1620 After denouncing smoking as a health hazard, King James I of England banned the growing of tobacco in Britain.
1644 Charles I of England defeated a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge (near Banbury, Oxfordshire). It was the last battle won by an English King on English soil.
1801 Britain held its first population census - producing a population figure of 8,800,000.
1829 The first policeman to be murdered in Britain was Constable William Grantham in Somers Town. He went to the aid of a woman involved in a fight between drunken men and when he fell, all three proceeded to kick him to death.
1855 Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper was first published, a result of the publisher's anger over the Crimean War and a desire to express it.
1871 The Trade Union Act was passed, giving trade unions legal status for the first time.
1905 The Automobile Association was set up by motorists angered by police harassment and to warn drivers of speed traps.
1916 The British diplomat Sir Roger Casement, an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist, was sentenced to death for his part in the Easter Rising, an attempt to end British rule in Ireland.
1927 For the first time in 200 years, a total eclipse of the sun was seen in Britain. Those at Giggleswick in Yorkshire were able to see a perfect, full eclipse which lasted for less than 1/2 minute.
1966 Barclays Bank introduced the Barclaycard - the UK's first credit card.
1986 Millionaire Richard Branson smashed the world record for the fastest powerboat crossing of the Atlantic.
1993 The birth of George Sampson, street dancer and actor from Warrington. He won the second series of Britain's Got Talent in 2008 at the age of 14.
1995 Lisa Clayton, from Birmingham, became the first British woman to sail solo around the world from the northern hemisphere. Her voyage, in a 39 ft sloop, Spirit of Birmingham, took 285 days.
2001 The government announced that a memorial fountain in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, was to be built in London's Hyde Park.
2010 The England football team returned home after being knocked out of the second round of the World Cup by Germany. England ultimately lost 4-1, suffering their worst defeat to date in a World Cup finals match. (In 2014 England were eliminated at the group stage of the Fifa World Cup for the first time since 1958, with just two goals scored. It was their worst goal tally since 1950 and the worst World Cup showing in the history of the national team.)Statistics: Posted by chenrezig — 29 Jun 2014, 07:22
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