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13 May 1876: Captain Philip Meadows Taylor, novelist,...

Writer or writing item

13 May 1876

Captain Philip Meadows Taylor , novelist, died in Menton, France, near Nice.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2026, 22 vols. plus supplements.

February 1868: Tom Robertson's Play, a comedy in three acts,...

Writer or writing item

February 1868

Tom Robertson 's Play, a comedy in three acts, began its run at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
Mitchell, Sally, editor. Victorian Britain: An Encyclopedia. Garland Press, 1988.
673-4
Mullin, Donald C. Victorian Plays: A Record of Significant Productions on the London Stage, 1837-1901. Greenwood Press, 1987.
298

After 7 April 1668: On the death of Sir William Davenant, his...

Building and people item

After 7 April 1668

On the death of Sir William Davenant , his widow took over the running of Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre; she managed it until the 1670s, and therefore presided over the debut of Aphra Behn .
The London Stage 1660-1800. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960–1968, 5 vols.
1: 143

March 1941: The German Nazi Party forbade dairies to...

Building and people item

March 1941

The GermanNazi Party forbade dairies to deliver milk to Jews on their milk rounds.
This information comes from the diaries of Victor Klemperer , first published in 2000.
Powers, Thomas. “’A Thousand Mosquito Bites’”. London Review of Books, 21 Sept. 2000, pp. 3-7.
5

13 February 1707: The Treason Act received royal assent, making...

National or international item

13 February 1707

The Treason Act received royal assent, making it treasonable to assert in writing or to put in print Jacobite claims to the throne.
McDowell, Paula. The Women of Grub Street: Press, Politics, and Gender in the London Literary Marketplace, 1678-1730. Clarendon, 1998.
64
Journals of the House of Commons. Printed by order of the House of Commons.
15: 543

21 July-10 August 1944: After fierce fighting, US Marines captured...

National or international item

21 July-10 August 1944

After fierce fighting, US Marines captured Guam.
Messenger, Charles. World War Two Chronological Atlas: When, Where, How and Why. Bloomsbury, 1989.
177
Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World At Arms: A Global History of World War II. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
653

November 2014: Emma Watson, the young performer who played...

Building and people item

November 2014

Emma Watson , the young performer who played Hermione Grainger in the films of J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter books, made a speech on gender equality, by invitation, to the United Nations assembly in New York.
Kamen, Paula. “Unfun Feminism”. Women’s Review of Books, Vol.
33
, No. 5, Sept.–Oct. 2016, pp. 3-5.
4

29 September 1911: The Turkish-Italian War began when Italy...

National or international item

29 September 1911

The Turkish-Italian War began when Italy declared war on Turkey and seized Tripoli.
Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry. Historical Tables: 58 BC-AD 1985. 11th ed., Garland Publishing, 1986.
224
Kinder, Hermann, and Werner Hilgemann. The Anchor Atlas of World History. Translator Menze, Ernest A., Vol.
2
, Anchor, 1978.
II: 119

During the 1760s: A Mrs Harris ran the Thurloe House day school...

Building and people item

During the 1760s

A Mrs Harris ran the Thurloe House day school for girls in Worcester.
Hans, Nicholas A. New Trends in Education in the Eighteenth Century. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1951.
251

February 1879: The Malthusian, advocating birth control,...

Building and people item

February 1879

The Malthusian, advocating birth control, began monthly publication in London.
Ledbetter, Rosanna. A History of the Malthusian League: 1877-1927. Ohio State University Press, 1976.
78-9, 222
OCLC WorldCat. 1992–1998, http://www.oclc.org/firstsearch/content/worldcat/. Accessed 1999.

3 June 1720: The House of Commons agreed to amendments...

National or international item

3 June 1720

The House of Commons agreed to amendments from the Lords to the Transportation of Felons Act, for banishing convicted criminals.
Journals of the House of Commons. Printed by order of the House of Commons.
19: 375

24 October 1890: The British Astronomical Association, founded...

National or international item

24 October 1890

The British Astronomical Association , founded this year for amateur astronomers, held its first meeting.
Gascoigne, Robert Mortimer. A Chronology of the History of Science, 1450-1900. Garland, 1987.
411
Haydn, Joseph. Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates and Universal Information. Editor Vincent, Benjamin, 23rd ed., Ward, Lock, 1904.

