The April Fools’ Day
All Fools’ Day, also known as April Fools’ Day is a day for practical hoaxes and hoaxes, but only until 12 noon. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392).
About Circulation
1578 William Harvey, the English physician who explained the circulation of blood, was born.
Kew
1841 The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, originally created from the 9 acres of Princess Augusta’s botanic garden, was opened to the public.
Hard Times
1854 Hard Times began serialisation in Charles Dickens’ magazine, Household Words. It was the tenth novel by Charles Dickens and was aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times.
Before the Titanic
1873 The British steamer RMS Atlantic (a transatlantic ocean liner of the White Star Line) ran onto rocks and sank off Nova Scotia, killing 547. It remained the deadliest civilian maritime disaster in history until the sinking of the Danish liner SS Norge in 1904.
Dad’s Army
1908 The foundation of the Territorial Force, (renamed the Territorial Army in 1920.) It was formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
Flying the Flag
1918 The Royal Air Force was formed. It incorporated the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
Happy Birthday, Ireland
1949 The 26 counties of the Irish Free State became the Republic of Ireland.
The Birth of VAT
1973 Britain introduced VAT (Value Added Tax). It replaced Purchase Tax and Selective Employment Tax.
Skinny-Dipping at Brighton Beach
1980 Britain’s first nudist beach opened at Brighton.
Nuclear Valley
1983 Tens of thousands of peace demonstrators formed a human chain stretching for 14 miles, lining a route along what the protesters called “Nuclear Valley” in Berkshire.
The Roof Protest
1990 Up to 1,000 prisoners staged a riot at Strangeways Prison in Manchester in a violent protest against overcrowding. It was the longest prison riot in British history and lasted until 25th April. One remand prisoner died.
Secret of the Enigma
2000 The Enigma machine, used by the Germans to encrypt messages in the Second World War, was stolen from Bletchley Park,
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