UK potted history

This is a brief list of main events in British history over the last 2000 years.

Event Date	Event Description
-55	Roman General Julius Caesar invades Great Britain for the first time, gaining a beachhead on the coast of Kent.
-54	Caesar invades for the second time, gaining a third of the country. These two invasions are known as Caesar's invasions of Britain.
43	Roman invasion of Britain, ordered by Claudius, who dispatches Aulus Plautius and an army of some 40,000 men
84	Romans defeat Caledonians at the battle of Mons Graupius
60	Revolt against the Roman occupation, led by Boudica of the Iceni, begins
122	Construction of Hadrian's Wall begins.
142	Construction of Antonine Wall in Scotland begins.
286	The Carausian revolt begins when Carausius declared himself emperor over Britain and northern Gaul.
383	Beginning of Roman withdrawal from Britain
410	The last Roman leaves Britain and tells the natives to defend themselves from other invaders overseas, as Rome is under attack from the Goths
449	According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Hengist and Horsa (Saxon leader), arrives in England
466	Battle of Wippedesfleot
597	Arrival of St. Augustine
793	Vikings raid Lindisfarne
802	Vikings ransack monastery on Iona
843	Birth of Kingdom of Scotland with union of the Picts and the Scots
878	Battle of Edington, defeat of Viking forces, results in Treaty of Wedmore and establishment of the Danelaw
895	Danish fleet captured by Alfred the Great
927	Æthelstan first used the title "King of the English" and is considered the founder of the English monarchy.
1002	Æthelred orders St Brice's Day massacre of Danes
1013	Danish invasion of England. Æthelred the Unready exiled to Normandy, Sweyn Forkbeard seizes the English throne
1014	Death of Sweyn Forkbeard, Æthelred restored to the English throne
1016	Cnut's invasion of England
1016	Death of Edmund Ironside, Cnut accedes to the English throne
1016	Death of Æthelred the Unready, Edmund Ironside accedes to the English throne
1017	Cnut the Great is crowned king of England in London.
1034	Death of King Malcolm II of Scotland, Duncan I of Scotland accedes to the Scottish throne
1034-11-25	Malcolm II of Scotland dies at Glamis. He is succeeded as king of Scotland by his grandson Duncan I the Diseased of Scotland.
1035	Death of Cnut, Harold Harefoot became regent of England for 2 years before becoming king of England in 1037
1035-11-12	Cnut dies. He is succeeded as king of England, Denmark and Norway by his son Harthacnut.
1040	Death of Duncan I, Macbeth accedes to the Scottish throne
1040	Death of Harold Harefoot, his brother Harthacnut accedes to the English throne
1040-03-17	Harold Harefoot dies at Oxford. Harthacnut, his brother, succeeds him as king of England.
1040-08-14	Duncan the Diseased is killed in action at Elgin, Moray attempting to suppress a rebellion by Macbeth, King of Scotland, Mormaer of Moray, who replaces him as king of Scotland.
1042	Death of Harthacnut, Edward the Confessor accedes to the English throne.
1042-06-08	Harthacnut dies, probably due to a stroke after excessive drinking at a wedding in Lambeth. He is succeeded as king of England by his brother Edward the Confessor.
1057	Death of Macbeth, Lulach accedes to the Scottish throne.
1057-08-15	Battle of Lumphanan. Macbeth is killed in battle at Lumphanan by Duncan the Diseased's son Malcolm III of Scotland. He is succeeded as king of Scotland by his stepson Lulach.
1058	Death of Lulach, Malcolm III accedes to the Scottish throne.
1058-03-17	Lulach is assassinated by Malcolm III, who succeeds him as king of Kingdom of Scotland.
1066	Death of Edward the Confessor in January, Harold II accedes to the English throne.
1066	The Battle of Hastings. Death of Harold II at Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror seizes the English throne
1066-01-05	Edward the Confessor dies, probably after a series of strokes. He is succeeded as king of England by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson.
1066-09-28	Norman conquest of England. William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, lands with an army at Pevensey.
1066-10-14	Battle of Hastings, The Battle of Hastings. Death of Harold II at Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror seizes the English throne. Harold Godwinson is killed in battle against the forces of William the Conqueror at Battle, East Sussex, causing the collapse of his army.
1066-12-25	William the Conqueror is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey.