Jane Loudon

While still an adolescent JL published tales and verse; next, in 1827, came a highly unusual science-fiction horror novel. After marrying a horticulturalist she participated in his writing career with work on his gardening magazine...
Jane Loudon Black and white photograph of an oval painting of Jane Loudon, shown from the waist up. She is wearing a simple dress with dark bodice and light skirt, a light cape patterned with flowers, and a lace collar. Slender chains lie around her neck and in her dark, neatly piled hair.

By mid-April 1856: Frances Margaret Taylor published as a Lady...

Women writers item

By mid-April 1856

Frances Margaret Taylor published as a Lady VolunteerEastern Hospitals and English Nurses: the Narrative of Twelve Months' Experience in the Hospitals of Koulali and Scutari.
British Library Catalogue. http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=0&tab=local_tab&dstmp=1489778087340&vid=BLVU1&mode=Basic&fromLo.
Solo: Search Oxford University Libraries Online. 18 July 2011, http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=OXVU1&fromLogin=true&reset_config=true.

About 1764: James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny...

Building and people item

About 1764

James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny after seeing a traditional spinning wheel fall over, with its wheel and spindle turning in the air.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2026, 22 vols. plus supplements.

4 August 1922: The Criminal Law Amendment Act amended the...

Building and people item

4 August 1922

The Criminal Law Amendment Act amended the law so that consent of a young person under sixteen to a sexual act no longer constituted a defence.
Law Reports: Statutes. Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1866–2026.
(1922): 607-9

Late 1822: Charles Knight founded his eponymous publishing...

Writer or writing item

Late 1822

Charles Knight founded his eponymous publishing firm in London.
Rose, Jonathan, and Patricia J. Anderson, editors. Dictionary of Literary Biography 106. Gale Research, 1991.
106: 164

1970: Robin Day launched a BBC radio phone-in programme,...

Building and people item

1970

Robin Day launched a BBC radio phone-in programme, It's Your Line, in which, for the first time, ordinary people in Britain were enabled to question the senior politicians.
Steele, Sir Richard, and Joseph Addison, editors. The Guardian. J. Tonson.
(8 August 2000): 17

22 June 1775: The American Continental Congress resolved...

National or international item

22 June 1775

The American Continental Congress resolved to issue $2,000,000 in bills of credit: the first continental currency.
Coakley, Robert, and Stetson Conn. The War of the American Revolution. Center of Military History, 1975.
91

Elizabeth Elstob

EE is noteworthy as the first female scholar in the newly opening field of the Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) language. She was also a translator, a biographer, and a promoter of learning for women and...
Elizabeth Elstob Line engraving with portrait of Elizabeth Elstob inside an initial letter G, by Simon Gribelin, from "An English-Saxon Homily on the Birth-day of St. Gregory", 1709, which she translated from Old English. She looks towards the viewer, slightly angled to her left with her head turned to her right. She wears a dress with a low neckline, and her hair is styled with curls framing her forehead and face, while the rest hangs behind her shoulders.

1946: John Lehmann founded his own publishing house...

Writer or writing item

1946

John Lehmann founded his own publishing house at 6 Henrietta Street, London.
Rose, Jonathan, and Patricia J. Anderson, editors. Dictionary of Literary Biography 112. Gale Research, 1991.
188

1976: The Federation of Alternative Bookstores...

Building and people item

1976

The Federation of Alternative Bookstores held a National Women's Conference in Birmingham.
Ross, Elizabeth Arledge, and Miriam L. Bearse. A Chronology of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain. Editors Boyle, Karen E. and The Oral History Project Advisory Group, The Feminist Archive, 1996, http://Bodleian.
24

5 April 1867: The School of Physic (Ireland) Amendment...

National or international item

5 April 1867

The School of Physic (Ireland) Amendment Act opened several Professorships at the University of Dublin (Trinity College) to all qualified persons regardless of religious affiliation.
Law Reports: Statutes. Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1866–2026.
1867: 72-5

January 1916: The Woman Worker, a socialist feminist magazine,...

Building and people item

January 1916

The Woman Worker, a socialist feminist magazine, resumed publication in London.
Doughan, David, and Denise Sanchez. Feminist Periodicals, 1855-1984. Harvester Press, 1987.
26
Harrison, Royden et al. The Warwick Guide to British Labour Periodicals, 1790-1970: A Check List. Harvester Press, 1977.
603

Mary Kingsley

MK 's two lengthy travel books about West Africa feature personal experience (including sharply amusing anecdotes) and comment on African culture, politics, and biology. As well as books, she penned essays for periodicals and letters...
Mary Kingsley Black and white photograph of Mary Kingsley in profile, seated in a wooden chair. She is wearing a black pillbox hat that ties under her chin, and a dark dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves.