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Sarah Elizabeth Fletcher

Female 1842 - 1909  (67 years)


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Timeline

1840
1854
1868
1881
1895
1909
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   Date  Event(s)
1 1840 
  • 1840—1849:
    SA - Expansion of commercial wool farmers in Karoo transforms colonial economy. Pedi migrate to work on Cape farms
2 1842 
  • 1842—1842:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Prince Albert. Dick King's ride from Durban to Grahamstown.
  • 1842—1843:
    SA - War between the British and the Boers in Natal.
  • 1842—1842:
    Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
  • 30 Mar 1842—30 Mar 1842:
    Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
  • 29 Aug 1842—29 Aug 1842:
    Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
3 1843 
  • 1843—1843:
    SA - Natal annexed as a British Colony.
  • 1843—1843:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Richmond.
  • 1843—1843:
    First Christmas card in England
  • 27 May 1843—27 May 1843:
    The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London
  • 19 Jul 1843—19 Jul 1843:
    Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
4 1844 
  • 1844—1844:
    SA - Access to land is changed from leasehold to free hold
  • 1844—1844:
    SA - Victoria West established
  • Apr 1844—1844:
    SA - Boers from Natal settle at Potchefstroom, after crossing the Drakensberg Mountains. Hendrik Potgieter settles at Delagoa Bay.
  • 6 Jun 1844—6 Jun 1844:
    YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
5 1845 
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Mothibi of Tlhaping dies
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded at Mossel Bay. Ohrigstad founded. Natal becomes autonomous district of Cape Colony.
  • 1845—1845:
    SA - Battle of Zwartkoppies.
  • 1845—1845:
    Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
  • 17 Mar 1845—17 Mar 1845:
    The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
6 1846 
  • 1846—1854:
    SA - Orange River Sovereignty
  • 1846—1846:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Burgersdorp. Bloemfontein founded.
  • 1846—1848:
    SA - Seventh Frontier War between Xhosa and whites, this war was also known as the War of the Axe.
  • 1846—1847:
    SA - Approximately 103 settlers arrive in Port Elizabeth from war-torn Buenos Aires, Argentinia.
  • 10 Sep 1846—10 Sep 1846:
    The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
7 1847 
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Colonial boundary extended to Orange River
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Rhenish Missionary Christoph Alheit moves to Schietfontein (Carnarvon)
  • 1847—1847:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Calvinia. Opening of Montagu Pass. Sugar cane plantations started in Natal. East London founded. Districts of Victoria East and British Kaffraria annexed as part of the Cape Colony.
  • 1847—1847:
    US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
  • Jan 1847—Jan 1847:
    An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
8 1848 
  • 1848—1848:
    SA - Boers cross the Vaal River. Orange River Sovereignty established. Battle of Boomplaats.
  • 1848—1848:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Napier. Soutpansberg (later Schoemansdal) founded.
  • 1848—1848:
    First commercial production of chewing gum
  • 24 Jan 1848—24 Jan 1848:
    Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush
  • 23 Mar 1848—1848:
    SA - Approximately 163 German settlers, known as the Bergthiel Settlers, arrive in Natal.
  • 11 Jul 1848—11 Jul 1848:
    Waterloo railway station in London opens
9 1849 
  • 1849—1849:
    SA - Circa 1849 the first Jewish Congregation founded in Cape Town.
  • 1849—1850:
    SA - The Byrne Settlers arrive in Natal.
  • 1849—1849:
    Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
10 1850 
  • 1850—1859:
    SA - First Afrikaans book written by an imam (Muslim prayer leader) of slave descent
  • 1850—1850:
    SA - Wesleyan Settlers arrive in Natal. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Namaqualand.
  • 1850—1853:
    SA - Eighth Frontier War.
11 1851 
  • 1851—1851:
    SA - Sugar first produced from cane in Natal.
  • 1851—1851:
    Gold discovered in Australia
  • 1 May 1851—1 May 1851:
    Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
12 1852 
  • 1852—1852:
    SA - Copper mining in Namaqualand - migrant labour on small scale
  • 1852—1852:
    SA - The Transvaal Republic established. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Middelburg. The New Church (Congregational / Presbyterian) established in Port Elizabeth. Copper mining begins at Springbokfontein. Wreck of the Birkenhead.
