Laws & government
385 stories through the year, in calendar order. Tap one to visit its day.
January
- 1 Jan 1600 Scotland starts counting its new year from 1 JanuaryScotland decided that each new year would begin on 1 January instead of 25 March. Until then, the year number had changed in late March, in the sprin…
- 1 Jan 1801 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is createdThe Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland joined to become one country: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Laws called th…
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1 Jan
1948 British Railways is created as the railways are nationalisedBritain's 'Big Four' railway companies were nationalised, which means the government took them over. Together they became British Railways, a single …
Photo: Ben Brooksbank, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 1 Jan 1973 The UK joins the European Economic CommunityThe United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland joined the European Economic Community, or EEC. The EEC was a group of countries set up in 1957 to bring thei…
- 2 Jan 1954 India creates the Bharat Ratna, its highest award for citizensIndia set up its two highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan. The Bharat Ratna can be given to anyone for service of the hi…
- 3 Jan 1521 Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin LutherPope Leo X issued an official document that excommunicated the German priest Martin Luther, cutting him off from the Catholic Church. Luther had refu…
- 3 Jan 1833 Britain reasserts its rule over the Falkland IslandsCaptain James Onslow arrived at the Falkland Islands in the ship Clio to reassert British sovereignty, meaning Britain's right to rule them. The Unit…
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3 Jan
1868 The Meiji Restoration returns power to Japan's emperorThe Tokugawa shogunate, the military government that had ruled Japan since 1603, was abolished. This was part of the Meiji Restoration, which gave re…
Photo: Takahashi Yuichi (1828-1894), Public domain
- 3 Jan 1883 Born: Clement AttleeClement Attlee was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, just after the Second World War. During the war he served as deputy prime …
- 3 Jan 1958 The West Indies Federation is formed in the CaribbeanSeveral Caribbean islands that were part of the British Empire, including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, joined together as the West Indi…
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4 Jan
1642 Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in ParliamentKing Charles I entered the House of Commons with about 400 soldiers to arrest five Members of Parliament for treason. But the five MPs had been warne…
Photo: Workshop of Anthony van Dyck, Public domain
- 4 Jan 1972 Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old BaileyRose Heilbron became the first woman judge to sit at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London. Her career was full o…
- 5 Jan 1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first woman governor of a US stateNellie Tayloe Ross became Governor of Wyoming, the first woman to serve as governor of a US state. A governor is the head of a state's government. Sh…
- 6 Jan 1974 The USA keeps its clocks on summer time all year roundThe United States began a trial of daylight saving time all year round. Normally, clocks go forward one hour in spring and back one hour in autumn, s…
- 7 Jan 1327 The Parliament that removes Edward II from the throne beginsA Parliament began meeting at the Palace of Westminster that would help remove King Edward II from the throne. Edward had become very unpopular with …
- 8 Jan 1912 The African National Congress is founded in South AfricaThe African National Congress, or ANC, was founded in South Africa, at first under the name South African Native National Congress. It became a liber…
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8 Jan
1940 Food rationing begins in Britain in the Second World WarBritain began rationing food, which means limiting how much of it each person could buy. Bacon, butter and sugar were the first foods to be rationed.…
Photo: Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer, Public domain
- 9 Jan 1799 William Pitt the Younger introduces income taxPrime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduced an income tax in Great Britain to help pay for the war against France. Income tax is money people …
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10 Jan
49 BC Julius Caesar crosses the RubiconRoman general Julius Caesar led his army across the Rubicon, a shallow river in northern Italy, probably on the night of 10 to 11 January. Roman law …
Photo: Ángel M. Felicísimo from Mérida, España, Public domain
- 10 Jan 1776 Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common SenseEnglish-born writer Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a 47-page pamphlet, without his name on it. It argued that Britain's Thirteen Colonies in Am…
- 10 Jan 1920 The Treaty of Versailles takes effect, ending the First World WarThe Treaty of Versailles came into force, officially ending the First World War between Germany and most of the Allied Powers. The fighting had alrea…
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10 Jan
1946 The first United Nations General Assembly meets in LondonThe first session of the United Nations General Assembly began at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, London. Representatives from 51 member c…
Photo: Gt-man, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
- 11 Jan 1569 England's first official lottery is drawnThe first recorded official lottery in England was drawn, three years after Queen Elizabeth I approved it. The money was meant for public works such …
- 11 Jan 1923 French and Belgian troops occupy Germany's Ruhr regionTroops from France and Belgium moved into the Ruhr, an important industrial area of Germany. After the First World War, Germany had been ordered to m…
- 11 Jan 1964 A landmark US report warns that smoking harms healthExperts advising the US Surgeon General, one of America's top health officials, published a famous report about smoking. After studying more than 7,0…
- 12 Jan 1932 Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the US SenateHattie Caraway of Arkansas won a special election and became the first woman ever elected to the United States Senate. She had been appointed to the …
- 13 Jan 27 BC Octavian hands power back to the Roman SenateOctavian, Julius Caesar's adopted heir, made a show of giving his powers, provinces and armies back to the Roman Senate. Three days later the Senate …
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13 Jan
1822 Greece adopts its blue and white national flagThe first national assembly of Greek revolutionaries, meeting at Epidaurus, adopted a national flag for Greece. They chose a blue and white design, w…
Photo: Christos Loufopoulos, CC BY 2.0
- 13 Jan 1990 Douglas Wilder becomes America's first elected Black governorDouglas Wilder was sworn in as Governor of Virginia, in the United States. He was the first African American ever elected as governor of a US state. …
- 14 Jan 1784 The USA ratifies the peace treaty that ends its war with BritainMeeting in Annapolis, Maryland, the American Congress ratified, or officially approved, the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain. This marked the offic…
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14 Jan
1943 Churchill and Roosevelt meet at the Casablanca ConferenceBritish Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt began a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, that lasted until 24 January.…
Photo: Mason, H A (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain
- 15 Jan 1535 Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his titleKing Henry VIII issued an official order adding 'Supreme Head of the Church of England' to his royal title. The Pope had refused to end Henry's marri…
- 15 Jan 1929 Born: Martin Luther King JrMartin Luther King Jr was an American Baptist minister and a leader of the civil rights movement, which campaigned for equal rights for Black America…
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16 Jan
27 BC Octavian is given the title Augustus by the Roman SenateThe Roman Senate gave Octavian the new title Augustus, meaning 'the revered'. This marks the moment he became the first Roman emperor. Augustus was c…
- 16 Jan 1707 Scotland's Parliament votes for union with EnglandThe Parliament of Scotland voted by 110 votes to 69 to approve the Treaty of Union with England. England's Parliament passed its own act soon afterwa…
- 16 Jan 1920 The League of Nations holds its first council meetingThe League of Nations held its first council meeting in Paris. It was the first worldwide organisation set up to keep peace between countries, create…
- 16 Jan 2006 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf becomes Africa's first elected woman presidentEllen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as President of Liberia, in West Africa. She was the first woman in Africa to be elected president of her country.…
- 17 Jan 1648 Parliament passes the Vote of No Addresses against Charles IDuring the English Civil War, Parliament voted to stop all talks with King Charles I. MPs had heard that the king was making a deal with the Scots. O…
- 17 Jan 1706 Born: Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin was an American printer, scientist, inventor and statesman. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and helped to w…
- 17 Jan 1917 The USA buys the Virgin Islands from DenmarkThe United States paid Denmark 25 million dollars for its Caribbean colony, the Danish West Indies. The islands became the United States Virgin Islan…
- 17 Jan 1946 The UN Security Council meets for the first time, in LondonThe United Nations Security Council held its very first meeting at Church House, Westminster, in London. The United Nations had been created after th…
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18 Jan
1871 The German Empire is proclaimedThe German Empire was proclaimed, uniting many separate German states into one country. It was led by the Kingdom of Prussia, whose king, Wilhelm I, …
Photo: Deutsches_Reich1.png: kgberger derivative work: Wiggy! (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
- 18 Jan 1919 The Paris Peace Conference opens after the First World WarThe Paris Peace Conference began, bringing together the countries that had won the First World War. Leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the …
- 19 Jan 1764 John Wilkes is expelled from the House of CommonsMP and journalist John Wilkes was thrown out of the House of Commons for seditious libel, which means publishing words that attack the government. In…
- 19 Jan 1966 Indira Gandhi becomes India's first woman prime ministerIndira Gandhi became Prime Minister of India, the first woman to lead the country. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime mini…
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20 Jan
1265 Simon de Montfort's parliament meets, with ordinary townspeopleSimon de Montfort, a powerful nobleman who had taken control of England after rebelling against King Henry III, called a parliament at Westminster. A…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 20 Jan 1401 One of Europe's first public banks opens in BarcelonaThe Taula de canvi, meaning 'table of change', opened for business inside a building called the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, Spain. It was a bank run …
- 20 Jan 1649 The trial of King Charles I beginsAfter years of civil war between the king's supporters and Parliament, a special court began the trial of King Charles I in London. He was accused of…
- 20 Jan 1986 Martin Luther King Jr Day is a US national holiday for the first timeMartin Luther King Jr Day was celebrated as a national holiday across the United States for the first time. It honours the civil rights leader, who l…
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20 Jan
2009 Barack Obama becomes the first African American US presidentBarack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, outside the Capitol building in Washington, DC. He was the first African Americ…
Photo: Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force, Public domain
- 21 Jan 1919 Ireland's First Dáil meets and declares independenceMembers of the Irish party Sinn Féin met at the Mansion House in Dublin and set up their own parliament, called Dáil Éireann. They had won a huge vic…
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22 Jan
1689 The Convention Parliament meets to decide who will rule EnglandA special Parliament, known as the Convention, met to decide what should happen to the throne. King James II, the last Catholic monarch of England, h…
Photo: School of Peter Lely, Public domain
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22 Jan
1924 Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour prime ministerRamsay MacDonald became the first prime minister of the United Kingdom from the Labour Party. The prime minister leads the government and chairs the …
Photo: Walter Stoneman, Public domain
- 23 Jan 1264 France's King Louis IX sides with Henry III against the baronsKing Louis IX of France gave a ruling known as the Mise of Amiens. It was meant to settle a quarrel between King Henry III of England and his rebelli…
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23 Jan
1967 Milton Keynes is founded as a new townThe government officially created Milton Keynes as a new town in Buckinghamshire, planned to grow into a city of 250,000 people. It was meant to ease…
Photo: Cnyborg, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 24 Jan 1679 Charles II ends the long-running Cavalier ParliamentKing Charles II dissolved, or officially closed, the Cavalier Parliament. It had sat since 1661, for almost 18 years, which is longer than any Britis…
- 24 Jan 1918 Russia switches to the Gregorian calendarRussia's new government ordered the country to change to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most of the world, from 14 February. Russia had bee…
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24 Jan
1943 Churchill and Roosevelt end their wartime meeting in CasablancaBritish Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt finished a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, to plan the next stage of …
Photo: Mason, H A (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain
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26 Jan
1950 India becomes a republic with a new constitutionIndia became a republic when its new constitution came into force. Rajendra Prasad became president and Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister. India ha…
Photo: Illumination/ornamentation by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, Public domain
- 27 Jan 1916 Britain brings in conscription during the First World WarThe Military Service Act became law, bringing in conscription in Great Britain during the First World War. Conscription means people are made to join…
- 27 Jan 1944 Born: Mairead MaguireMairead Maguire is a peace activist from Northern Ireland. With Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown, she founded a movement that became the Community o…
- 27 Jan 1967 The UK, USA and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space TreatyThe United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Outer Space Treaty. It bans countries from placing nuclear weapons in space, an…
- 28 Jan 1521 The Diet of Worms meets to discuss Martin LutherEmperor Charles V and the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire met at a great assembly called the Diet of Worms, in Germany. They discussed Martin Luther…
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28 Jan
1916 Manitoba becomes the first place in Canada to let women voteThe Canadian province of Manitoba passed a law giving women the right to vote. It was the first time that women anywhere in Canada had won this right…
Photo: Archives of Manitoba, Still Images Section, Public domain
- 28 Jan 1965 Canada's Maple Leaf flag design is made officialThe current design of the flag of Canada was officially chosen. Known as the Maple Leaf, it shows a red, 11-pointed maple leaf on a white square betw…
- 29 Jan 1737 Born: Thomas PaineThomas Paine was born in Thetford, Norfolk. In 1774 he moved to Britain's American colonies, where his pamphlet Common Sense helped to inspire Americ…
- 29 Jan 1907 Charles Curtis becomes the first Native American US senatorCharles Curtis of Kansas, a citizen of the Kaw Nation, became the first Native American to serve as a United States senator. He had already been the …
- 29 Jan 1996 France announces an end to its nuclear weapons testsFrench President Jacques Chirac announced a 'definitive end' to France's testing of nuclear weapons. Nuclear tests are experiments to see how these w…
- 30 Jan 1648 The Peace of Münster makes the Dutch Republic independentSpain and the Dutch Republic signed the Peace of Münster. Under the treaty, Spain formally recognised the Dutch Republic as an independent country. I…
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30 Jan
1902 Britain and Japan sign an alliance in LondonBritain and Japan signed a defence agreement, called the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, at Lansdowne House in London. It was signed by the British foreign …
Photo: World Imaging, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 31 Jan 1865 The US Congress votes to abolish slaveryThe United States Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, and sent it to the states to approve. The vo…
- 31 Jan 2020 The United Kingdom leaves the European UnionThe United Kingdom officially left the European Union (EU) at 11 pm, after 47 years as a member. The EU is a political and economic union of European…
February
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1 Feb
1865 Abraham Lincoln signs the amendment to end slavery in the USAPresident Abraham Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment, a change to the United States Constitution that made slavery illegal. The House of Represe…
Photo: Alexander Gardner, Public domain
- 1 Feb 1946 Trygve Lie is chosen as the first UN Secretary-GeneralTrygve Lie, a politician from Norway, was picked to be the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General leads the UN's staff …
- 1 Feb 1960 Students begin the Greensboro sit-ins against segregationFour African-American students sat down at a Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in a peaceful protest. They were protesting again…
- 2 Feb 1971 Countries sign the Ramsar Convention to protect wetlandsAn international agreement to protect the world's wetlands was signed in the city of Ramsar, in Iran. Wetlands are places where the ground is flooded…
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2 Feb
1990 F. W. de Klerk promises to free Nelson MandelaSouth Africa's president, F. W. de Klerk, announced that the African National Congress would no longer be banned. He also promised to release Nelson …
Photo: Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org), CC BY-SA 2.0
- 3 Feb 1690 Massachusetts issues the first paper money in the AmericasThe colony of Massachusetts became the first place in the Americas to issue paper money. Massachusetts Bay was an English settlement on the east coas…
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3 Feb
1830 Britain, France and Russia recognise Greece as independentGreat Britain, France and Russia signed the London Protocol, an agreement that recognised Greece as a fully independent country. Greece had been part…
Photo: Ludwig Michael von Schwanthaler, Public domain
- 3 Feb 1870 The USA protects the right to vote whatever a person's raceThe Fifteenth Amendment became part of the United States Constitution. It says no citizen can be denied the vote because of their race, or because th…
- 3 Feb 1960 Harold Macmillan gives his 'Wind of Change' speechPrime Minister Harold Macmillan made a famous speech to the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town. He said that 'the wind of change is blowing thro…
- 4 Feb 1789 George Washington is elected the first President of the USAGeorge Washington was elected the first President of the United States. Every member of the Electoral College, the group that chooses the president, …
- 4 Feb 1794 Revolutionary France abolishes slavery in all its landsDuring the French Revolution, the French parliament abolished slavery in all the lands ruled by the French Republic. Slavery is when people are owned…
- 4 Feb 1868 Born: Constance MarkieviczConstance Markievicz was an Irish politician who campaigned for Irish independence and for women's right to vote. In 1918 she became the first woman …
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4 Feb
1913 Born: Rosa ParksRosa Parks was an American civil rights activist. In 1955 she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was defying unfair law…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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4 Feb
1945 Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meet at the Yalta ConferenceThe Yalta Conference began in Crimea, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill met US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Soviet le…
Photo: US government photographer, Public domain
- 4 Feb 1948 Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, becomes independent from BritainThe British colony of Ceylon became an independent country. It stayed in the Commonwealth, a group of countries mostly once ruled by Britain, and sha…
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5 Feb
1788 Born: Robert PeelRobert Peel was a British politician who served twice as Prime Minister. As Home Secretary, he set up London's Metropolitan Police in 1829, and he is…
Photo: Henry William Pickersgill, Public domain
- 5 Feb 1985 Rome and Carthage officially end a war that began 2,134 years earlierThe mayors of Carthage, in Tunisia, and Rome, in Italy, signed a symbolic peace treaty to officially end the Third Punic War. That war between ancien…
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6 Feb
1819 Stamford Raffles signs a treaty to set up a trading post at SingaporeBritish official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor. It set up Singapore as a trading post for the East India Company…
Photo: George Francis Joseph, Public domain
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6 Feb
1840 The Treaty of Waitangi is signed in New ZealandRepresentatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs first signed the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand. The Māori are the native people of New Zeal…
Photo: William Hobson, James Freeman, and James Busby (English version); Henry Williams and Edward Williams (Māori translation), Public domain
- 6 Feb 1918 Some women win the right to vote in British electionsParliament passed the Representation of the People Act, giving some women the right to vote in general elections for the first time. Women over 30 co…
- 6 Feb 1922 Five powers sign the Washington Naval Treaty to limit warshipsThe British Empire, the United States, France, Italy and Japan signed the Washington Naval Treaty. These countries had been allies in the First World…
- 6 Feb 1989 Round Table Talks begin in PolandTalks began in Warsaw between Poland's communist government and the banned trade union Solidarity, along with other opposition groups. The government…
- 7 Feb 1992 The Maastricht Treaty is signed, creating the European UnionThe twelve member states of the European Communities signed the Maastricht Treaty. It is the founding treaty of the European Union, often called the …
- 9 Feb 1737 Born: Thomas PaineThomas Paine was an English-born writer and thinker who became one of America's Founding Fathers. In 1776 he wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet, or short…
- 9 Feb 1775 Parliament declares the colony of Massachusetts in rebellionThe British Parliament declared that the American colony of Massachusetts was in rebellion. It was a step on the road to the American Revolutionary W…
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9 Feb
1907 Thousands of women join the Mud March for the right to voteMore than 3,000 women marched peacefully through London, from Hyde Park Corner to the Strand, to demand the right to vote. Women from all walks of li…
Photo: Unknown author, CC0
- 10 Feb 1763 The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' WarGreat Britain, France and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Years' War. This global war had been fought in Europe, North America and…
- 10 Feb 1919 Women hold their own conference alongside the Paris peace talksThe Inter-Allied Women's Conference opened in Paris, alongside the peace conference held after the First World War. Leaders of the campaign for women…
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11 Feb
1990 Nelson Mandela walks free after 27 years in prisonNelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison near Paarl in South Africa. He had spent 27 years as a political prisoner for campaigning agai…
Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 12 Feb 1689 Parliament declares that James II has given up the throneThe Convention Parliament declared that King James II had abdicated, or given up the throne, by fleeing to France in 1688. It handed the crowns of En…
- 12 Feb 1809 Born: Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, from 1861 to 1865. Born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky, he taught himself and becam…
- 12 Feb 1818 Chile formally declares independence from SpainChile's Declaration of Independence from the Spanish Empire was formally approved by its leader, Bernardo O'Higgins. A ceremony of independence was h…
- 12 Feb 1912 Puyi, China's last emperor, gives up the throne aged sixPuyi, the last emperor of China, gave up the throne. He had become emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1908, when he was just two years old. After the Xin…
- 12 Feb 2016 Catholic and Russian Orthodox leaders meet for the first timePope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, met Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, at Havana's airport in Cuba. It was the first t…
- 13 Feb 1642 A new law removes bishops from the House of LordsThe Clergy Act became law, stopping bishops and other clergy from holding power in government. It meant that bishops of the Church of England lost th…
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13 Feb
1931 New Delhi becomes the capital of British IndiaNew Delhi was officially opened as the capital of British-ruled India, taking over from Calcutta. The city was designed by British architects Edwin L…
- 13 Feb 1960 Students begin the Nashville sit-ins against segregationAfrican American college students sat down at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee, in the first of the Nashville sit-ins. In many parts of t…
- 15 Feb 1923 Greece adopts the Gregorian calendar, the last in Europe to do soGreece adopted the Gregorian calendar for everyday use, the last European country to do so. This calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII…
- 15 Feb 1965 Canada raises its new Maple Leaf flagCanada adopted its red and white Maple Leaf flag, which has an 11-pointed red maple leaf in the middle. It replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, a flag w…
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15 Feb
1971 Decimal Day: Britain switches to pounds and new penceOn Decimal Day, the United Kingdom and Ireland changed their money to a decimal system. Before this, a pound was split into 20 shillings, and each sh…
Photo: Mandtplatt, CC BY-SA 4.0
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16 Feb
1742 Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime ministerSpencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, became Prime Minister of Great Britain. He is thought of as the country's second prime minister, after Sir Rober…
Photo: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain
- 16 Feb 2005 The Kyoto Protocol on climate change comes into forceThe Kyoto Protocol came into force after Russia agreed to it. It is an international treaty in which countries committed to cutting the greenhouse ga…
- 17 Feb 1621 Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defendersMyles Standish was elected the first commander of the militia, or local defence force, of Plymouth Colony in North America. He had sailed there with …
- 17 Feb 1863 The organisation that became the Red Cross is founded in GenevaA group of people in Geneva, Switzerland, set up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. It later became the International Committee o…
- 18 Feb 1229 Frederick II wins back Jerusalem with a treaty, not a battleDuring the Sixth Crusade, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II signed a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt. Under the deal, Christians rega…
- 18 Feb 1965 The Gambia becomes independent from the United KingdomThe Gambia, a country in West Africa, became independent from the United Kingdom. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa. It is surrounded by …
- 19 Feb 1674 A peace treaty ends the Third Anglo-Dutch WarEngland and the Dutch Republic signed the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was fought mainly at sea. The treaty gave th…
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19 Feb
1836 William IV signs the papers creating the Province of South AustraliaKing William IV signed Letters Patent, an official royal document, establishing the Province of South Australia. It was planned as a new British colo…
Photo: Martin Archer Shee, Public domain
- 19 Feb 1959 An agreement in London clears the way for an independent CyprusLeaders from the UK, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus met at Lancaster House in London. They agreed a plan for Cyprus, which Britain ruled, to become indepe…
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20 Feb
1472 Orkney and Shetland become part of ScotlandThe Scottish Parliament confirmed that Orkney and Shetland, which had belonged to Norway, were now part of Scotland. In 1468–69, the King of Denmark …
Photo: Hugo van der Goes, Public domain
- 21 Feb 1952 People in Britain no longer have to carry identity cardsIt stopped being necessary for people in the United Kingdom to carry an identity card. The cards had been brought in at the start of the Second World…
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21 Feb
1958 Gerald Holtom presents his design for the peace symbolBritish designer Gerald Holtom showed his new symbol to the Direct Action Committee, a group campaigning against nuclear weapons. It was accepted str…
Photo: Smallbones, CC0
- 22 Feb 1979 Saint Lucia becomes independent from the United KingdomThe Caribbean island of Saint Lucia became an independent country. England and France had fought over the island 14 times, and Britain took full cont…
- 23 Feb 1950 Britain holds its first general election with one vote eachA general election was held across the United Kingdom. It was the first since plural voting was abolished. Before this, some people could vote more t…
- 24 Feb 1827 Born: Lydia BeckerLydia Becker was a leader of the early campaign to win the vote for women in Britain, known as the suffrage movement. She made Manchester a centre of…
- 24 Feb 1917 The secret Zimmermann Telegram is reported to the US presidentWalter Hines Page, the American ambassador in London, reported the Zimmermann Telegram to President Wilson. In this secret coded message, Germany off…
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24 Feb
1920 Nancy Astor is the first woman to speak in the House of CommonsNancy Astor became the first woman to make a speech in the House of Commons, three months after being elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). She was…
Photo: Bassano Ltd, Public domain
- 25 Feb 1843 A British captain takes over Hawaii without permissionRoyal Navy captain Lord George Paulet made the King of Hawaii, Kamehameha III, sign an agreement, then set himself up as part of a new government. He…
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25 Feb
1870 Hiram Revels becomes the first African American in the US CongressHiram Rhodes Revels took his seat in the United States Senate, representing the state of Mississippi. He became the first African American to serve i…
Photo: Mathew Brady or Levin Handy, Public domain
- 25 Feb 1991 The Warsaw Pact is brought to an endAt a meeting in Budapest, Hungary, the members of the Warsaw Pact agreed to end their alliance. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the S…
- 27 Feb 1560 England and Scottish lords sign the Treaty of BerwickRepresentatives of Queen Elizabeth I of England and a group of Scottish nobles called the Lords of the Congregation made an agreement at Berwick-upon…
- 27 Feb 1782 Parliament votes against carrying on the war in AmericaThe House of Commons of Great Britain voted against carrying on the American Revolutionary War, also called the American War of Independence. Britain…
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27 Feb
1812 Lord Byron gives his first speech in the House of LordsThe poet Lord Byron gave his first speech in the House of Lords. He spoke up for the Luddites, textile workers in his home county of Nottinghamshire …
Photo: Thomas Phillips, Public domain
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27 Feb
1870 Japan's red-and-white flag is first adoptedJapan's flag, a white rectangle with a red circle in the middle, was first adopted for use on Japanese merchant ships. A flag like this, flown by shi…
Photo: Unknown, cropped by me to remove watermarks, Public domain
- 27 Feb 1900 The Labour Party is foundedThe Labour Party was founded to give working people in Britain their own voice in Parliament. Trade unions and left-wing groups met at a conference o…
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28 Feb
1638 Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changesThe National Covenant was formally adopted in Scotland. It was an agreement, signed by many Scottish people, opposing changes that King Charles I was…
Photo: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 28 Feb 1922 Britain recognises Egypt as an independent countryThe United Kingdom recognised Egypt as an independent country, ending its protectorate over Egypt. A protectorate is a country that runs most of its …
- 28 Feb 1974 A general election leaves Britain with a hung parliamentIn a general election, Harold Wilson's Labour Party won the most seats but not an overall majority, even though Prime Minister Edward Heath's Conserv…
- 28 Feb 2013 Benedict XVI becomes the first pope to resign in nearly 600 yearsPope Benedict XVI stepped down as head of the Catholic Church, as he had announced on 11 February. He was the first pope to give up the office since …
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29 Feb
1796 The Jay Treaty between Britain and the United States comes into forceThe Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States came into force. Signed in 1794, it helped the two countries avoid war and settled problem…
Photo: Public domain, Public domain
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29 Feb
1988 Archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested at an anti-apartheid protestSouth African archbishop Desmond Tutu was arrested along with about 100 other church leaders during a protest against apartheid in Cape Town. Aparthe…
Photo: Benny Gool, Public domain
September
- 28 Sep 1912 Nearly half a million people sign the Ulster CovenantThe Ulster Covenant was a solemn promise signed by nearly 500,000 people in Ulster, on and before this day. They were protesting against the Third Ho…
