Absolutely Invincible British Gentleman

[England]

ARTHUR KIRKLAND
-ENGLAND-

"Am I Catholic or Protestant? Oh God I don't know!"

Name: Arthur Kirkland
Origin: London, England
Gender: Male
Orientation: Bisexual
Religion: Who's on the throne?
Birthday: April 23 (43 AD or so)
Age: 23
Languages spoken: English, some Gaelic/Celtic dialects

Personality: Arthur has multiple personalities, and each is heavily different from the others, and his actions and speech change with the personality. The personalities are Arthur(Normal), Captain Kirkland(Pirate), Britannia Angel, Officer Kirkland(Pink Police), Arthur(Punk), and Drunk Butler.

Normal: Arthur's default personality is easily described as a gentleman with a tendency for being somewhat rude to those that frustrate or annoy him, but still retains his proper demeanor (usually) though he's often accused of being stuffy or acting like an old man.

Pirate: Arthur's pirate personality is usually known as Captain Kirkland, the Demon of the Sea, and various other rather intimidating titles. He's the remains of Arthur's days as a pirate (Or as he calls them, a 'privateer') and is ruthless and cruel, seeing no problem with killing someone who crosses him. This personality is usually triggered by being on his old ships, wearing his old captain's outfit, or when he's exceedingly mad at someone and wants to kill them. When he does switch, his voice will become quieter with a more powerful, commanding tone, and he'll stand at his full height.

Angel: Britannia Angel is Arthur's guardian angel, who will only appear when God makes him go to Earth as punishment for a while, taking over Arthur's body. While the alcohol in Heaven can get him drunk, he loves rum, but it only serves to make him hyper. Britannia Angel is very much like a child with a love for mind-numbing television shows, such as infomercials, and is easily impressionable to a lot of things, but still remains heavily innocent, with the mind of a child.

Police: Arthur's Pink Police personality, Officer Kirkland, is the one personality that seems to be totally separate from the other personalities, rarely emerging but still being quite dangerous when he does, since he is the more violent of Arthur's personalities, but doesn't show much beyond that. He's unpredictable, generally speaks in more of a growling tone, and seems always angry or prone to violence.

Punk: Arthur's punk personality is his sort of 'teen rebel' and has a love of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and many of the bands that appeared when rock became big. This personality was the one to get his six-string tattoo (He won't say where) and a lip-ring. While in this personality, he's flirty to anyone who shows interest, goes to raves and clubs with as many glow sticks as he can manage, wears eyeliner, band shirts, custom Pink Floyd shoes (Complete with fluorescent colors that glow in black lights), and tight jeans or his favorite leather pants (Because they show his ass really well).

Butler: Arthur only gets like this if he's been drinking and something perverted happens to him. He hasn't figured out how the personality does it, but when switched, he'll strip into the 'sexy butler' outfit, which wasn't there before, and either try and pounce the nearest person, or start doing unmentionable and embarrassing things in the pub or bar. Usually while consuming more alcohol.

Likes:

~Tea
~Cooking
~Scones
~Embroidery
~Reminiscing about the past
~Casting spells
~Faerie and his other mythical friends (Of which I am almost obsessively knowledgeable)
~Proper grammar
~Rubbing the Armada's defeat in Spain's face
~Busby's Chair
~Bunnies
~Chess

Dislikes:

~France
~French food
~People who insult his food/cooking
~Coffee
~America's idiocy
~When spells go wrong
~Summoning Russia
~When people call him crazy/say he needs medication for 'hallucinating' about Faerie
~Parrots
~Any bird called Pierre
~Bad *Coughamericancough* grammar

Appearance: See picture.

Relationships: (Major WIP)

Scotland: Arthur has been tormented by his elder brother for most of his life, and for a while he was terrified to be anywhere near him. However, there have been moments where he feels he can almost understand the reason for his actions, and then there are times when he's just completely confused by him, and doesn't understand why he says or does certain things, only to find the reason later. He does look up to him some, since Alex was the one to teach him magic.

