A Marriage of Inconvenience
1565 Mary, Queen of Scots married her cousin Lord Darnley (Henry Stuart) in the Old Abbey Chapel at Holyrood, Edinburgh, thus alienating Scottish protestants and England because Darnley was a Catholic heir to the throne.
The King of Scotland
1567 James VI was crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.
The Birth of British Naval Supremacy
1588 The Spanish Armada was sighted off the coast of Cornwall. The English fleet under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, to establish the birth of British naval supremacy.
An Untimely Death
1833 William Wilberforce, English campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire died, a month before the Slavery Abolition Act was passed.
Show me the Way to Tipperary
1848 The Tipperary Revolt took place in the village of Ballingarry, County Tipperary, in protest at British rule. After being chased by a force of Young Irelanders and their supporters, an Irish Constabulary unit raided a house and took those inside as hostages. A gunfight lasting for several hours followed, but the rebels fled after a large group of police reinforcements arrived.
Dennis the Menace
1938 Dennis the Menace first appeared in the ‘Beano’ comic.
14th Olympic Games
1948 King George VI opened the 14th Olympic Games opened in London – the first time the Games had been held in 12 years, due to World War II.
Family Planning
1964 The Brook Advisory Clinic opened to give family planning advice to unmarried couples.
The Beatles in San Francisco
1966 British pop group The Beatles made their last live appearance – in San Francisco.
RIP John Barbirolli
1970 John Barbirolli, English conductor died.
The Southend Fire
1976 Fire destroyed the famous pierhead at the end of the world’s longest pier, in Southend, on England’s south-east coast.
An Unhappy Marriage
1981 The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. The televised ceremony was watched by over 700 million viewers around the world.
The Great Leveller
2010 A luxury car valued at £1.2m was clamped outside Harrods in central London after being illegally parked. The Koenigsegg CCXR (one of only six ever made) was released for £70 as the parking fine was paid within 14 days.