- 29 Sep 1267 Henry III recognises Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of WalesIn the Treaty of Montgomery, King Henry III of England accepted Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales. In return, Llywelyn had to accept Henry as h…
- 29 Sep 1829 London's Metropolitan Police is foundedThe Metropolitan Police was founded to keep law and order in London. It is now usually called the Met and polices Greater London. It is also known as…
- 30 Sep 1938 Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich AgreementNeville Chamberlain of Britain, Adolf Hitler of Germany and the leaders of France and Italy signed the Munich Agreement. It let Nazi Germany take the…
- 30 Sep 1966 Bechuanaland becomes the independent country of BotswanaBechuanaland, in southern Africa, became independent from the United Kingdom and took the new name of the Republic of Botswana. Botswana has no coast…
October
- 1 Oct 1386 The Wonderful Parliament meets at Westminster AbbeyKing Richard II called Parliament to meet at Westminster Abbey because he needed money. Many people were unhappy with him: he gave too many favours t…
- 1 Oct 1949 Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of ChinaMao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, announced the founding of the People's Republic of China in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. His party…
- 1 Oct 1960 Nigeria becomes independent from the United KingdomNigeria became an independent country, no longer ruled by the United Kingdom. At midnight in Lagos, the Union Jack was lowered and Nigeria's green an…
- 1 Oct 2009 The new UK Supreme Court takes over from the House of LordsThe Supreme Court of the United Kingdom began its work, taking over a job that had belonged to the House of Lords. It is the UK's final court of appe…
- 2 Oct 1789 The US Bill of Rights is sent to the states for approvalThe United States Bill of Rights was sent to the individual states so that they could approve it. It is made up of the first ten changes, called amen…
- 2 Oct 1870 People of the Papal States vote to join the Kingdom of ItalyPeople in the Papal States, which had been ruled by the Pope, voted to become part of the Kingdom of Italy. A public vote like this is called a plebi…
- 2 Oct 1958 Guinea declares its independence from FranceGuinea, a country on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, declared its independence from France. Its capital is Conakry, so it is sometimes called Guin…
- 2 Oct 1967 Thurgood Marshall becomes the US Supreme Court's first Black justiceThurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American justice, or judge, of the Supreme Court of the United States. Before this, he was a lawy…
- 3 Oct 1712 The Duke of Montrose orders the arrest of Rob Roy MacGregorThe Duke of Montrose issued a warrant for the arrest of Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish cattleman. Rob Roy had borrowed a large sum from the duke to bu…
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3 Oct
1863 Abraham Lincoln names the last Thursday in November as ThanksgivingUS President Abraham Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November would be Thanksgiving Day. He did this while the United States was fighting …
Photo: Alexander Gardner, Public domain
- 3 Oct 1990 East and West Germany are reunited as one countryEast Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic, ceased to exist and became part of West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany. For the fi…
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4 Oct
1626 Born: Richard CromwellRichard Cromwell was the son of Oliver Cromwell. Like his father, he served as Lord Protector, the head of state of the Commonwealth of England, Scot…
Photo: Gerard Soest, Public domain
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4 Oct
1936 Crowds block a fascist march at the Battle of Cable StreetLarge crowds gathered in the East End of London to stop a march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley. The group had become increasi…
Photo: Spudgun67, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4 Oct 1966 Basutoland gains independence from Britain as LesothoBasutoland, a British colony in southern Africa, became independent from the United Kingdom and was renamed Lesotho. The Basotho people and their lan…
- 5 Oct 1789 Women march on Versailles during the French RevolutionMarket women in Paris were angry about the high price and shortage of bread. They began a march to the Palace of Versailles, home of King Louis XVI. …
- 5 Oct 1910 Portugal ends its monarchy and becomes a republicA revolution in Portugal overthrew the country's monarchy, which had lasted for centuries. The uprising was organised by the Portuguese Republican Pa…
- 5 Oct 1936 The Jarrow March sets off for LondonAround 200 men set off to walk 291 miles (468 km) from Jarrow, in the north of England, to London. Many people in the town were out of work after its…
- 5 Oct 1944 Women in France are given the right to voteThe Provisional Government of the French Republic gave women the right to vote. This temporary government ran France from June 1944 to October 1946, …
- 5 Oct 1968 Police break up a civil rights march in DerryA civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland, was broken up by police using force. The march was organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights As…
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6 Oct
1789 King Louis XVI is forced to leave the Palace of VersaillesThe day after the Women's March on Versailles, King Louis XVI was forced to leave his palace at Versailles. He had to move to the Tuileries Palace in…
Photo: Antoine-François Callet, Public domain
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6 Oct
1908 Austria-Hungary takes over Bosnia and HerzegovinaAustria-Hungary announced that it was annexing – officially taking over – Bosnia and Herzegovina. The empire had already been running the area since …
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 6 Oct 1910 Born: Barbara CastleBarbara Castle was a Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979. That makes her one of the longest-serving women MPs in…
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7 Oct
1763 George III issues the Royal Proclamation of 1763King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Britain had just gained large areas of French land in North America at the end of the Seven Ye…
Photo: Allan Ramsay, Public domain
- 7 Oct 1920 Oxford University lets women become full members and take degreesWomen became able to join the University of Oxford as full members, and were given the right to take degrees. Women had studied at Oxford since 1879,…
- 7 Oct 1949 East Germany is foundedThe German Democratic Republic, usually called East Germany, was formed. It was a communist country in Central Europe, separate from West Germany. Ea…
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8 Oct
1929 Born: Betty BoothroydBetty Boothroyd was a Labour MP for West Bromwich from 1973 to 2000. In 1992 she became Speaker of the House of Commons, the person who chairs debate…
Photo: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0
- 8 Oct 1982 Poland bans the Solidarity trade unionPoland's government banned Solidarity and all other trade unions. A trade union is a group of workers who join together to protect their rights at wo…
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10 Oct
1903 Emmeline Pankhurst founds the Women's Social and Political UnionEmmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) to campaign for women's suffrage – the right to vote. From 1906 its members …
Photo: Adam Cuerden, Public domain
- 10 Oct 1911 The Wuchang Uprising begins the revolution that ends China's emperorsAn armed uprising against the ruling Qing dynasty broke out in Wuchang, in the Chinese province of Hubei. It began the 1911 Revolution, which ended m…
- 10 Oct 1967 The Outer Space Treaty comes into forceThe Outer Space Treaty came into force. A treaty is a formal agreement between countries. This one set out the main rules for exploring and using out…
- 11 Oct 1311 English nobles publish the Ordinances of 1311 to limit Edward IIPowerful nobles and churchmen in England published the Ordinances of 1311, rules to limit the power of King Edward II. The 21 men who signed them wer…
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11 Oct
1872 Born: Emily DavisonEmily Wilding Davison was an English suffragette who campaigned for women in Britain to have the right to vote. She was a member of the Women's Socia…
Photo: Andrew William Dron (1864-1935); Restored by Adam Cuerden, Public domain
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11 Oct
1986 Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland to talk about cutting missilesUS President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for talks in Iceland. They continued discussions about cutting back the medium-ran…
Photo: Ronald Reagan Library, Public domain
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12 Oct
1901 The US president's home is officially named the White HousePresident Theodore Roosevelt officially renamed the American president's home. Its official name had been the Executive Mansion, but from now on it w…
Photo: Adam Cuerden, Public domain
- 12 Oct 1960 Khrushchev is said to bang his shoe on a desk at the United NationsDuring a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev is said to have banged his shoe on his desk. He …
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13 Oct
1908 Margaret Travers Symons is the first woman to speak in the CommonsSuffragette Margaret Travers Symons became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons. She slipped away from the person escorting her, went int…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 13 Oct 1911 Queen Victoria's son Prince Arthur becomes Governor General of CanadaPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, became Governor General of Canada. He was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He w…
- 13 Oct 1925 Born: Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher was the first woman to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She led the country from 1979 to 1990, longer than any other Br…
- 13 Oct 1994 Loyalist groups announce a ceasefire in Northern IrelandAt Fernhill House in Belfast, loyalist leader Gusty Spence announced that the Combined Loyalist Military Command would observe a ceasefire. A ceasefi…
- 14 Oct 1644 Born: William PennWilliam Penn was an English writer and religious thinker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania in North America. He was a Quaker and believed in d…
- 14 Oct 1774 American colonists speak out against Britain's Intolerable ActsDelegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies, meeting in Philadelphia as the First Continental Congress, spoke out against the British Parliament's…
- 14 Oct 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeAmerican civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He won it for fighting racial inequality by peaceful means, wi…
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15 Oct
1944 Born: David TrimbleDavid Trimble was a Northern Irish politician who became the very first First Minister of Northern Ireland, serving from 1998 to 2002. The First Mini…
Photo: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0
- 15 Oct 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeMikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He won it for his efforts to ease the tensions of the Cold War …
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16 Oct
1834 Fire destroys most of the Palace of WestminsterA great fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster in London, the home of Parliament. It started when old wooden tally sticks, once used to kee…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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16 Oct
