Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.

Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.

All British Historical Anniversaries in June 2015

I often wonder what significant anniversaries are due at some point in the future as some of them might be of interest as triggers for blog posts or visits somewhere. However, it is often difficult to find out quickly what events have significant anniversaries - hence this section on the website.

By "significant anniversaries", I mean dates that are not, for example, the 73rd anniversary of something, but the 50th, 100th, 200th etc.

It should help to flag up interesting events.

Anniversaries during June 2015

Note: This page lists ALL anniversaries, not just the key dates.
For that more useful list, click here.

AnniversaryDetails
550th Friar John Cor records the first known batch of scotch whisky. (1st Jun 1465)
482nd Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England. (1st Jun 1533)
367th The Roundheads defeat the Cavaliers at the Battle of Maidstone in the Second English Civil War. (1st Jun 1648)
345th Charles II of Great Britain and Louis XIV of France sign the secret treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War. (1st Jun 1670)
336th The Scottish Covenanters defeat John Graham of Claverhouse at the Battle of Drumclog. (1st Jun 1679)
221st The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars. (1st Jun 1794)
203rd War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom. (1st Jun 1812)
184th James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole. (1st Jun 1831)
105th Robert Falcon Scott's South Pole expedition leaves England. (1st Jun 1910)
93rd The Royal Ulster Constabulary is founded. (1st Jun 1922)
72nd BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation the downing was an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (1st Jun 1943)
53rd The Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting concludes, among other things, that the British public did not want commercial radio broadcasting. (1st Jun 1962)
41st Flixborough disaster: an explosion at a chemical plant kills 28 people. (1st Jun 1974)
37th William Stern is declared bankrupt with debts of £118 million, the largest bankruptcy in British history at the time. (1st Jun 1978)
151st Overarm bowling legalised in cricket (exact date uncertain). (1st Jun 1864)
76th Submarine HMS Thetis sinks during trials in Liverpool Bay. 99 men are lost. (1st Jun 1939)
77th the Bren light machine gun comes into service with the British Army. (1st Jun 1938)
14th Official opening of Cardiff Bay Barrage. (1st Jun 2001)
-7th Recent disruption at airports continues to affect holidaymakers, with many flights being cancelled. The cause is attributed to staff shortages, as the industry struggles to recruit replacements for the workers laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. (1st Jun 2022)
-7th The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that the number of people suffering from Long COVID now exceeds 2 million, or about 3% of the UK population. (1st Jun 2022)
-7th West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma is sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his cat. He is also banned from keeping cats for five years. (1st Jun 2022)
-6th COVID-19 in the UK: Zero daily deaths from the virus are reported in the UK for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. (1st Jun 2021)
-6th Emma Ineson is appointed first Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the office replacing that of Bishop at Lambeth in the Church of England. (1st Jun 2021)
105th Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane. (2nd Jun 1910)
62nd The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth, the first major international event to be televised. (2nd Jun 1953)
350th James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England) defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft. (2nd Jun 1665)
78th The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson. (2nd Jun 1937)
53rd Britain's first legal casino opens in Brighton, Sussex. (2nd Jun 1962)
77th The children's zoo at London Zoo is opened by Robert and Ted Kennedy, two of the sons of United States ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (2nd Jun 1938)
0th A serious collision on The Smiler ride at Alton Towers causes four people to be airlifted to hospital due to their injuries. The incident is one of the biggest accidents ever to occur at Alton Towers, and the park is closed for several days pending investigations. (2nd Jun 2015)
5th Twelve people were killed and 25 injured after a gunman, identified as taxi driver Derrick Bird, went on a killing spree in the Whitehaven, Egremont and Seascale areas of Cumbria. He was found dead, having reportedly shot himself, in woodland at Boot. (2nd Jun 2010)
147th the first Trades Union Congress is held in Manchester. (2nd Jun 1868)
-7th Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II: The Queen attends the Trooping the Colour parade at Horse Guards Parade, a flypast by the Red Arrows and lights the first Platinum Jubilee Beacon at Windsor Castle, but it is announced she will not attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral the following day after experiencing some discomfort during the flypast. (2nd Jun 2022)
