Today in British History 
Historical Events
Queen of Scots Defeated
1568 Mary Queen of Scots is defeated at Battle of Langside
Colonists Land at Jamestown
1607 English colonists led by John Smith establish Jamestown at a second landing near the James River in Virginia - first permanent English settlement in North America
- 1643 Battle of Grantham: English parliamentary armies beat royalists
First Fleet Departs
1787 First Fleet headed by Arthur Phillip sets sails with 11 ships of convicts for Botany Bay, Australia [1]
British Neutrality
1861 Queen Victoria announces Britain's position of neutrality during the US Civil War
Britain, Germany Trade African Territories
1890 British PM Lord Salisbury offers Heligoland islands to Germany in exchange for Zanzibar, Uganda & Equatoria (becomes Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty that July)
- 1940 British bomb factory at Breda, Netherlands
Queen Wilhelmina Flees
1940 Dutch Queen Wilhelmina flees to England
Churchill's First Speech as PM
1940 Winston Churchill says "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" in his first speech as Prime Minister to British House of Commons
- 1946 Winston Churchill welcomed in Rotterdam
- 1949 1st British-produced jet bomber, the Canberra, makes its 1st test flight
- 1954 Labour Party wins British municipal elections
Music History
1966 The Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black" in the UK
- 1972 Battle at Springmartin: following a loyalist car bombing of a Catholic-owned pub in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast, clashes erupt between PIRA, UVF and British Army
TV Show Appearance
1996 O.J. Simpson appears on British TV discussing his not guilty verdict
- 1998 Chelsea of England win 38th European Cup Winner's Cup against Stuttgart of Germany 1-0 in Stockholm
Music Concert
2010 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Debbie Harry, Lady Gaga, Shirley Bassey, Nile Rodgers and Chic
- 2012 Manchester City win the English Premier League for the first time
Famous Birthdays
Charles Watson-Wentworth (1730-1782)
2nd Marquis of Rockingham, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1765-66, 1782), born in Wentworth, Yorkshire, England
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
British composer (The Golden Legend; Onward, Christian Soldiers), major-generally remembered for his comic operas with W.S. Gilbert (The Pirates of Penzance:, H.M.S Pinafore; The Mikado), born in London
- 1856 Peter Henry Emerson, British writer and photographer (1st to promote photography as an independent art), born on La Palma Estate plantation, Cuba (d. 1936)
- 1857 Ronald Ross, British pathologist (Nobel Prize 1902), born in Almora, North-Western Provinces, British India (d. 1932)
- 1867 Frank Brangwyn, Welsh painter, muralist and cartoonist (Official War Artist First World War), born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1956)
- 1878 Muriel Robb, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1902), born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England (d. 1907)
- 1906 Thomas Mitchell, British architect and engineer, (d. 1996)
- 1907 Daphne du Maurier, English writer (Rebecca, Parasites), born in London, England (d. 1989)
- 1907 Laurence Kirwan, British archaeologist (Sudan and Egyptian Nubia), born in Galloway (d. 1999)
- 1915 John Habakkuk [Hrothgar Habakkuk], Welsh economic historian (Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University 1973–77), born in Barry, Wales (d. 2002)
- 1918 John Baines Johnston, British diplomat (British High Commissioner to Rhodesia just before independence, High Commissioner of Malaysia), born in Maryport, England (d. 2005)
- 1920 Gareth Morris, British flautist (Philharmonia Orchestra, 1948-72), and educator (Royal Academy of Music, 1945-85), born in Clevedon, Somerset, England (d. 2007)
- 1921 Sid Vincent, British trade union leader (d. 1992)
- 1922 Michael Ainsworth, British cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1925 Anthony Milner, British composer, born in Bristol, England (d. 2002)
- 1926 Wallace Breem, British author (Eagle in the Snow), born in Kingston, England (d. 1990)
- 1931 Eileen Diss, British theatrical designer (August, Secret Places, Betrayal), born in London, England
- 1937 John Cope, British politician (UK Paymaster General)
- 1937 Trevor Baylis, English inventor of the wind-up radio, born in Kilburn, London (d. 2018)
- 1940 Bruce Chatwin, English travel writer and novelist (In Patagonia, On the Black Hill), born in Sheffield, England (d. 1989)
- 1941 Joe Brown, British singer, guitarist and ukulele player ("A Picture of You"; "I'll See You In My Dreams"), born in Swarby, England
- 1944 Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, British explorer and genealogist
- 1946 Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor (Jewel in Crown, King Charles III), born in Rugby, England (d. 2017)
- 1947 Pete Overend Watts, English rock bassist (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), born in Yardley, Birmingham, England (d. 2017)
- 1947 Robert "Rab" Noakes, Scottish folk-country singer-songwriter ("Turn A Deaf Ear"), born in St Andrews, Fife
- 1949 Jane Glover, British conductor (London Mozart Players, 1984-91; Music of the Baroque Ennsemble (Chicago), 2002-), born in Helmsley, England
- 1950 Danny Kirwan, British musician, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac - "Albatross"), born in London, England (d. 2018)
- 1951 Paul Thompson, British rock drummer (Roxy Music, 1971-80 & 2001-11 - "Love Is The Drug"; Concrete Blonde, 1989-94; Lindisfarne, 2013-21), born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England
- 1956 Richard Madeley, British TV presenter, journalist, columnist and novelist (Richard & Judy, The Wright Stuff), born in Romford, Essex
- 1958 Frances Barber, English actress (Castaway), born in Wolverhampton, England
- 1962 Kathleen Jamie, Scottish poet (Surfacing and now), and essayist, born in Scotland
- 1963 Julian Brookhouse, British rock guitarist (Curiosity Killed Cat - Keep Your Distance), born in Putney, London, England
- 1963 Wally Masur, English-born Australian tennis player, born in Southampton, England
- 1964 Sara Gomer, English tennis player, born in Torquay, England
- 1965 Tasmin Little, English classical violinist, born in London, England
- 1966 Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter (Seventh Tree), born in London
Scott Morrison (56th Birthday)
1968 Australian politician, Prime Minister of Australia (2018-22), born in Waverley, Australia
Robert Pattinson (38th Birthday)
1986 English actor (Cedric Diggory-Harry Potter, Edward Cullen-Twilight), born in London, England
Famous Deaths
- 1835 John Nash, British town planner/architect (Regent's Park), dies
- 1942 Hyam Greenbaum, British violinist, composer and conductor of the 1st TV orchestra (BBC), dies of alcohol-related problems at 41
- 1994 Arthur Basil Cottle, British academic and medievalist, dies at 77
- 1996 John "Jack" Baines, British mountaineering publisher, dies at 57
- 2011 Patricia Tindale, British architect and civil servant (school buildings, public housing), dies at 85
Charles II
Horatio Nelson
James Cook
Margaret Thatcher
Queen Victoria
Winston Churchill