Key dates for the Life in the UK test
Dates and numbers come up in almost every test. Here they all are on one page, grouped so they're easier to remember.
Early Britain to the Middle Ages
| About 6,000 years ago | First farmers arrive in Britain |
|---|---|
| 55 BC | Julius Caesar's invasion fails |
| AD 43 | Romans invade under Emperor Claudius |
| AD 410 | Romans leave Britain |
| AD 789 | Vikings first raid Britain |
| 1066 | Battle of Hastings: William of Normandy defeats Harold |
| 1215 | King John agrees Magna Carta |
| 1284 | Statute of Rhuddlan annexes Wales to England |
| 1314 | Robert the Bruce wins at Bannockburn |
| 1320 | Declaration of Arbroath |
| 1348 | The Black Death |
| 1415 | Henry V wins at Agincourt |
| 1455 | Wars of the Roses begin |
| 1485 | Battle of Bosworth Field; Henry VII starts the Tudors |
Tudors, Stuarts and union
| 1588 | Spanish Armada defeated |
|---|---|
| 1603 | James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England |
| 1642 | English Civil War begins |
| 1649 | Charles I executed; England becomes a republic |
| 1660 | The Restoration: Charles II becomes king |
| 1665 | The Great Plague |
| 1666 | The Great Fire of London |
| 1679 | Habeas Corpus Act |
| 1688 | The Glorious Revolution |
| 1689 | Bill of Rights |
| 1690 | Battle of the Boyne |
| 1707 | Act of Union creates the Kingdom of Great Britain |
| 1721 to 1742 | Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister |
| 1746 | Bonnie Prince Charlie defeated at Culloden |
Empire and reform
| 1776 | American colonies declare independence |
|---|---|
| 1801 | Ireland joins the union; Union Flag created |
| 1805 | Nelson wins at Trafalgar |
| 1807 | Slave trade abolished |
| 1815 | Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo |
| 1832 | Reform Act |
| 1833 | Emancipation Act abolishes slavery in the Empire |
| 1837 to 1901 | Queen Victoria's reign |
| Mid-1840s | Irish potato famine |
| 1870 and 1882 | Married women can keep their own earnings and property |
| 1899 to 1902 | Boer War |
| 1903 | Emmeline Pankhurst founds the WSPU |
The 20th century
| 1914 to 1918 | First World War, ending 11 November 1918 |
|---|---|
| 1916 | Battle of the Somme; Easter Rising in Dublin |
| 1918 | Women over 30 get the vote |
| 1922 | Ireland becomes two countries |
| 1928 | Women vote at 21, like men |
| 1929 | The Great Depression begins |
| 1939 | Germany invades Poland; Second World War begins |
| 1940 | Churchill becomes PM; Dunkirk; Battle of Britain; the Blitz |
| 6 June 1944 | D-Day landings |
| 1944 | Education Act (the 'Butler Act') |
| 8 May 1945 | VE Day: war in Europe ends |
| 1947 | Independence for India, Pakistan and Ceylon |
| 1948 | NHS founded; London Olympics |
| 1969 | Voting age lowered to 18 |
| 1973 | UK joins the European Economic Community |
| 1979 to 1990 | Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister |
| 1982 | Falklands War |
| 1997 | Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister |
| 1998 | Good Friday Agreement; Human Rights Act |
| 1999 | Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly first sit |
| 2010 | Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition; Equality Act |
| 2012 | London Olympics and Paralympics |
Dates in the calendar
| 1 March | St David's Day (Wales) |
|---|---|
| 17 March | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland) |
| 23 April | St George's Day (England) |
| 30 November | St Andrew's Day (Scotland) |
| 14 February | Valentine's Day |
| 1 April | April Fool's Day, jokes until midday |
| 14 April | Vaisakhi (usually) |
| 31 October | Halloween |
| 5 November | Bonfire Night |
| 11 November | Remembrance Day |
| 25 and 26 December | Christmas Day and Boxing Day |
| 31 December | Hogmanay |
| 3 weeks before Easter | Mothering Sunday |
| 3rd Sunday in June | Father's Day |
Numbers to know
| 24, 18, 45 | The test: 24 questions, 18 to pass, 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| 650 | Constituencies (MPs) in the House of Commons |
| 129 | Members of the Scottish Parliament |
| 5 years | Longest gap between general elections |
| 18 | Voting age; age to buy alcohol or tobacco |
| 12 (15 in Scotland) | People on a jury |
| 10 to 17 | Ages dealt with by youth courts |
| 17 (16 for a moped) | Minimum age to drive a car |
| 999 or 112 | Emergency services |
| £10,000 | Small claims limit in England and Wales |