1702Anne Stuart, sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regant of England, Scotland, and Ireland after William III died in a riding accident. This gilded statue of William III is in Hull - (see picture), as Hull was the first large city in Britain to swear their allegiance to the new King when he deposed James II in 1685. Despite seventeen pregnancies, Anne died without surviving children and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. She was succeeded by her second cousin George I of the House of Hanover.

1765Britain's House of Lords passed the Stamp Act to tax the American colonies.

1775An anonymous writer, thought by some to be the Norfolk born author Thomas Paine, published 'African Slavery in America', the first article in the American colonies calling for the equality of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

1813The London Royal Philharmonic Society staged its first concert.

1859The birth, in Edinburgh, of author Kenneth Grahame, most famous for The Reluctant Dragon and The Wind in the Willows, an enchanting story involving the characters Toad, Badger, Mole and Ratty. See picture.

1908The House of Commons turned down the women's suffrage bill, thus denying the right for women to vote.

1910The first pilots' licences were issued, to an Englishman - J T C Moore Brabazon, and a Frenchwoman - Elise Deroche.

1930Mahatma Gandhi began the campaign of civil disobedience against British rule in India.

1937The Road To Wigan Pier, George Orwell's book depicting life during 'The Depression' in the north of England, was published. Wigan pier was simply a place for loading coal onto canal boats on the Leeds - Liverpool canal. See picture of Wigan Pier.

1950Rover unveiled the world's first car to be powered with a gas turbine engine. Codenamed JET1 the two-seater model would be powered by the same kind of engine used in a jet aeroplane, with a fuel consumption of 5 to 7 miles per gallon.

1954The birth of Scottish swimmer David Wilkie MBE (born in Sri Lanka), Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the 1970s.

1961Sir Thomas Beecham, English conductor and founder of the London Philharmonic Orchestra died, aged 81.

1963The first Ford Anglia was produced at Halewood, LIverpool.

1966A bomb planted by young Irish protesters destroyed Nelson's Pillar in Dublin. No one was hurt by the explosion. Six days after the original damage, Irish Army engineers blew up the rest of the pillar after judging the structure to be too unsafe to restore. The planned demolition caused more destruction on O'Connell Street than the original blast, and broke many windows.

1971British postal workers returned to work after a strike lasting 7 weeks.

1972The Goodyear airship Europa flew over Britain. It was the the first airship over Britain in 20 years.

1977Princess Anne announced that she was expecting her 1st child - Peter.

2001Donald Campbell's boat, Bluebird, was recovered from the bottom of Coniston Water in Cumbria. Campbell was killed on 4th January 1967 at more than 300 mph whilst attempting to break his own water speed record. His grave, see picture is in the new parish churchyard at Coniston and this commemorative plaque see picture is in Coniston, close to the water's edge.

2014The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (known as Clare's Law) came into effect across England and Wales. The scheme allowed people find out from police if their partner has a history of domestic violence and was named after 36 year-old Clare Wood who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009.

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