137th The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title. (3rd Jun 1878)
102nd Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness and dies a few days later. (3rd Jun 1913)
178th The London Hippodrome opens in Bayswater. (3rd Jun 1837)
-2nd Seven people are reported killed and 48 injured in an attack by three Islamist extremists at London Bridge. A hit-and-run vehicle on the bridge is followed by knife attacks at Borough Market. All three perpetrators are shot dead by police within eight minutes. (3rd Jun 2017)
91st Gleneagles Hotel opens in Scotland. (3rd Jun 1924)
37th Freddie Laker is knighted. (3rd Jun 1978)
87th John Logie Baird demonstrates the world's first colour television transmission. (3rd Jun 1928)
-4th U.S. President Donald Trump begins a three-day state visit to the UK. (3rd Jun 2019)
-7th The government's plan to reintroduce imperial measurements is criticised by Asda chairman and Conservative peer Lord Rose, who says it will drive up costs for businesses and will only please a "small minority who hark for the past". (3rd Jun 2022)
48th British Midland flight G-ALHG crashes in Hopes Carr, Stockport, killing 72 passengers and crew. (4th Jun 1967)
57th the Duke of Edinburgh's Award presented for the first time at Buckingham Palace. (4th Jun 1958)
13th The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh ride in the gold state coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a special service marking the Queen's 50 years on the throne. In New York City, the Empire State Building is lit purple in her honour. (4th Jun 2002)
-7th The Platinum Party at the Palace takes place. A pre-recorded sketch is shown of Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear acting together, and both of them tapping teaspoons on their cups to Queen's song We Will Rock You. (4th Jun 2022)
-3rd The government approves a controversial plan for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. (5th Jun 2018)
52nd British Secretary of State for War John Profumo resigns in a sex scandal known as the Profumo Affair. (5th Jun 1963)
40th The UK holds its first country-wide referendum, on remaining in the European Economic Community (EEC). (5th Jun 1975)
253rd John Wilkes founds the radical newspaper The North Briton. (5th Jun 1762)
40th 67% of voters supported continued membership of the EEC in a referendum. (5th Jun 1975)
-7th The Platinum Jubilee Pageant takes place in London, concluding the Jubilee weekend. Afterwards, the Queen releases a message of thanks in which she says she is "humbled and deeply touched" by the celebrations across the UK. (5th Jun 2022)
-7th The British journalist Dom Phillips is reported missing in a remote part of Amazonas state in Brazil. (5th Jun 2022)
332nd The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university museum. (6th Jun 1683)
94th The Southwark Bridge in London, is opened for traffic by King George V and Queen Mary. (6th Jun 1921)
71st D-Day for the Normandy landings: 155,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in France, beginning Operation Overlord and the Invasion of Normandy. (6th Jun 1944)
100th Maida Vale station on the London Underground Bakerloo Line opens. (6th Jun 1915)
-7th Sir Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 committee of the Conservative Party, announces a vote of confidence in Boris Johnson's leadership of the party. A secret ballot is held from 6-8pm. The party's MPs decide that they have confidence in Johnson's leadership. However, more than 40% vote against him, with a result of 211 to 148. (6th Jun 2022)
-6th The four cooling towers at Rugeley B power station in Staffordshire are demolished. (6th Jun 2021)
387th The Petition of Right, a major English constitutional document, is granted the Royal Assent by Charles I and becomes law. (7th Jun 1628)
153rd The United States and the United Kingdom agree to suppress the slave trade. (7th Jun 1862)
109th Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania is launched at the John Brown Shipyard, Glasgow (Clydebank), Scotland. (7th Jun 1906)
75th King Haakon VII of Norway, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London. (7th Jun 1940)
40th The inaugural Cricket World Cup begins in England. (7th Jun 1975)
-2nd Solar, wind and nuclear power each provide more electricity than gas and coal combined for the first time in the UK. (7th Jun 2017)
76th George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit New York City on the first visit to the United States by a reigning monarch. (7th Jun 1939)
47th start of Ford sewing machinists strike at the Dagenham assembly plant: women workers strike for pay comparable to that of men. (7th Jun 1968)
57th Ian Donald publishes an article in The Lancet which describes the diagnostic use of ultrasound. (7th Jun 1958)
-7th British cinema chain Cineworld cancels all showings of the historical drama The Lady of Heaven, following days of protests by Muslims who say that the movie is blasphemous and sectarian. Cineworld says that the decision to cancel showings was to "ensure the safety of our staff and customers". (7th Jun 2022)
-6th The Parole Board confirms that double child killer Colin Pitchfork is suitable for release after 33 years in prison. A number of MPs announce they will oppose the decision. (7th Jun 2021)
1222nd Vikings raid the abbey at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, commonly accepted as the beginning of the Scandinavian invasion of England. (8th Jun 0793)
610th Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York and Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Norfolk, are executed in York on Henry IV's orders. (8th Jun 1405)
66th George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is published. (8th Jun 1949)
41st Jon Pertwee left Doctor Who in the final episode of Planet of the Spiders citing the death of his close acting friend Roger Delgado (who played 'The Master') the previous year as the reason. (8th Jun 1974)
91st George Mallory and Andrew Irvine are last seen "going strong for the top" of Mount Everest by teammate Noel Odell at 12:50 PM. The two mountaineers are never seen alive again. (8th Jun 1924)
47th Martin Luther King, Jr.'s killer, James Earl Ray, arrested in London. (8th Jun 1968)
142nd Alexandra Palace in London burns down after being open for only 16 days. (9th Jun 1873)
115th Birsa Munda, an important figure in the Indian independence movement, dies in British prison under mysterious circumstances. (9th Jun 1900)
57th Queen Elizabeth II officially opens London Gatwick Airport. (9th Jun 1958)
1st The teaching of creationism is banned from free schools and academies. (9th Jun 2014)
40th Proceedings in Parliament were broadcast on radio for the first time. (9th Jun 1975)
150th Staplehurst rail crash in Kent: 10 killed, 49 injured; Charles Dickens is amongst the survivors. (9th Jun 1865)
57th the Queen officially reopens Gatwick Airport, which has been expanded at a cost of more than £7,000,000. (9th Jun 1958)
-7th The Ministry of Defence acquires the government's first quantum computer. (9th Jun 2022)
296th Jacobite Rising: Battle of Glen Shiel. (10th Jun 1719)
186th The first Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place. (10th Jun 1829)
300th A Jacobite mob sacks Cross Street Chapel in Manchester, going on to destroy another at Monton. (10th Jun 1715)
47th National Health Service reintroduces prescription charges. (10th Jun 1968)
-4th The BBC announces that, from June 2020, it will stop providing free television licences for over-75s who do not receive pension credit. (10th Jun 2019)
13th The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by Kevin Warwick in the University of Reading. (10th Jun 2002)
11th A rebranding of the Football League sees Division One become the Football League Championship, Division Two become League One and Division Three become League Two. (10th Jun 2004)
-7th The discovery is announced of Royal Navy warship HMS Gloucester, wrecked off the coast of Norfolk in 1682. The shipwreck was found in 2007, but the discovery only revealed today for security reasons. (10th Jun 2022)
506th Henry VIII of England marries Catherine of Aragon. (11th Jun 1509)
108th George Dennett, aided by Gilbert Jessop, dismisses Northamptonshire for 12 runs, the lowest total in first-class cricket. (11th Jun 1907)
79th The International Surrealist Exhibition opens in London, England. (11th Jun 1936)
43rd The Eltham Well Hall rail crash, caused by an intoxicated train driver, kills six people and injures 126. (11th Jun 1972)
11th The incumbent Ken Livingstone is announced as the winner of the election for Mayor of London. (11th Jun 2004)
634th Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. (12th Jun 1381)
586th Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the second day of the Battle of Jargeau. (12th Jun 1429)
350th England installs a municipal government in New York City (the former Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam). (12th Jun 1665)
126th 78 are killed in the Armagh rail disaster near Armagh in what is now Northern Ireland. (12th Jun 1889)
93rd At Windsor Castle, King George V receives the colours of the six Irish regiments that are to be disbanded - the Royal Irish Regiment, the Connaught Rangers, the South Irish Horse, the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, the Royal Munster Fusiliers and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. (12th Jun 1922)
36th Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross. (12th Jun 1979)
178th Cooke and Wheatstone file their patent for the electrical telegraph. (12th Jun 1837)
-7th The Queen becomes the second longest reigning monarch in history, behind only Louis XIV of France who became king at the age of four. (12th Jun 2022)
642nd Anglo-Portuguese Alliance between England (succeeded by the United Kingdom) and Portugal is the oldest alliance in the world which is still in force. (13th Jun 1373)
71st World War II: Germany launches a V1 Flying Bomb attack on England. Only four of the eleven bombs actually hit their targets. (13th Jun 1944)