1070	Harrying of the North.
1078	The construction of Tintern Abbey begins.
1078	Work commenced on Tintern Abbey.
1086	Work commenced on the Domesday Book.
1086-06-12	A census begins whose results would be collected in the Domesday Book.
1087	Death of William the Conqueror, William II accedes to the English throne.
1087-09-09	William the Conqueror dies at Rouen. He is succeeded by one son, Robert Curthose, as duke of Normandy and by another, William II of England, as king of England.
1093	Death of Malcolm III of Scotland in battle against the English.
1093-11-13	Battle of Alnwick (1093). Malcolm III and his eldest son are ambushed and killed at Alnwick by an army of knights led by Robert de Mowbray, earl of Northumbria.
1100	Death of William II, Henry I accedes to the English throne.
1100	The White Tower of London is completed.
1100	White Tower aka Tower of London is completed.
1100-08-02	William II is killed by an arrow through the lung while hunting in the New Forest. He is succeeded by his brother Henry I of England.
1135	Death of Henry I, accession of King Stephen to English throne.
1135-12-01	Henry I dies of illness.
1135-12-22	Stephen, King of England is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey.
1137	Beginning of a civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda over the succession to the English throne; accession of Owain Gwynedd, the first Welsh ruler to style himself. prince of Wales
1137	Gruffudd ap Cynan, king of Gynedd, dies. He is succeeded by his son Owain Gwynedd.
1137	The Anarchy. Stephen enters Normandy in an attempt to conquer it from Empress Matilda, his rival for the succession in Normandy and England.
1154	Death of King Stephen, accession of Henry II to the English throne.
1154-10-25	Stephen dies of a stomach disease. He is succeeded as king of England by Henry II of England, grandson of Henry I.
1164	Constitutions of Clarendon, a set of laws which governs the trial of members of the Church in England.
1164	Henry II issues the Constitutions of Clarendon, which provided that members of the Catholic Church accused of serious crimes would be tried and sentenced in secular courts.
1170	Assassination of Thomas Becket; death of Owain Gwynedd, prince of Wales.
1170-11-28	Owain dies.
1170-12-29	Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by followers of Henry II.
1189	Death of Henry II, Richard I accedes to the English throne.
1189-07-06	Henry II dies of illness at Château de Chinon. He is succeeded as king of England by his son Richard I of England.
1192	Richard is captured by Duke Leopold of Austria whilst returning from the Crusades.
1192-12-01	Richard is captured near Vienna on the orders of Leopold V, Duke of Austria, duke of Austria, while returning from the Crusades.
1194	Battle of Aberconwy. Llywelyn the Great defeats his uncle Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, one of two princes of Kingdom of Gwynedd, in battle.
1194	Richard is ransomed and returns to England; accession of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth to the throne of Gwynedd.
1194-02-04	Richard is released following the payment of fifty tons of silver to Austria.
1199	Death of Richard I, King John accedes to the English throne.
1199-04-06	Richard dies of a crossbow wound sustained two weeks earlier during a siege of Château de Châlus-Chabrol. He was succeeded as king of England by his brother John, King of England.
1209	King John excommunicated by Pope Innocent III.
1209-11	The pope Pope Innocent III excommunicates John.
1212	Great Fire of 1212 began in July in Southwark, London.
1215	Magna Carta is agreed by King John at Runnymede.
1215-06-15	John agrees to Magna Carta, granting political rights including the right to a fair trial to his barons.
1216	Death of King John, Henry III succeeds to the throne of England
1216-10-19	John dies of illness. He is succeeded as king of England by his son Henry III of England.
1237-09-25	Henry III and Alexander II of Scotland sign the Treaty of York, under which the latter renounced his claims on English territory in Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland.
1240-04-11	Death of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, prince of Wales; Dafydd ap Llywelyn succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd.
1246-02-25	Death of Dafydd ap Llywelyn; Llywelyn ap Gruffudd succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd (he does not claim the title of prince of Wales until 1258).
1249-07-06	Death of Alexander II, king of Scots; Alexander III succeeds to the throne of Scotland.
1263-10-02	Battle of Largs, an inconclusive battle, is fought between Haakon IV of Norway and the Scots.
1264-05-14	Simon de Montfort leads rebel English barons to defeat Henry III at the Battle of Lewes.
