On August 1, 1800, the Acts of Union were passed by the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland, legally binding the two into a single political entity: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union, which took effect on January 1, 1801,…
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On July 22, 1833, the British House of Commons passed the Slavery Abolition Act, marking a historic turning point in the British Empire’s long entanglement with slavery. Though imperfect and cautious in scope, the Act initiated the gradual dismantling of an institution that had…
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On June 2, 1953, the world watched intently as Queen Elizabeth II officially received her crown. Elizabeth’s coronation occurred while her country still had scars from World War II. NPR writes that “the start of the 25-year-old’s reign was widely seen as the dawn…
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On May 7, 1915, during World War I, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine, U-20, off the coast of Ireland. The attack resulted in the loss of over 1,100 lives, including civilians and neutral passengers, triggering…
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William III and Mary II’s joint coronation as sovereigns of Great Britain marked a pivotal moment in English history, ushering in a new era of constitutional monarchy and political stability. Their ascension to the throne in 1689 came amidst the tumultuous backdrop of the…
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On March 1, 1917, Americans learned that Germany had urged our neighbor to attack the United States. The Zimmerman Telegram hit the front page of newspapers and became a turning point in World War I. The telegram, originally sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur…
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On January 9, 1916, the Battle of Gallipoli ended with a decisive Ottoman victory, marking a pivotal moment in World War I. This campaign, spanning from April 25, 1915, to January 1916, represented a daring but unsuccessful Allied attempt to seize control of the…
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The United States became independent on July 4, 1776, but it did not become free from the British until November 30, 1782. The Treaty of Paris, preliminarily signed on that date and sent to both countries for final approval, marked the official end of…
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On November 8, 1861, the Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward found themselves caught in one of the most important diplomatic conflicts during the Civil War. Called the “The Trent Affair,” the incident involved the interception of a British mail steamer, the RMS Trent,…
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Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. It’s the beginning of a poem that children all over Great Britain sing as every November 5 the nation lights up in fireworks and bonfires. Unlike the United States, where Americans celebrate the birth…
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