Historic Anniversaries & other events

Date	Day	Event year	Anniv- ersary	Event	Comment
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2009 _{Back to: Things to ring for}
17 Jan	Sat	1209	800	800th anniversary of Cambridge University	800 of Cambridge rung around the world
2010
2011 _{^{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}}
24 Mar	Thu	1911	100	Publication of The Ringing World	Centenary articles in The Ringing World
7-8 Apr	Thu-Fri	1761	250	Extent of Major rung at Leeds, Kent by 14 ringers
12 Apr	Tue	1961	50	Yuri Gagarin became first human in space
2 May	Mon	1611	400	King James Bible published
10 Jun	Fri	1921	90	Duke of Edinburgh born
14 Dec	Wed	1861	150	Prince Albert died	Consort to Queen Victoria, d 1861
2012 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
8 Jan	Sun	1912	100	African National Congress founded	South Africa
17 Jan	Tue	1912	100	Robert Falcon Scott reached South Pole	But found Amundson had been there first
23 Jan	Mon	1912	100	International Opium Convention signed	First international drug control treaty
6 Feb	Mon	1952	60	Accession of Queen Elizabeth II	On the death of George VI
7 Feb	Tue	1812	200	Charles Dickens born	Author and social commentator
27 Mar	Tue	1912	100	James Callaghan born	UK Prime Minister 1976-79
10 Apr	Tue	1912	100	RMS Titanic left Southampton on maiden voyage	Designed to be ‘unsinkable’
15 Apr	Sun	1912	100	RMS Titanic sank	2:20am after hitting iceberg a few hours earlier
11 May	Fri	1812	200	Spencer Perceval assassinated	UK Prime Minister 1809-1812 (only one to be assassinated)
12 May	Sat	1812	200	Edward Lear born	English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned for literary nonsense, especially limericks
13 May	Sun	1912	100	Royal Flying Corps established	Forerunner of the Royal air Force
19 May	Sat	1662	350	Act of Uniformity	Prescribed use of the Book of Common Prayer
24 May	Thu	1862	150	Opening of new Westminster Bridge	Oldest bridge in central London
23 Jun	Sat	1912	100	Alan Turing born	British mathematician, pioneer of computer science
4 Jul	Wed	1862	150	Lewis Carroll conceives outline of Alice in Wonderland	During a boat trip with Alice Liddell
20 Jul	Fri	1912	100	First peal by all ladies band	Christchurch, Cubitt Town, London
4 Nov	Sun	1942	70	Battle of El Alamein	Turning point in World War 2
2013 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
10 Jan	Thu	1863	150	World’s first underground railway opened to the public	6km of the Metropolitan Line between Paddington & Farringdon
17 Jan	Thu	1863	150	David Lloyd George born	UK Prime Minister 1916-22
19 Jan	Sat	1813	200	Henry Bessemer born	British engineer, invented the modern steel-making process
19 Mar	Tue	1813	200	David Livingston born	Scottish missionary and explorer
20 Mar	Wed	1413	600	Henry IV died	King of England 1399-1413
27 Mar	Wed	1863	150	Henry Royce born	English engineer and co-founder of Rolls-Royce
25 Apr	Thu	1943	70	Wartime ban on ringing lifted for service ringing	The ban was lifted for all ringing in June
15 May	Wed	1863	150	Frank Hornby born	Inventor of Meccano and Hornby model railways
22 May	Wed	1813	200	Richard Wagner born	German composer
2 Jun	Sun	1953	60	Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
28 Jun	Fri	1838	175	Coronation of Queen Victoria
29 Jun	Sat	1613	400	Globe Theatre destroyed by fire	Built in 1599 for Shakespeare’s playing company
27 Jul	Sat	1963	50	Extent of Major rung by 8 ringers	At Loughborough, in 17h58m
30 Jul	Tue	1863	150	Henry Ford born	Founder of Ford Motor Company
4 Aug	Sun	1213	800	Barons and Clergy met at St Albans Abbey	Start of the process that led to Magna Carta 2 years later
28 Aug	Wed	1963	50	Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech
