HistoricUK

Explore the weird & wonderful history & heritage of Britain.
🏹British History in your pocket🏹
👇🏼Click link for more fun history from Historic-UK

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#OnThisDay in 1829, the Metropolitan Police hit the streets of London for the first time. Founded by Sir Robert Peel, the new “Bobbies” replaced the Bow Street Runners and marked the start of modern, professional policing. https://t.co/aVzwzSjpn0

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#OnThisDay in 1087, William II (William Rufus) was crowned King of England. His reign saw rebellion, expansion into Scotland & Wales, and fierce clashes with the Church - ending mysteriously with his death by arrow in 1100. https://t.co/VS3FBowEzg

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#OnThisDay in 1066, Harold Godwinson crushed Harald Hardrada’s Viking army at Stamford Bridge. Hardrada and Tostig were killed, and only 24 ships carried the survivors home. Just days later, William the Conqueror landed on England’s south coast... https://t.co/wYli88I4oB

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#OnThisDay in 1848, Patrick Branwell Brontë, only brother of the famous sisters, died aged 31. Said to have stood to face death, his life inspired Hindley Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights and was cut short by addiction and tuberculosis. https://t.co/hL7KR3BP9R

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#OnThisDay in 1189, Henry II of England died. Henry’s reign was dominated by his fierce rivalry with King Louis VII of France and his tumultuous relationship with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. https://t.co/tC98Jw5SyH

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#OnThisDay in 910, the Battle of Tettenhall took place. It was the last major Danish army to raid England for nearly a century. The Northumbrian Danes were subdued, with three of their kings - Ingwær, Eowils and Halfdan - killed in the battle.

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Henry V died on #onthisday in 1422, at the Château de Vincennes near Paris.

While it's widely believed he contracted dysentery after the Siege of Meaux in May 1422, his illness might have been something else, such as smallpox, erysipelas, or even heatstroke.

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#OnThisDay in 1797, Mary Shelley, English novelist & playwright, was born. She was best known for her Gothic novel 'Frankenstein', a pioneering work of science fiction & her marriage to poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. https://t.co/qVj0nFpPSA

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#OnThisDay in 1782, tragedy struck at Spithead, off the coast of Hampshire, when the British warship HMS Royal George suddenly capsized while undergoing repairs. Over 800 lives were lost, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in British history.

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#OnThisDay in 1592, George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham was born, a charismatic and influential figure in the early 17th-century English court.

Rising from humble beginnings, he became a close companion and likely lover of King James I. https://t.co/prcIbze6k5

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#OnThisDay in 1896, the Anglo-Zanzibar War broke out and ended just 38 minutes later. A disputed succession, a palace bombardment, and the shortest war in history. https://t.co/jyZCCHUNuq

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#OnThisDay in 1768, Captain James Cook departed England aboard HMS Endeavour. What began as a mission to observe the Transit of Venus soon became a voyage of discovery across the Pacific. https://t.co/fEDZDOY1le

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#OnThisDay in 1482, Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, died in exile in France. A fierce player in the Wars of the Roses, she fought for crown and son but died alone, far from the throne she tried to protect.

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#OnThisDay in 1507, Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, died aged 38. Once seen as a future queen, her secret marriage to a squire led to her exile and a quiet death, far from court. A Yorkist princess lost to history. https://t.co/VJalkHLLP1

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#OnThisDay in 1305, William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered in London. Dragged through the streets, partially hanged, disembowelled and beheaded. His head was placed on London Bridge, his limbs sent to four cities as a brutal warning. https://t.co/rypN2iQRvk

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#OnThisDay in 1485, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor’s forces, ending the Wars of the Roses and the Plantagenet line. Henry became Henry VII, founding the Tudor dynasty. Richard III was the last king to die in battle. https://t.co/xEuZBDvXwh

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#OnThisDay in 1918, the Second Battle of the Somme began.

Launched as part of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, this battle marked a decisive shift in the First World War. The war would be over in less than three months.

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#OnThisDay in 1940, as the Battle of Britain raged in the skies above, Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered one of his most famous lines to the House of Commons:
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
https://t.co/OnyLUJeQiE

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#OnThisDay in 1612, the infamous Pendle witch trials reached a climax at Lancaster Assizes. Twelve individuals from the area around Pendle Hill, Lancashire, were accused of using witchcraft to cause the deaths of ten people. https://t.co/MysQhEYew3

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Although bones believed to be theirs were discovered in the 17th century, their true identities have never been conclusively proven.
The disappearance of Richard & his brother remains one of the most chilling unsolved cases in English history.

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#OnThisDay in 1473, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York was born to Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard, the sixth child and second son of the King, would become one of the infamous "Princes in the Tower."
https://t.co/m3b7vzHesc

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They were last seen playing in the garden of the Tower, but by the summer of 1483, they had vanished without a trace.
The mystery of the "Princes in the Tower" has fuelled centuries of speculation. Were they murdered on the orders of their uncle? Or a less sinister fate?