122nd the first British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship held at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club. (13th Jun 1893)
8th The Queen awarded Sir Tim Berners-Lee the Order of Merit for his pioneering work on the world wide web.Salman Rushdie received a knighthood, sparking protests in Iran and Pakistan. (13th Jun 2007)
-7th Rwanda asylum plan: The Court of Appeal gives the go-ahead for the first flight to Rwanda carrying asylum seekers to leave the UK the next day. (13th Jun 2022)
-7th The UK government publishes the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which will change aspects of the Northern Ireland Protocol to enable the easier flow of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. (13th Jun 2022)
-7th Figures released by the ONS show the economy contracted by 0.3% in April, prompting concerns that the UK is going into recession. The ONS says that the fall was driven by all main parts of the economy but accentuated by the effect that the winding down of COVID-19 testing had on the health sector. (13th Jun 2022)
-7th At the High Court, Brexit campaigner Arron Banks loses a libel case against investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr. (13th Jun 2022)
-6th GB News, a new TV channel aimed at right-leaning viewers, is launched on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView and Virgin Media. (13th Jun 2021)
634th Richard II of England meets leaders of Peasants' Revolt on Blackheath. The Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance (14th Jun 1381)
370th English Civil War: Battle of Naseby - 12,000 Royalist forces are beaten by 15,000 Parliamentarian soldiers. (14th Jun 1645)
193rd Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society entitled "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables". (14th Jun 1822)
176th Henley Royal Regatta: the village of Henley-on-Thames, on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, stages its first Regatta. (14th Jun 1839)
53rd BBC television broadcasts the first series episode of the sitcom Steptoe and Son, written by Galton and Simpson. (14th Jun 1962)
226th Mutiny on the Bounty survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 4,000 mile journey in an open boat. (14th Jun 1789)
-7th Rwanda asylum plan: It is confirmed the first flight scheduled to depart for Rwanda and carrying seven asylum seekers will not depart following legal challenges in the European Court of Human Rights. (14th Jun 2022)
-7th Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, launches the first of a series of papers setting out the case for a second Scottish independence referendum. (14th Jun 2022)
-6th COVID-19 in the UK: Johnson confirms a four-week delay to the final easing of coronavirus restrictions in England, due to the rapid increase in Delta variant cases, but says he is "confident" no delay beyond 19 July will be needed. (14th Jun 2021)
-6th Changes allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood take effect. (14th Jun 2021)
-3rd The Macintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art is gutted by another huge fire, four years after part of the same building was destroyed by fire. The fire spreads to close by buildings, including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue, which suffers "extensive damage". The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reports no casualties. (15th Jun 2018)
800th King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta. (15th Jun 1215)
106th Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference. (15th Jun 1909)
0th The royal family, the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other dignitaries attend a ceremony at Runnymede to mark the eight-hundredth anniversary of the Magna Carta. (15th Jun 2015)
41st The Red Lion Square disorders saw members of the fascist National Front clash with counter-protesters in London's West End; 21-year-old Kevin Gateley, a university student, is killed. (15th Jun 1974)
108th Edgware Road station on the London Underground Bakerloo Line opens. (15th Jun 1907)
70th Parliament passes the Family Allowances Act to provide payments to families with children. (15th Jun 1945)
5th The Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday found that the British Army was "unjustified" in shooting 27 civilians in 1972. Prime Minister David Cameron later apologised on behalf of the Government. (15th Jun 2010)
12th The News of the World publishes an article in which Ian Huntley is photographed in his cell at Woodhill Prison. An undercover reporter had got a job in the prison and was employed as Huntley's guard. (15th Jun 2003)
-7th Lord Geidt resigns as the UK government's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, after being asked to advise on an issue he believed would be a deliberate breach of the Ministerial Code. A Downing Street spokesperson says he had been asked "to provide advice on a commercially sensitive matter in the national interest, which has previously had cross-party support. No decision had been taken pending that advice". (15th Jun 2022)
429th Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor. (16th Jun 1586)
