April 1931—26 April 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 October 1931—21 October 1931: National Government formed to deal with economic crisis - Britain comes off gold standard
35	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 October 1932—3 October 1932: Iraq gains independence from Britain 3 October 1932—3 October 1932: 'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface
36	1933	1933—1933: ICI scientists discover polythene 1933—1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year 12 November 1933—12 November 1933: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
37	1934	1934—1934: Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany 18 July 1934—18 July 1934: King George V opens Mersey Tunnel 26 September 1934—26 September 1934: RMS Queen Mary launched 30 November 1934—30 November 1934: First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
38	1935	1935—1935: London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme 1935—1935: Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell 28 February 1935—28 February 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 March 1935—12 March 1935: Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas in Britain 1 June 1935—1 June 1935: Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK 30 July 1935—30 July 1935: Penguin paperbacks launched
39	1936	1936—1936: Jet engine first tested 20 January 1936—20 January 1936: George V dies 5 May 1936—5 May 1936: First flight of a Spitfire 24 July 1936—24 July 1936: 'Speaking clock' service starts in UK 2 November 1936—2 November 1936: British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's first public TV transmission 30 November 1936—30 November 1936: Crystal Palace destroyed by fire 5 December 1936—5 December 1936: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) - popular carol that Christmas: 'Hark the Herald Angels sing Mrs Simpson's got our King'
40	1937	1937—1937: '999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London 1937—1937: Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp 12 April 1937—12 April 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 June 1937—3 June 1937: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson 4 December 1937—4 December 1937: 'The Dandy' first published
41	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 March 1938—12 March 1938: Germany invades and annexes Austria 3 July 1938—3 July 1938: 'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive 27 September 1938—27 September 1938: Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank 29 September 1938—29 September 1938: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time' 30 October 1938—30 October 1938: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA
42	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 September 1939—1 September 1939: Germany invades Poland 3 September 1939—3 September 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany 6 September 1939—6 September 1939: First air-raid on Britain 11 September 1939—11 September 1939: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France 14 October 1939—14 October 1939: HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives 7 December 1939—7 December 1939: 'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain - 7,400 men on 5 ships 17 December 1939—17 December 1939: 'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo
43	1940	1 April 1940—1 April 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 June 1940—25 June 1940: Fall of France to Germany 7 September 1940—7 September 1940: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing 15 September 1940—15 September 1940: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain 14 November 1940—14 November 1940: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
44	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 June 1941—22 June 1941: Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa) 1 July 1941—1 July 1941: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain December 1941—December 1941: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England December 1941—December 1941: 'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America 7 December 1941—7 December 1941: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour 8 December 1941—8 December 1941: USA enters WWII 24 December 1941—24 December 1941: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
45	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 June 1942—4 June 1942: Battle of Midway 19 August 1942—19 August 1942: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops 6 September 1942—6 September 1942: Germans defeated at Stalingrad 3 October 1942—3 October 1942: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany - first man-made object to reach space 23 October 1942—23 October 1942: Battle of El Alamein - Montgomery defeats Rommel 2 December 1942—2 December 1942: 'Manhattan Project' - a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
46	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 July 1943—24 July 1943: Allies invade Italy - Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
47	1944	6 April 1944—6 April 1944: PAYE income tax begins 4 June 1944—4 June 1944: Allies enter Rome 6 June 1944—6 June 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy 12 June 1944—12 June 1944: First V1 flying bombs hit London 8 September 1944—8 September 1944: First V2 rocket bombs hit London 11 September 1944—11 September 1944: Allies enter Germany 16 December 1944—16 December 1944: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
48	1945	4 February 1945—4 February 1945: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin 29 March 1945—29 March 1945: Last V1 flying bomb attack 25 April 1945—25 April 1945: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops 30 April 1945—30 April 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 June 1945—26 June 1945: UN Charter signed in San Francisco 16 July 1945—16 July 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 July 1945—26 July 1945: Labour win UK General Election - Churchill out of office 29 July 1945—29 July 1945: BBC Light Programme starts 6 August 1945—6 August 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima 9 August 1945—9 August 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki 15 August 1945—15 August 1945: VJ Day (Victory in Japan) 2 September 1945—2 September 1945: Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri 24 October 1945—24 October 1945: United Nations Organisation comes into existence 4 November 1945—4 November 1945: UNESCO founded