1265	Simon de Montfort was defeated at the Battle of Evesham, 5,000 men died in Greenhill and the streets of Evesham on 4 August 1265 Henry III at the Battle of Evesham.
1266-07-02	Scotland and Norway sign the Treaty of Perth under which Scottish control of the Western Isles is acknowledged.
1267-09-01	Henry III of England recognises the authority of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in Wales.
1272-11-16	Death of Henry III, Edward I succeeds to the English throne.
1277-07	England annexes Wales, a state of affairs which lasted until 1283.
1279	Statute of Mortmain.
1279	The first Statutes of Mortmain was passed
1282-12-11	Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, prince of Wales; Dafydd ap Gruffudd succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd.
1283-10-03	Death of Dafydd ap Gruffudd; English conquest of Wales.
1287	Revolt of Rhys ap Maredudd in Wales
1290	The second Statutes of Mortmain was passed (also known as Quia Emptores)
1294	Welsh revolt of 1294–95 of Madog ap Llywelyn in Wales
1294-09-29	Revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in Wales.
1297-09-11	William Wallace and the Scots defeat the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
1305-08-23	Capture and execution of Scottish resistance fighter William Wallace by the English on a charge of treason.
1306	Robert the Bruce kills John Comyn III of Badenoch and is crowned King of Scotland
1307-07-07	Death of Edward I, Edward II accedes to the English throne.
1314-06-24	Decisive victory for Scotland over England at the Battle of Bannockburn.
1316-01-28	Revolt of Llywelyn Bren in South Wales.
1322-03-16	Edward II defeats a rebellious baronial faction at Battle of Boroughbridge.
1327-01-25	Edward III usurps the English throne, Edward II is killed in September
1327-09-21	Edward II is killed.
1328	England recognises Scotland's independence in the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton
1338	Edward III claims the throne of France, initiating the Hundred Years' War.
1348-06-01	The Black Death first arrives in England and ultimately kills c. one third of the population.
1356-09-19	Battle of Poitiers.
1377-06-21	Death of Edward III, his grandson Richard II accedes to the English throne.
1381	Peasants' Revolt, began in May and ended in November
1381-05-30	Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
1381-11	Peasants' Revolt ends.
1392	Statute of Praemunire was enacted
1399-09-30	Henry Bolingbroke usurps the English throne becoming Henry IV.
1413	Henry IV dies and is succeeded by his son, Henry V
1413	Henry V takes the throne and begins to make new claims on the French throne.
1413-03-20	Henry IV dies and is succeeded by his son, Henry V.
1415	Henry V defeats a much larger French army at Agincourt and by 1419 the whole of Normandy was under English control.
1415-10-25	Henry V is welcomed back to England after a major victory at the Battle of Agincourt, France.
1422-08-31	Henry V dies and Henry VI becomes King of both England and France even though he is only one year old.
1436	Henry VI comes of age and assumes control of the throne.
1453	Hundred Years' War ends.
1455	Wars of the Roses began in May
1471-05-21	Henry VI is murdered and Edward IV is restored to the English throne.
1483-04-09	Death of Edward IV, Edward V accedes to the throne.
1485-08-22	The Battle of Bosworth Field ends the Yorkist reign of Richard III and ushers in Tudor reign, with the reign of Henry VII.
1487-06-16	The Battle of Stoke is fought between Henry VII and Lambert Simnel a Yorkist claimant to the throne. It is the last battle of the Wars of the Roses.
1509-04-22	England – Henry VIII crowned and married to Catherine of Aragon.
1513-09-09	England and Scotland – James IV and thousands of Scots killed in defeat at the battle of Flodden.
1513-09-21	Scotland – James V crowned King.
1516	England – Royal Mail is established.
1521	England – Lutheran writings begin to circulate.
1525	England – Henry VIII seeks an annulment of his marriage, which is refused.
1526	England – Cardinal Wolsey orders the burning of Lutheran books.
1532	Scotland – Creation of the College of Justice and the Court of Session.
1534-11-03	Act of Supremacy passed by Henry VIII
1534-12-18	England – Treasons Act 1534.
1535-06-22	England – Execution of Cardinal John Fisher.
1535-07-06	England – Execution of Thomas More.
