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Early 1840: At the time of Queen Victoria's marriage...

Building and people item

Early 1840

At the time of Queen Victoria 's marriage to Prince Albert , the Devon industry of hand-crafted lace-making had so far declined that it was difficult to obtain enough for her wedding dress.
Adburgham, Alison. Shops and Shopping 1800-1914: Where, and in What Manner the Well-Dressed Englishwoman Bought Her Clothes. Allen and Unwin, 1964.
37

February 1870: Gladstone agreed to appoint the famous Devonshire...

National or international item

February 1870

Gladstone agreed to appoint the famous Devonshire Commission in response to the British Association for the Advancement of Science 's campaign for formal enquiry into national provisions for scientific pursuits.
Morrell, J. B. “The Patronage of Mid-Victorian Science in the University of Edinburgh”. The Patronage of Science in the Nineteenth Century, edited by Gerard L’Estrange Turner, Noordhoff International, 1976, pp. 53-93.
57-8

25 September 1915: A British offensive began at Loos, only to...

National or international item

25 September 1915

A British offensive began at Loos, only to end some days later after heavy losses.
“Battles: The Battle of Loos, 1915”. First World War.com: The War to End All Wars.

10 September 1923: The Irish Free State (Saorstt Éireann) entered...

National or international item

10 September 1923

The Irish Free State (Saorstt Éireann) entered the League of Nations .
Foster, Robert Fitzroy. Modern Ireland 1600-1972. Allen Lane, 1988.
614
Haydn, Joseph. Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates and Universal Information. Editor Vincent, Benjamin, 23rd ed., Ward, Lock, 1904.
308

14 June 1697: John Dunton's Athenian Mercury ceased pu...

Building and people item

14 June 1697

John Dunton 's Athenian Mercury ceased publication.
Crane, Ronald Salmon et al. A Census of British Newspapers and Periodicals, 1620-1800. University of North Carolina Press; Cambridge University Press, 1927.
16

1850: The Pinkerton Detective Agency, beloved of...

Building and people item

1850

The Pinkerton Detective Agency , beloved of crime writers, was set up in Chicago by Allan Pinkerton , a Chartist from Glasgow.
Davenport-Hines, Richard. “Suffocating Suspense”. London Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2000, pp. 36-37.
36-7

18 September 1909: Women's Social and Political Union members...

National or international item

18 September 1909

Women's Social and Political Union members Mary Leigh and Charlotte Marsh , imprisoned in Winson Green , Birmingham, began fasting; they were ordered by Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone to be forcibly fed.
Hume, Leslie Parker. The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, 1897-1914. Garland, 1982.
54
Tickner, Lisa. The Spectacle of Women: Imagery of the Suffrage Campaign, 1907-1914. University of Chicago Press, 1988.
104
Seymour, David, and Emily Seymour, editors. A Century of News. Contender Books, 2003.
Lytton, Constance. Prisons and Prisoners. Heinemann, 1914.
201-2

31 October 1831: On a third day of rioting in Bristol directed...

National or international item

31 October 1831

On a third day of rioting in Bristol directed at opponents of the Reform Bill, the Light Dragoons were finally given their heads and charged across Queen's Square; allegedly hundreds of people were killed...

September 1970: The Women's Struggle, a bulletin of the Women's...

Building and people item

September 1970

The Women's Struggle, a bulletin of the Women's National Co-ordinating Committee , began quarterly publication from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Doughan, David, and Denise Sanchez. Feminist Periodicals, 1855-1984. Harvester Press, 1987.
70-1
Noyce, John. The Directory of British Alternative Periodicals 1965-1974. Harvester Press, 1979.
332

July 1874: The Senate of the University of London announced...

Building and people item

July 1874

The Senate of the University of London announced that it would allow women into the classroom but would not grant them degrees.
Blake, Catriona, and Wendy Savage. The Charge of the Parasols: Women’s Entry to the Medical Profession. Women’s Press, 1990.
166

11 November 1992: The General Synod of the Church of England...

Building and people item

11 November 1992

The General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women priests; this was the culmination of a long campaign for the ordination of women.
Williams, Neville et al. Chronology of the 20th Century. Helicon, 1996.
511, 517

By autumn 1896: French erotic writer Pierre Louÿs, already...