31 Aug	Sat	1913	100	Bernard Lovell born	‘Father of radio astronomy’
20 Sep	Fri	1863	150	Jacob Grimm died	German folklorist
30 Sep	Mon	1913	100	Rudolf Diesel died	German engineer, inventor of the diesel engine
10 Oct	Thu	1813	200	Giuseppe Verdi born	Italian Romantic composer
16 Nov	Sat	1713	300	Tercentenary of Fabian Stedman’s burial at St Andrew Undershaft, London	(Exact date of death unknown.) Details of ringing and publicity
19 Nov	Tue	1863	150	Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address	During the American Civil War
22 Nov	Fri	1913	100	Benjamin Britten born	British composer
22 Nov	Fri	1963	50	John F Kennedy assassinated	35th US President
24 Dec	Tue	1863	150	William Makepeace Thackeray died	British novelist
2014 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
25 Apr	Fri	1874	140	Guglielmo Marconi born	Father of long distance Radio Transmission
26 Apr	Sat	1564	450	William Shakespeare baptised	Date of birth unknown
6 May	Tue	1954	60	Roger Banister runs the mile in 4 minutes	First person to do so
20 May	Tue	1514	500	Royal Charter granted to Trinity House General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, and British territorial waters (except) Scotland
7 Jun	Sat	1954	50	Alan Turing died	British mathematician, pioneer of computer science
24 Jun	Tue	1314	700	Battle of Bannockburn
31 Jul	Thu	1714	300	Queen Anne died
1 Aug	Fri	1714	300	Accession of George I
4 Aug	Mon	1914	100	Britain entered First World War	Ringing for First World War centenary
22 Aug	Fri	1864	150	First Geneva Convention signed
20 Oct	Mon	1714	300	Coronation of King George I
22 Oct	Wed	1814	200	First plastic surgery in Britain
2015 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
Jan-Dec				FirstPeal2015	A year long initiative to mark a special year for ringing
20 Jan	Tue	1265	750	First English Parliament held
24 Jan	Sat	1965	50	Winston Churchill died
4 Mar	Wed	1890	125	Forth Rail Bridge opened
24 Apr	Fri	1965	50	Pennine Way – Opening ceremony on Malham Moor	Britain’s first long distance footpath (267 miles)
2 May	Sat	1715	300	First recorded peal	Plain Bob Triples at St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
8 May	Fri	1945	70	VE Day	World War II end of hostilities in Europe
31 May	Sun	1975	40	First National Twelve-bell Striking Competition	St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol
14 Jun	Sun		800	Grand Ringing Day for Magna Carta	Magna Carta, the Grand Ringing Day and LiberTeas
15 Jun	Mon	1215	800	Magna Carta sealed	By King John, on Runnymede Island
18 Jun	Thu	1815	200	Battle of Waterloo
4 Jul	Sat	1865	150	Alice in Wonderland published
15 Aug	Sat	1945	70	VJ Day	World War II end of hostilities in Japan
9 Sep	Wed			Queen Elizabeth II will become the longest reigning British Monarch	Surpassing the record of Queen Victoria (63 years & 216 days)
28 Sep	Mon	1865	150	Britain’s first Woman doctor qualified
25 Oct	Sun	1415	600	Battle of Agincourt	Henry V victory on St Crispins Day
2016 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
Unknown		1666	350	Isaac Newton discovered gravity
6 Jan	Wed	1066	950	Harold crowned King of England
21 Jan	Thu	1976	40	Concorde’s first commercial flight	London to Bahrain & Paris to Rio
18 Feb	Thu	1516	500	Queen Mary Tudor born
31 Mar	Thu	1891	125	First meeting of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
21 Apr	Thu	1926	90	Queen Elizabeth II born	See also Official Birthday weekend in June
20 Apr	Wed	1916	100	Sir A P Heywood died	Founder and first president of the Central Council. [Ringing biography]
23 Apr	Sat	1616	400	William Shakespeare died
23-24 Apr	Sat-Sun			Weekend organised by Derby DA & CC	Ringing and other events in Duffield / Derby to mark centenary of death of AP Heywood death and 125th anniversary of the Central Council.