  • 1852—1852:
    Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
  • 1852—1852:
    Wells Fargo established in USA
13 1853 
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Hopetown established
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Nicholas Waterboer succeeds as Griqua Captain
  • 1853—1853:
    SA - Settlement of Queenstown and Seymour. Union Steamship Line founded.
  • 1853—1853:
    Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
14 1854 
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Orange Free State Republic proclaimed
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Dutch Reformed Church parishes established in Montagu and Queenstown. First Cape Colony Parliament. Boers defeat Ndebele at Makapansgat.
  • 1854—1854:
    SA - Crimean War
  • 1854—1854:
    Cigarettes introduced into Britain
  • 27 Mar 1854—27 Mar 1854:
    Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
  • 25 Oct 1854—25 Oct 1854:
    Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
15 1855 
  • 1855—1855:
    SA - Pretoria founded. 20 Irish miners arrive to work in the Namaqualand copper mines.
16 1856 
  • 1856—1856:
    SA - The Anglican St. Paul's Church in Port Elizabeth founded. Approximately 3000 Crimean War veterans (German Legionaires) settled in Kaffraria, later joined by 2700 German civilians. Dutch Reformed Church parish founded in Murraysburg.
  • 1856—1856:
    SA - Natal becomes a seperate colony.
  • 1856—1857:
    SA - Self-destruction of Xhosa tribe by cattle-killing.
  • 1856—1862:
    SA - Approximately 700 juveniles arrive from Holland.
  • 1856—1856:
    End of Crimean War
  • 29 Jan 1856—29 Jan 1856:
    Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
17 1857 
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Moffat completes Old Testament Bible translation into Setswana
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Xhosa enter Karoo following Eastern Cape Cattle Killing.
  • 1857—1857:
    SA - Approximately 157 Irish girls arrive on the ship Lady Kennaway, settle in British Kaffraria. First Legislative Council in Natal. First mail contract with Union Steamship Company for regular mail service between Britain and South Africa.
  • 1857—1862:
    SA - Assisted immigration schemes bring about 12 000 settlers.
  • 1857—1857:
    Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
18 1858 
  • 1858—1858:
    SA - Circa 1858, Jewish congregation founded in Port Elizabeth. The Anglican Holy Trinity Church built in Port Elizabeth. War between Orange Free State and Basuto tribe.
  • 1858—1858:
    'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
  • 1858—1858:
    Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
19 1859 
  • 1859—1859:
    SA - Dopper Church leaves the Dutch Reformed Church. First railway in the Cape Colony commenced.
  • 1859—1859:
    Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain
  • 25 Apr 1859—25 Apr 1859:
    Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869)
  • 4 May 1859—4 May 1859:
    Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon and Cornwall
  • 24 Nov 1859—24 Nov 1859:
    Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
20 1860 
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Boer republics north of Vaal unite as South African Republic
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Indians arrive in Natal to work on sugar cane farms as indentured labourers. Between 1860-1911 about 152 000 Indians arrive and about 50% stay.
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - First telegraph service in South Africa, between Cape Town and Simonstown.
  • 1860—1860:
    SA - Start of penny post in Cape Town. Work began on Table Bay Docks. The Catholic St. Augustine's Church established in Port Elizabeth.Circa 1860, the first Baptist Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 26 Jun 1860—1860:
    SA - First railway in South Africa, between Market Square and Point, Durban, opens.
  • 29 Aug 1860—29 Aug 1860:
    First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
21 1861 
  • 1861—1862:
    SA - Griqua trek under Adam Kok III from Philippolis to Nomansland
  • 1861—1861:
    SA - American Civil War
  • 25 May 1861—25 May 1861:
    American Civil War begins
22 1862 
  • 1862—1862:
    Lincoln issues first legal US paper money (Greenbacks)
  • 20 Apr 1862—20 Apr 1862:
    First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
23 1863 
  • 1863—1863:
    SA - The Hill Presbyterian Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1863—1863:
    SA - North End Cemetery started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1863—1863:
    Football Association founded (UK)
  • 1863—1863:
    Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England
  • 10 Jan 1863—10 Jan 1863:
    First section of the London Underground Railway opens
24 1864 
  • 1864—1864:
    SA - St. George's Cemetery established in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1864—1864:
    A man-powered submarine, 'Hunley' sank a Federal steam ship USS Housatonic at the entrance to Charleston harbour in 1864 - the first recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship
  • 11 Mar 1864—11 Mar 1864:
    The Great Sheffield Flood - over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time
  • 20 Aug 1864—20 Aug 1864:
    Red Cross established - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
  • 8 Dec 1864—8 Dec 1864:
    Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened
25 1865 
  • 1865—1866:
    SA - Albania Settlement Scheme
  • 1865—1865:
    SA - Ostriches first domesticated.