1869 Girton, England's first residential women's college, is foundedGirton College was founded by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first college for women at Cambridge. It was England's first residential colle…
Photo: Adam Cuerden, Public domain
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16 Oct
1984 Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeSouth African bishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was known for campaigning against apartheid, a system of laws in South Africa…
Photo: Benny Gool, Public domain
- 17 Oct 1883 Born: A. S. NeillA. S. Neill was a Scottish teacher and author. In 1924 he founded Summerhill, a school based on the idea that children should be free from being forc…
- 18 Oct 1748 The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian SuccessionThe Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, also called the Treaty of Aachen, was signed, ending the War of the Austrian Succession. The war had been fought since…
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18 Oct
1929 The Persons Case rules that women are 'persons' in Canadian lawIn the famous Persons Case, Britain's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ruled that women counted as 'persons' under Canadian law. This meant wo…
Photo: Eugene M. Finn / National Film Board of Canada, Public domain
- 19 Oct 2019 Parliament sits on a Saturday for the first time since 1982Members of Parliament met on a Saturday to discuss the Brexit deal, the plan for the UK leaving the European Union. Parliament does not normally sit …
- 20 Oct 1774 American colonies agree to boycott British tradeLeaders of the American colonies, meeting as the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, adopted the Continental Association. It was an agreement…
- 20 Oct 1818 Britain and the USA settle much of the Canada–US borderThe United States and the United Kingdom signed the Convention of 1818. It fixed most of the border between Canada and the United States along the 49…
- 20 Oct 2022 Liz Truss steps down after 49 days as Prime MinisterLiz Truss stepped down as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, during a political crisis. She had been in the job for only 49 days. T…
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21 Oct
1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu wins the Battle of Sekigahara in JapanThe samurai leader Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated rival Japanese clans at the Battle of Sekigahara. The victory helped him become shōgun, the military rule…
Photo: Kanō Tan'yū, Public domain
- 21 Oct 1959 The US Army's space work is handed over to NASAUS President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved moving all of the US Army's space activities to NASA, the American space agency. This included most of the…
- 22 Oct 1940 Belgium's government in exile begins in LondonDuring the Second World War, the Belgian prime minister, Hubert Pierlot, arrived in London. To get there, he had slipped past the authorities in Vich…
- 23 Oct 1295 Scotland and France sign the first Auld Alliance treatyThe first treaty of the Auld Alliance was signed in Paris. It was an agreement between the kingdoms of Scotland and France to stand together against …
- 23 Oct 1642 The first major battle of the English Civil War is fought at EdgehillRoyalists, who supported the king, fought Parliamentarians near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire. It was the first major battle of the …
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23 Oct
1707 The first Parliament of Great Britain meetsThe first Parliament of the new Kingdom of Great Britain met. It was set up after the kingdoms of England and Scotland joined together in 1707. No fr…
Photo: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain
- 23 Oct 1868 Japan's Meiji era beginsEmperor Mutsuhito proclaimed the start of the Meiji era in Japan. He had taken over Edo, the shoguns' seat of power, and made it his new capital, cal…
- 23 Oct 1956 The Hungarian Revolution begins with a student marchIn Budapest, a peaceful student demonstration grew to thousands of people as it marched to the parliament building. This was the start of the Hungari…
- 24 Oct 1945 The United Nations is officially createdThe Charter of the United Nations came into force, officially creating the United Nations. This happened once enough countries had approved it, inclu…
- 24 Oct 1964 Northern Rhodesia becomes the independent country of ZambiaNorthern Rhodesia, a British protectorate in southern Africa, gained its independence from the United Kingdom. It became the new country of Zambia. A…
- 24 Oct 1975 Women in Iceland take a day off to demand fair payAbout 90 percent of women in Iceland went on strike for the day. They were protesting that women were paid less than men and treated unfairly at work…
- 25 Oct 1759 Born: William GrenvilleWilliam Grenville, who became Prime Minister, was born. He led the government from 1806 to 1807. His most important achievement as prime minister was…
- 25 Oct 1962 Photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba are shown at the United NationsDuring the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US ambassador Adlai Stevenson showed the United Nations Security Council photographs of Soviet missiles in Cuba.…
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26 Oct
1640 Treaty of Ripon brings peace between Charles I and the ScotsKing Charles I of England signed the Treaty of Ripon with the Covenanters, a political movement in Scotland. The treaty was a truce, which is an agre…
Photo: Richard Collier, CC BY-SA 4.0
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26 Oct
1985 Uluru is handed back to its Aboriginal ownersThe Australian government gave ownership of Uluru back to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people were the first people to live…
Photo: Ek2030372672, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 26 Oct 1999 House of Lords votes to remove most hereditary peersThe House of Lords is one of the two parts of the UK Parliament, which meets in the Palace of Westminster. For centuries, hundreds of its members had…
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27 Oct
1775 George III speaks to Parliament about the rebellion in AmericaKing George III gave a speech at the opening of Parliament about trouble in Britain's Thirteen Colonies in America. He built on his Proclamation of R…
Photo: Allan Ramsay, Public domain
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27 Oct
1936 Wallis Simpson's divorce sets the Abdication Crisis in motionWallis Simpson, an American, was granted a divorce from her second husband. This would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII, who had become…
Photo: Edward VIII, Public domain
- 27 Oct 1979 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines becomes independentSaint Vincent and the Grenadines gained its independence from the United Kingdom. It is a country made up of a group of islands in the eastern Caribb…
- 28 Oct 1636 Massachusetts Bay Colony votes to start what becomes HarvardThe Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America. Its leaders voted to set up a college to teach religion. I…
- 28 Oct 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis comes to an endThe Cuban Missile Crisis ended when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered Soviet missiles to be removed from Cuba. For 13 days, the United States a…
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29 Oct
1863 Eighteen countries agree to form the International Red CrossRepresentatives of 18 countries met in Geneva, Switzerland, and agreed to form the International Red Cross. Its committee, based in Geneva, is a huma…
- 29 Oct 1923 Turkey is proclaimed a republicThe Republic of Turkey was proclaimed, after the end of the Ottoman Empire. A republic is a country that is not ruled by a monarch, such as a king or…
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29 Oct
1929 Black Tuesday brings the Wall Street CrashPrices on the New York Stock Exchange crashed on a day remembered as Black Tuesday. A stock exchange is a market where people buy and sell shares in …
Photo: US-gov, Public domain
- 29 Oct 1956 Israel invades Egypt, starting the Suez CrisisIsrael invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, beginning what became known as the Suez Crisis. Egypt's president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, had recently nationali…
- 30 Oct 1817 Simón Bolívar becomes president of Venezuela's Third RepublicSimón Bolívar became president of the Third Republic of Venezuela, which he had declared during Venezuela's war of independence. Bolívar was a soldie…
- 30 Oct 1918 The Armistice of Mudros ends the fighting with the Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire signed the Armistice of Mudros, ending its fighting with the Allies in the Middle East during the First World War. An armistice is…
- 30 Oct 1941 Roosevelt approves 1 billion dollars of Lend-Lease aidUS President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved 1 billion dollars of Lend-Lease aid for the Allies in the Second World War. Under Lend-Lease, the United …
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31 Oct
1517 Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses spark the ReformationMartin Luther, a German priest and professor, is said to have posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. The thes…
Photo: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Public domain
November
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1 Nov
1688 William of Orange sets sail to take the throne from James IIWilliam of Orange set sail from Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands for the second time. He aimed to take the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland f…
Photo: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain
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1 Nov
1765 Britain's Stamp Act comes into force in the American coloniesThe Stamp Act, a British tax on the Thirteen Colonies in America, came into force. Many printed items, from newspapers to playing cards, had to be ma…
Photo: Board of Stamps (engraver unknown), Public domain
- 1 Nov 1800 John Adams becomes the first president to live in the White HouseJohn Adams became the first US president to live in the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House. The country's capital had just moved from P…
- 1 Nov 1889 Born: Philip Noel-BakerPhilip Noel-Baker was a British politician, diplomat and athlete, born in 1889. At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, he carried the British team fla…
- 1 Nov 1921 Frances Kyle becomes one of the first women barristersFrances Kyle and Averil Deverell were called to the Bar of Ireland, becoming the first women barristers anywhere in Ireland or Great Britain. A barri…
- 2 Nov 1917 Britain issues the Balfour Declaration about PalestineDuring the First World War, the British government announced its support for a ‘national home for the Jewish people’ in Palestine. The statement was …
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2 Nov
1983 Ronald Reagan signs the law creating Martin Luther King Jr. DayUS President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating a national holiday in honour of Martin Luther King Jr. King was the chief spokesperson of the civil …
Photo: White House Photo Office, Public domain
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3 Nov
1534 Henry VIII becomes Supreme Head of the Church of EnglandParliament passed the first Act of Supremacy. It made King Henry VIII and the monarchs after him Supreme Head of the Church of England, taking the pl…
Photo: Workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain
- 3 Nov 1898 The Fashoda Incident ends as French forces withdrawA tense stand-off between Britain and France in Africa came to an end. A French expedition had reached Fashoda, on the White Nile in what is now Sout…
