Photos
In their lifetime
Born in the reign of Edward VII
  • Birth
    1901
    Born
  • Year of birth
    22 Jan 1901
    Accession of Edward VII
    Reigned 1901–1910
  • Year of birth
    22 Jan 1901
    Queen Victoria dies
  • Age c. 2
    17 Dec 1903
    The Wright brothers make the first powered flight
  • Age c. 6
    17 Jun 1907
    Brooklands motor circuit opens
    At Weybridge, Surrey.
  • Age c. 7
    13 Jul 1908
    London hosts the Olympic Games
  • Age c. 8
    1 Jan 1909
    First old age pensions paid
  • Age c. 8
    25 Jul 1909
    Blériot makes the first flight across the Channel
  • Age c. 9
    6 May 1910
    Accession of George V
    Reigned 1910–1936
  • Age c. 9
    13 Aug 1910
    Florence Nightingale dies
  • Age c. 10
    18 Aug 1911
    Parliament Act limits the power of the House of Lords
  • Age c. 10
    16 Dec 1911
    National Insurance Act
  • Age c. 11
    Mar 1912
    Captain Scott dies returning from the South Pole
  • Age c. 11
    15 Apr 1912
    Titanic sinks
  • Age c. 12
    8 Jun 1913
    Suffragette Emily Davison dies at the Derby
  • Age c. 13
    1914–1918
    Britain declares war on Germany: First World War begins
  • Age c. 14
    25 Apr 1915
    Gallipoli landings
  • Age c. 14
    7 May 1915
    Lusitania sunk
  • Age c. 15
    24 Apr 1916
    Easter Rising in Dublin
  • Age c. 15
    5 Jun 1916
    Lord Kitchener lost at sea
  • Age c. 15
    1 Jul 1916
    Battle of the Somme begins
    About 57,000 British casualties on the first day.
  • Age c. 16
    31 Jul 1917
    Battle of Passchendaele begins
  • Age c. 17
    6 Feb 1918
    Some women get the vote
    Representation of the People Act.
  • Age c. 17
    1918–1919
    Spanish flu pandemic
  • Age c. 17
    11 Nov 1918
    Armistice ends the First World War
  • Age c. 18
    14 Jun 1919
    Alcock and Brown make the first non-stop transatlantic flight
  • Age c. 22
    28 Apr 1923
    First FA Cup final at Wembley
  • Age c. 23
    22 Jan 1924
    First Labour government
  • Age c. 24
    1925
    Son John born
  • Age c. 25
    26 Jan 1926
    John Logie Baird demonstrates television
  • Age c. 25
    3 May 1926
    General Strike begins
  • Age c. 27
    2 Jul 1928
    Women get the vote on equal terms with men
  • Age c. 27
    Sep 1928
    Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
  • Age c. 28
    Oct 1929
    Wall Street Crash begins the Great Depression
  • Age c. 29
    5 Oct 1930
    R101 airship disaster
  • Age c. 35
    20 Jan 1936
    Accession of Edward VIII
  • Age c. 35
    2 Nov 1936
    BBC begins the world's first regular television service
  • Age c. 35
    11 Dec 1936
    Accession of George VI
    Reigned 1936–1952
  • Age c. 35
    11 Dec 1936
    Edward VIII abdicates
  • Age c. 36
    12 Apr 1937
    Frank Whittle runs the first jet engine
  • Age c. 38
    1939–1945
    Britain declares war on Germany: Second World War begins
  • Age c. 39
    26 May 1940
    Dunkirk evacuation begins
  • Age c. 39
    10 Jul 1940
    Battle of Britain begins
  • Age c. 39
    1940–1941
    The Blitz
  • Age c. 41
    23 Oct 1942
    Battle of El Alamein
  • Age c. 41
    1 Dec 1942
    Beveridge Report published
  • Age c. 43
    6 Jun 1944
    D-Day landings
  • Age c. 43
    3 Aug 1944
    Education Act creates free secondary schooling
  • Age c. 44
    8 May 1945
    VE Day
  • Age c. 44
    15 Aug 1945
    VJ Day
  • Age c. 46
    15 Aug 1947
    India and Pakistan become independent
  • Age c. 47
    22 Jun 1948
    HMT Empire Windrush arrives at Tilbury
  • Age c. 47
    5 Jul 1948
    National Health Service launched
  • Age c. 47
    29 Jul 1948
    London hosts the Olympic Games
  • Age c. 49
    1950–1953
    Korean War begins
  • Age c. 51
    6 Feb 1952
    Accession of Queen Elizabeth II
    Reigned 1952–2022
  • Age c. 51
    5 Dec 1952
    Great Smog of London
  • Age c. 52
    31 Jan 1953
    North Sea flood
  • Age c. 52
    28 Feb 1953
    Crick and Watson announce the structure of DNA
  • Age c. 52
    29 May 1953
    Hillary and Tenzing reach the summit of Everest
  • Age c. 52
    2 Jun 1953
    Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
  • Age c. 53
    6 May 1954
    Roger Bannister runs the first sub-four-minute mile
  • Age c. 53
    4 Jul 1954
    Food rationing ends
  • Age c. 54
    22 Sep 1955
    ITV launches
  • Age c. 55
    5 Jul 1956
    Clean Air Act
  • Age c. 55
    29 Oct 1956
    Suez Crisis
  • Age c. 56
    4 Oct 1957
    Sputnik 1 launched: the Space Age begins
  • Age c. 57
    6 Feb 1958
    Munich air disaster
    Eight Manchester United players among the dead.
  • Age c. 57
    9 Jun 1958
    Gatwick Airport officially opened
    In Sussex.
  • Age c. 58
    25 Jul 1959
    First hovercraft crosses the Channel
  • Age c. 61
    5 Oct 1962
    The Beatles release their first single
  • Age c. 61
    1962–1963
    The Big Freeze
    One of the coldest winters on record.
  • Age c. 62
    22 Nov 1963
    President Kennedy assassinated
  • Age c. 64
    24 Jan 1965
    Sir Winston Churchill dies
  • Age c. 64
    8 Nov 1965
    Death penalty for murder suspended
  • Age c. 65
    30 Jul 1966
    England win the World Cup
  • Age c. 65
    21 Oct 1966
    Aberfan disaster
  • Age c. 66
    27 Oct 1967
    Abortion Act
  • Age c. 68
    2 Mar 1969
    First flight of Concorde
  • Age c. 68
    20 Jul 1969
    First Moon landing
  • Age c. 70
    15 Feb 1971
    Decimal Day
  • Age c. 72
    1 Jan 1973
    Britain joins the European Economic Community
  • Age c. 75
    21 Jan 1976
    Concorde enters passenger service
  • Age c. 75
    Jun 1976
    The heatwave and drought of summer 1976
  • Age c. 76
    7 Jun 1977
    Queen's Silver Jubilee
  • Age c. 77
    25 Jul 1978
    Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, is born
  • Age c. 78
    4 May 1979
    Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister
  • Age c. 79
    8 Dec 1980
    John Lennon shot dead
  • Age c. 80
    29 Jul 1981
    Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer