July 14th - 20th
On 14th July…
The Storming of the Bastille
1789 - The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. The revolution lasted over ten years and brought an end to the monarchy in France when both King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine. Bastille Day is celebrated by French nationals around the world every year on 14th July.
On 15th July…
Inigo Jones was born
1573 - Inigo Jones the architect, painter and designer who founded the English classical tradition of architecture was born in London. One of his more famous pieces of architecture is the Banqueting House in Whitehall which is where King Charles I was executed in 1649.
Birth of Emmeline Pankhurst
1858 - Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union, and leader of the women’s suffragette movement in Britain, was born in Manchester. She fought for the right to vote for women and died shortly before seeing her campaign succeed.
On 16th July…
Anne of Cleves died
1557 - Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife died. She was married to Henry for just four months before he demanded an annulment to their marriage. In the rhyme we use to remember the fates of Henry VIII’s wives ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded survived’ Anne of Cleves is the second divorced.
1969 - Apollo 11 was launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida, USA on its journey, carrying the first men, to the moon. Those astronauts were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
On 17th July…
924 - Saxon king Edward the Elder of Wessex, England died. He was a son of Alfred the Great and by the time of his death he ruled the vast majority of England including lands held by the Vikings.
1918 - The Romanov royal family of Russia were executed by a Bolshevik firing squad. Tsar Nicolas II, his wife, their five children and some of their loyal servants were shot dead whilst under house arrest during the Russian Revolution.
On 18th July…
64CE - The Great Fire of Rome began. The fire raged for a week and completely destroyed three of the fourteen districts that made up the city. Only four of the districts were completely untouched by the fire. Emperor Nero set about designing and constructing a new Rome the following month.
Jews forced to flee England
1290 - King Edward I ordered the expulsion of Jews from England. This order took effect in November when the Jews living in England had to choose either to convert to Christianity or leave England altogether. This law remained in place for over 350 years; it wasn’t until 1656 that Oliver Cromwell officially allowed their return. Before their expulsion, the Jews had had the protection of the monarchy; being ‘servants’ of the king gave them a special relationship with the law, they were administered by a special court and had some privileges.
The Pope’s power in England was revoked
1536 - The Pope’s authority was declared void in England by Parliament. Henry VIII was Supreme Head of the Church of England and the Act Extinguishing the Authority of the Bishop of Rome was written to include the power to punish anybody who defended the Pope in Britain. Priests and other church officers were obliged to take an oath renouncing the pope’s authority or risk execution on grounds of treason.
1817 - Jane Austen the famous English novelist died. Some of her famous novels include Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. Her stories depict life in middle-class England during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
1918 - Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa was born.
Indian Independence Act was signed
1947 - King George VI signed the Indian Independence Act. This gave independence to India and created two new dominions: India and Pakistan. Pakistan was also split into two further countries creating Pakistan and East Pakistan (now called Bangladesh). These areas separated the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh populations and caused the largest migration of humans that was not the result of war or famine. The new countries came into being a month later, on 15th August.
On 19th July…
The Mary Rose sunk in The Channel
1545 - King Henry VIII’s flagship the Mary Rose sank in the English Channel at Portsmouth. The ship was built in 1510 and finally set sail in 1511. Having already fought in two wars against France and Scotland, the ship was part of a defensive fleet when a French armada attacked the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately, and for reasons unknown, it began to capsize and sink to the bottom of the sea just outside Portsmouth taking her crew of about 500 men with her. It is now famous for the salvage operation which brought her to the surface on live television. The ship can now be seen in a museum in Portsmouth.
On 20th July…
356BCe - Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia (modern day Greece). Alexander grew up to become the greatest King of ancient Greece and ruled an empire that stretched from Greece to India and Egypt. Did you know that one of his early teachers was the Greek philosopher, Aristotle? And did you know that Alexander had over 70 cities named after him?
1837 - Euston Station, London’s first railway station opened. In the beginning there were only two platforms and trains carried passengers and cargo from London to Birmingham. Today there are 16 platforms in the station, a variety of shops and restaurants, and it is also part of the London Underground.
Man walked in the moon for the first time
1969 - Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin, after their spacecraft Apollo 11 landed. Their colleague Michael Collins remained inside the spacecraft. As he set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong said these famous words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”