April 28th - May 4th
On 28th April…
Battle of Dunbar - Edward I victorious
1296 - Edward I defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar. The battle was a retaliation or punishment by Edward I for King John Balliol’s refusal to support the English against the French.
King Edward IV was born in France
1442 - Edward IV, King of England (1461-70 and 1471-83), was born in Rouen, France.
On 29th April…
First Europeans to land in Australia
1770 - Captain James Cook, the British explorer, landed at Botany Bay Australia. Captain Cook and the crew of his ship, Endeavour, were the first Europeans to land in Australia and encounter Aboriginal people.
On 30th April…
1789 - The first president of the United States of America, George Washington, was inaugurated (formally admitted to office).
1897 - Electrons were discovered by J.J. Thomson, a British physicist.
Death of Adolf Hitler
1945 - Adolf Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, committed suicide in his Berlin bunker. Shortly afterwards Germany declared an unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces of World War II bringing about the end of the war in Europe.
On 1st May…
Empire State Building opened to the public
1931 - The Empire State Building in New York city was officially opened. It was the world’s tallest building at the time and remained so for 41 years until 1972. Today it is the 60th tallest building in the world.
1707 - The Acts of Union were passed by the Scottish and English parliaments creating a United Kingdom of Great Britain.
First ever adhesive stamps for letters
1840 - The first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in London. The Penny Black featured a white profile of Queen Victoria against a black background and cost one penny.
On 2nd May…
1230 - William de Braose was executed by Prince Llywelyn the Great of Wales for committing adultery with Llywelyn’s wife, Joan, Lady of Wales. Just over three hundred years later adultery would lead to the execution of a Queen; Anne Boleyn the second wife of Henry VIII.
Anne Boleyn was arrested and imprisoned
1536 - Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was arrested for adultery and sent to the Tower of London.
1933 - The first modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was reported in a Scottish newspaper, the Inverness Courier. There have been sightings of a beast in the Loch dating back to the 7th century. Do you think the Loch Ness Monster exists?
On 3rd May…
First UK heart transplant
1968 – The first heart transplant to be carried out in the UK was performed by Surgeon Donald Ross at the National Heart Hospital in London. It was the world’s 10th heart transplant. Sadly, the patient only survived for a further 45 days. Today around 200 people every year receive a heart transplant in the UK and go on to live long and active lives.
On 4th May…
Edward IV was made king again
1471 - King Edward IV was restored to the English throne after winning the Battle of Tewkesbury during the War of the Roses. He had previously been King of England from March 1461 - 1470 until he was overthrown by Henry VI but now Edward was back in control again.
1535 - Five monks were hanged, drawn and quartered by Henry VIII for refusing to accept him as head of the Church of England.
The first female Prime Minister
1979 - Margaret Thatcher was sworn in as Britain’s first female Prime Minister. She was leader of the Conservative Party and became the only Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections in the 20th century.