|  | Date | Event(s) | 
	
| 1 | 1920 | 1920—1920: Regular cross-channel air service starts1920—1920: Marconi opens a radio broadcasting station in Britain1920—1920: Thompson patents his machine gun (Tommy gun)Feb 1920—Feb 1920: First roadside petrol filling station in UK -  opened by the Automobile Association
at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
 | 
| 2 | 1921 | 1921—1921: Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies -  only four remained1921—1921: Insulin discovery announced1921—1921: First birth control clinic19 Jun 1921—19 Jun 1921: Census: Population - England and Wales: 37.9 Million; Scotland: 4.9 Million; N Ireland: 1.25 Million6 Dec 1921—6 Dec 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free
State and Northern Ireland
 | 
| 3 | 1922 | 1922—1922: Law of Property Act -  the manorial system effectively ended1 Jun 1922—1 Jun 1922: Royal Ulster Constabulary foundedOct 1922—Oct 1922: BBC established as a monopoly, and begins transmissions in November (2LO in
London on 14 Nov; 5IT in Birmingham and 2ZY in Manchester on 15 Nov)
 | 
| 4 | 1923 | 1923—1923: Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers1923—1923: Hubble shows there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way1923—1923: First American broadcasts heard in Britain1 Jan 1923—1 Jan 1923: The majority of the railway companies in Great Britain grouped into four main
companies, the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, LMSR -  lasted until nationalisation in 194816 Feb 1923—16 Feb 1923: Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun28 Apr 1923—28 Apr 1923: First Wembley cup final (West Ham 0, Bolton 2) -  'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles ' popular song of the time  became the West Ham anthem28 Sep 1923—28 Sep 1923: First publication of Radio Times
 | 
| 5 | 1924 | 4 Jan 1924—4 Jan 1924: First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald5 Feb 1924—5 Feb 1924: Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory were
first broadcast by the BBC31 Mar 1924—31 Mar 1924: British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British
airline companies -  became BOAC in 1940)
 | 
| 6 | 1925 | 1925—1925: Britain returns to gold standard18 Jul 1925—18 Jul 1925: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
 | 
| 7 | 1926 | 1926—1926: First public demonstration of television (TV) by John Logie Baird1926—1926: Adoption of children is legalised in Britain1926—1926: Kodak produces 16mm movie film1926—1926: Walt Disney arrives in Hollywood21 Apr 1926—21 Apr 1926: Princess Elizabeth born3 May 1926—3 May 1926: General Strike begins. Lasts until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)31 Oct 1926—31 Oct 1926: Death of Harry Houdini
 | 
| 8 | 1927 | 1927—1927: Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer)7 Jan 1927—7 Jan 1927: First transatlantic telephone call -  New York City to London22 Jan 1927—22 Jan 1927: First football broadcast by BBC (Arsenal v Sheffield United at Highbury)1 May 1927—1 May 1927: First cooked meals on a scheduled flight introduced by Imperial Airways from
London to Paris20 May 1927—20 May 1927: Lindbergh makes solo flight across the Atlantic, in 33? hours31 May 1927—31 May 1927: Last Ford Model T rolls off assembly line24 Jul 1927—24 Jul 1927: The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
 | 
| 9 | 1928 | 1928—1928: Women over 21 get vote in Britain -  same qualification for both sexes26 Apr 1928—26 Apr 1928: Madame Tussauds opens in London15 Sep 1928—15 Sep 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
 | 
| 10 | 1929 | 1929—1929: Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain1929—1929: Minimum age for a marriage in Britain (which had been 14 for a boy and 12 for a girl)
now 16 for both sexes, with parental consent (or a licence) needed for anyone under 211929—1929: BBC begins experimental TV transmissions
 | 
| 11 | 1930 | 1930—1930: First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag1930—1930: Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain30 Jan 1930—30 Jan 1930: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany31 Jan 1930—31 Jan 1930: 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape6 Mar 1930—6 Mar 1930: Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas5 Oct 1930—5 Oct 1930: R101 airship disaster -  British abandons airship construction
 | 
| 12 | 1931 | 1931—1931: Statute of Westminster: British Dominions become independent sovereign states1931—1931: Collapse of the German banking system; 3,000 banks there close14 Apr 1931—14 Apr 1931: Highway Code first issued26 Apr 1931—26 Apr 1931: Census: Population - England and Wales; 40 Million; Scotland: 4.8 Million; N Ireland: 1.24 Million (Unfortunately, the census was destroyed by fire in WW2)21 Oct 1931—21 Oct 1931: National Government formed to deal with economic crisis -  Britain comes off
