A bit about Britain’s history – a full set of timelines from the prehistoric to the present, articles about events and themes from all periods of British history, a complete list of Britain’s kings and queens. You’ll also find separate pieces on particular events and a summary of anniversaries for the current year.
6 June 2024 is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the ‘Day of Days’. Was it really that long ago? Growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, with parents who lived through the Second World War, reminders were ubiquitous and it never seemed that far away. It wasn’t, when you think about it – it is […]
Which anniversaries will be marked in Britain in 2024? Below is a selection of more than 80 noteworthy anniversaries for your interest and amusement, from the Millennium Bug to the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Each one is on someone’s calendar for 2024 – and each one offers a fascinating insight into Britain’s story. This is
Anniversaries in 2024 Read More »
Which anniversaries were marked in Britain in 2023? Below is a selection of fifty or so noteworthy occasions for your interest and amusement, from the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 to the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. Each one was on someone’s calendar for 2023 – and each one offers an insight into Britain’s story.
Anniversaries in 2023 Read More »
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to anyone who ventures onto the pages of A Bit About Britain – provided you have also bothered to stay and read something, of course. I am neither sufficiently organised nor inspired to write a Christmas post this year – though I can highly recommend several
Looking back on 2022 Read More »
Astonishingly, some people do not visit A Bit About Britain to read articles on the blog or find places to visit in Britain. Many of the most popular sections of the website are those dealing with different periods of British history, historic timelines, British monarchs and prime ministers. What with a new monarch and two
British history timelines Read More »
In the early evening on Thursday, 8 September 2022, the following announcement appeared on the official Royal website. It was also posted on the railings at Buckingham Palace, where the flag had already been lowered. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and
Queen Elizabeth II Read More »
A Bit About Britain often refers to ‘Bede’. It occurred to me the other day that some of my readers may not know who – or what – this means. Which, frankly, is fair enough. Thus, for the benefit of the mildly interested, here is a bit about Bede. If you already know this, look
A guest post by author, Anne Clare In spite of its name, ‘The Pig War’ didn’t have much to do with farm animals. Rather, the unfortunate demise of a pig who ventured into the wrong garden in 1859 almost led to an armed conflict between Britain and the United States. As the pig was just the
Which anniversaries are being marked in Britain in 2022? Below is a selection of more than sixty noteworthy occasions for you. Each one will be on someone’s calendar for 2022 – and each one offers an insight into Britain’s story. A Bit About Britain usually only highlights significant anniversaries – centenaries, half centuries and quarter
Anniversaries, 2022 Read More »
Which anniversaries will be marked in Britain in 2021? Here is a selection of noteworthy events and birthdays for you. Each one will be on someone’s calendar for 2021 – and each one offers a little insight into Britain’s story. Scroll through to spot those occasions that may have slipped your mind, or click/tap on
Anniversaries, 2021 Read More »
Which celebrities did Britain say goodbye to in 2020? It is a depressingly long list, but a reminder of some wonderful people, and of our recent past. Most – though certainly not all – of these individuals achieved great things in their lives, or brought pleasure to others; thank you, and RIP to them. One
Who we lost in 2020 Read More »
It began with a simple notion, to create a list of Roman place names in Britain, with their modern equivalents. Of course, we do not know what Romans called most of the places they built in Britain, so it then seemed sensible to add random Roman sites to the list. And the list grew; no
Roman place names and sites Read More »
Say “Dunkirk”* to anyone with a modest knowledge of Britain’s recent history and probably the least they will do is to nod sagely; Dunkirk, ‘the miracle of Dunkirk’ or the ‘Dunkirk spirit’, is part of modern British mythology. If you knew anyone who served at Dunkirk, you are likely to have regarded them, understandably, with
Dunkirk – the miracle in context Read More »
VE Day, Victory in Europe Day, is celebrated on 8 May as the day the Second World War came to an end in Europe in 1945. Writing 75 years on in 2020, most people had no memory of the event, many had limited understanding of it and some hadn’t even heard of it. You wonder
What is VE Day and is it relevant? Read More »