  • 1865—1866:
    SA - Economic depression throughout South Africa. War between Orange Free State and Basutos.
  • 1865—1865:
    Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908]
  • 1865—1865:
    First concrete roads built in Britain
  • 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865:
    End of American Civil War - slavery abolished in USA
  • 14 Apr 1865—14 Apr 1865:
    Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
  • 5 Jul 1865—5 Jul 1865:
    William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
26 1866 
  • 1866—1866:
    SA - India officially stops sending Indian labourers to Natal.
27 1867 
  • Apr 1867—1867:
    SA - 21.25 carat diamond found near Hopetown.
  • 1 Jul 1867—1 Jul 1867:
    The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
28 1868 
  • 1868—1869:
    SA - Korana War along Orange River
  • 1868—1868:
    Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
29 1869 
  • 1869—1869:
    SA - Railway from Port Nolloth to O'Kiep
  • 1869—1869:
    SA - Star of South Africa diamond discovered. Gold and diamond rush starts.
  • 1869—1869:
    Ball bearings, celluloid, margarine, and washing machines, all invented
  • 23 Nov 1869—23 Nov 1869:
    Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
30 1870 
  • 1870—1870:
    SA - Galeshewe of Tlhaping born
  • 1870—1884:
    SA - |Xam prisoners at Cape Town interviewed by Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd
  • 1870—1871:
    SA - The Anglican St. Peter's Church started in Port Elizabeth.
  • 1870—1870:
    SA - Opening of Cape Town Docks.
  • 1870—1870:
    GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
  • 1870—1870:
    Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children
  • 1870—1870:
    Water closets come into wide use
  • 1870—1870:
    Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa
  • 1 Oct 1870—1 Oct 1870:
    First British postcard - halfpenny post
31 1871 
  • 1871—1871:
    SA - Diamonds found at New Rush; renamed Kimberley; 1873. Griqua claim to Diamond Fields recognised and Waterboer seeks British protection. Diamond mining stimulates migrant labour on unprecedented scale. Two thirds of black workforce comes from Limpopo valley
  • 1871—1871:
    SA - Gold discovered in Eastern Transvaal. Britain annexes the diamond fields of Kimberley and Griqua West. First mail from Cape Town to the diamond fields.
  • 27 Mar 1871—27 Mar 1871:
    First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh
  • 29 Mar 1871—29 Mar 1871:
    Opening of Royal Albert Hall, London
  • 29 Jun 1871—29 Jun 1871:
    Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal
32 1872 
  • 1872—1872:
    Licensing hours introduced
  • 1872—1872:
    Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
  • 4 Dec 1872—4 Dec 1872:
    American ship 'Mary Celeste' is found abandoned by the British brig 'Dei Gratia' in the Atlantic Ocean
33 1873 
  • 1873—1873:
    SA - Griqualand West proclaimed Crown Colony
  • 1873—1873:
    SA - Griqualand West established as a British colony. Gold discovered in Lydenburg district of Transvaal.
  • 1873—1875:
    SA - Approximately 3300 men, women and children arrive as agricultural settlers or labourers for public works.
34 1874 
  • 1874—1874:
    SA - College founded at Stellenbosch (later Victoria College, today University of Stellenbosch). Railway line opened from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage.