Wales: Being the youngest of the brothers, Arthur had Drys to protect him, and they got along better than he and Alex, though Arthur can get a bit frustrated when Drys speaks Welsh to him, a language he's never been very good with.

America: Arthur still finds himself thinking of Alfred as a child, and the American's sometimes childish actions don't really deny this idea. However, he is trying to repair their relationship to something less strained. He still scolds and fusses at Alfred, but does give him tips and advice as well, and will occasionally just banter with him and run him in circles to lighten the mood.

Argentina: Somewhat complicated in the beginning, their relationship wavered through various stages before it started evening out to what it is now. Arthur has always admired her strong spirit, and has respected her for it. He also has moments of smug satisfaction knowing that the Spaniard's children fought against him, and his daughters opted for Britons.

Washington DC: Arthur loves to have debates with Danny, since he's one of the few that can give him a run for his money, and he almost sees Danny as a mature adult, unlike his childish father, since he and Danny have far more intelligent conversations than what he and Alfred have.

Northern Ireland: Arthur has and will always consider her to be his sweet little girl, and will protect her no matter what. It's fairly certain that when she starts bringing boys home, he WILL scare the crap out of them so they won't hurt his little girl. He does get nervous when she brings home strays, since he doesn't like the idea of her being around dangerous or lethal creatures without his supervision.

France: Arthur's enemy/rival/thing since they were little. He has an instinctive hatred for anything French and will often refer to France as “Frog” and claim that he can't understand “ribbit” when he speaks French. Most of the time he spends around France usually consists of insulting anything and everything French, which commonly escalates to a brawl if they're not stopped soon enough.

Spain: Arthur used to tolerate Spain until the execution of Bloody Mary when their tense peace was cut off but royalty conflicts, and now finds entertainment in reminding Spain how he destroyed the Armada. He also feels smug that Spain's daughters chose Brits, upsetting Spain further. He doesn't hate him as much as France, but he definitely doesn't make much effort to get along with him either.

China: Arthur and Yao don't get along, the only time they're civil is when Hong Kong is around, and Arthur always gets annoyed when Yao changes “-aru” to “-ahen”, meaning opium. Arthur tries to avoid Yao just to keep things from getting worse than they already are.

Hong Kong: Arthur pretty much took him from Yao and, while he did return him, his influence (And curse) went with him in the form of giving him the big eyebrows, and a British accent.

History: (See Reply)

Hobbies: Embroidery is Arthur's main hobby, though he tends to get defensive if people question it, he also enjoys watching football games (The real football. Not the American one) and the occasional hockey game if Canada is playing. Some of his time is also spent looking after his various Faerie friends, making sure his 'pet' flying rabbit isn't getting territorial again, etc. And then there are times when he tries to improve his cooking... And wrecks the kitchen in the process. It's usually best to stop him before he gets too far into the project.
Random Quirks: When Arthur is annoyed or frustrated, he will start muttering to himself in Gaelic, either ranting privately, or trying to curse the one bothering him, and also when talking to the Faerie. When talking to his brothers, his accent will alter more toward their own, something he does unconsciously but that can remain for hours if no one tells him. He DOES have multiple personalities, and some will be triggered by his surroundings, others may show up on their own, depending on the personality. He likes to drink, rum usually, and goes through various stages of becoming more and more drunk. He has a seemingly unreasonable hatred for parrots after an... Incident with France's rainbow macaw that he doesn't like to talk about, but he swore to kill the bird if it ever came back to his house. Arthur will occasionally make references to, or quote Shakespeare and his plays, referring to him as “Will”. Arthur can hold his breath for quite a long time underwater, having honed this skill while in his piracy days, and when swimming with merfolk.

Roleplay Sample:

See others.

