May 18th - 24th
On 18th May…
1991 - Helen Sharman became the first British astronaut. She participated in a Soviet mission to the space station Mir which lasted nearly eight days. Whilst in space she conducted medical and agricultural tests.
On 19th May…
Execution of Anne Boleyn
1536 -Anne Boleyn was executed for treason and adultery. King Henry VIII’s second wife and mother to his second daughter Elizabeth I had been found guilty of having an affair with five men including her own brother, Lord Rochford. Anne Boleyn was the mother of Elizabeth I who was only three years old at the time. Within 24 hours of the execution Henry VIII was formally engaged to Jane Seymour; they married eleven days later.
Did you know that every year on this day a bunch of red roses is left anonymously on her memorial slab in the Tower of London?
On 20th May…
685 - Battle of Nechtansmere or Battle of Dun Nechtain was fought between the Picts of Scotland and the Anglo-Saxon Northumbrians. The Picts were led to victory by King Brude MacBile; the Northumbrian King Ecgfrith was killed and the lands that the Picts had lost in previous years were regained. This decisive battle secured the boundaries between the two kingdoms which some scholars now believe may have led to the foundation of Scotland.
On 21st May…
Death of King Henry VI
1471 - King Henry VI was murdered whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London. Henry became king in 1422 before he was even a year old, he was crowned when he was only eight years old but he wasn’t given the power to rule England until he was sixteen in 1437. His reign was marred by both his mental health and the Wars of the Roses which saw him lose the throne to his cousin Edward IV twice.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh landed in France after completing the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic. The flight took 33 and a half hours. Today you can fly half way around the world in less time than this.
First female non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic
1932 - Just five years to the day after Charles Lindbergh flew non stop across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart completed the first female solo non-stop flight across the same ocean. Flying from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland, she completed the journey in 17 hours.
On 22nd May…
The War of the Roses began
1455 - The first battle in the Wars of the Roses took place at St Albans. The wars spanned thirty years and were between House York and House Lancaster over the English throne. Henry VI of House Lancaster was the king, but his reign was marred by mental health and loss of lands in France leading to disputes over his power. Both families had claim to the throne through their grandfathers who were both sons of King Edward III. At the time the wars fighting was known as the Cousins’ Wars because the two men were cousins.
On 23rd May…
1931 - Whipsnade Zoo opened for the first time. It was the world’s first zoological park; a place where people could see animals in natural surroundings with plenty of space rather than in cages.
On 24th May…
1153 - Malcolm IV became King of Scotland at the age of twelve. He was given the nickname Malcolm the Maiden after swearing a vow of chastity.
Birth of Queen Victoria
1819 - Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace, London.
1873 - Alexandra Palace was opened in time to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday. There were fireworks, concerts and recitals. It was to be an entertainment venue for Victorian London but unfortunately it was destroyed by a fire just sixteen days after its opening. A second palace was designed and built on the same site within two years. Can you work out which birthday Queen Victoria was celebrating when the original palace opened?