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July 1765: The child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

Building and people item

July 1765

The child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart left London, where he had resided throughout the previous year, playing before the royal family, and enjoying great popular success.
Newman, Gerald, editor. Britain in the Hanoverian Age, 1714-1837: An Encyclopedia. Garland, 1997.
483
Bozman, Ernest Franklin, editor. Everyman’s Encyclopaedia. 4th Edition, J. M. Dent, 1958, 12 vols.
8: 742

1744: The popular actress Kitty Clive argued in...

Women writers item

1744

The popular actress Kitty Clive argued in The Case of Mrs Clive Submitted to the Publick that she had been unfairly treated by the managers of both London theatres (Drury Lane and Covent Garden ).
Clive, Kitty. The Case of Mrs. Clive Submitted to the Publick. B. Dod, 1744.
22

24 June 1624: Virginia became a Crown Colony.img: see #...

National or international item

24 June 1624

Virginia became a Crown Colony.
Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History. 3rd revised, Simon and Schuster, 1991.
280

1979: US game designer Roberta Williams authored...

Building and people item

1979

US game designer Roberta Williams authored and designed the first graphics-based computer game, the hugely successful Mystery House (inspired by Agatha Christie 's And Then There Were None).
Vare, Ethlie Ann, and Greg Ptacek. Patently Female. John Wiley and Sons, 2002.
65

1735: Robert Dodsley, a man from the lower classes...

Writer or writing item

1735

Robert Dodsley , a man from the lower classes who had worked as a footman, opened his publisher's shop in Pall Mall, London.
Tierney, James E. “Advertisements for Books in London Newspapers, 1760-1785”. Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, edited by Timothy Erwin and Ourida Mostefai, Vol.
30
, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001, pp. 153-64.
155

By July 1955: Françoise Sagan, aged eighteen, repeated...

Writer or writing item

By July 1955

Françoise Sagan , aged eighteen, repeated in England the previous year's sensational success in France of her novel Bonjour Tristesse: the English version was by Irene Ash .
British Book News. British Council.
(1955): 1138
Corbett, Anne. “Françoise Sagan”. The Guardian, 27 Sept. 2004, p. 23.
23
Chrisafis, Angelique. “Bonjour Françoise: France in thrall to Sagan”. The Guardian, 31 May 2008, p. 25.
25

12 August-3 September 1821: The newly-crowned George IV visited Ireland...

National or international item

12 August-3 September 1821

The newly-crowned George IV visited Ireland (the first British monarch to do so since William III made war there), and was rapturously received in Dublin.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2026, 22 vols. plus supplements.
Campbell, Mary, 1917 - 2002. Lady Morgan: The Life and Times of Sydney Owenson. Pandora, 1988.
186-7

20 January 1980: President Jimmy Carter announced that America...

National or international item

20 January 1980

President Jimmy Carter announced that America would boycott the MoscowOlympics in an attempt to pressure the Soviet Union, which had invaded Afghanistan at the end of 1979.
“Olympic Games, Moscow 1980, Did you know?”. International Olympic Committee.
Morse, Eric. “Be careful whom you boycott”. The Globe and Mail, 27 Mar. 2008, p. A19.
A17

1866: The removal of the tax on timber, following...

National or international item

1866

The removal of the tax on timber, following the lifting of other such taxes, meant that most building material was now tax free; it was hoped that this cost reduction would increase the quality of...

11 June 1987: Diane Abbot became the first black woman...

Building and people item

11 June 1987

Diane Abbot became the first black woman elected to the House of Commons .
“Women’s History Timeline”. BBC: Radio 4: Woman’s Hour.

September 1930: Shakespeare's Othello opened at the Savoy...

Building and people item

September 1930

Shakespeare's Othello opened at the Savoy Theatre starring Paul Robeson and Peggy Ashcroft : it shocked some in the audience on racist grounds.
Billington, Michael. Peggy Ashcroft, 1907-1991. Mandarin, 1991.
37-8, 41

1825: Michel-Eugène Chevreul and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac...

National or international item

1825

Michel-Eugène Chevreul and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac patented a way of making candles from fatty acid; this improvement on tallow candles was widely celebrated.
Hellemans, Alexander, and Bryan Bunch. The Timetables of Science: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Science. Simon and Shuster, 1988.
286

October 1913: The Central Board of Co-operative Union refused...