236th Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins. (16th Jun 1779)
179th The formation of the London Working Men's Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement. (16th Jun 1836)
144th The University Tests Act allows students to enter the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology). (16th Jun 1871)
132nd The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England kills 183 children. (16th Jun 1883)
100th Foundation of the British Women's Institute. (16th Jun 1915)
-1st Labour MP Jo Cox dies at Leeds General Infirmary after being shot and stabbed as she prepared to hold a meeting with constituents in Birstall, West Yorkshire. (16th Jun 2016)
60th Submarine HMS Sidon sinks in Portland Harbour with the loss of thirteen crew following an explosion caused by a faulty torpedo on board. (16th Jun 1955)
100th Foundation of the British Women's Institute. (16th Jun 1915)
-7th The Bank of England raises the interest rate from 1.0% to 1.25%, the fifth successive increase, in a bid to restrain inflation. (16th Jun 2022)
-7th England's hospital waiting list reaches a new record high of 6.5 million people. (16th Jun 2022)
-7th Researchers led by the UK's Institute of Cancer Research describe a new light-activated 'photoimmunotherapy' for brain cancer. They believe it could join surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy as a fifth major form of cancer treatment. (16th Jun 2022)
518th Battle of Deptford Bridge - forces under King Henry VII defeat troops led by Michael An Gof. (17th Jun 1497)
436th Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England. (17th Jun 1579)
128th Hammersmith Bridge opens in London. (17th Jun 1887)
41st A bomb exploded at the Houses of Parliament in London, damaging Westminster Hall. The IRA claimed responsibility. (17th Jun 1974)
1st Production of paper at the Whatman plc mill at Maidstone, established in 1740, ceases. (17th Jun 2014)
10th The Ugandan-born bishop of Birmingham, John Sentamu is named the new Archbishop of York. He is the first ever Black person to be appointed as an Archbishop of the Church of England. (17th Jun 2005)
-7th Home Secretary Priti Patel approves the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces up to 175 years in jail for violating the Espionage Act. He is given 14 days to appeal. (17th Jun 2022)
-6th Manchester Arena bombing: A public inquiry into the 2017 suicide bombing at Manchester Arena identifies "serious shortcomings" by those in charge of security. (17th Jun 2021)
-6th Paul Givan and Michelle O'Neill are confirmed as Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers. (17th Jun 2021)
-6th The government announces that General Fusion will build a large-scale nuclear fusion demonstration plant in Oxfordshire, with construction starting in 2022 and operations beginning from 2025. (17th Jun 2021)
-6th 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election: Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Green wins the constituency of Chesham and Amersham with 56.7% of the vote, a swing from the Conservatives of 25.2%. She is the first non-Conservative candidate to win this seat since its formation in 1974. (17th Jun 2021)
248th Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island. (18th Jun 1767)
157th Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin's own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory. (18th Jun 1858)
75th "Finest Hour" speech by Winston Churchill. (18th Jun 1940)
70th William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) is charged with treason for his pro-German propaganda broadcasting during World War II. (18th Jun 1945)
43rd Staines air disaster - 118 are killed when a plane crashes two minutes after take off from London Heathrow Airport. (18th Jun 1972)
50th The government announces plans for the introduction of a blood alcohol limit for drivers in its clampdown on drink-driving. (18th Jun 1965)
200th The Duke of Wellington wins a decisive victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. (18th Jun 1815)
77th Women's Voluntary Service founded to assist the Civil Defence Service. (18th Jun 1938)
-4th Heathrow Airport publishes a masterplan for construction of a third runway by 2026 and completion of the airport's expansion by 2050. (18th Jun 2019)
-7th The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers confirms the rail and tube strikes planned for 21, 23 and 25 June will go ahead, after talks to resolve the situation ended without agreement. (18th Jun 2022)
-7th Thousands of protesters march through London to demand action from the government on the cost of living crisis. (18th Jun 2022)
-3rd The government announces a review into the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. (19th Jun 2018)
709th The Earl of Pembroke's army defeats Bruce's Scottish army at the Battle of Methven. (19th Jun 1306)
429th English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in North America. (19th Jun 1586)
54th Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom. (19th Jun 1961)