  • 1874—1874:
    Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
  • 5 Apr 1874—5 Apr 1874:
    Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world - features of it later copied in Central Park, New York
35 1875 
  • 1875—1875:
    SA - Black Flag Rebellion by white diggers at Kimberley
  • 1875—1875:
    SA - Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners (Association for True Afrikaners) formed
  • 1875—1875:
    London's main sewage system completed
  • 1 Jan 1875—1 Jan 1875:
    Midland Railway abolishes Second Class passenger facilities, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies followed during the rest of the year. (Third Class was renamed Second Class in 1956)
36 1876 
  • 1876—1876:
    SA - Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje born
  • 14 Feb 1876—14 Feb 1876:
    Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone - Bell awarded the rights
37 1877 
  • 1877—1877:
    SA - Native Locations for Tswana established in Griqualand West
  • 1877—1877:
    SA - Britain annexes the Transvaal Republic. Ninth Frontier War.
  • 1877—1877:
    Edison invents microphone and phonograph
38 1878 
  • 1878—1879:
    SA - Griqualand West Rebellion and Korana War coincide with similar conflicts elsewhere in South Africa.
  • 1878—1879:
    SA - Griqualand West and Tswana Rebellion
  • 1878—1878:
    SA - Koegas atrocities
  • 1878—1878:
    SA - Walvis Bay proclaimed British territory. Telegraph service between Natal and Transvaal.
  • 1878—1878:
    Edison & Swan invent electric lamp
  • 1878—1878:
    Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph
  • 1878—1878:
    CID established at New Scotland Yard
39 1879 
  • 1 Sep 1879—1879:
    SA - Zulu War starts, battles at Isandhlwana, Rorke's Drift and Ulundi.
  • 18 Sep 1879—18 Sep 1879:
    Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
40 1880 
  • 1880—1880:
    SA - Griqualand West annexed to Cape Colony
  • 1880—1880:
    SA - First Legislative Council in Transvaal. Formation of De Beers Company. Formation of the Afrikander Bond.
  • 1880—1881:
    SA - First Anglo-Boer War, Boers defeat Britain.
  • 1880—1880:
    Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
  • 1880—1880:
    Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria
  • 2 Aug 1880—2 Aug 1880:
    Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK
41 1881 
  • 1881—1881:
    SA - Jantje Mothibi of Tlhaping dies
  • 1881—1882:
    SA - Tswana-Kora wars with white mercenary involvement
  • 1881—1881:
    SA - Battle of Laing's Nek, 28 January. Battle of Majuba, 27 February. Britain recognises South African Republic (ZAR).
  • 1881—1881:
    Postal Orders introduced
  • 1881—1881:
    Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy
  • Sep 1881—Sep 1881:
    Godalming in Surrey became the first town in England to have a public electricity supply installed (but in 1884 it reverted to gas lighting until 1904)
  • 26 Oct 1881—26 Oct 1881:
    Gunfight at OK Corral
42 1882 
  • 1882—1882:
    SA - Abraham September (freed slave) begins Orange River irrigation
  • 1882—1882:
    SA - Approximately 4645 settlers arrive. South End Cemetery in Port Elizabeth started. Use of Dutch recognised in Cape Parliament.
  • 1882—1882:
    Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
  • 29 Aug 1882—1882:
    SA - 229 Norwegians arrive aboard the "Lapland" and settle at the mouth of the Umzimkulu river (Port Shepstone), Natal.
43 1883 
  • 1883—1890:
    SA - Germans occupy South West Africa and German East Africa
  • 1883—1883:
    SA - Revd Gwayi Tyamzashe; last black man to hold a claim in Kimberley mines; loses his claim
  • 1883—1883:
    Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France
  • 24 May 1883—24 May 1883:
    Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River)
  • 1 Aug 1883—1 Aug 1883:
    Parcel post starts in Britain
  • 27 Aug 1883—27 Aug 1883:
    Eruption of Krakatoa near Java - 30,000 killed by tidal wave
44 1884 
  • 1884—1885:
    SA - Warren takes over Stellaland and Goshen; establishes Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland and Bechuanaland Protectorate
  • 1884—1884:
    SA - The Anglican St. Cuthbert's Church built in Port Elizabeth. Barberton goldfields opened.
  • 31 May 1884—31 May 1884:
    John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes
  • 13 Oct 1884—13 Oct 1884:
    Greenwich made prime meridian of the world
45 1885 
  • 1885—1885:
    SA - Railway line opened from Cape to Kimberley.
