| Date |
Event |
| 22nd January 1901 |
King Edward VII becomes King. |
| 30th December 1902 |
The National Antarctic Expedition reaches farther south than anyone had been before. |
| 8th April 1904 |
Britain and France agree to the Entente Cordiale, ending several long-standing conflicts between the two countries. |
| 26th June 1905 |
The Austin Motor Company is formed at Longbridge, Birmingham. |
| 6th May 1910 |
King George V becomes King. |
| 17th January 1912 |
Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. |
| 4th August 1914 |
The Great War starts. |
| 8th August 1914 |
The ship Endurance leaves Plymouth on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. |
| 15th June 1919 |
Two English pilots, Alcock and Brown, become the first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 11th November 1919 |
The first Remembrance Day event occurs to remember those who fought in the Great War. |
| 6th December 1921 |
The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed, making Ireland a separate country from Great Britain. |
| 18th October 1922 |
The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation - the BBC) is formed. |
| 14th November 1922 |
The BBC begins transmitting radio programmes of: news, talks and music. |
| 4th May 1926 |
The General Strike starts - railwaymen, factory workers, printers, builders, bus drivers and many others did not go to work in protest against low wages and increasing hours of work. |
| 27th September 1928 |
The first 'talkies', or sound films appeared in cinemas. |
| 2nd July 1928 |
All women aged over 21 were allowed to vote in elections. |
| 1930 |
The Housing Act orders the clearance of slums in towns. |
| 24th May 1930 |
Amy Johnson becomes the first to fly solo (alone) to Australia. |
| 20th January 1936 |
King Edward VIII becomes King. |
| October 1936 |
The Jarrow Crusade takes place - 207 people march from Jarrow in Tyne and Wear to London in protest against the closure of the ship building industries. |
| 2nd November 1936 |
The world's first television service begins broadcasting by the BBC. |
| 11th December 1936 |
King George VI becomes King. |
| 3rd July 1938 |
The Mallard becomes the fastest-ever steam locomotive, reaching a speed of 126mph. |
| 3rd September 1939 |
World War II starts. |
| 15th August 1947 |
India leaves the British Empire to become an independent country. |
| 5th July 1948 |
The National Health Service is created in England and Wales. |
| 29th July 1948 |
The Summer Olympic games are held in Britain. |
| 20th September 1948 |
The Moris Minor car is shown for the first time. |
| 15 March 1949 |
Clothes rationing ends. |
| 1950s |
1950s |
| 1960s |
1960s |
| 15th February 1971 |
Decimal Day - the old monetary units of: pound, shilling and pence are replaced with the pound sterling and new pence. |
| 1st January 1973 |
Britain joins the EEC (European Economic Community - later renamed the European Union). |
| 23rd September 1974 |
CEEFAX begins broadcasting a teletext information service. |
| 29th December 1975 |
Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Act gives women more chance or equality at work. |
| 21st January 1976 |
Concorde begins flying scheduled flights with a top speed of 2,100 km/h. |
| 29th March 1981 |
The first 26-mile long London Marathon takes place. |
| 2nd April 1982 |
The Falklands War starts. |
| 23rd April 1982 |
The ZX Spectrum personal home computer is released. |
| 29th August 1982 |
Sir Ranulph Fiennes completes the Transglobe Expedition, journeying around the world on its polar axis. |
| 2nd November 1982 |
Channel 4 begin broadcasting. |
| 10th January 1985 |
The Sinclair C5 battery electric vehicle is launched. |
| 5th February 1989 |
Four channel Sky Television package is launched. |
| 5th January 1993 |
The MV Braer tanker spills 84,700 tonnes of crude oil into the sea off the coast of Scotland. |
| 14th November 1994 |
The Channel Tunnel opens for passenger service. |
| 1st January 2000 |
People celebrate the new year with the opening of the Millennium Dome in London. |