40th A coroner's court jury returned a verdict of wilful murder, naming Lord Lucan as the murderer, in the inquest on Sandra Rivett, the nanny who was found dead at his wife's London home seven months previously. (19th Jun 1975)
37th cricketer Ian Botham becomes the first man in the history of the game to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a Test match. (19th Jun 1978)
-4th The Isle of Wight is awarded "Biosphere Reserve" status by UNESCO, becoming the seventh UK location to receive this designation. (19th Jun 2019)
-6th John Bercow, former Tory MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, defects to Labour, calling his former party "reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic". (19th Jun 2021)
801st The University of Oxford receives its charter. (20th Jun 1214)
330th Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater. (20th Jun 1685)
259th A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta. (20th Jun 1756)
196th The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. She is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail. (20th Jun 1819)
178th Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne. (20th Jun 1837)
47th Austin Currie, Member of Parliament at Stormont in Northern Ireland, along with others, squats a house in Caledon to protest discrimination in housing allocations. (20th Jun 1968)
-4th In a case brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade, the Court of Appeal rules that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful. (20th Jun 2019)
161st The first Victoria Cross is awarded during the bombardment of Bomarsund in the Åland Islands. (21st Jun 1854)
1st Jane Hedges is installed as the first female Dean of Norwich. (21st Jun 2014)
250th The Isle of Man is brought under British control, the Isle of Man Purchase Act confirming HM Treasury's purchase of the feudal rights of the Dukes of Atholl as Lord of Mann over the island and revesting them into the British Crown. (21st Jun 1765)
67th Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, the world's first stored-program computer, runs its first program. (21st Jun 1948)
12th The novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is released to the public. (21st Jun 2003)
-7th The biggest rail strike since 1989 takes place, affecting 80% of services across England, Scotland and Wales, including the London Underground. Unions claim that Network Rail is threatening to cut safety-critical jobs (a characterisation that Network Rail rejects) as part of its modernisation programme, which would also include an increase in working hours. Rail workers also demand pay rises to keep up with soaring inflation. However, critics of the strike point to changing commuter habits, such as ticket offices being nearly obsolete, as well as more working from home, and the need for efficiency improvements. (21st Jun 2022)
208th In the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, the British warship HMS Leopard attacks and boards the American frigate USS Chesapeake. (22nd Jun 1807)
190th The British Parliament abolishes feudalism and the seigneurial system in British North America. (22nd Jun 1825)
122nd The Royal Navy battleship HMS Camperdown accidentally rams the British Mediterranean Fleet flagship HMS Victoria which sinks taking 358 crew with her, including the fleet's commander, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. (22nd Jun 1893)
108th The London Underground's Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway opens. (22nd Jun 1907)
104th George V and Mary of Teck are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. (22nd Jun 1911)
93rd IRA agents assassinate British field marshal Henry Wilson in Belgravia - assassins are sentenced to death 18 July. (22nd Jun 1922)
122nd HMS Victoria, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, collides with HMS Camperdown and sinks in 10 minutes, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon going down with it. (22nd Jun 1893)
201st First cricket match is played at Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood. (22nd Jun 1814)
67th The ship Empire Windrush arrives in Britain with 500 Jamaican immigrants. (22nd Jun 1948)
67th An Order in Council removes the title of Emperor of India from the Royal Style and Titles, recognising the independence of India in 1947. (22nd Jun 1948)
6th Conservative MP John Bercow is elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons. (22nd Jun 2009)
-7th Inflation increases to 9.1%, from 9% last month. (22nd Jun 2022)
-7th The UK Health Security Agency declares a national incident after poliovirus is found in sewage samples collected from the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works, East London. (22nd Jun 2022)
701st First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins. (23rd Jun 1314)
483rd Henry VIII and François I sign a secret treaty against Emperor Charles V. (23rd Jun 1532)
354th Marriage contract between Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza. (23rd Jun 1661)
257th Seven Years' War: Battle of Krefeld - British forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany. (23rd Jun 1758)
