24 February 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer announce their engagement
24 February 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer announce their engagement
On this day in 1981, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer made their engagement official in front of the world's press at Buckingham Palace.
24 Feb 2021
24 February 1809: Drury Lane theatre burns down
24 February 1809: Drury Lane theatre burns down
On this day in 1809, celebrated playwright Richard Sheridan was effectively ruined when the Drury Lane theatre went up in smoke.
24 Feb 2021
23 February 1963: The case of the electrified Land Rover
23 February 1963: The case of the electrified Land Rover
On this day in 1963, an unsuspecting bobby gets a shock when he stumbles upon an electrified Land Rover.
23 Feb 2021
23 February 1820: the Cato Street Conspiracy unravels
23 February 1820: the Cato Street Conspiracy unravels
The Bow Street Runners burst in on the Cato Street conspirators, frustrating their plans to massacre the entire Cabinet, on this day in 1820.
23 Feb 2021
22 February 1974: riots break out at the “Patty Hearst ransom” food handouts
22 February 1974: riots break out at the “Patty Hearst ransom” food handouts
On this day in 1974, people rioted at food distribution centres in San Francisco, set up as part of a ransom payment for kidnapped heiress Patty Hears…
22 Feb 2021
18 February 1911: First official airmail flight
18 February 1911: First official airmail flight
On this day in 1911, the first official airmail flight took off from Allahabad in India, with Frenchman Henri Pequet flying a Humber Sommer biplane.
18 Feb 2021
17 February 1958: CND – the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – is launched
17 February 1958: CND – the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – is launched
On this day in 1958, as the nuclear arms race hotted up, 5,000 people crammed in to Westminster’s Central Hall to witness the launch of CND, the Campa…
17 Feb 2021
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16 February 1957: The “Toddlers’ Truce” comes to an end
16 February 1957: The “Toddlers’ Truce” comes to an end
On Saturday, 16 February, 1957, the “Toddlers’ Truce” – a programme-free hour on TV between 6pm and 7pm – was finally broken.
16 Feb 2021
16 February 1659: Britain’s first cheque is issued
16 February 1659: Britain’s first cheque is issued
Merchant Nicholas Vanacker made out the first British cheque payable to Mr Delboe for the grand sum of £400, dated 16 February 1659.
16 Feb 2021
13 February 1914: American artists get organised with ASCAP
13 February 1914: American artists get organised with ASCAP
On this day in 1914, musicians and writers formed the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to better enforce their copyrights…
13 Feb 2021
12 February 1851: the Australian gold rush
12 February 1851: the Australian gold rush
On this day. in 1851 gold prospector Edward Hargraves discovered a grain of gold in New South Wales, and sparked Australia’s first gold rush.
12 Feb 2021
12 February 1994: Edvard Munch’s The Scream is stolen
12 February 1994: Edvard Munch’s The Scream is stolen
One of the world's most famous paintings, The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, was stolen from the National Art Museum in Oslo on this day in …
12 Feb 2021
11 February 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison
11 February 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison
On this day in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 26 years, as South Africa began the process of dismantling apartheid.
11 Feb 2021
11 February 1826: England gets its third university
11 February 1826: England gets its third university
London University – later University College, London – was founded on this day in 1826, becoming in the process England's third university.
11 Feb 2021
10 February 1355: The St Scholastica’s Day riots
10 February 1355: The St Scholastica’s Day riots
On this day in 1355, the “town versus gown” rivalry in Oxford boiled over into three days of fighting, dubbed the St Scholastica’s Day riots.
10 Feb 2021
10 February 1906: HMS Dreadnought is launched
10 February 1906: HMS Dreadnought is launched
Britain upped the stakes in naval warfare when it launched the era-defining HMS Dreadnought on this day in 1906 – by far the most powerful ship of its…
10 Feb 2021
8 February 1971: Nasdaq begins trading
8 February 1971: Nasdaq begins trading
On this day in 1971, America’s “National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations” – or Nasdaq exchange – began trading.
8 Feb 2021
6 February 1918: (some) British women get the vote
6 February 1918: (some) British women get the vote
With the passing of the Fourth Reform Act on this day in 1918, certain British women over the age of 30 were given the right to vote.
6 Feb 2021
5 February 1869: World's biggest gold nugget is found
5 February 1869: World's biggest gold nugget is found
On this day in 1869, the world's biggest gold nugget – the 71kg “Welcome Stranger” – was unearthed in Australia by two Cornish tin hunters.
5 Feb 2021
4 February 1194: Richard the Lionheart is ransomed
4 February 1194: Richard the Lionheart is ransomed
Having fallen into the hands of the Duke of Austria and the Holy Roman Emperor, King Richard I of England was freed from captivity on this day in 1194…
4 Feb 2021
4 February 1818: Sir Walter Scott finds the Honours of Scotland
4 February 1818: Sir Walter Scott finds the Honours of Scotland
Romantic poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott discovered the Honours of Scotland – Scotland's crown jewels – on this day in 1818, after they had been mi…
4 Feb 2021
3 February 1690: America’s first paper money is issued
3 February 1690: America’s first paper money is issued
On this day in 1690, the Massachusetts colony began circulating the first paper money on North America, printed to finance England’s war against Franc…
3 Feb 2021