Writer or writing item

By autumn 1896

French erotic writer Pierre Louÿs , already notorious for the lesbian Songs of Bilitis, 1895, printed at his own expense his best-known work, Aphrodite, about a courtesan in ancient Alexandria.
Lowndes, Marie Belloc. The Merry Wives of Westminster. Macmillan, 1946.
31-2

7 August 1991: Tim Berners-Lee, while working at CERN in...

Building and people item

7 August 1991

Tim Berners-Lee , while working at CERN in Geneva, reported his development of the World Wide Web (WWW) for efficient information retrieval.
Moschovitis, Christos et al. History of the Internet. ABC-CLIO, 1999.
163-5
Long, Tony. “7 Aug. 1991: Ladies and Gentlemen, the World Wide Web”. Wired, 7 Aug. 1991.

1963: Leeds International Pianoforte Competition,...

Building and people item

1963

Leeds International Pianoforte Competition , one of the world's preeminent piano competitions, was begun by Fanny Waterman .
“Women’s History Timeline”. BBC: Radio 4: Woman’s Hour.

1949: The system established by the second teachers'...

Building and people item

1949

The system established by the second teachers' registration in 1912 in Britain was abolished.
Holcombe, Lee. Victorian Ladies At Work: Middle-Class Working Women in England and Wales, 1850-1914. Archon Books, 1973.
67

30 July 1937: In Russia the Soviet leadership issued Operational...

National or international item

30 July 1937

In Russia the Soviet leadership issued Operational Order no. 00447, which listed nine distinct groups of people subject to punitive measures (i.e. the death penalty), and how many of these people were to be executed...

13 July 1863: The Bakehouse Regulation Act was passed,...

National or international item

13 July 1863

The Bakehouse Regulation Act was passed, improving both working and sanitary conditions.
Smith, Francis Barrymore. The People’s Health, 1830-1910. Croom Helm, 1979.
208-9
The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Printed by J. Bentham, 1762–2026.

January-July 1894: George du Maurier (grandfather of Daphne)...

Writer or writing item

January-July 1894

George du Maurier (grandfather of Daphne ) serialized in Harper's Monthly Magazine his famous Trilby, a novel about the evil Jewish mesmerist, Svengali, and his young female victim.
Phillips, Adam. “Unfathomable Craziness”. London Review of Books, 18 May 2000, pp. 8-10.
9
Cox, Michael, editor. The Oxford Chronology of English Literature. Oxford University Press, 2002, 2 vols.

1894: The Phonetic Shorthand Writer's Association...

Building and people item

1894

The Phonetic Shorthand Writer's Association and the Incorporated Phonographic Society merged to form the National Society of Shorthand Teachers .
Davy, Teresa. “Shorthand Typists in London, 1900-1939”. Our Work, Our Lives, Our Words: Women’s History and Women’s Work, edited by Leonore Davidoff and Belinda Westover, Tiptree, 1986.
124

1400-50: During this half-century, one third of all...

Building and people item

1400-50

During this half-century, one third of all new saints canonised by the Catholic Church were women.
Robinson, Jane. Pandora’s Daughters: The Secret History of Enterprising Women. Constable, 2002.
21

September 1890: Rukhmabai, famous for her court case resulting...

Women writers item

September 1890

Rukhmabai , famous for her court case resulting from her marriage as a child and now in London studying to become a medical doctor, weighed in on the subject of Indian Child Marriages: An Appeal...

17 February 1856: Heinrich Heine, German-Jewish lyric poet,...

Writer or writing item

17 February 1856

Heinrich Heine , German-Jewish lyric poet, died after intense suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
“Dictionary of Literary Biography online”. Gale Databases: Literature Resource Center-LRC.
90

22 October 1903: William Edward Hartpole Lecky, historian,...

Writer or writing item

22 October 1903

William Edward Hartpole Lecky , historian, died at Onslow Gardens, Kensington.
Eagle, Dorothy et al. The Oxford Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland. 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 1993.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2026, 22 vols. plus supplements.

1919: As Hon. Mrs. Dowdall, Mary Frances Harriet...

Women writers item

1919

As Hon. Mrs. Dowdall, Mary Frances Harriet Dowdall published her novel Susie Yesterday, To-Day, and Forever.
OCLC WorldCat. 1992–1998, http://www.oclc.org/firstsearch/content/worldcat/. Accessed 1999.

5 February 1851: A public meeting of women in the Democratic...

National or international item

5 February 1851

A public meeting of women in the Democratic Temperance Hall, Sheffield, adopted the first petition for the enfranchisement of women to be submitted to both houses of parliament.
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
156
Schwarzkopf, Jutta. Women in the Chartist Movement. St Martin’s Press, 1991.
250