In 1797, as was so often the case, Britain was at war with France. The French were still in the throes of revolution, and any hint that it could spread across the Channel sent terror through the very bones of the British ruling class.
Key to keeping the Gallic hordes and their radical ideas at bay was the Royal Navy. But it was getting taken for granted and its men weren't happy about it. Sailors' pay hadn't increased for some 140 years, it was rarely handed over when it was due, and was often deliberately withheld to discourage desertion. The sick and wounded weren't paid at all.
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3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is createdFeatures On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
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7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
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