Roleplayer: Kaz

Password: Hetalia (And tea) ROCKS

______________________________________

[England]

HISTORY:

C. 8,500 BC
Following the end of the ice age the climate grows much warmer. Forests spread across England. Also the sea level rises and England is cut off from Europe.
C. 4,500 BC Farming is introduced into England
C. 2,500 BC Stone age farmers build monuments called henges
C. 2,000 BC Bronze is first used in England
C. 650 Iron tools and weapons are introduced by a people called the Celts
C. 150 BC The potters wheel is introduced into England
55 BC Julius Caesar leads an expedition to Britain
54 BC Julius Caesar leads a second expedition
43 AD The Romans invade Britain. They land in Kent.
C. 50 A town grows up at London
51 Caractacus, a leader of British resistance to the Romans is captured
60
Boudicca (also known by her Latin name Boadicea) leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Romans. She burns the towns of, St Albans and London
78-85 Agricola is governor of Roman Britain
122-128 Hadrian's Wall is built
C. 270
At this time a network of forts is built along the eastern coast of England, the Saxon shore. It is called that because fierce Saxons have begun raiding. Roman civilisation has begun to decline.
286-293
Admiral Carausius breaks away from the rest of the Roman Empire and makes himself emperor of an independent Britain
367 'The Great Barbarian Raid'. A combined force of Irish, Scots and Picts attack Roman Britain
388 The Roman army abandons Hadrian's Wall
407 Last Roman soldiers leave Britain
C. 450 Invasions by Angles, Saxons and Jutes begin
477 According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Saxons led by Aella land in Sussex this year near Pevensey
C. 520
The Celts utterly defeat the Saxons at the battle of 'Mount Badon', somewhere in Somerset, halting their advance for decades
577
The Saxons defeat the Romano-Celts at the battle of Deorham. Afterwards the Saxons capture, Bath, Cirencester and Gloucester. They cut the Celts in Wales off from the Celts in Southwest England.
597 St Augustine arrives in Kent and begins to convert the Saxons
601 Augustine becomes the first Archbishop of Canterbury
604 The first Bishop of London is appointed
664 The Synod (church meeting) at Whitby
735 The Venerable Bede dies
757-796 Offa reigns in Mercia
793 The first Viking raid on England. They sack the monastery at Lindisfarne.
865 The Danes invade England
871
The Saxons defeat the Danes at Ashdown
Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex
878 Alfred crushes the Danes at the battle of Edington.
879
By the treaty of Wedmore England is split between the Saxons and the Danes. Watling Street forms part of the border. London is left in Danish hands.
886 Alfred recaptures London from the Danes
899 Alfred dies aged 50
899-924
The reign of Edward the Elder. In 901 Edward calls himself 'King of the Angles and Saxons'. In 913 he recaptures Essex from the Danes. Over time the Saxon kings take over all of the Danish territory (the Danelaw).
924-939
The battle of Brunanburh. The English defeat an army of Danes, Scots and Irish.
939-946 The reign of Edmund
946-955 The reign of Edred
955-959 The reign of Edwy
959-975 The reign of Edgar
975-978 The reign of Edward the Martyr. He is stabbed to death in Dorset.
978-1016 The reign of Ethelred
1016-1035 The reign of Canute
1035-1040 The reign of Harold I
1040-1042 The reign of Hardicanute
1042-1066 Reign of Edward the Confessor
1066
Harold becomes king, although William Duke of Normandy also claims the throne. Harald Hardrada, a Norwegian claims it as well. He invades England but his army is crushed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in September.
The Normans win the battle of Hastings in October. William The Conqueror is crowned king in December.
1069-1070
The 'harrying of the North'. Enraged by rebellion in the north of England Norman soldiers burn houses and crops and kill livestock. The area north of the Humber is left devastated.
1086 The Domesday Book is compiled. It lists all the manors of England and their value.
1074 William creates the New Forest in Hampshire where he can go hunting.
1087 William the Conqueror dies while at war. William Rufus becomes king.
1100