  • 1885—1885:
    Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car
  • 1885—1885:
    Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle
  • 1885—1885:
    Eastman makes first coated photographic paper
  • 1885—1885:
    Canadian Pacific Railway completed
  • Mar 1885—Mar 1885:
    First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking
  • 5 Sep 1885—5 Sep 1885:
    The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel
  • 29 Sep 1885—29 Sep 1885:
    First electric tramcar used at Blackpool
46 1886 
  • 1886—1886:
    SA - Gold found on Witwatersrand
  • 1886—1886:
    SA - Gold discovered in the Transvaal (Witwatersrand)
  • 20 Jan 1886—20 Jan 1886:
    Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales
  • May 1886—May 1886:
    Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named 'Coca-Cola'
  • 29 May 1886—29 May 1886:
    Putney Bridge opens in London
47 1887 
  • 1887—1887:
    Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car
48 1888 
  • 1888—1888:
    SA - C.J. Rhodes amalgamates Kimberley mining companies as De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd
  • 1888—1888:
    SA - 'Rudd concession' signed by Lobengula
  • 1888—1888:
    SA - British South Africa Company founded.
  • 1888—1888:
    Convention of Constantinople guarantees free maritime passage through Suez Canal in war and peace
  • 1888—1888:
    Jack the Ripper active in east London during the latter half of the year
  • 1888—1888:
    County Councils set up in Britain
  • 1888—1888:
    Dunlop invents pneumatic tyre
  • 1888—1888:
    First box camera - George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film
  • 20 Mar 1888—20 Mar 1888:
    Football League formed
49 1889 
  • 1889—1889:
    Celluloid film produced
  • 1889—1889:
    Dock Strike - docker's won their 'Docker's Tanner' 6 old pennies
  • 31 Mar 1889—31 Mar 1889:
    Eiffel Tower completed (to mark centenary of French Revolution)
  • 14 May 1889—14 May 1889:
    Children's charity NSPCC launched in London
  • 3 Jun 1889—3 Jun 1889:
    Canadian Pacific Railway completed from coast to coast
  • 28 Sep 1889—28 Sep 1889:
    Length of a metre defined
50 1890 
  • 1890—1890:
    SA - Pioneer Column of Rhodes's British South Africa Company departs from Kimberley to occupy Rhodesia
  • 1890—1890:
    SA - Railway line reaches from Cape to Bloemfontein. First railway line in Transvaal, from Johannesburg to Boksburg.
  • 4 Mar 1890—4 Mar 1890:
    Forth railway bridge opens - took six years to build
  • 4 Nov 1890—4 Nov 1890:
    City & South London Railway opens - London's first deep-level tube railway and first major railway in the world to use electric traction
51 1891 
  • 1891—1891:
    Primary education made free and compulsory
  • 18 Mar 1891—18 Mar 1891:
    First telephone link between London & Paris
  • 4 May 1891—4 May 1891:
    Fictional date when Sherlock Holmes throws Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls, then disappears for 3 years! (published in 1893)
  • 24 Aug 1891—24 Aug 1891:
    Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera
52 1892 
  • 1892—1892:
    SA - Mankurwane of Tlhaping dies
  • 1892—1892:
    SA - Railway line to Johannesburg completed with connections from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London.
  • 1892—1892:
    Electric oven invented
  • 1892—1892:
    Shop Hours Act - limit 74 hours per week for under-18's
  • 6 Oct 1892—6 Oct 1892:
    Alfred Lord Tennyson dies, aged 83, at his house Aldworth, near Haslemere
53 1893 
  • 1893—1893:
    Henry Ford's first car
  • 1893—1893:
    Zip fastener invented
54 1894 
  • 1894—1894:
    SA - Glen Grey Act passed in Cape to control African labour and land
  • 1894—1894:
    Picture postcard introduced in Britain
  • 1 Jan 1894—1 Jan 1894:
    Manchester Ship Canal opens
  • 1 Mar 1894—1 Mar 1894:
    Blackpool Tower opens
  • 30 Jun 1894—30 Jun 1894:
    Tower Bridge first opens
  • 2 Aug 1894—2 Aug 1894:
    Death duties first introduced in Britain
  • 2 Nov 1894—1894:
    SA - Railway line between Lourenco Marques and Johannesburg opened.
