JANUARY January 1 France abolished its passport system (1860). January 3 Sir Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole (1958). January 4 First appendicitis operation performed (1885). January 5 France passed a law making French the only language permitted in French advertising (1976). January 6 The first opera, 'The Magic Flute', was broadcast in Britain (1923). January 8 Herman Hollerith patented his tabulator device for data processing (1889). January 9 New York State introduced a bill to outlaw flirting in public (1902). January 10 The London Underground system was started (1863). January 13 The world's largest airport was opened in Dallas, Texas, USA (1974). January 15 James Hetherington was fined £50 for wearing his new creation, the top hat, London (1797). January 16 Ivan the Terrible, first Russian Tsar, crowned (1547). January 17 Captain Cook's ship, the 'Resolution' was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle (1773). January 18 First English tragedy, 'Gordobuc', by Sackville and Norton, first performed (1561). January 20 The First Fleet sent to Botany Bay arrived in New South Wales (1788). January 22 First broadcast of a football match took place at Highbury, London (1927). January 23 The Royal Exchange, London, was opened by Queen Elizabeth (1571). January 24 US Supreme Court ruled income tax is unconstitutional (1916). January 25 US journalist Nelly Bly completed a round-the-world trip in just over 73 days (1890). January 26 The Rugby Union was founded (1871). January 27 A patent for the electric lamp was taken out by Thomas Edison (1879). January 29 'Desert Island Discs' was first broadcast (1942). January 30 Yves Saint Laurent, aged 22, held his first major fashion show, Paris (1958). January 31 The Palace Theatre, London, opened as the Royal Opera House (1891). FEBRUARY February 1 The Times newspaper published its first crossword (1930). February 4 The world's largest hovercraft (165 tonnes) was launched at Cowes (1968). February 6 Agreement was reached between Britain and France on a Channel Tunnel (1964). February 7 The main group of the Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered (1947). February 8 The Great Frost of London ended (1740). February 9 Lieutenant Dawson's expedition in search of Dr Livingstone began (1872). February 10 First gold disc presented to Glenn Miller (1942). February 11 First weekly weather report was issued by the Meteorological Office (1878). February 12 In the USA, it was announced that a material harder that diamond had been made (1957). February 13 Strauss' waltz 'The Blue Danube' was first played in Vienna (1867). February 14 The Bank of England was nationalised (1946). February 15 Britain changed over to decimal currency (1971). February 16 US nuclear submarine 'Triton' set off on an underwater round-the-world trip (1960). February 17 The inner tomb of Tutankhamun was opened at Luxor by Lord Carnarvon (1923). February 19 William Kellogg founded Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake Company (1906). February 21 Identity cards were abolished in Britain (1952). February 22 Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his first 'five-and-ten-cent-store' in New York (1879). February 23 Lawn tennis, then called 'Sphairistike' was patented (1874). February 24 The 'Flying Scotsman' went into service (1923). February 25 Paper currency, called 'greenbacks', was first issued in the USA by Abraham Lincoln (1862). February 26 The Bank of England issued its first one-pound note (1797). February 27 Borley Rectory, England's most haunted house, burned down (1939). February 28 A General Election in Britain resulted in no overall majority (1974). February 29 The discovery of the first pulsar was announced by Dr Jocelyn Bell (1968). MARCH March 1 Vivien Leigh won an Oscar for her performance in the film 'Gone With The Wind' (1940). March 2 The French prototype Concorde made its first test flight (1969). March 4 North Sea gas was first piped ashore near Durham (1967). March 6 First frozen food put on sale by the Birdseye company (1930). March 7 At Heathrow Airport, London, armed raiders stole £850,000 worth of diamonds and currency (1977). March 10 The first British Census began (1801). March 11 First telephone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell (1876). March 12 In Britain a 30 mph speed limit was imposed for cars in built-up areas (1935). March 14 First transatlantic radio broadcast was made (1925). March 15 The London department store, Selfridges, opened (1909). March 18 The telephone link between London and Paris was opened (1891). March 20 The British Council was established (1935). March 21 The London Planetarium opened (1958). March 24 The University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge ended in a dead heat (1877). March 28 Electric lighting was installed in the Houses of Parliament (1878). March 29 Coca Cola went on sale in the USA, marketed as a 'brain tonic' (1886). March 30 USA bought Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 (1867). March 31 Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leader, fled from Chinese-occupied Tibet (1959). APRIL April 1 The World's first