1536-10-06	England – Execution of William Tindale in Antwerp.
1542-12-14	Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots, accedes to the Scottish throne.
1547-01-28	England – Edward VI crowned King.
1549-06-06	England – Prayer Book Rebellion in south-west starts.
1549-08-17	England – Prayer Book Rebellion in south-west ends.
1553-07-01	England – Mary I accedes to the throne.
1558	England loses possession of Calais.
1558	Mary was married to Francis, King of France in 1558 and before her marriage she signed away Scotlands sovreignty declaring that if she died before her husband, then Scotland would come under control of the French crown.
1558-11-17	England – Elizabeth I, the daughter of Anne Boleyn, takes the throne on Mary’s death.
1559-04-01	England – Act of Supremacy 1559.
1559-05-02	Scotland – John Knox returns from Geneva to promote Calvinism.
1560-08-01	Scotland – Parliament legislates protestant reformation of the Church of Scotland.
1563-06-04	Scotland – Witchcraft Act 1563.
1567-07-24	Scotland – The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates and flees Scotland after an uprising by Protestant lords
1571-05-01	England – Treasons Act 1571.
1582-04-14	Scotland – Establishment of the University of Edinburgh by Royal Charter.
1587-02-08	England and Scotland – Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire.
1588-08-08	England – Spanish Armada destroyed.
1592	Scotland – James VI enacts the "Golden Act" recognising the power of Presbyterianism within the Scottish church.
1603-03-24	England – Death of Queen Elizabeth I. James VI of Scotland crowned King of England (as James I of England).
1603-03-24	Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors died in Richmond Palace. She refused to name her successor but James VI of Scotland was crowned James I of England
1605-11-05	England and Scotland – The Gunpowder plot is uncovered, in which Guy Fawkes and others attempted to blow up the king, James VI and I and the Parliament of England.
1606-04-10	England – King James I issues the First Virginia Charter, establishing the Colony of Virginia in North America.
1618-10-29	England – Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh
1625-03-27	England and Scotland – Death of James VI and I.
1639	England and Scotland – Start of war in what became known as the Bishops' Wars.
1640-11-01	England – The Long Parliament summoned.
1642-08-22	England – English Civil War begins.
1644	England and Scotland – End of war in what became known as the Bishops' Wars.
1665	Plague sweeps the country
1666	The Great fire of London
1666-09-02	England – The Great Fire of London ravages the city.
1666-09-06	England – The Great Fire of London ends.
1685	Monmouth rising - ends 1688
1688	The Glorious Revolution - William and Mary
1688-12-11	England – The Glorious Revolution replaces James II with William III.
1689-04	Scotland – The Claim of Right Act 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of Scotland.
1689-12-16	England – The Bill of Rights 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of England.
1690	Battle of the Boyne
1692	The Glencoe Massacre
1694	The founding of the Bank of England
1694-07-27	England – The Bank of England is established.
1702	Queen Anne ascends to the throne
1707	The Act of Union
1707-05-01	The Kingdom of Great Britain comes into being and Queen Anne becomes its first monarch.
1708	Jacobite uprising
1712	The first steam engine
1713-04-11	Signing of the Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of the Spanish Succession.
1714	George I crowned King of England.
1714	Queen Anne dies
1714-08-01	Queen Anne dies. Accession of George I, Elector of Hanover.
1715	The Jacobite revolt under the 'Bonnie Price Charles'
1717	Foundation of the Freemasons
1721-04-03	Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
1727	George II crowned King of England
1727-06-11	King George I dies and George II ascends the throne.
1742-02-16	Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington becomes Prime Minister.
1743-08-27	Henry Pelham becomes Prime Minister.
1753	British Museum Established
1754-03-16	Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle becomes Prime Minister.
1755-04-15	Samuel Johnson published his A Dictionary of the English Language.
1756-11-16	William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire becomes Prime Minister.
1757-06-29	Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1760	George III crowned King of England
1760-10-25	King George II dies and George III ascends the throne.
1762-05-26	John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute becomes Prime Minister.
1763-04-16	George Grenville becomes Prime Minister.
1764	James Hargreaves invents the Spinning Jenny
1764	The Castle of Otranto is written and published, which was the first-ever story classed as a gothic horror story.
1765-07-13	Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister.
1766-07-30	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham becomes Prime Minister.