72nd World War II: The British destroyers HMS Eclipse and HMS Laforey sink the Italian submarine Ascianghi in the Mediterranean after she torpedoes the cruiser HMS Newfoundland. (23rd Jun 1943)
42nd A fire at a house in Hull, England which kills a six year old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by arsonist Peter Dinsdale. (23rd Jun 1973)
72nd The "Battle" of Bamber Bridge: Trouble flares between black American soldiers and white military police stationed in the Lancashire town; one black soldier is killed. (23rd Jun 1943)
127th London matchgirls strike of 1888 (date unclear) (23rd Jun 1888)
-1st A referendum is held in the UK and Gibraltar on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, the first of its kind since the 1975 referendum on Britain's membership of the then European Economic Community. (23rd Jun 2016)
101st The Royal Naval Air Service is established. (23rd Jun 1914)
-7th The UK is hit by a second day of rail strikes. RMT boss Mick Lynch warns that further strikes are "extremely likely" if talks to resolve the dispute continue to fail. (23rd Jun 2022)
-7th 2022 Wakefield by-election: Labour hold the seat with a 47.9% vote share. (23rd Jun 2022)
-7th 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election: The Liberal Democrats gain the seat, overturning a substantial Conservative majority of 24,239. (23rd Jun 2022)
-6th A new £50 polymer banknote enters circulation. Featuring the face of computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing, it joins the updated and more secure £5, £10 and £20 notes that were introduced in 2016, 2017 and 2020 respectively. (23rd Jun 2021)
-6th PC Benjamin Monk is found guilty of the manslaughter of former Aston Villa striker, Dalian Atkinson, who died after being tasered for six times longer than the legally recommended limit, and then kicked twice in the head. Monk becomes the first police officer since the 1980s to be found guilty over a death in custody in England and Wales. (23rd Jun 2021)
-6th Double murderer Gary Allen is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in which he was convicted of the murders of two women 21 years apart. (23rd Jun 2021)
675th Hundred Years' War: Battle of Sluys - The French fleet is almost destroyed by the English Fleet commanded in person by King Edward III. (24th Jun 1340)
506th Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England. (24th Jun 1509)
298th The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London, England. (24th Jun 1717)
113th King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation. (24th Jun 1902)
41st The government admitted testing a nuclear weapon in the United States causing a rift in the Labour Party. (24th Jun 1974)
1st Former News of the World editor and Downing Street Director of Communications Andy Coulson is found guilty of conspiring to hack phones. (24th Jun 2014)
4th Household furnishings retailer Habitat went into administration. 30 of its 33 outlets are affected by the administration, as the three central London stores are being sold to Home Retail Group in a £24.5 million deal which will safeguard a total of 150 jobs. (24th Jun 2011)
8th At a special Labour Party conference, Gordon Brown became leader of the party and Harriet Harman is elected Deputy Leader. (24th Jun 2007)
-7th International chemicals firm Tata Chemicals Europe opens the UK's first industrial-scale carbon capture and utilisation plant in Northwich, Cheshire. (24th Jun 2022)
-3rd The government throws out plans for the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, claiming the £1.3 billion project is not good value for money. (25th Jun 2018)
129th Crofters' Holdings Scotland Act grants security of tenure to crofters. (25th Jun 1886)
62nd John Christie is sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. A total of eight bodies were found at Christie's home, 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, including those of the wife and daughter of Timothy Evans who was hanged in 1950 for their murder. (25th Jun 1953)
150th James Hudson Taylor founds the China Inland Mission at Brighton. (25th Jun 1865)
13th Jason Gifford (27) is shot dead by armed police in Aylesbury after brandishing a shotgun and a machete in a residential street. (25th Jun 2002)
-7th A third day of rail strikes are held across the country. (25th Jun 2022)
-6th Health Secretary Matt Hancock apologises for breaking social distancing rules after pictures of him kissing an aide, Gina Coladangelo, are published in The Sun newspaper. (25th Jun 2021)
158th The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London. (26th Jun 1857)
106th The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity. (26th Jun 1909)
38th The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she is the first victim who is not a prostitute. (26th Jun 1977)
102nd First woman magistrate appointed, Miss Emily Dawson, in London. (26th Jun 1913)
-7th SNP MP Patrick Grady resigns party membership and will sit as an independent in the House of Commons. (26th Jun 2022)
-6th Matt Hancock resigns as health secretary, following the previous day's revelations. Sajid Javid is selected as his successor. (26th Jun 2021)
