Independent study & practice
Put the dates in order
Start with the timeline. When the sequence feels familiar, use the flashcards to recall each event or date without multiple-choice hints.
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Your history timeline
Use changes in power, law, technology and daily life to give each year a meaning. Historical dates are not publication or page-update dates.
- 55 BC
Caesar led an unsuccessful invasion in 55 BC.
Chapter 3 · Early Britain - AD 43
The successful Roman invasion began in AD 43.
Chapter 3 · Early Britain - AD 410
Roman troops withdrew in AD 410 to defend other parts of the empire.
Chapter 3 · Early Britain - AD 789
The handbook dates the first Viking visits to AD 789.
Chapter 3 · Early Britain - 1066
William’s victory at Hastings in 1066 began Norman rule.
Chapter 3 · Early Britain - 1215
Magna Carta was agreed in 1215 under pressure from the nobles.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1284
Edward I’s Statute of Rhuddlan dates from 1284.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1314
Robert the Bruce defeated the English at Bannockburn in 1314.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1348
The Black Death arrived in Britain in 1348.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1415
Agincourt was an English victory in 1415 during the Hundred Years War.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1455
The struggle between Lancaster and York began in 1455.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1485
Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth in 1485.
Chapter 3 · The Middle Ages - 1560
Scotland’s Protestant Reformation was established by Parliament in 1560.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1588
England defeated the Spanish Armada in Elizabeth I’s reign in 1588.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1603
James became James I of England after Elizabeth I died in 1603.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1605
The plot to blow up Parliament failed in 1605.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1642
War between Charles I and Parliament began in 1642.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1649
Charles I was executed in 1649 and England became a republic.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1658
Cromwell’s death in 1658 left the republic without a strong leader.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1660
Charles II returned from exile in 1660.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1665
The Great Plague struck London in 1665.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1666
The Great Fire destroyed much of London in 1666.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1688
William of Orange took the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1689
The Bill of Rights of 1689 strengthened Parliament’s position.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1690
William defeated James II at the Boyne in 1690.
Chapter 3 · The Tudors and Stuarts - 1695
Government licensing of newspapers ended in 1695.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1707
England and Scotland united in 1707 to form Great Britain.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1714
George I succeeded Queen Anne in 1714.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1721
Walpole served as Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1745
Charles Edward Stuart raised his Highland army in 1745.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1746
The Jacobite army was defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1776
Thirteen colonies declared independence in 1776.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1783
Britain recognised the colonies’ independence in 1783.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1801
The union took effect in 1801 following the Act of Union of 1800.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1805
Nelson’s fleet won at Trafalgar in 1805.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1807
The 1807 ban concerned the slave trade; slavery in the Empire was abolished later.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1810
Sake Dean Mahomet opened the Hindoostane Coffee House in 1810.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1815
Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1832
The 1832 Reform Act removed rotten boroughs and expanded the electorate.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1833
The handbook dates the Emancipation Act to 1833.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1837
Victoria became queen in 1837 at the age of 18.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1846
Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 allowed cheaper imported grain.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1851
The Crystal Palace housed the Great Exhibition in 1851.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1860
Nightingale’s nursing school opened at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1867
The 1867 Reform Act reduced property qualifications and added urban seats.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1901
Victoria’s reign ran from 1837 to 1901.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1903
Emmeline Pankhurst helped found the WSPU in 1903.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1914
The First World War began in 1914.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1916
The Easter Rising against British rule took place in 1916.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1918
The 1918 reform enfranchised women over 30 who met the qualifications.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1922
In 1922 Northern Ireland remained in the UK and the Irish Free State was formed.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1928
In 1928 women gained the vote at 21, matching men.
Chapter 3 · A global power - 1929
The world entered the Great Depression in 1929.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1935
The first successful radar test described in the handbook was in 1935.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1936
The BBC began the world’s first regular television service in 1936.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1939
Britain and France declared war after Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1940
The RAF resisted the German air campaign in 1940.
Chapter 3 · The 20th century - 1942
Beveridge’s 1942 report helped shape the post-war welfare state.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1944
The Education Act 1944 introduced free secondary education in England and Wales.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1945
Labour won the 1945 election and Attlee became Prime Minister.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1947
India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1948
The NHS was established in 1948 under Health Minister Aneurin Bevan.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1953
The structure of DNA was discovered in 1953.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1967
A cash machine was put into use in Enfield in 1967.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1969
Concorde first flew in 1969.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1976
Concorde began carrying passengers in 1976.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1978
The world’s first IVF baby was born in Oldham in 1978.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1979
Thatcher became the UK’s first woman Prime Minister in 1979.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1982
British forces recovered the Falkland Islands after Argentina’s 1982 invasion.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1990
The handbook gives 25 December 1990 for this first web transfer.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1996
The team led by Wilmut and Campbell cloned Dolly in 1996.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1997
Labour won the 1997 General Election under Tony Blair.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 1998
The 1998 agreement was a milestone in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 2003
Concorde retired from service in 2003.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 2007
Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister in 2007.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945 - 2010
David Cameron led the coalition formed after the 2010 General Election.
Chapter 3 · Britain since 1945
The annual calendar
| Remember the link | Key fact |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January New Year’s Day is celebrated on 1 January. |
| Valentine’s Day | 14 February Valentine’s Day is associated with exchanging cards and gifts. |
| St David’s Day | 1 March Wales celebrates St David’s Day on 1 March. |
| St Patrick’s Day | 17 March St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March. |
| April Fool’s Day | 1 April April Fool’s jokes are traditionally played before midday. |
| St George’s Day | 23 April England’s patron saint’s day is 23 April. |
| Halloween | 31 October Halloween is associated with costumes, pumpkins and trick-or-treating. |
| Bonfire Night | 5 November Bonfire Night remembers the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. |
| Remembrance Day | 11 November Remembrance Day honours those who died fighting for the UK and its allies. |
| St Andrew’s Day | 30 November Scotland’s patron saint’s day is 30 November. |
| Christmas Day | 25 December Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| Boxing Day | 26 December Boxing Day is the day after Christmas. |
| Hogmanay | 31 December Hogmanay is Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration. |