1768	Captain Cook's Voyage to Australia and New Zealand
1768-10-14	Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton becomes Prime Minister.
1770-01-28	Frederick North, Lord North becomes Prime Minister.
1772	Slavery Outlawed in England
1773	Parliament passes the Tea Act
1775	Start of the American War of Independence. Ends in 1783
1775-04-19	The American War of Independence begins.
1776-07-04	The Declaration of Independence is created and the new country is recognised as the USA.
1777-11	The world's first iron bridge called The Iron Bridge, is built-in Shropshire.
1779-07	Iron Bridge completed.
1782-03-27	Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1782-07-04	William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne becomes Prime Minister.
1783-04-02	William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland becomes Prime Minister.
1783-09-04	The American War of Independence ends with the Treaty of Paris.
1783-12-19	William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minister.
1785-01-01	The Times is first published and becomes the first newspaper to have borne that name, lending it to numerous other papers around the world, such as The New York Times.
1789	Start of the French Revolution, ends in 1799.
1796	Smallpox Vaccination started
1801-01-01	The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland comes into being, and King George III becomes its first monarch.
1801-03-17	Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth becomes Prime Minister.
1804-05-10	William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1805-10-21	The naval Battle of Trafalgar takes place.
1806-02-11	William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville becomes Prime Minister.
1807-03-25	The Slave Trade Act 1807 is passed.
1807-03-31	William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1808	Peninsular Wars. Wars against Napoleon in Spain. Ends in 1814
1809-10-04	Spencer Perceval becomes Prime Minister.
1810	Discovery of the first complete Icthyosaur by Mary Anning
1811	Ludite Riots begin
1812-06-08	Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool becomes Prime Minister.
1815-06-18	The Battle of Waterloo takes place.
1815-11-20	The Napoleonic Wars ends.
1819	Queen Victoria is born.
1819	SS Savannah undergoes the first steamship transatlantic crossing.
1820	George IV crowned King of England
1820-01-29	King George III dies and George IV ascends the throne.
1821-05-05	The Guardian is first published, as The Manchester Guardian.
1823	Discovery of Plesiosaurus by Mary Anning
1825	Stockton to Darlington railway opened
1825-09-27	The Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first public passenger railway, opens.
1826	The first photograph is taken.
1827-04-12	George Canning becomes Prime Minister.
1827-08-31	F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich becomes Prime Minister.
1828	Discovery of Pterodactylus by Mary Anning
1828-01-22	Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister.
1829	Scotland Yard Created
1829-04-13	The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 is passed.
1830	William IV crowned King of England
1830-06-26	King George IV dies and William IV ascends the throne.
1830-11-22	Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey becomes Prime Minister.
1831	Cholera epidemic
1832	Reform Act
1832-06-07	The Great Reform Act is passed, doubling the franchise.
1833-08-28	The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 gains royal assent, banning slavery throughout the British Empire.
1834	Slavery is banned in all British colonies.
1834	The Conservative Party is founded.
1834-07-16	William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne becomes Prime Minister.
1834-08-14	The New Poor Law is passed.
1834-11-17	Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1834-12-10	Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister.
1835	Isambard Kingdom Brunel starts to build the London to Bristol railway for GWR. It is completed in 1841.
1835-04-18	William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1837	Charles Dickens publishes his first novel Pickwick Papers.
1837	Queen Victoria is crowned.
1837	William IV dies
1837-06-20	The reign of Queen Victoria begins.
1838-08-01	The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 enters into force, abolishing slavery in the British Empire.
1840	Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert.
1840	The Penny post service is introduced.
1840-01-10	The first postage stamps (Penny Post) come into use.
1840-06-01	Vaccination for the poor is introduced.
1841-08-30	Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1842	The first peacetime income tax is introduced.
1844	Potato famine in Ireland.
1845	Brunel builds the S.S. Great Britain, the first steamship driven by propeller.
1846-01-27	The Corn Laws are repealed.
1846-06-30	John Russell, 1st Earl Russell becomes Prime Minister.
1847	Jane Erye by Charlotte Bronte is published.
1847	Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is published.
1848	“Communist Manifesto" is published byKarl Marx and Frederich Engels.
1848-02-01	The Communist Manifesto is published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
1850	The East Coast Main Line opens.
1851	Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace.