William Rufus is killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest. (It is not clear whether it was an accident or whether he was murdered). Henry I becomes king.
1120
The White Ship sinks in the English Channel. William, the heir to the English throne (Henry's only legitimate son) drowns.
1135
Henry I dies. There are now two contenders for the throne. Henry wanted his daughter Matilda to rule after him. However many barons refuse to accept a woman ruler and support Henry's nephew Stephen. 'The 19 long winters' of civil war between Matilda and Stephen begin.
1138 The English defeat the Scots at the battle of the Standard
1154 The civil wars end. Henry II becomes king.
1170
Thomas Becket is killed is Canterbury Cathedral. He is later canonised (made a saint) and pilgrims flock to his tomb.
1180 Rich people in England have glass windows for the first time since the Roman era
1189 Henry II dies. Richard I (the Lionheart) becomes king.
1199
Richard I dies when he is hit by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France. John becomes king.
1207 King John founds Liverpool
1215 King John seals Magna Carta
1216 John dies. Henry III becomes king.
1221 Dominican friars (known as black friars) arrive in England
1264 Battle of Lewes. Simon De Monfort and rebel barons defeat the king.
1265 Battle of Evesham. De Monfort is defeated and killed.
1272 Henry III dies. Edward I becomes king.
1290
King Edward expels all Jews from England
Queen Eleanor dies
1295 King Edward calls the Model Parliament
C. 1300
Glass windows and chimneys are becoming common among people who are well off but below the nobility such as rich merchants. (Most people have a hole in the roof to let out smoke).
1307 Edward I dies. Edward II becomes king.
1314 The battle of Bannockburn. The Scots utterly defeat the English
1315-1316 Famine stalks the land
1324-1384 Life of John Wycliffe the religious reformer
1327 Edward II dies. Edward II becomes king.
1337 The Hundred Years War between England and France begins
1340
The English win the naval battle of Sluys against the French
Geoffrey Chaucer is born
1346 The battle of Crecy. English longbow men crush the French army.
1348
The Black Death comes to England. Perhaps a third of the population died over the next year.
1356 The battle of Poitiers. Once again the England crush the French.
1381
The Peasants Revolt. Peasants in Essex and Kent rise up and march on London. The king manages to persuade them to disperse by making promises, none of which he intends to keep.
1382 Winchester College is founded by William of Wickham
1388 The Scots defeat the English at the battle of Otterburn
1400 Geoffrey Chaucer dies. He was the first great writer in the English language.
1415 The battle of Agincourt. Once again the English win a great victory.
1453 The Hundred Years War ends. England loses all its territory in France except for Calais.
1455-1485 England suffers a series of civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses
1461 The battle of Towton
1471 The battle of Tewkesbury
1476 Caxton introduces the printing press into England
1483-1485 Reign of Richard III
1485 Henry VII wins the battle of Bosworth. Richard III is killed and Henry becomes the first Tudor king.
1497 John Cabot sails to North America
1509
Henry VII dies. Henry VIII becomes king.
Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon
1511 The Mary Rose is launched
1513 The English win the battle of Flodden against the Scots
1533 Henry divorces Catherine of Aragon. He marries Anne Boleyn.
1534 Henry VIII makes himself head of the Church of England
1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace. (An uprising in the North of England).
Anne Boleyn is beheaded
Henry marries Jane Seymour
1536-1540 Henry VIII closes the monasteries
1537 Jane Seymour dies
1540 Henry marries Anne of Cleves but quickly divorces her
Henry marries Kathryn Howard
1542
The battle of Solway Moss. The English defeat the Scots.
Kathryn Howard is beheaded
1543 Henry marries Catherine Parr
1545 The Mary Rose sinks
1547
Henry VIII dies. Edward VI becomes king.
The Duke of Somerset is made Lord Protector
1549
The first Book of Common Prayer is introduced
The Duke of Northumberland becomes Lord Protector
1552 The Duke of Somerset is executed
