Historic Anniversaries & other events

Other historic events, with notable anniversaries in recent years are listed here. You may also be interested in annual events: church festivals, or notable annual secular days. Back to list of Things To Ring For

Date	Day	Event Year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
14 Jan 2025	Tues	1725	300	James Barham born	Leading 18th century ringer who conducted the 40,320 in 1761
19 Jan 2025	Sun	1725	300	First peal of Grandsire Cinques	St Bride's, Fleet Street, London
24 Jan 2025	Fri	1965	60	Winston Churchill died
27 Mar 2025	Thu	1625	400	King James o of England and VI of Scotland died
27 Mar 2025	Thu	1625	400	King Charles I acceded to the English throne
4 Apr 2025	Fri	1875	150	William Chattell died	Prominent Birmingham ringer and teacher
23 Apr 2025	Wed	1775	250	Joseph M W Turner born	Famous English landscape artist
26 Apr 2025	Wed	1775	250	First peal of Grandsire Major	St Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel
26 Apr 2025	Sat	1725	300	First peal of Plain Bob Major	St Bride's, Fleet Street, London
8 May 2025	Thu	1945	80	VE Day	Ringing for peace at 6.30pm
3 Jul 2025	Thu	1875	150	Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers	Motion passed in York to initiate the formation of the society
7 Aug 2025	Thu	1875	150	Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers	Rules of the society adopted at a meeting in Leeds
10 Aug 2025	Sun	1675	350	Royal Greenwich Observatory founded	King Charles II laid the first stone
15 Aug 2025	Fri	1945	80	VJ Day	Ringing for peace
24 Aug 2025	Sun	1875	150	Captain Matthew Webb swam the English Channel	First person to do so, in 21 hours 45 mins
27 Sep 2025	Sat	1825	200	Stockton to Darlington Railway opened	First service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
30 Oct 2025	Thu	1875	150	Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers	First meeting of the society at Birstall
22 Nov 2025	Sat	1725	300	First peal of Plain Bob Royal	St Bride's, Fleet Street, London
29 Nov 2025	Sat	1875	150	Society of Framland Ringers founded	At Waltham on the Wolds
16 Dec 2025	Sun	1775	250	Jane Austen born	Prominent English author

Date	Day	Event Year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
8 Jan 2026	Thu	1876	150	Jabez Armiger Trollope born	Notable ringer & author
21 Jan 2026	Wed	1976	50	First commercial supersonic flight	Concorde from London Heathrow to Bahrain
26 Jan 2026	Mon	1926	100	First demonstration of television	At the Royal Institute in London
30 Jan 2026	Fri	1826	200	Menai Straits Bridge opened	The world's first modern suspension bridge, designed by Thomas Telford
26 Feb 2026	Thu	1726	300	First peal of Plain Bob Maximus	St Bride, St Bride's, Fleet Street, London
7 Mar 2026	Sat	1926	100	First 2-way transatlantic phone call	Between the Post Office in London and Bell Labs in New York
10 Mar 2026	Tue	1876	150	First telephone call	By Alexander Graham Bell
17 Mar 2026	Tue	1776	250	John Harrison born	Clock maker who also wrote on bell manufacture
26 Mar 2026	Thu	1976	50	Queen Elizabeth II sent the first Royal email	From Malvern, Worcs.
8 May 2026	Fri	1926	100	David Atenborough born	Broadcaster & environmental advocate
10 Jun 2026	Wed	1876	150	Lancashire Association of Change Ringers first meeting	At Chorley National School-room
11 Jun 2026	Thu	1776	250	John Constable born	English painter
20 Jun 2026	Sat	1726	300	First municipal fire brigade	Beverley, East Yorkshire
14 Oct 2026	Wed	1926	100	Winnie the Pooh published as a book	By A A Milne
4 Nov 2026	Wed	1876	150	William Henry Barber born	Prominent Birmingham ringer who conducted the first handbell peal in Scotland.

Date	Day	Event year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
7 Jan 2027	Thu	1927	100	First transatlantic phone call	New York City to London
17 Jan 2027	Sun	1627	400	Robert Boyle born	Anglo-Irish scientist who established the scientific method‘
22 Jan 2027	Fri	1777	250	Joseph Hume born	Scottish social reformer
29 Jan 2027	Fri	1927	100	John Carter dies	Gunsmith who built a mechanical ringing machine
18 Feb 2027	Thu	1777	250	First peal of Plain Bob Royal in hand	Abingdon
7 Mar 2027	Sun	1777	250	First peal of Grandsire Doubles	St Lawrence, Alton, Hants
15 Mar 2027	Mon	1877	150	First cricket Test Match between Australia and England	In Melbourbem Australia won
4 Apr 2027	Sun	1877	150	Norwich Diocesan Association founded
7 Apr 2027	Wed	1827	200	First wooden matches on sale	At Stockton on Tees, invented by John Walker
30 Apr 2027	Fri	1927	100	First peal of Superlative Surprise Maximus	St Mary le Tower, Ipswich
14 May 2027	Fri	1727	300	Thomas Gainsborough born	English painter
10 Oct 2027	Sun	1877	150	William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield born	English motor magnate & philanthropist
24 Nov 2027	Wed	1877	150	Durham Association of Ringers inaugural meeting	Held at North Shields. (Precursor to Durham & Newcastle Association)
13 Dec 2027	Mon	1577	450	Francis Drake sets out on round the world voyage	From Plymouth

