26th May 1940: Start of the Dunkirk evacuation
Operation Dynamo, better known as the evacuation of Dunkirk, began. Applauded by the British...
02:41
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27th May 1199: Coronation of King John in Westminster Abbey
On the 27th May 1199 King John was crowned at Westminster Abbey. The previous king, his brother...
02:31
5th June 1883: First Orient Express train departs Paris
The first Orient Express train, known at the time as Express d'Orient, departed Paris. The...
02:39
6th June 1944: D-Day landings mark the start of Operation Overlord
The 6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne invasion in history, when the Allied forces of the...
02:27
21st June 1791: Louis XVI’s attempts to escape from Paris in the Flight to Varennes
King Louis XVI of France and his family were caught attempting to escape Paris during the Flight...
02:37
24th June 1374: Dance Plague breaks out in Aachen, Germany
On the 24th June 1374, people in Aachen in Germany suddenly and mysteriously began dancing in the...
02:28
30th June 1934: Nazi party purged on Night of the Long Knives
The 30th June 1934 saw the Nazis carry out a purge of their own party, when Hitler ordered the SS...
02:46
2nd July 1964: Civil Rights Act signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson
On the 2nd July 1964, American President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law...
02:31
4th July 1950: Radio Free Europe broadcasts for the first time
On the 4th July 1950, Radio Free Europe – founded the previous year to transmit uncensored...
02:43
6th July 1957: Lennon and McCartney meet for the first time
On the 6th July 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles met for the first time at the...
02:16
7th July 1911: North Pacific Fur Seal Convention signed for wildlife conservation
The North Pacific Fur Seal Convention, the first international treaty that dealt with wildlife...
02:37
24th August AD 79: Mount Vesuvius destroys Pompeii & Herculaneum
The 24th August AD 79 is traditionally believed to have been the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that...
02:43
4th September 1882: Thomas Edison opens the world’s first power plant on Pearl Street in New York
Thomas Edison began operating the first permanent commercial electrical power plant in New York....
02:34
7th September 1497: Perkin Warbeck claims he is English King Richard IV
On the 7th September the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497 began when Perkin Warbeck landed at...
03:03
14th September 1959: The USSR sends the first man-made object to the Moon’s surface
Shortly after midnight in Moscow, the Soviets became the first to successfully send a human-made...
02:39
18th September 1932: Actress Peg Entwistle’s body found after jumping from the Hollywood sign
The body of actress Peg Entwistle was found in a ravine below the Hollywoodland sign in Los...
03:05
23rd September 1974: BBC launches the Ceefax teletext service
On the 23rd September 1974, the world’s first teletext service went live when the BBC began...
02:36
30th September 737: Umayyad Caliphate defeated in the Battle of the Baggage
The Battle of the Baggage saw the defeat of an army from the powerful Umayyad Caliphate by...
02:35
6th October 1683: Germantown founded in the Pennsylvania Colony
Germantown was founded in the Pennsylvania Colony by immigrant Quaker and Mennonite ...
02:24
8th October 1480: The Great Stand on the Ugra River by Ivan III
The Great Stand on the Ugra River marked the start of the decline of the Great ...
03:13
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