1851-05-01	The Great Exhibition opens.
1852-02-23	Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister.
1852-12-19	George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen becomes Prime Minister.
1853	Crimean war starts. Ends in 1856
1853-10-13	The Crimean War 1853-10-16 to 1856-03-30 fought between Russia and a British alliance who feared Russian expansion in the Balkans, resulting in allied victory.
1854	Doctor John Snow discovers that cholera is from contaminated water.
1855-02-06	Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston becomes Prime Minister.
1855-06-29	The Daily Telegraph is first published.
1858-02-20	Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1859	‘Origin of Species’ is published by Charles Darwin.
1859-06-12	Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1861	Prince Albert dies of typhoid fever aged 42.
1861-12-14	Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies at the age of 42.
1863-01-10	The London Underground opens, the oldest underground railway network in the world.
1865-10-29	John Russell, 1st Earl Russell becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1866-06-28	Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
1867	A new law is introduced by Disraeli so that all taxpayers can now vote.
1867-08-15	The 1867 Reform Act doubles the franchise and the Dominion of Canada was created.
1868	The last shipment of convicts to Australia sets sail from England.
1868-02-27	Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister.
1868-05-29	The last public execution is carried out.
1868-12-03	William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister.
1869	The West Coast Main Line opens.
1870-02-17	The Elementary Education Act 1870 is passed, introducing universal education in England and Wales.
1872-08-06	The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 expands access to primary education and makes it compulsory in Scotland.
1874-02-20	Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1877	Telephones, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, are commercially available.
1877	Thomas Edison invents the phonograph.
1879	Electric light-bulb invented by Thomas Edison.
1879	Zulu War begins.
1880-04-23	William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1880-08-26	The Elementary Education Act 1880 is passed, making primary schooling compulsory in England and Wales.
1885	Karl Benz builds the first automobile.
1885-06-23	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister.
1885-06-25	The Reform Act 1885 is passed.
1886-02-01	William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
1886-06-21	Construction begins on Tower Bridge in London.
1886-07-25	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1887-11-01	The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes first appears in print.
1888	The murderous Jack the Ripper terrorises the East End of London.
1892-08-15	William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the fourth time.
1894-03-05	Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery becomes Prime Minister.
1895-06-25	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
1896-05-04	The Daily Mail is first published.
1900-02-27	The Labour Party is founded.
1901	Marconi transmits a radio signal across the Atlantic.
1901-01-22	Queen Victoria dies and Edward VII ascends the throne.
1902-05-31	Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Second Boer War.
1902-07-12	Arthur Balfour becomes Prime Minister.
1902-08-09	Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra.
1903-09-01	The Lib-Lab pact enables Labour to break into national politics.
1904-04-08	Entente Cordiale signed between Britain and France
1904-07-09	England – Tea arrives in Britain.
1905-04-14	The Dominion of Canada later has more recognition as Canada.
1905-12-05	Henry Campbell-Bannerman becomes Prime Minister.
1908-04-05	H. H. Asquith becomes Prime Minister.
1908-04-27	The Summer Olympics open at White City in London.
1908-10-27	Parliament approves old age pensions.
1910-05-06	Edward VII dies and George V ascends the throne.
1911-06-22	Coronation of George V and Mary.
1912-04-13	Royal Flying Corps established.
1912-04-14	The RMS Titanic sinks 14 & 15 April after hitting an iceberg. Over 1500 crew and passengers die.
1914-08-04	World War I starts. Great Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium.
1914-11-05	Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
1916-12-06	David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister.
1918-02-06	Women get the vote for the first time – women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification could vote as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1918.
1918-04-01	The Royal Air Force is founded, becoming the first independent air force in the world.
1918-11-11	World War I ends.
1919-12-01	Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in parliament.
1921	British road numbering scheme starts..
1922-10-18	The BBC is founded as the British Broadcasting Company.
1922-10-23	Bonar Law becomes Prime Minister.
1923-05-22	Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister.
1924-01-22	Ramsay MacDonald becomes Prime Minister.
1924-11-04	Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1926-05-04	The 1926 United Kingdom general strike starts.
1926-05-12	The 1926 United Kingdom general strike ends.
1928-07-02	Women receive the right to vote on the same terms as men (over the age of 21) as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1928.
