The English Bible
1536 King Henry VIII ordered that English language Bibles be placed in every church.
Lord Protector
1659 English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removed Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.
Post Stamps
1840 The first postage stamps, the ‘Penny Black’ and two-penny ‘blues’, which were the brainchild of Roland Hill, officially went on sale in Britain.
King George V
1910: Following the death of King Edward VII, George V acceded to the throne. He celebrated his Silver Jubilee with Queen Mary in 1935.
A Short Mile
1954 Roger Bannister, a 25 year old British medical student, became the first man to run a mile in less than four minute (at the Iffley Road Sports Ground, Oxford). His time was 3 minute 59.4 seconds.
Cod Wars
1959 Icelandic gunboats fire lived ammunition at British trawlers during a Cod War between Britain and Iceland over fishing rights in the North Sea.
TV Wedding
1960 Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, married Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in London. It was the first televised royal wedding and was watched by more than 20 million viewers.
Double First
1961 The first football team to achieve the double (FA Cup and League champions), was Tottenham Hotspur led by Danny Blanchflower when they beat Leicester City 2-0 to win the Cup at Wembley.
Moors Murderers
1966 At Chester Crown Court, ‘Moors murderers’ Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were found guilty of torturing and killing several children before burying their bodies on the moors north of Manchester.
Busy Tone
1990 London telephone codes changed to 071 and 081 (replacing 01).
The Channel Tunnel
1994 The Queen and France’s President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel during two elaborate ceremonies in France and Britain.
Independence Day
1997 The Bank of England was given independence from political control. It was the most significant change in its 300-year history.
Devolution
1999 In an historic vote, electors in Scotland and Wales went to the polls to chose their representatives for the newly-devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.
