Other historic events, with notable anniversaries in recent years are listed here.
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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10 Jan 2020 | Fri | 1840 | 180 | Postal service began in Britain | Penny Post |
12 Jan 2020 | Sun | 1820 | 200 | Royal Astronomical Society founded | |
17 Jan 2020 | Fri | 1820 | 200 | Anne Brontë born | English novelist/poet (Tenant of Wildfell Hall) |
27 Jan 2020 | Mon | 1945 | 75 | Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp | Holocaust Memorial Day |
29 Jan 2020 | Wed | 1820 | 200 | King George III died | |
10 Feb 2020 | Mon | 1840 | 180 | Queen Victoria & Prince Albert married | |
07 Apr 2020 | Tue | 1770 | 250 | William Wordsworth born | English poet laureate |
18 Apr 2020 | Wed | 1870 | 150 | Neville Chamberlain born | British Prime Minister |
19 Apr 2020 | Sun | 1770 | 250 | Captain James Cook reached Australia | |
28 Apr 2020 | Tue | 1770 | 250 | Captain James Cook lands in Australia | At Botany Bay. (His journal said Sunday 29th but civil time was 28th) |
06 May 2020 | Wed | 1840 | 180 | Penny Black issued | World's first stamp |
11 May 2020 | Mon | 1820 | 200 | Launch of HMS Beagle | The ship that took Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage |
12 May 2020 | Tue | 1820 | 200 | Florence Nightingale born | British nurse (Crimean War) |
02 Aug 2020 | Sun | 1820 | 200 | John Tyndall born | Irish physicist who demonstrated why the sky is blue and proved the greenhouse effect of Earth's atmosphere |
14 Aug 2020 | Fri | 1870 | 150 | William Pye born | Bellringer who became the second person to ring 1000 peals |
02 Oct 2020 | Fri | 1870 | 200 | Mahatma Gandhi born | Pacifist and spiritual leader (real name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) |
21 Nov 2020 | Sat | 1620 | 400 | Mayflower lands in America | |
16 Dec 2020 | Wed | 1770 | 250 | Ludwig van Beethoven born | German composer |
31 Dec 2020 | Thu | 1720 | 300 | Bonnie Prince Charlie born | Charles Edward Stuart, 'The Young Pretender' |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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03 Feb 2021 | Wed | 1821 | 200 | Elizabeth Blackwell born | First woman physician, born in Bristol |
23 Feb 2021 | Tue | 1821 | 200 | John Keats died | Romantic poet. (died of tuberculosis aged 25) |
29 Mar 2021 | Mon | 1871 | 150 | Royal Albert Hall opened | By Queen Victoria |
17 Apr 2021 | Sat | 1951 | 70 | Peak District National Park created | Britain’s first National Park |
21 Apr 2021 | Wed | 1821 | 200 | James Robert Hawarth born | Professional ringer & tutor |
15 Aug 2021 | Sun | 1771 | 250 | Walter Scott born | Scottish novelist/poet |
19 Aug 2021 | Thu | 1871 | 150 | Orville Wright born | American pioneer aviator |
30 Aug 2021 | Mon | 1871 | 150 | Ernest Rutherford born | New Zealand physicist ‘father of nuclear physics’ |
20 Oct 2021 | Wed | 1871 | 150 | Charles Babbage died | English mathematician who invented the Difference Engine, precursor of the computer |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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22 Jan 2022 | Sat | 1997 | 25 | First female American Secretary of State | Madeleine Albright |
27 Feb 2022 | Sun | 1997 | 25 | Divorce became legal in Irish Republic | |
16 Mar 2022 | Wed | 1872 | 150 | First FA Cup held | Wanderers FC beat Royal Engineers AFC 1-0 at the Oval |
26 Mar 2022 | Sat | 1972 | 50 | Last trolleybus system in UK closed | In Bradford, after over 60 years operation. |
30 Mar 2022 | Wed | 1997 | 25 | Chanel Five began broadcasting in UK | |
24 Jun 2022 | Fri | 1822 | 200 | Charles Babbage proposed a difference engine | In a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society |
18 Jul 2022 | Mon | 1872 | 150 | Secret ballot introduced in Britain | No further Poll Books produced |
31 Aug 2022 | Wed | 1997 | 25 | Death of Diana, Princess of Wales | |
5 Sep 2022 | Mon | 1997 | 25 | Death of Mother Teresa | Indian nun, missionary and saint |
6 Sep 2022 | Tue | 1522 | 500 | First ship known to circumnavigate the world | The Victoria, one of the ships that survived Magellan's expedition, |
26 Oct 2022 | Wed | 1822 | 200 | First peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal | All Saints, Wakefield |
28 Oct 2022 | Fri | 1972 | 50 | First flight of Airbus A300 | The first Airbus aircraft |
18 Dec 2022 | Sun | 1922 | 100 | Irish Free State came into existence | |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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2 Jan 2023 | Mon | 1998 | 25 | Frank Muir died | Famous comedian who rang in his youth |