49	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 January 1946—1 January 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport 1 March 1946—1 March 1946: Bank of England nationalised
50	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 January 1947—1 January 1947: Coal Mines nationalised 23 February 1947—23 February 1947: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded 1 March 1947—1 March 1947: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations 1 April 1947—1 April 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain 26 October 1947—26 October 1947: British military occupation ends in Iraq 20 November 1947—20 November 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey
51	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 January 1948—1 January 1948: British Railways nationalised 5 July 1948—5 July 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain 29 July 1948—29 July 1948: London Olympics begin
52	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 March 1949—15 March 1949: Clothes rationing ends in Britain 4 April 1949—4 April 1949: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
53	1950	19 May 1950—19 May 1950: Points rationing ends in Britain 26 May 1950—26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ends in Britain 11 July 1950—11 July 1950: 'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV 9 September 1950—9 September 1950: Soap rationing ends in Britain 28 December 1950—28 December 1950: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
54	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 December 1951—20 December 1951: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
55	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 February 1952—6 February 1952: King George VI dies 21 February 1952—21 February 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 July 1952—5 July 1952: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross) 16 August 1952—16 August 1952: Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster 6 September 1952—6 September 1952: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed 3 October 1952—3 October 1952: End of tea rationing in Britain 1 November 1952—1 November 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 November 1952—25 November 1952: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London 4 December 1952—4 December 1952: Great smog hits London
56	1953	31 January 1953—31 January 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 February 1953—5 February 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain 5 March 1953—5 March 1953: Death of Stalin 26 March 1953—26 March 1953: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine 24 April 1953—24 April 1953: Winston Churchill knighted 25 April 1953—25 April 1953: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA 2 June 1953—2 June 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II 26 September 1953—26 September 1953: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
57	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 July 1954—3 July 1954: Food rationing officially ends in Britain 5 July 1954—5 July 1954: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin 30 September 1954—30 September 1954: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
58	1955	1955—1955: 'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons 27 July 1955—27 July 1955: Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends 22 September 1955—22 September 1955: Commercial TV starts in Britain
59	1956	1956—1956: Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland 1 March 1956—1 March 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc) 17 April 1956—17 April 1956: Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957 3 June 1956—3 June 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 October 1956—31 October 1956: Britain and France invade Suez
60	1957	1957—1957: Britain introduces parking meters 1957—1957: Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland) 11 January 1957—11 January 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 December 1957—4 December 1957: Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them 25 December 1957—25 December 1957: Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
61	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 July 1958—26 July 1958: Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales' 5 December 1958—5 December 1958: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979) 5 December 1958—5 December 1958: Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway
62	1959	3 February 1959—3 February 1959: 'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper 17 February 1959—17 February 1959: Vanguard 2 satellite launched - first to measure cloud-cover distribution 24 May 1959—24 May 1959: Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day August 1959—August 1959: BMC Mini car launched 3 October 1959—3 October 1959: Postcodes introduced in Britain 1 November 1959—1 November 1959: First section of M1 motorway opened
63	1960	17 March 1960—17 March 1960: New ?1 notes issued by Bank of England 18 March 1960—18 March 1960: Last steam locomotive of British Railways named 21 July 1960—21 July 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 August 1960—12 August 1960: Echo I, the first (passive) communications satellite, launched 12 September 1960—12 September 1960: MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced 1 October 1960—1 October 1960: HMS 'Dreadnought' nuclear submarine launched 2 November 1960—2 November 1960: Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case
64	1961	1 January 1961—1 January 1961: Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK 13 March 1961—13 March 1961: Black & White ?5 notes cease to be legal tender 14 March 1961—14 March 1961: New English Bible (New Testament) published 1 May 1961—1 May 1961: Betting shops legal in Britain