55 1895 
  • 1895—1895:
    Sir Henry Wood starts Promenade Concerts in London
  • 1895—1895:
    SA - The Jameson Raid takes place in the Johannesburg district in December. The Pretoria-Delagoa Bay railway line opened by the South African Republic. Railway line opened between Durban and Johannesburg on 16 Dec 1896. Rinderpest causes big loss of cattle.
  • 12 Jan 1895—12 Jan 1895:
    The National Trust founded in England
  • 24 May 1895—24 May 1895:
    Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted
  • 28 May 1895—28 May 1895:
    Oscar Wilde sent to prison
  • 12 Jul 1895—12 Jul 1895:
    First recorded motor journey of any length (56 miles) in Britain
  • 17 Oct 1895—17 Oct 1895:
    First people in Britain to be charged with motor offences - John Henry Knight and James Pullinger of Farnham, Surrey
  • Nov 1895—Nov 1895:
    X-rays discovered
56 1896 
  • 1896—1896:
    SA - Montshiwa of Rolong dies
  • 1896—1896:
    SA - Rinderpest epidemic; spreading through Africa; breaks out here
  • 1896—1897:
    SA - Bechuanaland Campaign/Galeshewe's War begins at Phokwane and spreads to Langeberg
  • 5 Apr 1896—5 Apr 1896:
    First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
  • 2 Jun 1896—2 Jun 1896:
    Guglielmo Marconi receives a British patent (later disputed) for the radio
57 1897 
  • 1897—1897:
    Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector
  • 1897—1897:
    SA - Luka Mothibi killed in Langeberg
  • 1897—1897:
    SA - Zululand incorporated into Natal. Railway line opened between Cape Town and Bulawayo.
58 1898 
  • 1898—1898:
    First photograph using artificial light
  • 1898—1898:
    Zeppelin builds airship
  • 1898—1898:
    Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded
  • 17 Mar 1898—17 Mar 1898:
    USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine
  • 27 Jun 1898—27 Jun 1898:
    The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)
59 1899 
  • 6 Mar 1899—6 Mar 1899:
    Aspirin first marketed by Bayer
  • 11 Oct 1899—11 Oct 1899:
    Start of Second Boer War
  • 11 Oct 1899—31 May 1902:
    SA - The Second Anglo-Boer War.
  • 13 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Boers invade Natal
  • 14 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Sieges of Mafeking and Kimberley started.
  • 20 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Talana.
  • 21 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Elandslaagte.
  • 30 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Lombard's Kop.
  • 30 Oct 1899—1899:
    SA - Siege of Ladysmith started.
  • 23 Nov 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Belmont.
  • 25 Nov 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Graspan.
  • 28 Nov 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Modder River.
  • 10 Dec 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Stormberg.
  • 11 Dec 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Magersfontein.
  • 15 Dec 1899—1899:
    SA - Battle of Colenso. Battle of Dundee. Imperial Penny Postage adopted by Cape Colony
60 1900 
  • 1900—1900:
    School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years
  • 1900—1900:
    Central Line opens in London: underground is electrified
  • 1900—1900:
    Escalator shown at Paris exhibition
  • 6 Jan 1900—1900:
    SA - Boers attack Ladysmith.
  • 23 Jan 1900—24 Jan 1900:
    SA - Battle of Spion Kop.
  • 5 Feb 1900—1900:
    SA - Battle of Vaal Krantz.
  • 9 Feb 1900—9 Feb 1900:
    Davis Cup tennis competition established
  • 15 Feb 1900—1900:
    SA - Relief of Kimberley.
  • 27 Feb 1900—27 Feb 1900:
    Labour Party formed
  • 28 Feb 1900—1900:
    SA - Ladysmith relieved.
  • 7 Mar 1900—1900:
    SA - Battle of Poplar Grove.
  • 13 Mar 1900—1900:
    SA - Bloemfontein captured.
  • 11 Jun 1900—1900:
    SA - Battle of Diamond Hill. Burning of farms (scorched earth) policy authorised in July / August. Amalgamation of Union and Castle Steamship Lines.
61 1901 
  • 1901—1901:
    Commonwealth of Australia founded
  • 1901—1901:
    Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner
  • 1901—1901:
    SA - Bubonic plague in Cape Town.