1928-09-01	The first film with dialogue is shown in Britain, The Jazz Singer.
1928-09-30	Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.
1929-06-05	Ramsay MacDonald becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1934-11-30	The LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman built in Doncaster becomes the first steam locomotive to reach 26.8 m/s (100 mph \| 160 km/h).
1935-06-07	Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
1936-01-20	George V dies and Edward VIII ascends the throne.
1936-10-05	The Jarrow March protest starts.
1936-10-31	The Jarrow March protest ends.
1936-12-10	Edward VIII abdicates the throne over his proposal to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Automatic accession of George VI.
1937-05-12	Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth.
1937-05-28	Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister.
1937-06-30	First available in the London area, the 999 telephone number is introduced as the world's first emergency telephone service.
1938-07-03	The LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard built in Doncaster breaks the land speed record for the fastest steam locomotive, reaching 56.4 m/s (203 km/h \| 126 mph); the record still stands.
1939-09-03	British entry into World War II.
1940-05-10	Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.
1945-05-08	World War II ends in Europe.
1945-07-26	Clement Attlee becomes Prime Minister.
1945-10-24	Britain becomes a founding member of the United Nations.
1947-08-15	India gains independence from Britain.
1948-01-01	British Rail is established.
1948-07-05	The National Health Service is founded, bringing state-funded healthcare to all.
1948-07-29	London hosts the 1948 Summer Olympics.
1948-08-14	London 1948 Summer Olympics ends.
1948-11-14	Birth of Charles, Prince of Wales.
1950-08-15	Birth of Anne, Princess Royal.
1950-08-29	British troops arrive to support US forces in the Korean War.
1951-10-26	Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1952	Autocode, regarded as the first compiled programming language, is developed by Alick Glennie.
1952-02-06	Death of George VI. Automatic accession of Elizabeth II.
1953-04-25	James Watson and Francis Crick publish their discovery of the structure of DNA.
1953-06-02	Coronation of Elizabeth II.
1954-05-06	Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile with a time of 3:59.4
1955-04-06	Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister.
1955-09-22	Commercial television starts with the first ITV broadcast.
1956-10-17	Britain opens its first nuclear power station, Calder Hall.
1957-01-10	Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister.
1958-12-05	The British motorway system opens with the M6 Preston bypass.
1960-02-19	Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
1961-07-01	Birth of Diana, Princess of Wales.
1963-03-27	The first report of the Beeching cuts – a railway restructuring plan – was published, The Reshaping of British Railways.
1963-10-19	Alec Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister but lasts only 363 days.
1964-03-10	Birth of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
1964-10-16	Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister.
1965-01-24	Death of Sir Winston Churchill.
1965-11-08	The death penalty is abolished officially.
1967-07-27	The Sexual Offences Act 1967 legalises homosexuality between men over 21.
1967-10-27	The Abortion Act 1967 is passed, legalising abortion on certain grounds.
1969-03-02	Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner, makes its maiden flight.
1970-06-19	Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister.
1971-02-15	Decimal Day; the United Kingdom introduces a decimalised currency.
1972-01-22	The United Kingdom signs the Treaty of Accession in a ceremony in Brussels which was attended by Prime Minister Edward Heath in preparedness for membership of the European Communities from 1 January 1973.
1973-01-01	The United Kingdom joins and becomes a member state of the European Communities.
1974-03-04	Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1975-06-05	The United Kingdom chooses to remain a member state of the European Communities in a non-binding referendum.
1976-04-05	James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister.
1976-09-01	Britain becomes the first major Western state to be forced to ask to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund.
1978-07-25	Louise Brown becomes the first human in history to be born via in vitro fertilisation.
1979-05-04	Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister.
1979-08-27	The IRA kill the Queen's cousin Lord Mountbatten.
1981-06-24	The Humber Bridge opens, the longest single-span bridge in the world.
1981-07-29	Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
1982-04-02	The Falklands War is fought against Argentina, resulting in a British victory and the United Kingdom reclaiming the Falkland Islands.
1982-06-14	The Falklands War is fought against Argentina, resulting in a British victory and the United Kingdom reclaiming the Falkland Islands.
1982-06-21	Birth of Prince William of Wales.
1982-11-02	Channel 4 launches across most of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
1984-03-06	The UK miners' strike takes place, a major strike and protest to prevent Margaret Thatcher's government from closing down the British coal mining industry.
