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Date |
Event(s) |
1 | 1921 | - 1921—1921:
Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies - only four remained
- 1921—1921:
Insulin discovery announced
- 1921—1921:
First birth control clinic
- 1921—1921:
SA - Diamond mines closed down in Kimberley, economic depression.
- 19 Jun 1921—19 Jun 1921:
Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million
- 6 Dec 1921—6 Dec 1921:
Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free
State and Northern Ireland
|
2 | 1922 | - 1922—1922:
Law of Property Act - the manorial system effectively ended
- 1 Jun 1922—1 Jun 1922:
Royal Ulster Constabulary founded
- Oct 1922—Oct 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)
- 4 Oct 1922—1922:
SA - Inauguration of Witwatersrand University.
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3 | 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
- 1923—1923:
SA - Platinum discovered in Waterberg district of Transvaal.
- 1 Jan 1923—1 Jan 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 Feb 1923—16 Feb 1923:
Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
- 28 Apr 1923—28 Apr 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 Sep 1923—28 Sep 1923:
First publication of Radio Times
|
4 | 1924 | - 4 Jan 1924—4 Jan 1924:
First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald
- 5 Feb 1924—5 Feb 1924:
Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were
first broadcast by the BBC
- 31 Mar 1924—31 Mar 1924:
British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British
airline companies - became BOAC in 1940)
- 17 Jun 1924—1924:
SA - General elections in South Africa.
|
5 | 1925 | - 1925—1925:
Britain returns to gold standard
- 1925—1925:
SA - South Africa reverts to gold standard. Afrikaans constituted an official language.
- 18 Jul 1925—18 Jul 1925:
Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
|
6 | 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 Apr 1926—21 Apr 1926:
Princess Elizabeth born
- 3 May 1926—3 May 1926:
General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)
- 31 Oct 1926—31 Oct 1926:
Death of Harry Houdini
|
7 | 1927 | - 1927—1927:
Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer)
- 7 Jan 1927—7 Jan 1927:
First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London
- 22 Jan 1927—22 Jan 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 Jul 1927—24 Jul 1927:
The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
|
8 | 1928 | - 1928—1928:
Women over 21 get vote in Britain - same qualification for both sexes
- 26 Apr 1928—26 Apr 1928:
Madame Tussauds opens in London
- 15 Sep 1928—15 Sep 1928:
Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
|
9 | 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
|
10 | 1930 | - 1930—1930:
First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag
- 1930—1930:
Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain
- 1930—1930:
SA - White women receive the vote.
- 30 Jan 1930—30 Jan 1930:
Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
- 31 Jan 1930—31 Jan 1930:
3M begins marketing Scotch Tape
- 6 Mar 1930—6 Mar 1930:
Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas
- 5 Oct 1930—5 Oct 1930:
R101 airship disaster - British abandons airship construction
|
11 | 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 Apr 1931—14 Apr 1931:
Highway Code first issued
- 26 Apr 1931—26 Apr 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 Oct 1931—21 Oct 1931:
National Government formed to deal with economic crisis - Britain comes off
gold standard
|
12 | 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
- 1932—1932:
SA - Airmail service between South Africa and Britain started in January. Wireless telephone communication established with Britain in February.
- 21 May 1932—21 May 1932:
Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot
- 3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932:
Iraq gains independence from Britain
- 3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932:
'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface
|
13 | 1933 | - 1933—1933:
ICI scientists discover polythene
- 1933—1933:
Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year
- 1933—1933:
SA - South Africa House opened in London. Afrikaans Bible issued.
- 12 Nov 1933—12 Nov 1933:
First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
|
14 | 1934 | - 1934—1934:
Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany
- 1934—1934:
SA - Union Airways acquired by government on 01 August 1936. South African Broadcasting Corporation established.
- 18 Jul 1934—18 Jul 1934:
King George V opens Mersey Tunnel
- 26 Sep 1934—26 Sep 1934:
RMS Queen Mary launched
- 30 Nov 1934—30 Nov 1934:
First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
|
15 | 1935 | - 1935—1935:
London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme
- 1935—1935:
Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell
- 28 Feb 1935—28 Feb 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 Mar 1935—12 Mar 1935:
Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas
in Britain
- 1 Jun 1935—1 Jun 1935:
Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK
- 30 Jul 1935—30 Jul 1935:
Penguin paperbacks launched
|
16 | 1936 | - 1936—1936:
Jet engine first tested
- 20 Jan 1936—20 Jan 1936:
George V dies
- 5 May 1936—5 May 1936:
First flight of a Spitfire
- 24 Jul 1936—24 Jul 1936:
'Speaking clock' service starts in UK
- 2 Nov 1936—2 Nov 1936:
British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's
first public TV transmission
- 30 Nov 1936—30 Nov 1936:
Crystal Palace destroyed by fire
- 5 Dec 1936—5 Dec 1936:
Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) - popular carol that Christmas:
'Hark the Herald Angels sing Mrs Simpson's got our King'
|
17 | 1937 | - 1937—1937:
'999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London
- 1937—1937:
Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp
- 12 Apr 1937—12 Apr 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 Jun 1937—3 Jun 1937:
Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson
- 4 Dec 1937—4 Dec 1937:
'The Dandy' first published
|
18 | 1938 | - 1938—1938:
SA - Great Trek Centenary celebrations.
- 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 Mar 1938—12 Mar 1938:
Germany invades and annexes Austria
- 3 Jul 1938—3 Jul 1938:
'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive
- 27 Sep 1938—27 Sep 1938:
Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank
- 29 Sep 1938—29 Sep 1938:
Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich - promises 'peace in our time'
- 30 Oct 1938—30 Oct 1938:
Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA
|
19 | 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 Sep 1939—1 Sep 1939:
Germany invades Poland
- 3 Sep 1939—3 Sep 1939:
Britain and France declare war on Germany
- 6 Sep 1939—6 Sep 1939:
First air-raid on Britain
- 11 Sep 1939—11 Sep 1939:
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France
- 14 Oct 1939—14 Oct 1939:
HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives
- 7 Dec 1939—7 Dec 1939:
'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain - 7,400 men on 5 ships
- 17 Dec 1939—17 Dec 1939:
'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo
|
20 | 1940 | - 1 Apr 1940—1 Apr 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 Jun 1940—25 Jun 1940:
Fall of France to Germany
- 7 Sep 1940—7 Sep 1940:
Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of
bombing
- 15 Sep 1940—15 Sep 1940:
Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the
RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain
- 14 Nov 1940—14 Nov 1940:
Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
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