  • 1901—1902:
    SA - 200 teachers arrive from England to teach in the British concentration camps, followed by 100 teachers from Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
  • 22 Jan 1901—22 Jan 1901:
    Queen Victoria dies - Edward VII king
  • 2 Feb 1901—2 Feb 1901:
    Queen Victoria's funeral - interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park
  • Jun 1901—Jun 1901:
    Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War
  • 2 Oct 1901—2 Oct 1901:
    Britain's first submarine launched
  • 12 Dec 1901—12 Dec 1901:
    First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi - Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
62 1902 
  • 1902—1902:
    Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education
  • 1902—1902:
    Cremation Act - cremation can only take place at officially recognised establishments, and with two death certificates issued
  • 1902—1902:
    Marie Curie discovers radioactivity
  • 31 Feb 1902—1902:
    SA - Peace of Vereeniging signed, ending Anglo-Boer War.
  • 24 May 1902—24 May 1902:
    Empire Day (later Commonwealth Day) first celebrated
  • 31 May 1902—31 May 1902:
    Treaty of Vereeniging ends Second Boer War
  • 9 Aug 1902—9 Aug 1902:
    Coronation of Edward VII
63 1903 
  • 1903—1903:
    Workers' Education Association (WEA) formed in Britain
  • 1903—1903:
    Women's Social and Political Union formed in Britain by Emmeline Pankhurst
  • 1903—1903:
    Henry Ford sets up his motor company
  • 14 Dec 1903—14 Dec 1903:
    First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright
64 1904 
  • 1904—1904:
    Leeds University established
  • 1904—1904:
    SA - Chinese labourers recruited for the Transvaal mines.
  • 8 Apr 1904—8 Apr 1904:
    France and UK sign the Entente Cordiale
  • 4 May 1904—4 May 1904:
    America takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French (completed 1914)
65 1905 
  • 1905—1905:
    The title 'Prime Minister' noted in a royal warrant for the first time - placed the Prime Minister in order of precedence in Britain immediately after the Archbishop of York
  • 1905—1905:
    Aliens Act in Britain: Home Office controls immigration
  • 1905—1905:
    Germany lays down the first Dreadnought battleship
  • 11 Apr 1905—11 Apr 1905:
    Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity
66 1906 
  • 1906—1906:
    Introduction of free school meals for poor children
  • 10 Feb 1906—10 Feb 1906:
    Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship
  • 15 Mar 1906—15 Mar 1906:
    Rolls-Royce Ltd registered
  • 26 May 1906—26 May 1906:
    Vauxhall Bridge opened in London
  • 20 Sep 1906—20 Sep 1906:
    Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne
67 1907 
  • 1907—1907:
    New Zealand becomes a Dominion
  • 1907—1907:
    Imperial College, London, is established
  • 1907—1907:
    First airship flies over London
  • 1907—1907:
    Lumiere develops a process for colour photography
  • 1907—1907:
    SA - Asiatic Registration Act passed in Transvaal, Indians oppose it.
  • Jul 1907—Jul 1907:
    Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated
  • 1 Aug 1907—1 Aug 1907:
    Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island
  • 9 Nov 1907—9 Nov 1907:
    The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday
68 1908 
  • 1908—1908:
    Coal Mines Regulation Act in Britain limits men to an eight hour day
  • 1908—1908:
    Separate courts for juveniles established in Britain
  • 1908—1908:
    Lord Baden-Powell starts the Boy Scout movement
  • 1908—1908:
    SA - Second Asiatic Registration Act passed in Transvaal, beginning of passive resistance campaigns.
  • 1 Jul 1908—1 Jul 1908:
    SOS became effective as an international signal of distress
  • 12 Aug 1908—12 Aug 1908:
    First 'Model T' Ford made
69 1909 
  • 1909—1909:
    Beveridge Report prompts creation of labour Exchanges
  • 1909—1909:
    Peary reaches the north pole
  • 1909—1909:
    First commercial manufacture of Bakelite - start of the plastic age
  • 1909—1909:
    SA - S.S. Waratah lost between Durban and Cape Town.
  • 1 Jan 1909—1 Jan 1909:
    Old Age Pensions Act came into force
  • 16 Jan 1909—16 Jan 1909:
    Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole
  • 15 Mar 1909—15 Mar 1909:
    Selfridges department store opens in London
  • 25 Jul 1909—25 Jul 1909:
    Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)

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