1553 Edward VI dies. Mary becomes queen.
1554 Lady Jane Grey is beheaded
1555-1558
Queen Mary persecutes Protestants. Nearly 300 people are burned to death for heresy.
1558 Queen Mary (also known as 'Bloody Mary') dies. Elizabeth I becomes queen.
C. 1560 to C. 1640
'The Great Rebuilding'. Stone and brick replace most wooden houses. Chimneys and glass windows become common.
1564 William Shakespeare is born. So is Christopher Marlowe
1570 The Pope excommunicates Queen Elizabeth
1573 The architect Inigo Jones is born
1576 The first theatre opens in London
1577-1580 Francis Drake sails around the world
1587 Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded
1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated
1596 Francis Drake dies
1600 The East India Company is founded
1601 The Poor Law is passed. People are made to pay a rate to support the poor.
1603 In March Queen Elizabeth dies. James I becomes king.
1605 The gunpowder plot, a Catholic conspiracy to blow up parliament, is discovered.
1607 Jamestown, the first successful British colony in North America, is founded
1608 John Milton is born
1611 The King James Bible is published
1625 James I dies. Charles I becomes king.
1628
William Harvey publishes his discovery of the circulation of the blood
The Petition of Right is presented to the king by parliament
George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham is assassinated in Portsmouth
1629-1640 The Eleven Years Tyranny. Charles I rules without parliament.
1632 Christopher Wren is born
1633 William Laud becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
1641 MP's draw up a list of grievances called the Grand Remonstrance.
1642
Civil war between king and parliament begins. They fight the indecisive battle of Edgehill.
Isaac Newton is born
1644 Parliament wins the battle of Marston Moor
1645
Parliament wins the battle of Naseby
William Laud is executed
1646 Charles I surrenders to the Scots and the first civil war comes to an end
1648
Charles I starts another civil war. The Scots intervene on his behalf. However the battle of Preston ends hopes of restoring Charles I to power
Pride's Purge. Thomas Pride removes some Presbyterian MPs from parliament.
1649 King Charles I is beheaded
1651
A Scottish army invades England in an attempt to put Charles II on the throne. The Scots are defeated at Worcester and Charles flees abroad.
Thomas Hobbes publishes his work Leviathan
1652 Inigo Jones dies
1652-1654 The first Anglo-Dutch war
1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England
1655-1657 Rule of the Major-Generals
1658 Oliver Cromwell dies. His son Richard takes over.
1659 Richard Cromwell resigns. His fall from power is so swift he becomes known as 'Tumbledown Dick'.
1660 Charles II becomes king
1661 Robert Boyle publishes his great work The Sceptical Chemist
1662
The Royal Society (a scientific organisation) is given its charter by Charles II
Charles II marries a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza
The Act of Uniformity is passed
1663
The first turnpike road is opened. (Turnpike roads were owned by turnpike trusts that maintained them. You had to pay to use them).
1665 Plague in London. This is the last outbreak of bubonic plague in England.
1665-1667 The second Anglo-Dutch war
1666 The Great Fire of London. Most of the city is destroyed but it is soon rebuilt.
1667 John Milton publishes Paradise Lost
1670 Hudsons Bay Company is formed
1672-1674 The 3rd Anglo-Dutch war
1673
The Test Act is passed. Catholics and Protestant dissenters are prevented from holding public office.
1670 The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is founded
1678 Titus Oates claims he has discovered a 'Popish plot' against Charles II. (The whole thing is a hoax).
1679 The Act of Habeas Corpus. Imprisonment without trial is outlawed.
1685
Charles II dies. James II (a Roman Catholic) becomes king.
The Duke of Monmouth (Charles II's illegitimate son) leads an unsuccessful rebellion in Southwest England.
1686 'Hanging' Judge Jefferys sentences many of the rebels to death.
1687
Isaac Newton publishes his great work Principia Mathematica. He lays the foundations of modern physics.
1688
The 'Glorious, Bloodless Revolution'. James II flees abroad and William and Mary become the new monarchs.