1984-09-15	Birth of Prince Harry of Wales.
1985-03-03	Miners Strike ends
1986-12-25	The Christmas episode of the soap opera EastEnders becomes the most-watched programme in the United Kingdom with a viewing of 30.1 million.
1988-03-03	The Liberal Democrats are founded.
1989-03-12	Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.
1990-11-28	John Major becomes Prime Minister.
1991-05-18	Helen Sharman becomes the first British person and the first European woman in space.
1991-05-26	Helen Sharman becomes the first British person and the first European woman in space.
1994-05-06	The Channel Tunnel opens, the first physical connection between the United Kingdom and France.
1996	A sheep named Dolly becomes the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.
1997-05-02	Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister.
1997-07-01	The United Kingdom hands Hong Kong back to China, marking the end of the British Empire.
1997-08-31	Diana, Princess of Wales, dies due to a traffic collision in Paris.
1999-05-06	First elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly take place which will now be responsible for aspects of Scotland and Wales's governance.
1999-12-02	The Good Friday Agreement comes into effect, two agreements intended to bring about the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
1999-12-31	The Millennium Dome and London Eye are opened to mark the new millennium.
2002-02-09	Princess Margaret dies.
2002-03-30	Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother dies aged 101.
2003-03-20	The United Kingdom, alongside the US, invades Iraq.
2005-04-09	Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
2007-06-27	Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister.
2010-05-11	David Cameron becomes Prime Minister.
2011-04-29	Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
2012-03-30	The Shard tops out in construction, becoming the tallest building in Western Europe.
2012-07-27	London hosts the Olympic Games for the third time.
2013-07-17	Same-sex marriage is legalised in the United Kingdom.
2013-07-22	Birth of Prince George of Cambridge.
2014-09-18	The Scottish independence referendum takes place; Scotland decides to remain part of the United Kingdom.
2015-05-02	Birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
2015-09-09	Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
2015-12-15	Tim Peake becomes the first British ESA astronaut to board the International Space Station.
2016-06-23	The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union.
2016-07-13	Theresa May becomes the second female Prime Minister.
2016-08-05	Great Britain ranks second on the 2016 Summer Olympics medal table with 27 Gold Medals, the best result since 1908.
2018-04-23	Birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge.
2018-05-19	Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
2019-01-15	The motion to approve the Brexit withdrawal agreement – otherwise known as the "meaningful vote" – was rejected 202–432. This was the largest defeat on a government motion in history.
2019-07-24	Theresa May formally tenders her resignation as prime minister to Elizabeth II, and is succeeded by Boris Johnson.
2020-01-31	The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union.
2020-03-23	A national lockdown takes place due to the coronavirus pandemic. Freedom of movement is restricted and this becomes enforceable in law. Non-essential shops and services close.
2022-09-08	Elizabeth II dies aged 96, seven months after her Platinum Jubilee. Automatic accession of Charles III. Aged 73, he becomes the oldest person to accede to the throne.
2022-10-20	Liz Truss resigns as prime minister after 44 days, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.
2022-10-25	Rishi Sunak becomes the first prime minister of Asian descent.
2023-05-06	Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
2024-07-04	General election. Labour wins a large parliamentary majority with 411 seats, ending 14 years of Conservative-led government.
2024-05-05	Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister, succeeding Rishi Sunak and forming the first Labour government since 2010.
2024-07-29	Three children are killed in a knife attack at a dance event in Southport. The attack is followed by widespread riots and disorder across parts of England and Northern Ireland.
2024-10-30	Rachel Reeves delivers the first Labour Budget since 2010 and becomes the first woman to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
2024-12-15	The UK formally joins the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), becoming the first European member of the trade bloc.
2025-05-08	The UK marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, commemorating the end of the Second World War in Europe.
2025-08-15	The UK marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, commemorating the end of the Second World War and the final defeat of Japan.
2026-05-15	The first phase report of the Southport Inquiry is published, examining the circumstances surrounding the 2024 attack and making 67 recommendations.
2026-07-18	England finish third in the FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6–4 in the bronze medal match, their best World Cup finish since winning in 1966.
2026-07-20	Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister, succeeding Keir Starmer. He becomes the seventh Prime Minister since 2016.

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