Latest
-
14 January 2002: Britain’s foot-and-mouth disease epidemic ends
Features The government finally declared Britain’s foot-and-mouth disease crisis over on this day in 2002, almost a year after the first case had been identified.
Features -
14 January 2005: Huygens probe lands on Saturn’s moon, Titan
Features On this day in 2005, the ESA’s Huygens probe landed on the frozen surface of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
Features -
13 January 1942: Henry Ford patents his plastic car
Features On this day in 1948, Henry Ford was granted a patent for his method of making cars with plastic bodywork.
Features -
13 January 1908: Henri Farman wins the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize
Features On this day in 1908, Anglo-French flyer Henri Farman scooped the 50,000 franc Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize after the Wright Brothers refused to compete.
Features -
12 January 1948: Britain’s first supermarket opens
Features The self-service supermarket came to Britain on this day in 1948, when the London Co-operative Society opened a store in Manor Park.
Features -
12 January 1895: the National Trust is founded
Features On this day in 1895, the National Trust was founded to “set aside the best and most beautiful parts of Britain for the public and posterity”.
Features -
11 January 1569: England holds its first lottery draw
Features Outside Old St Paul's Cathedral in London, England's first lottery draw got underway on this day in 1569.
Features -
9 January 1799: income tax introduced to Britain
Features In the 1790s, with Britain at war with Napoleon, the country urgently needed cash. And so on this day in 1799, a 10% levy was raised on all income over £60.
Features -
8 January 1835: US national debt hits $0
Features By selling land, collecting taxes and cutting public spending, the US national debt was brought down to $0 for the first and only time in the country’s history on this day in 1835.
Features