31 May/1 Jun	Tue – Wed	1916	100	Battle of Jutland
3 Jun	Fri			BBC Music Day	Widespread ringing at 7pm. Let the BBC know you are taking part.
10-12 Jun	Fri – Sun	1926	(90)	Celebration for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday	Official birthday is 11 June (real birthday 21 April), see below
12 Jun	Sun			National birthday ringing	Plan your ringing and publicity for 10 – 12 June
25 Jun	Thu	1956	60	Friends of Cathedral Music founded	www.fcm.org.uk
1 Jul	Fri	1916	100	Battle of the Somme began
2 Sep	Fri	1666	350	Great Fire of London began
8 Sep	Thu			Challenge 500	Widespread ringing at 6pm – register with Heritage Open Days.
8-11 Sep	Thu-Sun			Heritage Open Days	See Challenge 500 above:
14 Oct	Fri	1066	950	Battle of Hastings
17 Oct	Mon	1956	60	Calder Hall power station opened	World’s first commercial scale nuclear power station
28 Oct	Fri	1216	800	Henry III crowned	Re-enactment there on the day
18 Nov	Fri	1916	100	Battle of the Somme ended	One of the bloodiest in human history
25 Dec	Sun	1066	950	William the Conqueror crowned
30 Dec	Fri	1966	50	First peal of 23-spliced all the work Major rung
2017 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
6 Jan	Fri	1007	1000	Coronation of King Cnut – in London	(Also known as Canute)
11 Jan	Wed	1717	300	first 10-bell peal rung	5040 Grandsire Caters at St Brides, in Fleet Street by London Scholars
17 Feb	Fri	1867	150	First ship passes through Suez Canal
21 Mar	Tue	1617	400	Burial of Pocahontas	Native American who married a plantation owner, moved to England and became a celebrity. Died at Gravesend, Kent
16 April	Sun	1867	150	Wilbur Wright born	American pioneer of manned flight
8 Jun	Thu	1867	150	Frank Lloyd Wright born	American architect (‘greatest American architect of all time’)
18 Jul	Tue	1817	200	Jane Austen died	English novelist (Pride and Prejudice)
3 Aug	Thu	1867	150	Stanley Baldwin born	British prime minister
27 Sep	Wed	1817	200	Hiram R Revels born	1st African American US senator
4 Oct	Wed	1957	60	Sputnik launched	World’s first artificial satellite
31 Oct	Tue	1517	500	Martin Luther’s ‘Ninety Five Themes’ began the Protestant Reformation
4 Nov	Sat	1942	75	Battle of El Alamein	Turning point in World War 2
15 Nov	Wed	1942	75	Ban on ringing lifted for one Sunday	Winston Churchill’s request victory ringing after El Alamein
17 Nov	Fri	–	–	Peal for Pudsey!	Fund raising for Children in Need
20 Nov	Mon	1947	70	Marriage of Queen Elizabeth & Duke of Edinburgh
23 Nov	Thu	1917	100	Bell ringing to mark initial British success in the Battle of Cambrai	The first tank battle
25 Nov	Sat	1867	150	Alfred Nobel patented dynamite	Founder of the Nobel prizes
10 Dec	Sun	2008	9	‘We sound the bell in Europe to support Human Rights’	Italian initiative supported in Germany & UK – ringing at 8pm
2018 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
1 Jan	Mon	1818	200	Publication of Frankenstein	By Mary Shelley — published anonymously
14 Jan	Sun	1818	200	James Barham died	Bellringer who conducted the extent of Major rung in relays in 1761. [Ringing biography]