1689 The Bill of Rights is passed
1694
Mary dies of smallpox aged 32
The Bank of England is founded
1698 Thomas Savery invents the first steam engine
1701
The Act of Settlement is passed
Jethro Tull invents the seed drill
1702 William dies. Anne becomes queen.
1704
The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Blenheim
The British capture Gibraltar
1706 The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French army at Ramillies
1707 The Act of Union joins England and Scotland
1708 The Duke of Marlborough defeats the army of Louis XIV at Oudenarde
1709
Abraham Darby uses coke instead of charcoal to smelt iron
The Duke of Marlborough wins the battle of Malplaquet against the French
1712 Newcomen makes steam engines for pumping water out of mines
1714 Queen Anne dies. George I becomes king
1715 The first Jacobite uprising. The Highlanders rise but the uprising ends in an indecisive battle near Stirling.
1719 Daniel Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe
1720
The South Sea Bubble (stocks in the South Sea Company suddenly fall in price and many people lose huge sums of money.)
1721
Robert Walpole becomes the king's main minister. People call him the Prime Minister. (Originally it was a term of abuse).
1723 The great architect Christopher Wren dies.
1727
George I dies. George II becomes king.
Isaac Newton dies
1733 John Kay invents the flying shuttle
1735 The Prime Minister moves into 10 Downing Street
1739
The highwayman Dick Turpin is hanged
John Wesley founds the Methodists
1742 Prime Minister Robert Walpole resigns
1745 The second Jacobite uprising. The Jacobites invade England and reach as far as Derby but then turn back.
1746 The Jacobites are crushed at the battle of Culloden
1756 The Seven Years War against France begins
1759 General Wolfe captures Quebec but is killed. His victory ensures Canada will be a British colony not a French one.
1761 The Bridgwater canal opens
1763 The Seven Years War ends
1769 James Watt patents an improved steam engine
1771 Richard Arkwright introduces a loom powered by a water mill
1773 The Stock Exchange is founded
1775 Jane Austen is born
1779
The world's first iron bridge is built in Shropshire
Samuel Crompton invents the spinning mule
C. 1780
The Industrial Revolution begins to transform Britain
Lord George Gordon leads anti-Catholic riots in London
1783 Britain signs a treaty recognising the independence of the American colonies
1784
Henry Cort invents the 'puddling' process. A new way of making wrought iron. As a result iron production booms.
1785
Edmund Cartwright invents the power loom (one worked by a steam engine). Cotton production grows very rapidly.
1787 The first convicts leave Britain from Portsmouth for Australia
1788 Lord Byron is born
1792 Gas light is invented
1796 Jenner invents vaccination against smallpox
1799 Income tax is introduced to pay for the war against France
1801
The first census is held
Another Act of Union joins Ireland to England and Scotland
1805 The battle of Trafalgar
1806 Isambard Kingdom Brunel is born
1807 The slave trade is abolished
1809 Charles Darwin is born
1811 Prince George become Prince Regent as his father is insane
1812
The Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is shot by John Bellingham
Charles Dickens is born
1813 The Duke of Wellington defeats the French army at the battle of Vitoria in Spain
1815
The battle of Waterloo
Humphrey Davy invents the miners safety lamp, which saves many lives
1817 Jane Austen dies
1818 Queen Charlotte dies
1819
The Peterloo Massacre. Cavalry charge unarmed people holding a meeting on St Peter's Fields at Manchester. Eleven people are killed.
Sir Stanford Raffles founds Singapore
1820 George III dies. George IV becomes king.
1821 John Constable paints The Haywain
1824 Lord Byron dies
1825 The world's first public passenger railway opens (The Stockton and Darlington railway).
1829
The Catholic Emancipation Act gives Catholics civil rights
Sir Robert Peel forms the first modern police force (hence their nicknames 'bobbies' or 'peelers')
1832
The Great Reform Act is passed. Seats in parliament are distributed more fairly and the middle class are given the vote.
The writer Lewis Carroll is born