65	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 June 1962—15 June 1962: First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos) July 1962—July 1962: First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl 10 July 1962—10 July 1962: First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul 24 October 1962—24 October 1962: Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war
66	1963	1963—1963: France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC January 1963—January 1963: Cold weather forces cancellation of most football matches (only 4 English First Division matches in the month) - the first 'pools panel' created 27 March 1963—27 March 1963: Beeching Report on British Railways (the 'Beeching Axe') 1 August 1963—1 August 1963: Minimum prison age raised to 17 8 August 1963—8 August 1963: 'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train 17 September 1963—17 September 1963: Fylingdales (Yorks) early warning system operational 18 November 1963—18 November 1963: Dartford Tunnel opens 23 November 1963—23 November 1963: First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV
67	1964	1 January 1964—1 January 1964: First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV 9 April 1964—9 April 1964: First Greater London Council (GLC) election 21 April 1964—21 April 1964: BBC2 TV launched 22 August 1964—22 August 1964: 'Match of the Day' starts on BBC2 4 September 1964—4 September 1964: Forth road bridge opens
68	1965	1965—1965: Britain enacts first Race Relations Act 7 February 1965—7 February 1965: First US raids against North Vietnam 7 April 1965—7 April 1965: Winston Churchill dies 1 August 1965—1 August 1965: TV cigarette advertising banned in Britain 8 October 1965—8 October 1965: Post Office Tower operational in London 28 October 1965—28 October 1965: Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then abolished 18 Dec 1969 22 December 1965—22 December 1965: 70mph speed limit introduced on British roads
69	1966	14 February 1966—14 February 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 July 1966—30 July 1966: World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany) 8 September 1966—8 September 1966: First Severn road bridge opens 21 October 1966—21 October 1966: Aberfan disaster - slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children 1 December 1966—1 December 1966: First Christmas stamps issued in Britain
70	1967	4 January 1967—4 January 1967: Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on Conniston Water - his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002 18 March 1967—18 March 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 June 1967—27 June 1967: First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain - at Enfield branch of Barclays 1 July 1967—1 July 1967: First colour TV in Britain 14 August 1967—14 August 1967: Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK 20 September 1967—20 September 1967: 'QE2' launched on Clydebank 27 September 1967—27 September 1967: 'Queen Mary' arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage 30 September 1967—30 September 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 October 1967—5 October 1967: Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts
71	1968	18 February 1968—18 February 1968: British Standard Time introduced - Summer Time became permanent but arguments prevailed and Britain reverted to GMT in October 1971 18 April 1968—18 April 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 April 1968—20 April 1968: Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration 23 April 1968—23 April 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 August 1968—11 August 1968: Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (Carlisle- Liverpool) 16 September 1968—16 September 1968: Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain 5 October 1968—5 October 1968: Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland
72	1969	2 March 1969—2 March 1969: Maiden flight of 'Concorde', at Toulouse 7 March 1969—7 March 1969: Victoria Line tube opens in London 17 April 1969—17 April 1969: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 2 May 1969—2 May 1969: Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) 31 July 1969—31 July 1969: Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain 14 August 1969—14 August 1969: Civil disturbances in Ulster - Britain sends troops to support civil authorities 7 September 1969—7 September 1969: First episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' recorded 14 October 1969—14 October 1969: 50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)
73	1970	1970—1970: Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service 17 June 1970—17 June 1970: Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain 19 June 1970—19 June 1970: Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister 30 July 1970—30 July 1970: Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims 19 September 1970—19 September 1970: First Glastonbury Festival held 20 November 1970—20 November 1970: Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain
74	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 January 1971—3 January 1971: Open University starts 15 February 1971—15 February 1971: Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland 9 August 1971—9 August 1971: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland 28 October 1971—28 October 1971: Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973) 28 October 1971—28 October 1971: UK launches its first (and only) satellite, Prospero
75	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 January 1972—30 January 1972: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland 28 May 1972—28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
76	1973	1 January 1973—1 January 1973: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark) 17 March 1973—17 March 1973: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen 1 April 1973—1 April 1973: VAT introduced in Britain 26 September 1973—26 September 1973: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time 14 October 1973—14 October 1973: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey 31 December 1973—31 December 1973: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to conserve power