6 Feb	Tue	1918	100	Women first get the vote in Britain	Representation of the People Act
1 Apr	Sun	1918	100	Formation of the Royal Air Force	Amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service
25 Apr	Wed	1943	75	Wartime ban on ringing lifted for service ringing	The ban was lifted for all ringing in June
4 May	Fri	1818	200	Treaty against illegal slave handling	Signed by Britain & Netherlands
5 May	Sat	1818	200	Karl Marx born	German philosopher
10 May	Thu	1818	200	Paul Revere died	American patriot and bell founder
19 May	Sat	2018	0	Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marry	St George’s Chapel, Windsor
6 Jun	Wed	1868	150	Robert Falcon Scott born	Leader of the ill-fated south pole expedition
7 Jun	Thu	1868	150	Charles Rennie Mackintosh born	Influential Scottish architect and artist
2 Jul	Mon	1928	90	Equal voting rights for women and men in Britain	Equal Franchise Act
20 Jul	Mon	1818	200	Emily Brontë born	English novelist (Wuthering Heights)
16 Aug	Thu	1768	250	Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth aboard the Endeavour	His first voyage bound for the Pacific Ocean
26 Aug	Sun	1718	300	First peal of Grandsire Triples	At St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
25 Sep	Tue	1818	200	First human blood transfusion
21 Oct	Sun	1958	60	First women peers enter House of Lords
11 Nov	Sun	1918	100	End of First World War hostilities	Ringing for Armistice and for Peace Article about ringing during the centenary of the war
6 Dec	Thu	1768	250	First publication of Encyclopaedia Britannica	First of 100 weekly parts. It was completed by 1771
10 Dec	Mon	1868	150	First traffic signals in Britain
19 Dec	Wed	1843	175	Dickens publishes ‘A Christmas Carol’
2019 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
19 Feb	Tue	1819	200	Henry Haley born	Bellringer who conducted the first peal outside the British Isles, at Philadelphia in 1850. [Ringing biography]
2 Mar	Sat	1969	50	Concorde’s first flight
3 Mar	Sun	1869	150	Sir Henry Wood born	Founder of ‘The Proms’
24/25 Mar	Sun/Mon	1944	75	‘The Great Escape’	From Stalag Luft III PoW camp
28 Mar	Thu	1819	200	Sir Joseph Bazalgette born	English civil engineer who created London‘s sewage system
4 Apr	Tue	1949	70	Nato founded	North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
1 May	Wed	1769	250	Arthur Wellesley born	Duke of Wellington and British Prime Minister
2 May	Thu	1519	500	Leonardo da Vinci died	Renaissance architect, engineer, and painter (Mona Lisa)
10 May	Fri	1994	25	Nelson Mandella becomes President of South Africa
24 May	fri	1819	200	Queen Victoria born
5 Jun	Wed	1949	70	First appearance of Noddy	In ‘Noddy Goes to Toyland’ by Enid Blyton
12 Jun	Wed	1819	200	Charles Kingsley born	English vicar/historian, author of The Water-Babies
28 Jun	Fri	1919	100	Treaty of Versailles	Formal end of First World War Ringing for First World War centenary
20 Jul	Sat	1969	50	First manned lunar landing	Appollo 11 at 20:17 UTC
21 Jul	Sun	1969	50	First people to walk on moon	Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin at 02:56 UTC
