1895 |
X-rays discovered by Rontgen. |
1896 |
The “Jameson Raid” on the Transvaal leads to friction between Britons and Boers in South Africa. |
1897 |
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Workmen’s Compensation Act passed. |
1898 |
Kitchener’s victory at Omdurman saves the Sudan. The Curies in France discover radium, a substance giving off energy. |
1899 |
Beginning of the South African War between the British colonies and Boer provinces. |
1900 |
Boxer rebellion in China, an attempt to expel foreigners. |
1901 |
Death of Queen Victoria; accession of Edward VII. Commonwealth of Australia inaugurated at Sydney. Marconi sends messages by wireless from England to Canada. |
1902 |
Anglo-Japanese Alliance. End of South African War. Education Act gives control of education to local authorities. |
1903 |
The Wrights in America fly the first power-driven aeroplane. |
1904 |
Entente Cordiale between Britain and France. |
1907 |
New Zealand becomes a Dominion. |
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1908 |
Old Age Pensions Act passed by Parliament. |
1909 |
Labour Exchanges and Trade Boards established. |
1910 |
Death of Edward VII; he is succeeded by George V. Union of South Africa established. |
1911 |
National Insurance Act passed. Parliament Act reduces power of House of Lords and fixes five-year Parliaments. Revolution in China against bad government. |
1912 |
Women’s suffrage agitation to extend the vote to women. |
1914 |
Outbreak of First World War; Britain declares war on Germany after German invasion of Belgium. Home Rule for Ireland suspended till the war over. Opening of the Panama Canal. |
1916 |
Sinn Fein rising in Ireland suppressed. Lloyd George Prime Minister of Coalition Government. Germans drop bombs on London and other towns. Unrestricted submarine warfare against shipping by Germany. |
1917 |
United States enters the war. Russian Revolution; a republic proclaimed. |
1918 |
Women over thirty given the right to vote. Revolution in Germany; abdication of the Kaiser. Armistice signed on 11 November. |
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1919 |
Peace Treaty signed at Versailles. Viscountess Astor, first woman M.P. to sit in Parliament. |
1920 |
League of Nations established. Mass unemployment in Britain. |
1922 |
Britain recognizes the independence of Egypt. Irish Free State established in southern Ireland. Fascist March on Rome. Mussolini in power. |
1923 |
Large measure of self-government granted to Southern Rhodesia. |
1924 |
First Labour Ministry; Ramsay MacDonald Prime Minister. Wembley British Empire Exhibition. |
1925 |
Locarno Conference. |
1926 |
General Strike in support of the miners fails. Empire Conference declares allegiance to the Crown. |
1927 |
Stalin supreme in Russia. |
1928 |
Women’s Suffrage Act extends the right to vote to women on the same terms as men. Kellogg Peace Pact to renounce war. |
1929 |
Beginning of world depression in trade. |
1930 |
Gandhi opens civil disobedience campaign in India against British rule. |
1931 |
Ramsay MacDonald forms National Government. Statute of Westminster defines self-governing Dominions as equal in status to Britain. Japan occupies Manchuria. |
1932 |
F. D. Roosevelt elected President of U.S.A. ”New Deal” begins. |
1933 |
Hitler gains power in Germany. |
1935 |
Mussolini invades Abyssinia. |
1936 |
Death of George V; he is succeeded by Edward VIII. Abdication of Edward VIII; he is succeeded by his brother, George VI. Civil war in Spain begins. |
1937 |
Japan attacks China. |
1938 |
Hitler annexes Austria. Munich Agreement gives part of Czechoslovakia to Germany. |
1939 |
Hitler annexes Czechoslovakia. Outbreak of Second World War follows the German invasion of Poland. |
1940 |
Fall of France to German invaders; British evacuation from Dunkirk. Air “Battle of Britain.” Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. |
1941 |
German invasion of Russia. Japanese attack United States fleet in Pearl Harbour. |
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1942 |
Japanese overrun Malaya and Burma. |
1943 |
German and Italian armies driven from North Africa. Allied landings in Sicily and Italy; Italy surrenders. |
1944 |
Allied landings in Normandy, and invasion of Germany. |
1945 |
German unconditional surrender. Japanese driven from Burma. Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders. General Election and return of Labour Government in Great Britain. United Nations Organization established. |
1946 |
Italy becomes a republic. First meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. |
1947 |
India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) become self-governing; Burma leaves the British Commonwealth. New state of Indonesia formed from the Dutch East Indies. |
1948 |
Britain gives up the Palestine mandate; war breaks out between the new state of Israel and the surrounding Arab countries. |
1949 |
North Atlantic treaty signed in Washington. Eire leaves the British Commonwealth and becomes a republic. |
1950 |
Outbreak of war in Korea between North Koreans supported by the Chinese and the South Koreans supported by the United Nations. |
1951 |
Festival of Britain. |
1952 |
Death of George VI; his daughter, Elizabeth II, becomes Queen. |
1953 |
Everest climbed by a British expedition. Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland inaugurated. |
1955 |
The Sudan leaves the British Commonwealth. |
1956 |
War breaks out between Israel and Egypt; Britain and France enter the Suez Canal zone, but withdraw. |
1957 |
Gold Coast achieves Dominion status and becomes Ghana; Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) becomes self-governing within the British Commonwealth. Russia launches the first earth satellite. |
1958 |
Britain invents Zeta, a device for creating temperature as hot as the sun. |
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