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3 Nov
1948 A newspaper prints the famous mistake ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’The Chicago Daily Tribune printed the headline ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’ in its earliest editions. But it was wrong: President Harry S. Truman had won a…
Photo: Byron H. Rollins, Public domain
- 3 Nov 1978 Dominica gains independence from the United KingdomThe Caribbean island of Dominica became an independent country, no longer ruled by the United Kingdom. It is part of a chain of islands called the Wi…
- 4 Nov 1839 Chartists take part in the Newport Rising in WalesChartists in Wales took part in the Newport Rising, an armed protest against the authorities. The Chartists were campaigners who wanted democracy, in…
- 4 Nov 2008 Barack Obama is elected the first African American US presidentBarack Obama won the US presidential election, becoming the first African American to be elected President of the United States. He had been a senato…
- 4 Nov 2016 The Paris Agreement on climate change comes into forceThe Paris Agreement, a worldwide treaty on climate change, came into effect. It had been worked out by 196 parties at a United Nations conference nea…
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5 Nov
1605 Guy Fawkes is caught and the Gunpowder Plot failsAround midnight, men searching the rooms beneath the House of Lords in London found Guy Fawkes guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. He belonged to a gro…
Photo: Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, Public domain
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5 Nov
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt wins a record third US electionFranklin D. Roosevelt won the US presidential election for a third time, something no other president has done. His first two terms had focused on fi…
Photo: Leon Perskie, CC BY 2.0
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6 Nov
1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United StatesAbraham Lincoln won the US presidential election, becoming the 16th president of the United States. In a race between four candidates, he won with on…
Photo: Alexander Gardner, Public domain
- 6 Nov 1868 Red Cloud signs the Treaty of Fort LaramieRed Cloud, a leader of the Oglala Lakota people, signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie. It ended Red Cloud's War against the United States Army and set u…
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7 Nov
1665 The London Gazette is published for the first timeThe first issue of the London Gazette was published. It is the oldest surviving journal of its kind, and it is still one of the UK government's offic…
Photo: London Gazette, Public domain
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7 Nov
1775 Lord Dunmore offers freedom to enslaved people who join the BritishJohn Murray, Lord Dunmore, the British governor of the Colony of Virginia, issued a proclamation. It offered freedom to enslaved people who left thei…
Photo: Joshua Reynolds, Public domain
- 7 Nov 1956 The United Nations calls for troops to leave Egypt in the Suez CrisisThe United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling on the United Kingdom, France and Israel to withdraw their troops from Egypt immediat…
- 8 Nov 1861 The Trent Affair brings Britain and the USA close to warDuring the American Civil War, the US warship San Jacinto stopped the British mail ship Trent. The Americans took away two envoys, or official messen…
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8 Nov
1960 John F. Kennedy is elected president of the United StatesJohn F. Kennedy narrowly beat Vice President Richard Nixon in the US presidential election. Aged 43, he was the youngest person ever elected presiden…
Photo: Cecil W. Stoughton, Public domain
- 9 Nov 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte takes power in FranceNapoleon Bonaparte took control of France in a coup, a sudden takeover of a government. He overthrew the government called the Directory and became F…
- 9 Nov 1906 Theodore Roosevelt makes the first presidential trip abroadTheodore Roosevelt became the first serving President of the United States to make an official trip to another country. He went to see how work was g…
- 9 Nov 1989 The Berlin Wall opens after 28 yearsAt a press conference, East German official Günter Schabowski gave a slightly mistaken answer that seemed to say the border would open straight away.…
- 10 Nov 1674 The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to EnglandFollowing the Treaty of Westminster, which ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch Republic handed the colony of New Netherland to England. The co…
- 11 Nov 1620 Settlers on the Mayflower sign the Mayflower CompactMen on board the Mayflower, anchored near Cape Cod in North America, signed an agreement now known as the Mayflower Compact. It was the first set of …
- 11 Nov 1992 The Church of England votes to allow women to become priestsThe General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women to become priests. Until then, only men could be priests in the Church of England. Th…
- 11 Nov 1999 A new law removes most hereditary peers from the House of LordsThe House of Lords Act received royal assent, the monarch's formal approval, and became law. For centuries, several hundred members of the House of L…
- 12 Nov 1439 Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by ParliamentPlymouth in Devon became the first town to be incorporated by the English Parliament, which made it an official borough. Until then, the town had bee…
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12 Nov
1835 The Wilberforce Monument is completed in HullBuilding work was completed on the Wilberforce Monument in Kingston upon Hull, the city where William Wilberforce was born. It is a column topped by …
Photo: Keith D at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
- 13 Nov 1956 The US Supreme Court rules against segregated busesThe US Supreme Court agreed with a lower court that laws in Alabama forcing Black and white passengers to be kept apart on buses were against the US …
- 14 Nov 1960 Ruby Bridges starts at an all-white school in New OrleansYoung Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to attend William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, which had been for white childr…
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15 Nov
1897 Born: Aneurin BevanAneurin 'Nye' Bevan, a Welsh politician, was born. As Minister of Health in Clement Attlee's government, he led the creation of Britain's National He…
Photo: Howard Coster, Public domain
- 15 Nov 1920 The League of Nations holds its first assemblyThe League of Nations held its first assembly, or full meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland. The League had been set up after the First World War. It was …
- 15 Nov 1985 Britain and Ireland sign the Anglo-Irish AgreementBritish Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborou…
- 16 Nov 1945 UNESCO is founded to build peace through learningUNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was founded. Shaped by the Second World War, its mission is to build pe…
- 16 Nov 1988 Benazir Bhutto is elected Prime Minister of PakistanIn Pakistan's first open election for more than ten years, voters chose Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister. She became the first woman elected to le…
- 17 Nov 1950 The 15-year-old Dalai Lama is given power to rule TibetThe 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, was given full power to rule Tibet at the age of 15. This happened soon after Chinese …
- 17 Nov 1989 The peaceful Velvet Revolution begins in CzechoslovakiaIn Prague, police broke up a student demonstration against Czechoslovakia's communist government. This sparked the Velvet Revolution, a wave of peace…
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18 Nov
1910 Suffragettes march on Parliament on 'Black Friday'About 300 suffragettes marched to the Houses of Parliament in London to demand the right for women to vote. They were angry that Prime Minister H. H.…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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19 Nov
1863 Abraham Lincoln gives the Gettysburg AddressDuring the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln gave a short speech at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was opening a cemetery for soldiers, a f…
Photo: Published by M.T. Sheahan, Boston, Mass, Public domain
- 19 Nov 1985 Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time in GenevaUS President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began a three-day meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first time the two leader…
- 20 Nov 1815 The Second Treaty of Paris is signed after WaterlooThe Second Treaty of Paris was signed after Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon had been forced to abdicate, which means …
- 20 Nov 1959 The UN adopts the Declaration of the Rights of the ChildThe United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a document setting out rights that all children should have. It was a longer v…
- 20 Nov 1962 The United States ends its naval blockade of CubaUS President John F. Kennedy ended the naval 'quarantine' around Cuba after the Soviet Union removed its nuclear missiles and bombers from the island…
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20 Nov
1977 Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to visit IsraelEgyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel. He met Israel's Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, and …
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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21 Nov
1620 Mayflower passengers sign the Mayflower CompactWhile the Mayflower was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor, in Massachusetts, 41 of its passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. This agreem…
Photo: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Public domain
- 21 Nov 1918 Women win the right to be elected to ParliamentThe Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 was passed. It gave women over the age of 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliame…
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22 Nov
1943 Churchill, Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek meet in CairoDuring the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and China's leader Chiang Kai-shek met in C…
Photo: Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), Public domain
- 22 Nov 1990 Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister comes to an endMargaret Thatcher pulled out of the contest to stay as leader of the Conservative Party, which meant she would stop being Prime Minister. She had bee…
- 23 Nov 1644 John Milton publishes Areopagitica, a defence of free speechDuring the English Civil War, the poet John Milton published Areopagitica. In it, he argued against censorship, which is when the authorities control…
- 23 Nov 2005 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is elected President of LiberiaEllen Johnson Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia, following a run-off vote held earlier in November. She became the first woman to be elected t…
- 24 Nov 1989 Czechoslovakia's Communist leaders resign after peaceful protestsAfter a week of huge protests, Miloš Jakeš and the whole leadership of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party resigned. The protests were part of the Velve…
- 24 Nov 2016 Colombia signs a peace deal to end a 50-year civil warThe government of Colombia and the rebel group FARC signed a revised peace deal. It brought an end to a civil war that had lasted for more than 50 ye…