19 Aug	Mon	1819	200	James Watt died	Scottish inventor who played a critical role in the development of the steam engine
20 Aug	Tue	1819	200	Prince Albert born
20 Sep	Tue	1519	700	Magellan set sail to circumnavigate the world
6 Oct	Sun	1769	250	Captain Cook reaches New Zealand
17 Nov	Sun	1869	150	Suez Canal inaugurated
22 Nov	Fri	1819	200	George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) born	English author
28 Nov	Thu	1919	100	First female MP enters parliament	Nancy, Viscountess Astor took her seat in the Commons
2020 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
10 Jan	Fri	1840	180	Postal service began in Britain	Penny Post
12 Jan	Sun	1820	200	Royal Astronomical Society founded
17 Jan	Fri	1820	200	Anne Brontë born	English novelist/poet (Tenant of Wildfell Hall)
29 Jan	Wed	1820	200	King George III died
10 Feb	Mon	1840	180	Queen Victoria & Prince Albert married
18 Mar	Wed	1870	150	Neville Chamberlain born	British Prime Minister
7 Apr	Tue	1770	250	William Wordsworth born	English poet laureate
19 Apr	Sun	1770	250	Captain James Cook reached Australia
28 Apr	Tue	1770	250	Captain James Cook lands in Australia	At Botany Bay. (His journal said Sunday 29th but civil time was 28th)
6 May	Wed	1840	180	Penny Black issued	World’s first stamp
11 May	Mon	1820	200	Launch of HMS Beagle	The ship that took Charles Darwin on his scientific voyage
12 May	Tue	1820	200	Florence Nightingale born	British nurse (Crimean War)
2 Aug	Sun	1820	200	John Tyndall born	Irish physicist who demonstrated why the sky is blue and proved the greenhouse effect of Earth’s atmosphere
14 Aug	Fri	1870	150	William Pye born	Bellringer who became the second person to ring 1000 peals
2 Oct	Fri	1870	200	Mahatma Gandhi born	Pacifist and spiritual leader (real name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)
21 Nov	Sat	1620	400	Mayflower lands in America
16 Dec	Wed	1770	250	Ludwig van Beethoven born	German composer
31 Dec	Thu	1720	300	Bonnie Prince Charlie born	Charles Edward Stuart, ‘The Young Pretender’
2021 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
29 Jan	Fri	1921	100	First peal of Yorkshire Surprise Royal	All Saints, Chesterfield
3 Feb	Wed	1821	200	Elizabeth Blackwell born	First woman physician, born in Bristol
23 Feb	Tue	1821	200	John Keats died	Romantic poet. (died of tuberculosis aged 25)
29 Mar	Mon	1871	150	Royal Albert Hall opened	By Queen Victoria
17 Apr	Sat	1951	70	Peak District National Park created	Britain’s first National Park
15 Aug	Sun	1771	250	Walter Scott born	Scottish novelist/poet
19 Aug	Thu	1871	150	Orville Wright born	American pioneer aviator
30 Aug	Mon	1871	150	Ernest Rutherford born	New Zealand physicist ‘father of nuclear physics’
20 Oct	Wed	1871	150	Charles Babbage died	English mathematician who invented the Difference Engine, precursor of the computer
5 Nov	Fri	1821	200	First peal of Superlative Surprise Major	St Peter, Huddersfield
10 Nov	Wed	1871	150	Henry Morton Stanley met David Livingstone	At Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika with the immortal words ‘Dr Livingstone, I presume?’