gold standard
 | 
| 13 | 1932 | 1932—1932: Great Hunger March of unemployed to London1932—1932: Moseley founds British Union of Fascists1932—1932: Cockroft and Walton accelerate particles to disintegrate an atomic nucleus1932—1932: Sir Thomas Beecham established the London Philharmonic Orchestra21 May 1932—21 May 1932: Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: Iraq gains independence from Britain3 Oct 1932—3 Oct 1932: 'The Times' introduces 'Times New Roman' typeface
 | 
| 14 | 1933 | 1933—1933: ICI scientists discover polythene1933—1933: Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year12 Nov 1933—12 Nov 1933: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
 | 
| 15 | 1934 | 1934—1934: Hitler becomes Fuehrer of Germany18 Jul 1934—18 Jul 1934: King George V opens Mersey Tunnel26 Sep 1934—26 Sep 1934: RMS Queen Mary launched30 Nov 1934—30 Nov 1934: First time a steam locomotive travels at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
 | 
| 16 | 1935 | 1935—1935: London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme1935—1935: Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell28 Feb 1935—28 Feb 1935: Nylon first produced by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers' research group
at DuPont (there is no evidence to the widely-supposed story that the name derives from
New York-London)12 Mar 1935—12 Mar 1935: Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas
in Britain1 Jun 1935—1 Jun 1935: Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK30 Jul 1935—30 Jul 1935: Penguin paperbacks launched
 | 
| 17 | 1936 | 1936—1936: Jet engine first tested20 Jan 1936—20 Jan 1936: George V dies5 May 1936—5 May 1936: First flight of a Spitfire24 Jul 1936—24 Jul 1936: 'Speaking clock' service starts in UK2 Nov 1936—2 Nov 1936: British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's
first public TV transmission30 Nov 1936—30 Nov 1936: Crystal Palace destroyed by fire5 Dec 1936—5 Dec 1936: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) -  popular carol that Christmas:
'Hark the Herald Angels sing  Mrs Simpson's got our King'
 | 
| 18 | 1937 | 1937—1937: '999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London1937—1937: Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp12 Apr 1937—12 Apr 1937: Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft12 May 1937—12 May 1937: Coronation of King George VI28 May 1937—28 May 1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister -  policy of appeasement towards
Hitler3 Jun 1937—3 Jun 1937: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson4 Dec 1937—4 Dec 1937: 'The Dandy' first published
 | 
| 19 | 1938 | 1938—1938: Principle of paid holidays established in Britain1938—1938: HMS Rodney first ship to be equipped with radar1938—1938: First practical ball-point pen produced by Hungarian journalist, Lajos Biro12 Mar 1938—12 Mar 1938: Germany invades and annexes Austria3 Jul 1938—3 Jul 1938: 'Mallard' reaches 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive27 Sep 1938—27 Sep 1938: Largest ocean liner ever built, Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank29 Sep 1938—29 Sep 1938: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich -  promises 'peace in our time'30 Oct 1938—30 Oct 1938: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells 'The War of the Worlds', causing panic in the USA
 | 
| 20 | 1939 | 1939—1939: Germany annexes Czechoslovakia1939—1939: Start of evacuation of women and children from London1939—1939: Coldest winter in Britain since 1894, though this could not be publicised at the time1 Sep 1939—1 Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland3 Sep 1939—3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany6 Sep 1939—6 Sep 1939: First air-raid on Britain11 Sep 1939—11 Sep 1939: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France14 Oct 1939—14 Oct 1939: HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives7 Dec 1939—7 Dec 1939: 'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain -  7,400 men on 5 ships17 Dec 1939—17 Dec 1939: 'Admiral Graf Spee' scuttled outside Montevideo
 | 
| 21 | 1940 | 1 Apr 1940—1 Apr 1940: BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd11 May 1940—11 May 1940: National Government formed under Churchill13 May 1940—13 May 1940: Germany invades France27 May 1940—27 May 1940: Start of the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk (27 May - 4 Jun)25 Jun 1940—25 Jun 1940: Fall of France to Germany7 Sep 1940—7 Sep 1940: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of
bombing15 Sep 1940—15 Sep 1940: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the
RAF -  Hitler postpones invasion of Britain14 Nov 1940—14 Nov 1940: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
 | 