11 Jan 2023 | Wed | 1973 | 50 | First graduates from the Open University | |
11 Feb 2023 | Sat | 1873 | 150 | First peal of Cambridge Surprise Major | St Peter, Bennington, Hertfordshire |
10 Apr 2023 | Mon | 1998 | 25 | Good Friday Agreement signed | Between the British & Irish governments, & most political parties in Northern Ireland |
2 Jun 2023 | Fri | 1953 | 70 | Queen Elizabeth II crowned | |
27 Jun 2023 | Tue | 1898 | 125 | First solo circumnavigation of the globe | Completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray |
4 Jul 2023 | Tue | 1623 | 400 | William Byrd died | English composer |
25 Sep 2023 | Mon | 1773 | 250 | First peal of Stedman Doubles | St Andrew, Birmingham |
28 Sep 2023 | Thu | 1923 | 100 | Radio Times first published | |
11 Oct 2023 | Wed | 1773 | 250 | First peal of Grandsire Major | St George, Southwark, London |
12 Nov 2023 | Sun | 1933 | 90 | First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken | |
6 Dec 2023 | Wed | 1773 | 250 | First peal of Plain Bob Minor | At Garboldisham, Norfolk |
27 Dec 2023 | | 1773 | 250 | George Cayley born | Aviation pioneer who built & flew the first successful manned glider |
31 Dec 2023 | Sun | 1923 | 100 | Chimes of Big Ben first broadcast on radio | At Midnight to announce the New Year |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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5 Feb 2024 | Mon | 1924 | 100 | The 'pips' first broadcast by the BBC | Hourly Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory |
4 Mar 2024 | Mon | 1824 | 200 | Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded | Initially called the "National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck" |
6 Mar 2024 | Wed | 1899 | 125 | Aspirin first marketed | By Bayer |
21 Mar 2024 | Thu | 1999 | 25 | First circumnavigation of the world in a hot air balloon | By Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones |
4 Apr 2024 | Thu | 1934 | 90 | First use of 'Cats eyes' on UK roads | Laid by Percy Shaw on a road near Bradford the day after he patented them |
23 Apr 2024 | Tue | 1924 | 100 | First Broadcast by British Monarch | George V, at the opening of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley |
9 May 2024 | Thu | 1924 | 100 | Brian Price born | Notable ringing composer who introduced the use of singles into Surprise |
19 May 2024 | Sun | 1824 | 200 | National Gallery in London opened to the public | |
20 May 2024 | Mon | 1976 | 50 | George Ernest Fearn died | Prominent Birmingham ringer |
26 May 2024 | Sun | 1999 | 25 | Welsh Assembly opened in Cardiff. | First for over 600 years |
5 Jun 2024 | Wed | 1774 | 250 | First peal of Kent Treble Bob Major | St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent |
16 Jun 2024 | Sun | 1824 | 200 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) founded | |
1 Jul 2024 | Mon | 1999 | 25 | Scottish Executive received devolved powers from London | Scottish Parliament officially opened by Elizabeth II |
31 Jul 2024 | Wed | 1924 | 100 | Wilfrid Moreton born | Prominent Yorkshire ringer who founded the Hereford Ringing Course |
3 Dec 2024 | Tue | 1999 | 25 | First woman rowed across the Atlantic alone | Tori Murden, after 81 days |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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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 | Sat | 1725 | 300 | First peal of Plain Bob Major | St Bride's, Fleet Street, London |
10 Aug 2025 | | 1675 | 350 | Royal Greenwich Observatory founded | King Charles II laid the first stone |
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 |
22 Nov 2025 | Sat | 1725 | 300 | First peal of Plain Bob Royal | St Bride's, Fleet Street, London |
16 Dec 2025 | Sun | 1775 | 250 | Jane Austen born | Prominent English author |
Date | Day | Event Year | Anniversary | Event | Comment |
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8 Jan 2026 | Thu | 1876 | 150 | Jabez Armiger Trollope born | Notable ringer & author |
21 Jan 2026 | Wed | 1976 | 50 | First commercial supersonic flight | Concorde fro 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 two-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 |
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 |
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5 Jan 2028 | Wed | 1778 | 250 | First peal of Kent Treble Bob Royal | St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent |
13 Jan 2028 | Thu | 1878 | 150 | John Sparkes Goldsmith born | Proprietor and first editor of The Ringing World |
12 Oct 2028 | Thu | 1878 | 150 | Bertam Prewitt born | Prominent peal ringer & conductor killed in WW1 |