2022 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
22 Jan	Sat	1997	25	First female American Secretary of State	Madeleine Albright
27 Feb	Sun	1997	25	Divorce became legal in Irish Republic
16 Mar	Wed	1872	150	First FA Cup held	Wanderers FC beat Royal Engineers AFC 1-0 at the Oval
26 Mar	Sat	1972	50	Last trolleybus system in UK closed	In Bradford, after over 60 years operation
30 Mar	Wed	1997	25	Chanel Five began broadcasting in UK
24 Jun	Fri	1822	200	Charles Babbage proposed a difference engine	In a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
18 Jul	Mon	1872	150	Secret ballot introduced in Britain	No further Poll Books produced
31 Aug	Wed	1997	25	Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
5 Sep	Mon	1997	25	Death of Mother Teresa	Indian nun, missionary and saint
6 Sep	Tue	1522	500	First ship known to circumnavigate the world	The Victoria, one of the ships that survived Magellan’s expedition
26 Oct	Wed	1822	200	First peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal	All Saints, Wakefield
28 Oct	Fri	1972	50	First flight of Airbus A300	The first Airbus aircraft
18 Dec	Sun	1922	100	Irish Free State came into existence
2023 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
2 Jan	Mon	1998	25	Frank Muir died	Famous comedian who rang in his youth [Ringing biography]
11 Feb	Sat	1873	150	First peal of Cambridge Surprise Major	St Peter, Bennington, Hertfordshire
10 Apr	Mon	1998	25	Good Friday Agreement signed	Between the British & Irish governments, & most political parties in Northern Ireland
2 Jun	Fri	1953	70	Queen Elizabeth II crowned
27 Jun	Tue	1898	125	First solo circumnavigation of the globe	Completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray
4 Jul	Tue	1623	400	William Byrd died	English composer
25 Sep	Mon	1763	259	First peal of Stedman Doubles	St Andrew, Birmingham
28 Sep	Thu	1923	100	Radio Times first published
11 Oct	Wed	1773	250	First peal of Grandsire Major	St George, Southwark, London
6 Dec	Wed	1773	250	First peal of Plain Bob Minor	At Garboldisham, Norfolk
31 Dec	Sun	1923	100	Chimes of Big Ben first broadcast on radio	At Midnight to announce the New Year
2024 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
5 Feb	Mon	1924	100	The ‘pips’ first broadcast by the BBC	Hourly Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory
4 Mar	Mon	1824	200	Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) founded	Initially called the “National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck”
6 Mar	Wed	1899	125	Aspirin first marketed	By Bayer
21 Mar	Thu	1999	25	First circumnavigation of the world in a hot air balloon	By Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones
23 Apr	Tue	1934	100	First Broadcast by British Monarch	George V, at the opening of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley
9 May	Thu	1924	100	Brian Price born	Notable ringing composer who introduced the use of singles into Surprise [Ringing biography]
19 May	Sun	1824	200	National Gallery in London opened to the public
26 May	Sun	1999	25	Welsh Assembly opened in Cardiff	First for over 600 years
5 Jun	Wed	1774	250	First peal of Kent Treble Bob Major	St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent
16 Jun	Sun	1824	200	Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) founded
1 Jul	Mon	1999	25	Scottish Executive received devolved powers from London	Scottish Parliament officially opened by Elizabeth II
31 Jul	Wed	1924	100	Wilfrid Moreton born	Prominent Yorkshire ringer who founded the Hereford Ringing Course. [Ringing biography]
3 Dec	Tue	1999	25	First woman rowed solo across the Atlantic	Tori Murden, in 81 days
2025 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
9 Jan	Sun	1725	300	First peal of Grandsire Cinques	St Bride’s, Fleet Street, London
24 Jan	Fri	1965	60	Winston Churchill died
4 Apr	Fri	1875	150	William Chattell died	Prominent Birmingham ringer and teacher [Ringing biography]
26 Apr	Sat	1725	300	First peal of Plain Bob Major	St Bride’s, Fleet Street, London
24 Aug	Sun	1875	150	Captain Matthew Webb swam the English Channel	First person to do so, in 21 hours 45 mins
27 Sep	Sat	1825	200	Stockton to Darlington Railway opened	First service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
22 Nov	Sat	1725	300	First peal of Plain Bob Royal	St Bride’s, Fleet Street, London
2026 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}
30 Jan	Fri	1826	200	Menai Straits Bridge opened	The world’s first modern suspension bridge, designed by Thomas Telford
26 Feb	Thu	1726	300	First peal of Plain Bob Maximus	St Bride, St Bride’s, Fleet Street, London

2027 _{Back to: Things to ring for See also: Notable Secular Annual Days}