1833 Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire
1835
Bull baiting is banned. This 'sport' consisted of chaining a bull to a post then using trained dogs to attack it.
1837 William IV dies. Victoria becomes queen.
1840
The penny black stamp is introduced.
The writer Thomas Hardy is born.
Queen Victoria marries Albert
1842 A new law bans women and children from working underground in mines
1843 Charles Dickens publishes A Christmas Carol.
The first Christmas card goes on sale
1847
A new law bans women and children from working more than 10 hours a day
Charlotte Bronte publishes Jane Eyre
Alexander Graham Bell is born
1848 There are cholera epidemics in British towns. The Health Act is passed.
1851 The Great Exhibition is held in London
1854-1856 The Crimean War is fought. Britain and France defeat the Russians.
1856 Henry Bessemer invents a way of converting pig iron to steel
1857-58 The Indian Mutiny takes place
1859 Darwin publishes The Origin of Species. It outlines his theory of evolution.
1860 HMS Warrior, Britain's first iron warship is launched
1861 Prince Albert dies.
1863 The first (steam driven) underground train in London
1865
Joseph Lister invents antiseptic surgery.
The Salvation Army is formed (it does not get its name till 1878).
Lewis Carroll publishes Alices's Adventures in Wonderland
1867 The second Reform Act increases the number of people allowed to vote
1868
First Trades Union Congress
The last public execution is carried out in England
1869 Richard Blackmore publishes Lorna Doone
1870
Education Act to provide state education for all.
Charles Dickens dies
1871 The Bank Holiday Act is passed. (For most working class people bank holidays are their only paid holidays).
1872
The secret ballot is introduced
The second Public Health Act is passed.
1874 The writer G K Chesterton is born
1875
A law bans the practice of sending small boys up chimneys to clean them. From now on you have to be over 21 to clean a chimney that way.
The third Public Health Act is passed. Conditions in towns and cities are slowly getting better. In the 1870s and 1880s networks of sewers are dug and water pipes are laid. Gas light becomes common even in the poorest homes.
Captain Matthew Webb swims the English Channel
1877 Researches on the effect of light upon bacteria and other organisms are made by Arthur Downsend and Thomas P. Blunt
1878 The Salvation Army is named
1881 Alexander Fleming is born
1884 The 3rd reform act gives more men the vote
1888 Girls who make match boxes successfully strike
1889
Gas workers successfully strike
London dockworkers successfully strike. For the first time unskilled workers are forming successful trade unions.
1890 The first electric underground trains run in London
1898 Lewis Carroll dies
1899-1902 The Boer War is fought
1901 Queen Victoria dies. Her son becomes Edward VII.
1904 Britain signs the Entente Cordiale (friendly understanding) with France
1906 The first dreadnought, a new and powerful battleship is launched
1908 Kenneth Grahame published The Wind In The Willows
1909 The first old age pensions are paid
1910 Edward VII dies. George V becomes king.
1911
The National Insurance Act is passed. Some workers are allowed unemployment benefit and sickness benefit is created.
The Parliament Act greatly reduces the power of the House of Lords
1914 In August the First World War begins
1916
The Battle of the Somme is fought. Tanks are used in battle for the first time.
Conscription is introduced
Battle of Jutland
1917 The Battle of Passchendale is fought
1918
The First World War ends in November
Women over 30 are allowed to vote
The school leaving age is raised to 14
1922 The BBC is founded
1926
Workers hold a General Strike but they are defeated
A. A. Milne publishes Winnie The Pooh
1928 Universal suffrage is introduced. (Everyone over the age of 21 is allowed to vote).
1930
Frank Whittle invents the jet engine
Following the Wall Street Crash the depression bites and unemployment rises sharply
1932 Unemployment in Britain reaches 22.8%
1933 Unemployment starts to fall. Britain starts to recover from the depression.
1936
In January unemployment in 13.9%. It continues to slowly fall.
George V dies. Edward VIII becomes king but soon abdicates. George VI becomes king.
Television begins in Britain