-6th Three men are charged with murdering 18-year-old Kimani Martin, who was shot while sitting in a taxi. (26th Jun 2021)
518th Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England. (27th Jun 1497)
272nd Battle of Dettingen: On the battlefield in Bavaria, George II personally leads troops into battle. The last time that a British monarch would command troops in the field. (27th Jun 1743)
48th The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield Town, London. (27th Jun 1967)
115th The London Underground's Central Line opened by the Prince of Wales -- but the public will have to wait another month before they can use it. (27th Jun 1900)
87th 25 people killed in the Darlington rail crash. (27th Jun 1928)
-7th Barristers walk out of courts across England and Wales in a dispute over legal aid funding. (27th Jun 2022)
-6th Nine anti-lockdown and climate change protesters are arrested after a day of demonstrations in London. (27th Jun 2021)
-6th Classified Ministry of Defence documents are found at bus stop in Kent. (27th Jun 2021)
554th Edward IV is crowned King of England. (28th Jun 1461)
177th Coronation of Victoria of the United Kingdom. (28th Jun 1838)
156th The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. (28th Jun 1859)
67th Boxer Dick Turpin beats Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black British boxing champion in the modern era. (28th Jun 1948)
10th In the Solent, the Queen conducts a Fleet Review of 167 naval, merchant and tall ships from the UK and 35 other nations to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. (28th Jun 2005)
-7th Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon proposes 19 October 2023 as the date for a second referendum on independence. (28th Jun 2022)
-7th Initial results from the 2021 census are published, showing a 6.3% rise in the population of England and Wales since the previous census in 2011, one of the biggest increases on record. The population of England and Wales is 59,597,300, while the UK is estimated at 66,966,400. The figures show more people aged over 65 than ever before. (28th Jun 2022)
-7th 2022 monkeypox outbreak: The number of cases recorded in the UK exceeds 1,000. (28th Jun 2022)
-7th COVID-19 in the UK: A public inquiry begins into the UK's handling of the pandemic. (28th Jun 2022)
-6th Six people are injured in a major fire at Elephant & Castle railway station in south London. (28th Jun 2021)
402nd The Globe Theatre in London, England burns to the ground. (29th Jun 1613)
371st Charles I of England defeats a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge, the last battle won by an English King on English soil. (29th Jun 1644)
99th The Irish Nationalist and British diplomat Sir Roger Casement is sentenced to death for his part in the Easter Rising. (29th Jun 1916)
0th Production ceases at the last deep coal mine in the South Yorkshire Coalfield, Hatfield Colliery. (29th Jun 2015)
122nd unveiling of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain (with its statue of Anteros), designed by Alfred Gilbert, at Piccadilly Circus in London. (29th Jun 1893)
147th the Press Association founded in London. (29th Jun 1868)
-7th The Climate Change Committee publishes its largest UK climate progress report to date, warning that the UK will fail to achieve net zero by 2050 under current policies. (29th Jun 2022)
-6th Police Constable Benjamin Monk, who unlawfully killed Dalian Atkinson by tasering him to the ground and kicking him in the head is jailed for eight years. (29th Jun 2021)
327th The Immortal Seven issue the Invitation to William (continuing the English rebellion from Rome), which would culminate in the Glorious Revolution. (30th Jun 1688)
155th The 1860 Oxford evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History takes place. (30th Jun 1860)
129th Royal Holloway College opened by Queen Victoria in Surrey. (30th Jun 1886)
178th The use of the pillory as a punishment is abolished. (30th Jun 1837)
62nd First roll-on/roll-off ferry crossing of the English Channel, Dover–Boulogne. (30th Jun 1953)
1st Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, entertainer Rolf Harris is found guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault between 1968 and 1986. (30th Jun 2014)
3rd The UK government announces an independent review of the workings of the Libor inter-bank lending rate in the wake of the Barclays scandal. (30th Jun 2012)
4th The cheque guarantee card scheme - which ensures some cheques are honoured even if the account holder does not have sufficient funds in their account - was withdrawn after operating for over 40 years. (30th Jun 2011)
-7th An additional £1 billion in funding for military aid to Ukraine is announced. (30th Jun 2022)
-7th Former SNP MP Natalie McGarry is jailed for two years for embezzling £25,000. (30th Jun 2022)
-7th Tamworth MP Chris Pincher resigns as Conservative Party deputy chief whip, saying he "embarrassed myself and other people" and "drank far too much" following an incident at a party the previous evening. (30th Jun 2022)

 

Return to key anniversaries for this month.

Or... select a different date below:

Previous Month

Next Month