- 25 Nov 1783 The last British troops leave New York CityThe last British soldiers left New York City at the end of the American Revolutionary War. In that war, American Patriots led by George Washington ha…
- 25 Nov 1975 Suriname becomes independent from the NetherlandsSuriname, a country on the northern coast of South America, became independent from the Netherlands. Johan Ferrier, its last governor-general, became…
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26 Nov
1607 Born: John HarvardJohn Harvard was an English minister, born in Southwark, which is now part of London. He studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and in 1637 he moved…
Photo: alainedouard, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 26 Nov 1789 The USA holds a national Thanksgiving Day proclaimed by WashingtonA national day of thanksgiving was held in the United States, as announced by President George Washington at the request of Congress. Washington was …
- 26 Nov 1998 Tony Blair is first UK prime minister to address the Irish parliamentTony Blair became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to speak to the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Blair was Pri…
- 27 Nov 1999 Helen Clark becomes New Zealand's first elected woman prime ministerThe Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in New Zealand's general election. Labour's leader, Helen Clark, became the country's first fe…
- 28 Nov 1893 Women vote in a New Zealand general election for the first timeNew Zealand held a general election in which women could vote for the first time. After years of campaigning led by Kate Sheppard, it had become the …
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28 Nov
1919 Nancy Astor is elected, becoming the first woman to sit as an MPNancy Astor was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). She became the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons, and served as an MP unti…
Photo: Bassano Ltd, Public domain
- 28 Nov 1990 Margaret Thatcher resigns and John Major becomes Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher stepped down as leader of the Conservative Party, and so as Prime Minister. John Major took over both roles. Thatcher had been Prim…
- 29 Nov 1890 Japan's parliament, the National Diet, meets for the first timeThe National Diet, Japan's parliament, met for the first time in Tokyo. It was modelled partly on Germany's parliament and partly on Britain's Westmi…
- 30 Nov 1874 Born: Winston ChurchillSir Winston Churchill was a British statesman, army officer and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Sec…
- 30 Nov 1995 US President Bill Clinton speaks for peace in BelfastBill Clinton, the President of the United States, visited Northern Ireland. At Belfast City Hall, he spoke to a huge crowd in support of the Northern…
- 30 Nov 2021 Barbados becomes a republicBarbados, an island nation in the Caribbean, became a republic. This means its head of state is no longer a king or queen. Barbados had become indepe…
December
- 1 Dec 1834 Slavery is abolished in Britain's Cape ColonySlavery was abolished in the Cape Colony, a British colony in what is now South Africa. This followed the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, a law passed by…
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1 Dec
1919 Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat as an MPNancy Astor became the first woman to take her seat as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons. She had been elected a few days earlier, …
Photo: Bassano Ltd, Public domain
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1 Dec
1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a busIn Montgomery, Alabama, in the United States, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. At that time, unfair laws kept Bl…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 1 Dec 1988 Benazir Bhutto becomes Prime Minister of PakistanBenazir Bhutto was named Prime Minister of Pakistan, the head of the country's government. She was the first woman elected to lead a democratic gover…
- 2 Dec 1766 Sweden passes the world's first law protecting a free pressSweden's parliament approved the Freedom of the Press Act. It is thought to be the world's first law to support freedom of the press. This means the …
- 2 Dec 1971 Six emirates join together to form the United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai and Umm al-Quwain joined together to form a new country, the United Arab Emirates. An emirate is a state r…
- 2 Dec 1999 Northern Ireland gets its own power-sharing governmentThe UK government handed some of its powers in Northern Ireland to a new Northern Ireland Executive. Passing powers to a local government like this i…
- 3 Dec 1925 A final agreement confirms the partition of IrelandThe Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom signed a final agreement confirming the partition, or division, of Ireland. The Irish F…
- 3 Dec 1989 Bush and Gorbachev signal that the Cold War may be endingAt a meeting off the coast of Malta, US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made statements suggesting that the Cold War …
- 3 Dec 1990 Mary Robinson becomes Ireland's first woman presidentMary Robinson took office as President of Ireland, the first woman to hold the job. Before that, she had been a senator and had worked as a lawyer an…
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4 Dec
1259 Henry III and Louis IX agree the Treaty of ParisKing Henry III of England and King Louis IX of France agreed the Treaty of Paris. Henry gave up his claims to lands controlled by France on the conti…
Photo: Anonymous, Public domain
- 4 Dec 1918 Woodrow Wilson sets sail as the first US president to visit EuropeUS President Woodrow Wilson set sail for the peace talks held after the First World War. He became the first American president to travel to Europe w…
- 4 Dec 2012 Italy officially adopts its national anthemThe song 'Il Canto degli Italiani' officially became Italy's national anthem. It had been used as the anthem since 1946, when Italy became a republic…
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5 Dec
1848 President Polk confirms gold has been found in CaliforniaIn a message to the US Congress, President James K. Polk confirmed that large amounts of gold had been found in California. Gold had first been found…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 5 Dec 1955 The Montgomery bus boycott beginsIn Montgomery, Alabama, USA, people began refusing to ride the city's buses. They were protesting against segregation, the unfair laws that kept Blac…
- 5 Dec 2005 The first civil partnerships are registered in the UKThe Civil Partnership Act came into effect, and the first civil partnership was registered in the United Kingdom. The law let same-sex couples form a…
- 6 Dec 1648 Pride's Purge removes MPs so King Charles I can be triedDuring the English Civil War, soldiers stopped some Members of Parliament from entering the House of Commons. These MPs were seen as hostile to Parli…
- 6 Dec 1865 Slavery is abolished in the United StatesSlavery in the United States was officially abolished. This happened when enough states ratified, or approved, the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Con…
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6 Dec
1921 The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in LondonBritish and Irish representatives signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London. The agreement ended the Irish War of Independence. It said that an Irish F…
Photo: Public domain, Public domain
- 7 Dec 1787 Delaware becomes the first state to approve the US ConstitutionDelaware became the first state to ratify, or formally approve, the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution is the country's highest law …
- 7 Dec 1922 Northern Ireland's parliament votes to stay in the United KingdomThe Parliament of Northern Ireland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom rather than join with the rest of Ireland. The parliament had been set …
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8 Dec
1941 Roosevelt calls Pearl Harbor 'a date which will live in infamy'The day after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt said 7 December 1941 was 'a date which will live in infamy'. Infamy …
Photo: Leon Perskie, CC BY 2.0
- 8 Dec 1955 The Council of Europe adopts the blue flag with twelve gold starsThe Council of Europe adopted a navy blue flag with a circle of twelve golden stars. It was chosen as a symbol for the whole of Europe. It was design…
- 8 Dec 1987 Reagan and Gorbachev sign a treaty to limit nuclear weaponsAt the White House, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It was an arm…
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8 Dec
1991 Leaders agree that the Soviet Union has ceased to existThe leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belovezha Accords at a country house in Belarus. The agreement declared that the Soviet Union h…
Photo: U. Ivanov / Ю. Иванов, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9 Dec 1946 India's Constituent Assembly meets to write a constitutionThe Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time to write the Constitution of India. Most of its members were elected from the provinces of B…
- 9 Dec 1961 Tanganyika becomes independent from BritainTanganyika in East Africa gained its independence from the United Kingdom. At first Queen Elizabeth II remained its head of state, but it became a re…
- 9 Dec 1973 The Sunningdale Agreement on Northern Ireland is signedThe British and Irish governments signed the Sunningdale Agreement at Sunningdale Park in Berkshire. It aimed to set up a power-sharing government fo…
- 10 Dec Every year Human Rights DayHuman Rights Day is celebrated around the world every year on 10 December. It marks the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted …
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10 Dec
1520 Martin Luther burns an order from the PopeMartin Luther burned his copy of a papal bull called Exsurge Domine outside the Elster Gate in Wittenberg, Germany. A papal bull is an official publi…
Photo: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Public domain
- 10 Dec 1953 Winston Churchill receives the Nobel Prize in LiteratureBritish Prime Minister Winston Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature. As well as being a politician, Churchill was a writer. He led Britai…
- 11 Dec 1931 The Statute of Westminster gives the Dominions equal law-making powerThe British Parliament made the Statute of Westminster 1931 law. It gave the Dominions of the British Commonwealth the same power as the United Kingd…
- 11 Dec 1946 UNICEF is set up to help children around the worldThe United Nations set up UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. Since 1953 its official name has been the United Nation…
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12 Dec
1870 Joseph Rainey becomes the first black member of the US HouseJoseph Rainey, from South Carolina, took his seat in the United States House of Representatives. He was the first black person to serve in the House,…
Photo: Mathew Benjamin Brady, Public domain
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12 Dec
1915 Yuan Shikai declares himself Emperor of ChinaYuan Shikai, the president of the Republic of China, declared that China was an empire again, with himself as emperor. He was a powerful general who …
Photo: Photo by Rio V. De Sieux, Public domain
- 12 Dec 1963 Kenya becomes independent from BritainKenya, in East Africa, became independent after being a colony of the British Empire. Jomo Kenyatta, who had campaigned against colonial rule, led th…
- 12 Dec 2015 The Paris Agreement on climate change is adoptedCountries meeting near Paris, France, adopted the Paris Agreement, a treaty about climate change. It was worked out by 196 parties at a United Nation…
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13 Dec