| 22 | 1941 | 1941—1941: Britain introduces severe rationing1941—1941: First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle1941—1941: Bailey invents his portable military bridge1941—1941: First use of antibiotics10 May 1941—10 May 1941: Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland27 May 1941—27 May 1941: 'Bismark' sunk22 Jun 1941—22 Jun 1941: Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa)1 Jul 1941—1 Jul 1941: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in BritainDec 1941—Dec 1941: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of EnglandDec 1941—Dec 1941: 'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America7 Dec 1941—7 Dec 1941: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour8 Dec 1941—8 Dec 1941: USA enters WWII24 Dec 1941—24 Dec 1941: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
 | 
| 23 | 1942 | 1942—1942: Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with
Max Neumann -  used to crack German codes1942—1942: Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam30 May 1942—30 May 1942: Over 1,000 allied bombers raid Cologne4 Jun 1942—4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway19 Aug 1942—19 Aug 1942: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops6 Sep 1942—6 Sep 1942: Germans defeated at Stalingrad3 Oct 1942—3 Oct 1942: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany -  first man-made object to reach
space23 Oct 1942—23 Oct 1942: Battle of El Alamein -  Montgomery defeats Rommel2 Dec 1942—2 Dec 1942: 'Manhattan Project' -  a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining
nuclear chain reaction
 | 
| 24 | 1943 | 1943—1943: Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins16 May 1943—16 May 1943: 'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF24 Jul 1943—24 Jul 1943: Allies invade Italy -  Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
 | 
| 25 | 1944 | 6 Apr 1944—6 Apr 1944: PAYE income tax begins4 Jun 1944—4 Jun 1944: Allies enter Rome6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy12 Jun 1944—12 Jun 1944: First V1 flying bombs hit London8 Sep 1944—8 Sep 1944: First V2 rocket bombs hit London11 Sep 1944—11 Sep 1944: Allies enter Germany16 Dec 1944—16 Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
 | 
| 26 | 1945 | 4 Feb 1945—4 Feb 1945: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin29 Mar 1945—29 Mar 1945: Last V1 flying bomb attack25 Apr 1945—25 Apr 1945: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops30 Apr 1945—30 Apr 1945: Hitler commits suicide8 May 1945—8 May 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe)9 May 1945—9 May 1945: Channel Islands liberated26 Jun 1945—26 Jun 1945: UN Charter signed in San Francisco16 Jul 1945—16 Jul 1945: First ever atomic bomb exploded in a test in New Mexico (although there were
other forms of atomic device before that, such as the Pile at Stagg Field, first critical on
2nd Dec 1942)26 Jul 1945—26 Jul 1945: Labour win UK General Election -  Churchill out of office29 Jul 1945—29 Jul 1945: BBC Light Programme starts6 Aug 1945—6 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima9 Aug 1945—9 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki15 Aug 1945—15 Aug 1945: VJ Day (Victory in Japan)2 Sep 1945—2 Sep 1945: Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri24 Oct 1945—24 Oct 1945: United Nations Organisation comes into existence4 Nov 1945—4 Nov 1945: UNESCO founded
 | 
| 27 | 1946 | 1946—1946: Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)1946—1946: Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio -  until 20041 Jan 1946—1 Jan 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport1 Mar 1946—1 Mar 1946: Bank of England nationalised
 | 
| 28 | 1947 | 1947—1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year -  heavy snow and much
flooding later1947—1947: First British nuclear reactor developed1 Jan 1947—1 Jan 1947: Coal Mines nationalised23 Feb 1947—23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded1 Mar 1947—1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations1 Apr 1947—1 Apr 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain26 Oct 1947—26 Oct 1947: British military occupation ends in Iraq20 Nov 1947—20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in
Westminster Abbey
 | 
| 29 | 1948 | 1948—1948: British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports1948—1948: Transistor radio invented1948—1948: Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark1 Jan 1948—1 Jan 1948: British Railways nationalised5 Jul 1948—5 Jul 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain29 Jul 1948—29 Jul 1948: London Olympics begin
 | 
| 30 | 1949 | 1949—1949: Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)1949—1949: De Haviland produces the Comet -  first jet airliner15 Mar 1949—15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing ends in Britain4 Apr 1949—4 Apr 1949: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
 | 
