Dates and Anniversaries

The following dates and anniversaries may inspire some exciting theme meetings. If you know of any other please let us know so we can add them.

January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

For some other dates in history, have a look at the following page from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/default.stm

January
3	1892	Birth of JRR Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings
6	1412	Birth of Joan of Arc
8	1936	Birth of Elvis Presley, singer
10	1840	Penny post introduced
12	1948	The London Co-op opened the first supermarket in Britain at Manor Park
14	1897	Highest peak in the western hemisphere (Aconcagua) conquered
15	1929	Birth of Martin Luther King, civil rights activist
16	1957	The Royal Ballet company formed
17	1942	Birth of Muhammad Ali, boxer
18	1882	Birth of AA Milne, author
19	1978	Last VW made
20	1892	First game of Basketball played
22	1952	The Goon show first broadcast on BBC Radio
23	1931	Death of Anna Pavlova, ballerina
24	1958	Birth of Jools Holland, rock pianist and television presenter
25	1759	Birth of Robert Burns, poet
26		Australia Day
28	1596	Death of Sir Francis Drake, explorer
29	1856	Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross
31	1797	Birth of Franz Schubert, composer
February		top
1	1811	Bell Rock Lighthouse first lit
4	1953	Sweet rationing ended
5	1788	Birth of Sir Robert Peel
6	1952	Accession of Queen Elizabeth II
7	1812	Birth of Charles Dickens, author
8	1910	William Boyce began Boy Scouts of America
10	1950	Birth of Mark Spitz, swimmer
11	1847	Birth of Thomas Edison, inventor
12	1809	Birth of Abraham Lincoln, US President.
		Birth of Charles Darwin
14		St. Valentine's Day
15	1971	Decimal coinage introduced
16	1959	Birth of John McEnroe. tennis player
17	1963	Birth of Michael Jordon, basketball player
18	1930	Planet Uranus discovered
19	1985	'Eastenders' first broadcast
20	1962	Colonel John Glenn made first American manned orbital flight into space
22		Founders Day, Lord Baden-Powell's birthday
28	1888	John Dunlop trialled first cycle tyres
29		Leap Year Day
March		top
1		St. David's Day
2	1904	Birth of Dr. Seuss, author
4	1890	Forth Bridge Opened
7	1792	Birth of Sir John Herschel, astronomer
8	1859	Birth of Kennith Grahame, author of Wind in the Willows
9	1961	Russia sent Laika, first dog into space, into orbit in Sputnik 9
11	1682	The Chelsea Royal Hospital for old soldiers (Chelsea Pensioners) founded
12		Commonwealth Day
13	1935	Driving test introduced into Great Britain
14	1879	Birth of Albert Einstein, mathematical physicist
15	44BC	Ides of March, death of Julius Caesar, in Rome
16	1900	Sir Arthur Evans unearthed the ancient city of Knossos, Crete
17		St. Patrick's Day
18	1965	Alexi Leonov became the first man to leave a spaceship and float in space
19	1932	Sydney Harbour Bridge Opened
21	1617	Death of Pocahontas
23	1956	The Queen lay the foundation stone of new Coventry cathedral
25	1947	Birth of Elton John, singer and songwriter
27	1968	Death of Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut
30	1853	Birth of Vincent van Gogh, artist
31	1889	Eiffel Tower opened, Paris
April		top
1		April Fool's Day
2	1805	Birth of Han Christian Anderson, Denmark, author
3	1860	First Pony Express. It became a regular 2000 mile run from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California
4	1896	Gold discovered in the Yukon, USA
6	1896	First modern Olympic Games inaugurated in Athens
7	1770	Birth of William Wordsworth, Cumbria, poet
9	1969	Maiden flight of Concorde
10	1827	Birth of William Booth, Nottingham, founder of the Salvation Army
11	1929	Popeye made his debut in a cartoon strip in a New York newspaper
12	1961	Yuri Gagarin made first successful flight into space on Vostok 1
14	1929	Birth of Gerry Anderson, 'Thunderbirds' producer
15	1942	George Cross awarded to island of Malta
16	1889	Birth Charlie Chaplin, actor
21	753BC	City of Rome founded by Romulus
22	1916	Birth of Yehudi Menuhin, violinist
23		St. George's Day, Patron Saint of England and Scouting
	1564	Birth of William Shakespeare
	1965	Pennine Way Opened
25		Anzac Day (Australia and New Zealand)
27	1791	Birth of Samuel Morse, inventor of telegraphic Morse code
28	1770	Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay in Australia
30	1900	Hawaii joined the United States of America
May		top
1	1928	First non-stop journey from London to Edinburgh, by the flying Scotsman
3	1979	Margaret Thatcher became the first British female Prime Minister