1294 Pope Celestine V resigns after only five monthsPope Celestine V resigned after only five months, so that he could return to his old life as a hermit. A hermit is someone who lives alone, often for…
Photo: Niccolò di Tommaso, Public domain
- 14 Dec 1918 Women vote in a UK general election for the first timeA general election was held across the United Kingdom soon after the First World War ended. For the first time, women over 30 who met certain propert…
- 15 Dec 1791 The United States Bill of Rights is ratifiedThe first ten amendments, or changes, to the United States Constitution were ratified, which means they were officially approved. Together they are k…
- 15 Dec 1993 The Downing Street Declaration aims for peace in Northern IrelandBritish Prime Minister John Major and the Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Albert Reynolds issued the Downing Street Declaration. They made this j…
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16 Dec
1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord ProtectorOliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, the head of state of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. He had been a senior commander in Parl…
Photo: After Samuel Cooper, Public domain
- 16 Dec 1689 Parliament passes the Bill of RightsThe Parliament of England passed the Bill of Rights. This law set out some basic rights and changed the rules about who could inherit the Crown. It i…
- 16 Dec 1773 Colonists throw chests of tea into Boston's harbourIn Boston, Massachusetts, a group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty threw chests of tea into the harbour. They were protesting against British …
- 17 Dec 1819 Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran ColombiaSimón Bolívar declared the independence of Gran Colombia at Angostura, now called Ciudad Bolívar, in Venezuela. Gran Colombia was a large country cov…
- 18 Dec 1655 The Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of EnglandOliver Cromwell had called together merchants, clergymen and lawyers to debate whether Jews should be allowed back into England. When the Whitehall C…
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18 Dec
1792 Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of ManEnglish-born writer Thomas Paine was found guilty of seditious libel, which means publishing words meant to turn people against the government. The t…
Photo: Laurent Dabos, Public domain
- 18 Dec 1865 The Thirteenth Amendment ends slavery in the United StatesUS Secretary of State William Seward announced that the Thirteenth Amendment was now part of the United States Constitution. The amendment made slave…
- 19 Dec 1776 Thomas Paine publishes the first American Crisis pamphletThomas Paine published the first of his pamphlets called The American Crisis, in The Pennsylvania Journal. It begins with the famous line: 'These are…
- 19 Dec 1783 William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minister at just 24William Pitt became Prime Minister at the age of 24, the youngest person ever to hold the job. He is called 'Pitt the Younger' because his father, Wi…
- 19 Dec 1984 Britain and China agree the future of Hong KongThe governments of the United Kingdom and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It set out how Hong Kong would pass to China on 1 July 199…
- 20 Dec Every year International Human Solidarity DayInternational Human Solidarity Day is held each year by the United Nations and its member countries. Solidarity means people standing together and su…
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20 Dec
1803 The Louisiana Purchase is completed in New OrleansAt a ceremony in New Orleans, the United States completed the Louisiana Purchase from France. It paid 15 million dollars for a huge area of about 828…
Photo: William Morris, CC BY-SA 4.0
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20 Dec
1860 South Carolina declares that it is leaving the United StatesA convention in South Carolina passed an Ordinance of Secession, declaring that the state was leaving the United States. Secession means a region bre…
Photo: Charleston Mercury, Public domain
- 20 Dec 1955 Cardiff is named the capital city of WalesThe government announced that Cardiff would be regarded as the capital city of Wales. The Home Secretary, Gwilym Lloyd George, said so in the House o…
- 20 Dec 1999 Portugal hands Macau over to ChinaAt midnight, Portugal handed control of Macau to the People's Republic of China. Portugal had run Macau since the middle of the 1500s. The handover e…
- 21 Dec 1804 Born: Benjamin DisraeliBenjamin Disraeli was a British politician and writer who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in creating …
- 21 Dec 1844 The Rochdale Pioneers open their co-operative shopA group called the Rochdale Pioneers opened their shop in Rochdale, England. It was a co-operative, a business owned by the people who use it. The sh…
- 21 Dec 1923 Britain recognises Nepal as an independent countryNepal and the United Kingdom signed a treaty at Singha Durbar in Nepal. It was the first formal agreement in which Britain accepted that Nepal was an…
- 21 Dec 1965 The United Nations agrees a treaty against racial discriminationThe United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Countries that join it promise to e…
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22 Dec
1885 Itō Hirobumi becomes Japan's first prime ministerItō Hirobumi, who came from Japan's samurai warrior class, became the first Prime Minister of Japan. He later led the government three more times. It…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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22 Dec
1989 Berlin's Brandenburg Gate reopens after nearly 30 yearsThe Brandenburg Gate in Berlin reopened after being closed for nearly 30 years. Germany had been divided into two countries, East and West, and the r…
Photo: Unknown photographer, Reproduction by Lear 21 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 23 Dec 1688 King James II flees to France in the Glorious RevolutionKing James II escaped from England to France after losing his throne in the Glorious Revolution. He was replaced by his daughter, Mary II, and her Du…
- 23 Dec 1919 A new law lets women join the professions and sit on juriesThe Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act became law in the United Kingdom. It removed most of the old legal rules that had held women back. Women could…
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24 Dec
1814 Britain and the USA sign a treaty to end the War of 1812The United Kingdom and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent in the city of Ghent, in what is now Belgium. It ended the War of 1812, which had…
Photo: Amédée Forestier, CC0
- 25 Dec 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as leader of the Soviet UnionIn a speech shown on television across the country, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union. He had led the country since 1985 an…
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26 Dec
1941 Winston Churchill speaks to the US Congress in wartimeDuring the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a 30-minute speech to the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. He sp…
Photo: Star staff photographer, Public domain
- 26 Dec 1991 The Soviet Union is formally dissolved, ending the Cold WarThe Supreme Soviet, the Soviet Union's highest governing body, formally dissolved the country. This brought the Cold War to an end. The Cold War was …
- 27 Dec 1911 Jana Gana Mana, later India's national anthem, is first sungThe song 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung for the first time, at a meeting of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta. It was written in Bengali by the poe…
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28 Dec
1836 South Australia and its capital, Adelaide, are foundedThe colony of South Australia was founded, along with its capital city, Adelaide. South Australia is now one of the states of Australia. It is the fo…
Photo: File:Adelaide skyline, December 2022.jpg: Ardash Muradian from Australia derivative work: Georgfotoart, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 28 Dec 1918 Constance Markievicz becomes the first woman elected as an MPElection results showed that Constance Markievicz had become the first woman ever elected to the House of Commons. She won the seat of Dublin St Patr…
- 28 Dec 1967 Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman on the New York Stock ExchangeThe American businesswoman Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. A stock exchange is a market where peo…
- 28 Dec 1973 The USA passes a law to protect endangered speciesPresident Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in the United States. It is the country's main law for protecting animals and plan…
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29 Dec
1809 Born: William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom four times, more than any other British prime minister. He began in politics as a Co…
Photo: Samuel Alexander Walker, Public domain
- 29 Dec 1911 Mongolia declares independence from China's Qing dynastyMongolia broke away from the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty to rule China. The 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, an important leader in Tibetan Bu…
- 29 Dec 1915 France gives land for British war graves as a 'free gift'During the First World War, France passed a law to obtain land for the graves of Allied soldiers who had died. The land for British war graves was gi…
- 29 Dec 1937 Ireland adopts a new constitutionA new constitution came into force in Ireland, replacing the Irish Free State with a state called Ireland. A constitution is a set of basic laws that…
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29 Dec
1989 Václav Havel is elected President of CzechoslovakiaVáclav Havel, a Czech playwright and dissident, was elected President of Czechoslovakia. A dissident is someone who openly speaks out against their g…
Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 29 Dec 1996 A peace agreement ends Guatemala's 36-year civil warThe government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity signed a peace agreement. It ended a civil war that had lasted 36 years, …
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29 Dec
2006 Britain makes the last payment on its post-war loan from the USAThe United Kingdom made its final payment on the Anglo-American loan. The United States had lent the money in 1946 to help keep the British economy g…
Photo: The National Archives UK, Public domain
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30 Dec
AD 534 Emperor Justinian's code of Roman law comes into effectThe final edition of the Code of Justinian came into effect in the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman, Empire. The emperor Justinian I, who ruled from Const…
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author Voir : https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1118635001, Public domain
- 30 Dec 1922 The Soviet Union is createdA treaty officially created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), usually called the Soviet Union. It joined several Soviet republics toget…
- 31 Dec 1600 The East India Company receives its charterThe East India Company was given its charter, an official document allowing it to operate. It was set up to trade around the Indian Ocean, at first w…
- 31 Dec 1857 Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as the capital of CanadaQueen Victoria chose Ottawa, then a small logging town, as the capital of the Province of Canada. This was a British colony in North America. Ottawa …
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31 Dec
1992 Czechoslovakia splits peacefully into two countriesCzechoslovakia was peacefully divided into two independent countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The split took effect on 31 December, and the …
Photo: PANONIAN, Public domain