| 31 | 1950 | 19 May 1950—19 May 1950: Points rationing ends in Britain26 May 1950—26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ends in Britain11 Jul 1950—11 Jul 1950: 'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV9 Sep 1950—9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing ends in Britain28 Dec 1950—28 Dec 1950: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
 | 
| 32 | 1951 | 3 May 1951—3 May 1951: Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London28 May 1951—28 May 1951: First Goon Show broadcast20 Dec 1951—20 Dec 1951: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
 | 
| 33 | 1952 | 1952—1952: Contraceptive pill invented1952—1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia1952—1952: Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects1952—1952: Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany6 Feb 1952—6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies21 Feb 1952—21 Feb 1952: Identity Cards abolished in Britain2 May 1952—2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London
and Johannesburg5 Jul 1952—5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)16 Aug 1952—16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster6 Sep 1952—6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed3 Oct 1952—3 Oct 1952: End of tea rationing in Britain1 Nov 1952—1 Nov 1952: The first H-bomb ever ('Mike') was exploded by the USA -  the mushroom cloud
was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell
out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised.25 Nov 1952—25 Nov 1952: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London4 Dec 1952—4 Dec 1952: Great smog hits London
 | 
| 34 | 1953 | 31 Jan 1953—31 Jan 1953: Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century - 
severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives - - effects travelled from the
west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even
worse affected with over a thousand deaths]5 Feb 1953—5 Feb 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain5 Mar 1953—5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin26 Mar 1953—26 Mar 1953: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine24 Apr 1953—24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted25 Apr 1953—25 Apr 1953: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA2 Jun 1953—2 Jun 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II26 Sep 1953—26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
 | 
| 35 | 1954 | 1954—1954: First comprehensive school opens in London1954—1954: Routemaster bus starts operating in London1954—1954: First transistor radios sold6 May 1954—6 May 1954: First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)3 Jul 1954—3 Jul 1954: Food rationing officially ends in Britain5 Jul 1954—5 Jul 1954: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin30 Sep 1954—30 Sep 1954: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
 | 
| 36 | 1955 | 1955—1955: 'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons27 Jul 1955—27 Jul 1955: Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends22 Sep 1955—22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV starts in Britain
 | 
| 37 | 1956 | 1956—1956: Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland1 Mar 1956—1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)17 Apr 1956—17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds first launched -  first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 19573 Jun 1956—3 Jun 1956: 3rd class travel abolished on British Railways (renamed 'Third Class' as 'Second
Class', which had been abolished in 1875 leaving just First and Third Class)31 Oct 1956—31 Oct 1956: Britain and France invade Suez
 | 
| 38 | 1957 | 1957—1957: Britain introduces parking meters1957—1957: Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)11 Jan 1957—11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister14 May 1957—14 May 1957: Post-Suez petrol rationing ends15 May 1957—15 May 1957: Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island25 May 1957—25 May 1957: Treaty of Rome to create European Economic Community (EEC) of six
countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg -  became
operational Jan 19584 Dec 1957—4 Dec 1957: Lewisham rail disaster -  90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct
collapses on top of them25 Dec 1957—25 Dec 1957: Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
 | 
| 39 | 1958 | 1958—1958: Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)1958—1958: Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce1958—1958: USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)13 May 1958—13 May 1958: Velcro trade mark registered26 Jul 1958—26 Jul 1958: Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales'5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens -  UK's first stretch of motorway
 |