meteorological satellite, Tiros 1, was launched by the USA (1960). April 3 Jewellery of the late Duchess of Windsor raised over £31,000,000 at auction in Geneva (1987). April 5 The first driverless electric trains ran on London's Underground (1964). April 7 In France, the meter was made the official measuring unit of length (1795). April 10 Bananas were displayed in a London shop window for the first time (1633). April 14 Noah Webster's 'American Dictionary of the English Language' was published (1828). April 15 Dr Samual Johnson published his 'Dictionary' (1755). April 17 Premium Savings Bonds were introduced in Britain (1956). April 18 Old London Bridge sold to a US company, who shipped it, stone by stone, to Arizona (1968). April 19 American film actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainer III of Monaco (1956). April 21 The City of Rome was founded (753 BC). April 24 Joshua Slocum set sail from Boston, USA, on the first solo round-the-world voyage (1895). April 25 The guillotine was first erected in Paris (1792). April 28 Crew of the ship Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied against their captain (1789). April 30 France sold Louisiana to the USA (1803). MAY May 1 Empire State Building in New York completed at a cost of $41,000,000 (1931). May 2 A mugger robbed a City messenger of his suitcase, containing 292 bearer bonds, worth £1 million each (1990). May 5 SAS soldiers stormed the Iranian Embassy, freeing 19 hostages and killing 4 of 5 terrorists, London (1980). May 6 Dutch settler Peter Minuit bought Manhattan island from native Americans for about $25 (1626). Channel Tunnel between England and France, officially opened (1994). May 7 Infertility specialist Dr Cecil Jacobson imprisoned after impregnating patients with his own sperm (1992). May 8 Thames Barrier, the largest mechanical barrier in the world, opened at Woolwich, London (1984). May 11 Siam changed its name to Thailand (1949). May 12 British Army disciplined Sapper Philip Maton for taking a tank on an 80 mile joyride to show his parents (1983). May 15 James Hatfield attempted to assassinate King George III at a theatre in Drury Lane, London (1833). Flying doctor service began in Australia, started by Dr Vincent Walsh in Queensland (1928). May 16 Dave Crosby and Graham Nash both married at a double wedding, California, USA (1987). May 17 Philips of Holland and Sony of Japan announce the arrival of the compact disk (1978). A man from Atlanta, Georgia, returned from holiday to find his entire 5-bedroom house had been stolen (1993). May 18 State of Texas revealed that its 17,000,000 residents owned, on average, 4 guns each (1993). In Pantydwr, Wales, 20 sheep flew after a whirlwind picked them up and dump them in a field 1Km away (1993). May 19 A 200 years old calculator valued by Christie's at £20,000, sold for £7,700,000, London (1993). May 21 MPs ruled that Bill Heine could keep his 8m fibreglass shark embedded in the roof of his terraced house (1992). May 22 Cardiff man Paul Powell jailed for 14 days for contempt of court after wolf-whistling at a female juror, Wales (1993). May 23 Star Trek—The Next Generation went off the air after an epic 2 hour farewell episode, USA (1994). Royal Canadian Mounted Police established (1873). May 27 A jinxed 6 month trial ended, after the death of the judge, a juror, a junior barrister, London (1988). JUNE June 6 Factory Act restricted women workers to a 12 hour day, and children were limited to 6.5 hours (1844). June 9 Cartoon character Donald Duck made his screen debut in 'The Wise Little Hen' (1934). June 11 First oil pumped ashore from British oilfields in the North Sea (1975). June 13 An escaped bear which was terrorising villagers was captured by police after it became drunk (1993). June 14 Peasant's Revolt when rebels killed Archbishop Sudbury, the Chancellor and the Treasurer (1380). June 16 Pepsi-Cola tradename registered (1903). Mixed bathing allowed for the first time in the Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park, London (1930). June 20 Bookmakers William Hill offered 1000:1 odds on any British tennis player winning Wimbledon (1992). June 22 Wimbledon umpire Dorothy Cavis-Brown fell asleep during a tennis match on Court 3 (1964). June 23 Prince Charles awarded a 2:2 in history at Cambridge (1970). June 24 First Freemason's Lodge inaugurated, London (1717). Jacqueline Bouvier announced her engagement to US senator, John F Kennedy (1953). June 25 Robert Hitcock lost his radio license and was fined £3,500 after being convicted of clogging the airwaves (1993). June 26 Duke of Windsor married twice-divorced American Mrs Wallis Simpson, France (1937). June 27 Italian prostitutes offered a day of free sex to protest against foreign girls undercutting their prices (1993). June 28 Florence announced that all horses within the city must wear underwear, Italy (1990). June 29 Globe Theatre destroyed by fire, London (1613). American playwrite Arthur Miller married actress Marilyn Monroe (1956). June 30 Scientists added 1 second to Universal Time because of the minute slowing down of Earth's rotation (1994). JULY July 1 Coca-Cola adopted their famous contoured bottle (1916). Cartoon character 'Popeye' created by American Elzie Segar (1929). July 2 Salvation Army was formed by William Booth at a revivalist meeting at Whitechapel, London (1865). Ilona Staller, a pornography film star, elected to the Italian Parliament (1987). July 3 A British steam locomotive, Mallard, travelled at 126mph setting the new world speed record (1928). July 4 Born Louis Armstrong, American jazz musician and singer (1900). July 8 British jewellery retailer Gerald Ratner publicly apologised for calling his products 'total crap' (1991). July 12 Panama Canal opened by president Wilson (1920). July 13 Two simultaneous 'Live Aid' concerts, raised over £50,000,000 for famine in Africa (1985). July 16 Prostitutes, dressed as nurses, were held by police after using an ambulance as a travelling brothel (1992). July 19 Frank Sinatra married Mia Farrow, Las Vegas (1966). July 21 Trans Siberian railway completed, covering 9,311Km from Moscow to Vladivostok (1904). Swedish inland revenue alleged pop group 'Abba' evaded tax totalling £4,600,000 (1984). July 26 National Ice Cream Week opened, and it was revealed that Britons spend £760 million a year on the confectionery (1992). July 27 The Bank of England was founded (1694). July 28 In Germany, an 8 inch and 15 oz Yorkshire Terrier, claimed to be the World's smallest dog, was bred (1993). July 29 NASA, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, was created (1958). Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer at London's St Paul's Cathedral (1981). July 31 The first ever close up pictures of the moon were returned to Earth by the US Ranger 7 (1964). AUGUST August 1 The first English Mars Bars, made in Slough, Berkshire, went on sale (1932). The first ever pictures of Mars were beamed back to Earth by satellite (1969). August 3 A giant planet, 30,000 times bigger than the Earth was discovered orbiting a star outside our solar system (1988). It was announced that the average employee wasted a week and a half a year waiting for the kettle to boil (1992). August 4 US actor Harrison Ford signed a record-breaking five movie deal which would earn him £26 million (1992). August 5 ANC leader Nelson Mandela arrested and given a life sentence for attempting to overthrow the South African government (1962). August 6 The Savoy Hotel in London was opened (1889). August 7 A UFO was seen over the city of Basle in Switzerland and recorded in an illustration on a woodcut (1556). Buckingham Palace officially opened its doors to an expected 40,000 visitors during an eight week period (1993). August 8 The Great Train Robbery took place in Bletchley, England, in which over £2,500,000 was stolen (1963). August 10 The foundation stone of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, was laid by King Charles II (1675). The screw bottle top was patented (1889). August 11 Mount Pinatubo volcano in the North Philippines began its second eruption in 14 months (1992). August 12 Great Train Robber Charlie Wilson escaped from prison (1964). August 13 The erection of the Berlin Wall began (1961). Los Angeles-based women with small breasts founded the 'Itty Bitty Titty Committee' (1992). August 14 It was reported that a Californian woman on honeymoon had won $1,065,358 on a fruit machine in Las Vegas. This was the biggest fruit machine pay out in the city's history (1983). August 15 The Panama Canal opened (1914). The Republican Party made an emotional farewell to Ronald Regan after eight years as president (1988). August 17 It was revealed that nine pigs were to take part in Britain's first pig race in Bellingham (1992). August 18 Dutch police had credit card machines fitted to their cars to make it easier to collect speeding fines (1993). August 19 'Coronation Street' celebrated its 1000th episode (1970). August 22 Two dogs were sent into space by the Soviets, and returned safely to Earth after three days (1960). August 25 The Shroud of Turin, then believed to be the shroud of Christ, went on show for the first (1978). August 26 Women were given the right to vote in the US (1920). August 29 The city of Melbourne, Australia, was founded (1835). August 31 Mary Anne 'Polly' Nichols was found dead in London, the first victim of Jack the Ripper (1888). SEPTEMBER September 2 The Great Fire of London began (1666). September 5 World's longest road tunnel opened, the St Gotthard, running 10 miles (1980). September 6 41,000 Parisians received letters charging them with murder, extortion, and organised prostitution instead of traffic offences (1989). September 8 Dutch colony of New Amsterdam surrendered to the British, who, in 1669, renamed it New York (1664). September 10 The first motorway (autobahn) was completed in Germany (1921). September 13 British banking error gave customers an extra £2,000,000,000 in a period of 30 minutes (1989). September 15 The first traffic wardens went on duty in London (1960). September 19 Melville Reuben Bissell, US inventor, patented the first carpet-sweeper (1876). September 21 Stonehenge sold at auction to Mr C H Chubb for £6,600, who presented it to the nation 3 years later (1915). September 26 The first gramophone was patented by Emile Berliner, USA (1887). September 28 The National Anthem, 'God Save the King', was sung for the first time, London (1745). OCTOBER October 1 Money Orders were first issued in Britain (1792). October 3 SOS was established as an international distress signal (1906). Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes renamed Yugoslavia (1929). October 6 Manchester University was opened (1903). October 7 Oldest existing airline, Dutch KLM, was established (1919). October 9 First Luddite riots, against the introduction of machinery for spinning cotton, began in Manchester, England (1779). October 12 American President Theodore Roosevelt renamed the Executive Mansion 'The White House” (1901). October 13 Cornerstone of the White House, Washington DC, laid by President George Washington (1792). October 14 Mass wedding in Seoul, South Korea, when 5,837 couples were married simultaneously (1982). October 15 Amnesty International, human-rights organisation, established in London (1961). October 17 Al Capone, US gangster, sentenced to 11 years in prison for income-tax evasion (1931). October 19 Black Monday, when depressions on Wall Street triggered a world-wide drop in stock market prices (1987). October 20 Sydney Opera House opened, designed by Danish architect John Utzon (1973). October 22 In New York, the Metropolitan Opera House opened (1883). October 24 Mrs Ann Edson Taylor descended over the Niagara Falls in a padded barrel to help pay a loan (1901). October 26 The International Atomic Energy Agency was formed (1956). October 28 Statue of Liberty, designed by Auguste Bartholdi, presented by France to the USA (1886). October 29 Black Tuesday, the Wall Street stock market crash, which lead to the Great Depression (1929). October 30 US actor Orson Welles' radio production of the 'War of the Worlds', by H G Wells, caused panic in the USA (1938). NOVEMBER November 4 UNESCO established (1946). November 6 6,000 US computers crashed, due a virus caused by the son of the head of the US computer security agency (1988). November 8 The Louvre, Paris, was opened to the public for the first time (1793). November 11 The Willys-Overland Company launched a four-wheel drive vehicle for the US Army (1940). November 13 The telegraph service between London and Paris started (1851). November 16 Suez Canal, 10 years in construction, was formerly opened (1869). November 18 William Caxton issued his first dated, printer book (1477). November 20 Charles Rolls and Frederick Royce combined to form the firm of Rolls Royce (1906). November 24 Darwin's 'Origin of Species' was published (1859). November 26 New College, Oxford, was founded by William of Wykeham (1379). November 27 William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway (1582). DECEMBER December 1 First issue of Playboy, with centre page nude Marilyn Monroe (1953). December 2 The new St Paul's Cathedral was opened December 3 A Matisse painting was hung correctly 46-days after it had been hung upside-down (1961). December 4 The Chain Pier at Brighton was destroyed during heavy gales (1896). December 5 The US brig 'Mary Celeste' was found abandoned in the Atlantic (1872). December 6 Christopher Columbus discovered Hispaniola (1492). December 7 Henry VI of England was crowned King of France (1431). December 8 Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, was opened (1864). December 9 The first episode of Coronation Street was televised (1960). December 10 The first Nobel Prizes were awarded (1901). December 11 The prototype of Concorde was shown for the first time at Toulouse (1967). December 12 Christopher Cockrell patented the first hovercraft (1955). December 13 Dr Lee De Forest demonstrated the first sound-on-film movie in the USA (1923). December 14 Max Planck put forward his quantum theory (1901). December 15 The Piccadilly tube line in London was opened (1906). December 16 The Manchester Ship Canal was completed (1893). December 17 The Wright brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (1903). December 18 The death penalty was abolished in Britain (1969). December 19 An air service between London and Moscow was begun (1957). December 20 The first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was held (1560). December 21 The first newspaper to publish a crossword puzzle was the 'New York World' (1913). December 22 Alfred Dreyfus was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment on Devil's Island (1895). December 23 Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter, cut off part of his earlobe following a quarrel (1888). December 24 The Coliseum Theatre, London, opened (1904). December 25 The Stone of Scone was stolen from Westminster Abbey (1951). December 26 Radium was discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie (1898). December 27 Charles Darwin set sail for a world voyage on HMS 'Beagle' (1831). December 28 The world's first public film show took place in Paris (1895). December 29 Radio Luxembourg started operating (1930). December 30 First performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's opera 'The Pirates of Penzance' (1879). December 31 Farthing coin, use in Britain since the 13th century, ceased to be legal tender (1960).