National or international item

October 1913

The Central Board of Co-operative Union refused to give the Women's Co-operative Guild its annual grant unless the Guild withdrew its support for divorce law reform.
Webb, Catherine. The Woman with the Basket: The History of the Women’s Co-operative Guild 1883-1927. Co-operative Wholesale Society’s Printing Works, 1927.
154-7
Gaffin, Jean et al. “Women and Cooperation”. Women in the Labour Movement: The British Experience, edited by Lucy Middleton, Croom Helm, 1977, pp. 113-42.
134-6

2-17 September 1666: The Great Fire of London almost entirely...

National or international item

2-17 September 1666

The Great Fire of London almost entirely destroyed the medieval city.
Pepys, Samuel. Diary. Editor Wheatley, Henry B., G. Bell and Sons, 1952, 8 vols.
5: 392-411

12 February 1912: China declared itself a Republic after Sun...

National or international item

12 February 1912

China declared itself a Republic after Sun Yat-sen 's Revolution.
Keller, Helen, editor. The Dictionary of Dates. Macmillan, 1934, 2 vols.
I: 798
Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry. Historical Tables: 58 BC-AD 1985. 11th ed., Garland Publishing, 1986.
224

Lady Margaret Sackville

Margaret Sackville was a prolific poet of the earlier twentieth century, whose work spanned a range of poetic genres from dramatic verse to epigrams and fantasy for children. She also wrote fairy-tales, plays, and introductory...

29 October 1924: Ellen Wilkinson was elected as the Labour...

Building and people item

29 October 1924

Ellen Wilkinson was elected as the Labour Party 's first woman MP.
Kimber, Richard. “UK General Elections since 1832”. Richard Kimber’s Political Science Resources: British Politics: Election Information.

September 1920: Home and Politics, a Conservative Party women's...

Building and people item

September 1920

Home and Politics, a Conservative Party women's paper, began publication in London.
Doughan, David, and Denise Sanchez. Feminist Periodicals, 1855-1984. Harvester Press, 1987.
46

1907: British Parliament passed the Education (Administrative...

National or international item

1907

British Parliament passed the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, a bill providing for the medical inspection of school children.
Dolan, Josephine A. History of Nursing. 12th ed., Saunders, 1968.
280
Palmer, Alan, and Veronica Palmer. The Chronology of British History. Century, 1992.
340

1930: The Associated Country Women of the World,...

Building and people item

1930

The Associated Country Women of the World , or ACWW, was founded in London, with the goal of facilitating mutual aid among women farmers across the world.
Greenspan, Karen. The Timetables of Women’s History. Simon and Shuster, 1994.
330
“Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW)”. CharitiesDirect.com.
“About ACWW”. ACWW: The Associated Country Women of the World.

1928: The Geiger or Geiger-Müller counter, a device...

Building and people item

1928

The Geiger or Geiger-Müller counter, a device which detects and measures radioactivity, was produced in a form close to that still in use by Hans Geiger and Walther Müller at the University of Kiel in...

1861: Prussian voters elected a strongly liberal...

National or international item

1861

Prussian voters elected a strongly liberal parliament.
Hobsbawm, Eric John. The Age of Capital 1848-1875. Abacus, 1975.
89-90

23 January 1720: The Lord Chancellor (the Duke of Newcastle)...

Building and people item

23 January 1720

The Lord Chancellor (the Duke of Newcastle ) closed Drury Lane Theatre for several days because of a dispute with its licensee, Steele .
The London Stage 1660-1800. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960–1968, 5 vols.
2: 547

23 October 1693: Alexander Davenant fled to the Canary Islands...

Building and people item

23 October 1693

Alexander Davenant fled to the Canary Islands in order to escape arrest for mishandling the finances of the United Company (now London's only licensed theatre); joint managers Sir Thomas Skipwith and Christopher Rich were...

2 August 1788: The painter Thomas Gainsborough died at the...

Building and people item

2 August 1788

The painter Thomas Gainsborough died at the age of sixty-two; he was buried beside his friend Joshua Kirby (father of Sarah Trimmer ) in Kew churchyard.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2026, 22 vols. plus supplements.