77	1974	1974—1974: New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries 1 June 1974—1 June 1974: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people 7 November 1974—7 November 1974: Lord Lucan disappears 21 November 1974—21 November 1974: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
78	1975	1975—1975: Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2 11 February 1975—11 February 1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition) 28 February 1975—28 February 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 March 1975—4 March 1975: Charlie Chaplin knighted 5 June 1975—5 June 1975: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community 29 October 1975—29 October 1975: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder 3 November 1975—3 November 1975: First North Sea oil comes ashore 29 November 1975—29 November 1975: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the following year) 27 December 1975—27 December 1975: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
79	1976	1976—1976: National Theatre opens in London 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 21 January 1976—21 January 1976: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service 1 April 1976—1 April 1976: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 6 August 1976—6 August 1976: Drought Act 1976 comes into force ? the long, hot summer
80	1977	2 March 1977—2 March 1977: 'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National 25 May 1977—25 May 1977: George Lucas' film Star Wars' released 5 June 1977—5 June 1977: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale 7 June 1977—7 June 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London 22 November 1977—22 November 1977: Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated
81	1978	8 April 1978—8 April 1978: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts 1 May 1978—1 May 1978: First May Day holiday in Britain 25 July 1978—25 July 1978: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham 30 November 1978—30 November 1978: Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13 Nov 1979)
82	1979	1 March 1979—1 March 1979: 32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against 30 March 1979—30 March 1979: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster 31 March 1979—31 March 1979: Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta 4 May 1979—4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister 1 July 1979—1 July 1979: Sony introduces the Walkman 27 August 1979—27 August 1979: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland 18 September 1979—18 September 1979: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
83	1980	5 May 1980—5 May 1980: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages 8 December 1980—8 December 1980: John Lennon assassinated in New York
84	1981	25 January 1981—25 January 1981: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain 29 March 1981—29 March 1981: First London marathon run 11 April 1981—11 April 1981: Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots 25 April 1981—25 April 1981: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain 27 April 1981—27 April 1981: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system) 29 July 1981—29 July 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996) 12 August 1981—12 August 1981: IBM launches the first PC 12 August 1981—12 August 1981: IBM launches its PC ? starts the general use of personal computers
85	1982	26 January 1982—26 January 1982: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population) 5 February 1982—5 February 1982: Laker Airways collapses 19 February 1982—19 February 1982: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership 18 March 1982—18 March 1982: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia 2 April 1982—2 April 1982: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands 5 April 1982—5 April 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 June 1982—14 June 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands 21 June 1982—21 June 1982: Prince William is born 20 July 1982—20 July 1982: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park) 19 September 1982—19 September 1982: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time 11 October 1982—11 October 1982: Mary Rose' raised in the Solent (sank in 1545) 31 October 1982—31 October 1982: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7) 2 November 1982—2 November 1982: Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown' 4 November 1982—4 November 1982: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads 12 December 1982—12 December 1982: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)
86	1983	1983—1983: First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson) 17 January 1983—17 January 1983: Start of breakfast TV in Britain 31 January 1983—31 January 1983: Seat belt law comes into force 21 April 1983—21 April 1983: ?1 coin into circulation in Britain 7 October 1983—7 October 1983: Plans to abolish GLC announced 26 November 1983—26 November 1983: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly ?26 million are stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport
87	1984	6 March 1984—6 March 1984: Miners strike begins 17 April 1984—17 April 1984: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London 22 June 1984—22 June 1984: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic 9 July 1984—9 July 1984: York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the Rose Window' not affected 12 October 1984—12 October 1984: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed 24 October 1984—24 October 1984: Miners' strike ? High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets 3 December 1984—3 December 1984: British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading
88	1985	3 March 1985—3 March 1985: Miners agree to call off strike 11 March 1985—11 March 1985: Al Fayed buys Harrods 13 July 1985—13 July 1985: Live Aid' pop concert raises over ?50M for famine relief 1 September 1985—1 September 1985: Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)