Date	Day	Event year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
5 Jan 2028	Wed	1778	250	First peal of Kent Treble Bob Royal	St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent
8 Jan 2028	Sat	1878	159	Gloucester & Bristol Association founded
13 Jan 2028	Thu	1878	150	John Sparkes Goldsmith born	Proprietor and first editor of The Ringing World
4 Feb 2028	Fri	1928	100	First peal of Lincolnshire Surprise Major	Nuneation, St Nicholas
11 Feb 2028	Fri	1878	150	First UK weekly weather forecast	From the Meteorological Office
2 Jul 2028	Sun	1928	100	All women over 21 in UK got the vote
3 Jul 2028	Mon	1728	300	Robert Adam born	Scottish neoclassical architect and interior designer
14 Jul 2028	Fri	1928	100	First pylon of the National Grid erected
25 Jul 2028	Tue	1878	150	Louise Brown born	First test tube baby
30 Sep 2028	Sat	1928	100	Penicilin discovered	The world‘s first antibiotic.
12 Oct 2028	Thu	1878	150	Bertam Prewitt born	Prominent peal ringer & conductor killed in WW
27 Oct 2028	Fri	1728	300	James Cook born	English seaman, and cartographer, who discovered Australia,
31 Oct 2028	Tue	1828	200	Joseph William Swan born	English chemist, inventor and industrialis
28 Nov 2028	Tue	1628	400	John Bunyan born	Christian writer and preacher

Date	Day	Event year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
12 Jan 2029	Fri	1729	300	Edmund Burke born	Anglo-Irish philosopher and politician
4 Feb 2029	Sun	1779	250	Captain James Cook killed	Attacked by Hawaiins
4 Feb 2029	Sun	1929	100	First Green Belt land approved	Hendon, London
5 Mar 2029	Mon	1879	150	William Beveridge born	British economist, administrator and social reformer.behind the Welfare State
10 Apr 2029	Tue	1829	200	William Booth born	Founder of the Salvation Army
29 Apr 2029	Sun	1879	150	Thomas Beecham born	English conductor & impresario
2 Jun 2029	Sat	1879	150	Essex Association inaugural meeting	At Writtle
10 Jun 2029	Sun	1829	200	First Oxford & Cambrige Boat Race	At Heley on Thames, won by Oxford
29 Sep 2029	Sat	1829	200	Metropolitan Police Force established	By Sir Robert Peel
30 Sep 2029	Sun	1929	100	First experimental TV transmission
6 Oct 2029	Sat	1829	200	Rocket (locomotice) wins the Rainhill trials	Built by George Stephenson
30 Nov 2029	Fri	1929	100	First peal of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus	Ipswich, St Mary le Tower
28 Dec 2029	Fri	1879	150	Tay Bridge disaster	Collapsed with loss of 75 lives

Date	Day	Event year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
5 May 2030	Sun	1930	100	Amy Johnson begtan solo flight to Australia	From Croydon Aerodrome, flying Gypsy Moth
17 May 2030	Fri	1880	150	Surrey Association founding meeting	In Beddington schoolrooms
21 May 2030	Tue	1780	150	Elizabeth Fry born	English social reformer and Quaker philanthropist
29 May 2030	Wed	1630	400	Charles II born	English king
12 Jul 2030	Fri	1730	300	Josiah Wedgwood bord	Innovator and social advocate who founded the eponymous pottery
18 Sep 2030	Wed	1880	150	Alfred H Pulling born	Prolific peal ringing in tower and hand
22 Sep 2030	Sun	1880	150	Christabel Pankhurst born	Suffragette leader
15 Oct 2030	Tue	1880	150	Marie Stopes born	British birth control pioneer
10 Nov 2030	Sun	1730	300	Oliver oldsmith born	Irish playwright, novelist and poet
26 Nov 2030	Tue	1780	250	First peal of Grandsire Royal	At Fulham
26 Dec 2030	Thu	1780	250	Mary Sommerville (née Fairfax) born	Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath

Date	Day	Event year	Anniversary	Event	Comment
1 Jan 2031	Wed	1781	250	The Ironbridge opened	World‘s first iron bringe, at Coalbrookdale
17 Jan 2031	Fri	1881	150	Oxford Diocesan Guild inaugural meeting	In Oxford
11 Feb 2031	Tue	1531	500	Henry VIII recognised as Supreme Head of Church of England
13 Mar 2031	Thu	1781	250	Uranus discovered	By William Herschel
14 Apr 2031	Mon	1931	100	First Highway Code published
18 Apr 2031	Fri	1881	150	Natural History Museum opened	Kensington, London
30 May 2031	Fri	1431	600	Joan of Arc burnt to death	In Rouen
6 Aug 2031	Wed	1881	150	Alexander Fleming born	Discovered penicilin
3 Sep 2031	Wed	1881	150	First public electricity supply	Godalming, Surrey
15 Oct 2031	Wed	1881	150	William Temple born	Social reformer and Archbishop of Canterbury
27 Dec 2031	Sat	1831	200	Charles Darwin left Plymouth in The Beagle	On its five year round the world voyage

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