6	1954	Roger Bannister became first man to run a mile in under four minutes
8		World Red Cross Day
9	1927	Canberra inaugurated as new capital of Australia
12	1812	Birth of Edward Lear, author
14	1973	Skylab space station launched
17	1900	Relief of Mafeking
21	1927	Charles Lindbergh first non-stop flight across the Atlantic
23	1967	Sir Frances Chichester arrived in Plymouth after sailing around the world
26	1926	First grand Prix race run at Le Mans
29	1953	Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzig reached the summit of Mount Everest
June		top
1	1957	First drawing of Premium Bond Prizes
2	1953	Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
6	1935	Birth of the Dalai Lama
9	1958	Gatwick airport opened by the Queen
15	1919	First flight across Atlantic by Alcock and Brown
16	1890	Birth of Stan Laurel, actor
18	1815	Battle of Waterloo
21		Midsummer Day
26	1896	World's first cinema opened, New Orleans, USA
July		top
1		Canada Day
4		Independence Day, USA
5	1810	Birth of PT Barnum, showman
6	1866	Birth of Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator
10	1962	Telstar launched. It becomes the first experimental satellite in space communications.
13	1837	Queen Victoria became first sovereign to move into Buckingham Palace
14		Bastille Day, France.
15		St. Swithin's Day.
21	1969	Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to land on the moon.
26	1969	The Queen invested Prince Charles as Prince of Wales
29	1907	Baden-Powell's experimental camp at Brownsea Island, Poole.
30	1966	England won football World Cup
August		top
6	1926	Gertrude Ederle, became first woman to swim English Channel
12	1908	First Model-T car produced
15	1769	Birth of Napoleon Bonaparte
17		Independence Day in Indonesia
22	1864	Red Cross movement founded
24	79	Eruption of Mount Vesuvis, Pompeii
September		top
7	1838	Grace darling and her father rescued nine men at sea, Northumberland
11	1965	Publication of Vinland Map, only known example of mediaeval Norse map.
13	1916	Birth of Ronald Dahl, author
15	1940	Battle of Britain
16		Mexican Independence Day
19	1839	Birth of George Cadbury, chocolate maker
22	1955	Independent television service began
27	1825	Stockton to Darlington railway opened
October		top
2	1909	First rugby match played
3	1226	Death of Saint Francis of Assisi
7	1965	Post Office Tower (now Telecom Tower) opened in London
8	1973	Britain's first commercial radio station went on air
10	1899	Boer War began
11	1957	Jodrell bank radio telescope went into operation.
12		Columbus Day (USA)
13	1967	Tyne toll tunnel opened by the Queen
14	1066	Battle of Hastings
20	1973	Sydney Opera House opened.
21	1805	Battle of Trafalgar and Death of Nelson.
23	1940	Birth of Pele, footballer
24		United Nations Day
25	1881	Birth of Pablo Picasso, artist
27	1728	Birth of James Cook, Matron-in-Cleveland, Yorks, navigator and explorer
November		top
1		All Saints Day
2	1959	First Section of M1 opened to traffic
4	1809	Birth of Louis Braille
5		Guy Fawkes Day
6	1962	Opening of the Commonwealth Institute
7	1867	Birth of Marie Curie, scientist
8	1951	Footprints of 'Yeti' discovered on Mount Everest
10	1871	Henry Stanley met David Livingstone, Tanzania
11	1953	Great bell of Notre Dame rung by electricity for the first time
13	1850	Birth of Robert Louis Stevenson, author
14	1922	First broadcast by BBC
15	1908	First edition of Scouting for Boys published
18	1928	'Birth' of Mickey Mouse
22		Thanksgiving Day, USA
23	1963	First Dr Who TV programme broadcast
26	1922	Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, Egypt
29	1898	Birth of CS Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia
30		St. Andrew's Day
December		top
1	1586	Potato introduced to Great Britain by Sir Francis Drake
2	1973	Birth of Monica Seles, tennis player
3	1967	First heart transplant operation, Cape Town
5	1901	Birth of Walt Disney
6		Feast Day of Saint Nicholas
7	1760	Birth of Madame Tussaud
9	1962	Tanganyika became republic
10	1896	Death of Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite
12	1963	Kenya gained independence
14	1911	Amunsden reached South Pole
16	1916	Wolf Cubs (Cub Scouts) started
17	1858	Geologists' Association founded
18	1947	Birth of Steven Spielberg, film Director
19	1905	First emergency ambulance service began
22		Winter Solstice; shortest day of the year
23	1777	Captain Cook discovered Christmas Island
28	1869	Chewing Gum patented
30	1865	Birth of Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book
31	1923	Chimes of Big Ben were broadcast by the BBC for the first time