| Date |
Event |
| 26th May 1950 |
Fuel rationing ends. |
| 1951 |
The first national parks are founded in Britain to conserve their natural beauty. They include: the Peak District, the Lake District and Snowdonia. |
| 3rd May 1951 |
The Festival of Britain opens. |
| 30th September 1951 |
The Festival of Britain closes. |
| 26th October 1951 |
Winston Churchill becomes the prime minister of Britain for the second time. |
| 6th February 1952 |
King George VI dies and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, becomes the new Queen. |
| 2nd May 1952 |
The Comet jet aeroplane begins regular passenger service. |
| 9th September 1952 |
Four days of dense fog - nicknamed 'the Great Smog' in London ends, caused by heavy pollution from coal power stations and little wind. |
| 5th February 1953 |
Sweet rationing ends in Britain. |
| 16th April 1953 |
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is launched. |
| 2nd June 1953 |
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. |
| 6th May 1954 |
The 'four minute mile' is completed by Roger Bannister who ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. |
| 24th February 1955 |
The 'Big Freeze' - deep snow covers much of Britain leaving many parts of the country cut off from essential supplies. |
| 22nd September 1955 |
Independent Television Authority (later named ITV) begins broadcasting its television channel. |
| 26th September 1955 |
Cod fish fingers, produced in Great Yarmouth, are introduced in Britain. |
| 19th November 1955 |
'Rock Around the Clock' reaches no. 1 in the UK music chart. |
| 22nd April 1956 |
2i's Coffee Bar, where many rock 'n' roll stars were discovered, opens in London. |
| 5th July 1956 |
The 1956 Clean Air Act is introduced reducing the amount of smoke pollution factories and power stations can give out. |
| 26th July 1956 |
Egypt nationalises the Suez Canal Company. |
| 7th August 1956 |
The world's first nuclear power station, Calder Hall, is opened. |
| 31st October 1956 |
British and French forces start military action against Egypt. |
| 7th November 1956 |
The first United Nations Emergency Force is set up to try and bring peace in Egypt. |
| 30th November 1956 |
30,000 people attend an anti-war rally in Trafalgar Square, protesting against British military action in Egypt. |
| 23rd December 1956 |
Celebrations take place in Port Said in Egypt following the withdrawl of British and French troops. |
| 9th January 1957 |
British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, resigns due to ill health. |
| 15th May 1957 |
Britain explodes its first hydrogen (nuclear) bomb in a test in the Pacific Ocean. |
| 8th June 1957 |
The Tommy Steele Story album becomes the first UK-based act to reach no. 1 in the UK. |
| 20th July 1957 |
The British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, says that "most of our people have never had it so good". |
| December 1957 |
Wee Willie Harris releases his debut single, 'Rockin at the 2i's'. |
| 25th December 1957 |
The Queen's Christmas message is broadcast on television for the first time. |
| 2nd March 1958 |
Sir Vivian Fuchs completes the first overland crossing of Antarctica as leader of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. |
| 5th December 1958 |
The first section of motorway in Great Britain, the M6 Preston Bypass, is opened. |
| 25th July 1959 |
The SR.N1 hovercraft successfully cross the English Channel. |
| 26th August 1959 |
The first Mini Cooper car is produced. |
| 2nd November 1959 |
The first section of the M6 motorway is opened, along with Watford Gap service station. |