The Jarrow March is held
The writer G K Chesterton dies
1939
The Second World War begins
All workers are given one weeks annual paid holiday
About 10% of households in Britain now own a car
1940
The British army is evacuated from Dunkirk
The Battle of Britain is fought
The Germans begin bombing British cities
1942
The Dieppe Raid is carried out. It is a failure.
The Battle of El Alamein is fought. The British army crush the Germans and Italians.
The Beveridge Report is published. It proposes a new welfare state.
1943
In May German forces in North Africa surrender.
In July the allies invade Sicily.
1944
Allied invasion of France
The Germans fire V I flying bombs from June and V II missiles from September
The Butler Education Act is passed
1945
Second World War ends
George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is published
Labour win the general election
1947 The school leaving age is raised to 15
1948 The National Health Service is founded
1949 George Orwell's novel 1984 is published
1950 George Orwell dies
1951
The Festival of Britain is held
Conservatives win a general election
1952 George VI dies. Elizabeth becomes queen.
1953
Coronation of Elizabeth II
TV becomes increasingly common. (Many people buy a TV. to watch the coronation). By the end of 1953 approximately 25% of households in Britain have a TV.
1954 Food rationing ends
1955
ITV begins broadcasting
The Conservatives win a second general election
1956
The Suez crisis in Egypt. Britain sends troops but is soon forced to withdraw. The event proves that Britain is no longer a great power.
The first nuclear power station opens at Calder Hall
1959
The Conservatives win a 3rd election victory
Cars are becoming increasingly common. A survey shows 32% of households own one.
1960 Britain is becoming increasingly affluent. A survey shows 44% of households own a washing machine.
1963
Doctor Who is broadcast for the first time
Dr Beeching axes minor railways
1964
The Labour Party wins a general election. Harold Wilson becomes prime minister.
A survey shows 90% of households in Britain own a TV. It is now the main form of entertainment in Britain.
The last executions in Britain are carried out
1965 Capital punishment is abolished for an experimental period of 5 years
1966 Labour wins a second general election
1967 Colour TV begins
1969 Capital punishment is abolished permanently
1970
Conservatives under Edward Heath win the general election
The minimum age for voting is lowered from 21 to 18
1971 Britain switches to decimal currency
1972 The school leaving age is raised to 16
1973 Britain joins the EEC (forerunner of the EU)
Unemployment stands at 3%
1975
The Sex Discrimination Act is passed
Unemployment passed one million. It is over 5% for the first time since 1945.
1976
Harold Wilson resigns
In June and July a heat wave creates a very hot summer and water shortages
1978 The first test tube baby is born
1979 The Conservatives win a general election. Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman prime minister.
1980 Britain enters recession. Unemployment rises sharply and reaches 2 million.
1982
The Falklands War is fought against Argentina
The Mary Rose is raised from the sea bed
Channel 4 begins
1983 The Conservatives win a second general election with a large majority
1984 The miners strike begins
1985 The miners strike ends. The miners are defeated.
1986 Unemployment reaches a peak. The 'official' figure reaches 14.1%
1987 Corporal punishment ends in state schools
1990
Margaret Thatcher falls from power. She is replaced by John Major.
Britain enters a recession. Unemployment starts to rise rapidly.
Conservatives win a 4th general election
1993 Britain starts to recover from the recession. Unemployment starts to fall.
1994
The Channel Tunnel opens
The National Lottery begins
1997 Labour wins the general election
2004 The population of England reaches 50 million.
2007
Gordon Brown becomes prime minister
Jacqui Smith becomes the first female Home Secretary
2009 A severe recession afflicts the nation
2010 Recovery from recession begins. After a general election Conservatives and Liberals form a coalition government.
The population of Britain is 62.3 million.

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