April

1 April 1662 — British King Charles II grants royal patronage to a group of scientists and academics founding the Royal Society of London.

2 April 2007 — Smoking ban came into effect in Wales, making it illegal for anyone to smoke in enclosed public places and within the workplace.

3 April 1721— Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister for Britain

4 April 1949 — Military alliance NATO is established.

5 April 1838 — Queen Victoria proclaimed Hong Kong a British crown colony. It will come into full effect three years later.

6 April 1944 — Pay As You Earn (PAYE) income tax was first introduced in Britain through the Income Tax Act 1944

7 April 1914 — HoC passed the Government of Ireland Act 1914, providing self-government within the UK for Ireland.

8 April 1904 — Britain recognises the Suez Canal Convention and surrenders its claim to Madagascar.

9 April 1838 — National Gallery opens in Trafalgar Square, London, after the Parliament voted to purchase 38 paintings 12 years earlier.

10 April 1710 — The Copyright Act (The Statute of Anne) comes into effect. It allows authors to hold exclusive rights to their work up to 50 years after their death.

11 April 1689 — William III of Orange and Mary II were crowned joint monarchs, following the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

12 April 1927 — The British Cabinet came out in favour of voting rights for women.

13 April 1829 — The Catholic Emancipation Act is passed, lifting restrictions imposed on Catholics at the time of Henry VIII.

14 April 1983 — The first cordless telephone, capable of operating up to 600 feet from base, was introduced. It was made by Fidelity and British Telecom and sold for £170.

15 April 1755 — Dr Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of The English Language’ is first published.

16 April 1705 — Queen Anne of England knighted the scientist Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge.

17 April 1969 — Voting age in Britain was lowered from 21 to 18.

18 April 1949 — The Republic of Ireland Act came into force as Southern Ireland became a Republic and left the Commonwealth.

19 April 1775 — The start of the American War of Independence against Britain when fighting began at Lexington and Concord.

20 April 1516 — Henry VIII knights Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in an act that was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail.

21 April 1509 — Henry VIII becomes King of England.

22 April 1662 — Charles II grants a charter to the Royal Society for London.

23 April 1616 — Death of William Shakespeare

24 April 1900 — First issue of the Daily Express is printed.

25 April 1599 — The birth of Oliver Cromwell, Protector of England who led his ‘Ironsides’ in the English Civil War against the ‘Cavaliers’ of King Charles I. Cromwell’s victories enabled him to have the King tried and beheaded, after which he established a republic.

26 April 1962 — In a joint USA British venture, the first international satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

28 April 1770 — English navigator Captain James Cook and his crew, including the botanist Joseph Banks, landed in Australia, at Stingray Bay, which was later named Botany Bay.

29 April 1993 — It was announced that Buckingham Palace would be opened to the public for the first time (during August & September) in a bid to raise funds to repair Windsor Castle.

30 April 1789 — George Washington becomes the first President of the USA