Year | Hint | Answer | % Correct |
---|---|---|---|
1797 | Three of the stones making up this prehistoric monument fall due to heavy frosts. | Stonehenge | 97%
|
1785 | The first successful crossing of this stretch of water in a balloon is accomplished. | English Channel | 86%
|
1760 | This period of great technological and economic change begins, bringing in novel ways of working and living, resulting in a fundamentally transformed society. | {Industrial} Revolution | 86%
|
1782 | David Tyrie becomes the last person in Britain to suffer this punishment. | Hanging, drawing and {Quartering} | 85%
|
1745 | The dominant west towers of the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, the site of many coronations, and known by this more famous name, are finally completed. | {Westminster} Abbey | 84%
|
1788 | Claimant to the throne, Charles Edward Stuart, also known by this name, dies in exile. | {Bonnie} Prince Charlie | 80%
|
1789 | Captain William Bligh is cast adrift after a mutiny on this Royal Navy ship. | HMS Bounty | 80%
|
1762 | The first recorded mention occurs of this food item, named after a British earl. | Sandwich | 79%
|
1714 | This Queen dies and is succeeded by George I. | Anne | 75%
|
1716 | William Wake is appointed to this position in the Church of England. | {Archbishop} of Canterbury | 75%
|
1799 | HMS Lutine sinks in the North Sea. Her salvaged bell is now used for ceremonial purposes at the headquarters of this major insurance market in London. | Lloyd's | 75%
|
1747 | James Lind undertakes experiments on the effect of citrus fruit as a cure for this disease. | Scurvy | 75%
|
1740 | The patriotic song is first performed in an open-air performance at Cliveden. | {Rule}, Britannia | 74%
|
1778 | Joseph Bramah registers a patent for this household sanitary device. | {Flush} toilet | 73%
|
1752 | Britain adopts this calendar to realign the date of Easter to that defined by the Church. | Gregorian | 73%
|
1763 | George Grenville, representing this political faction, becomes Prime Minister. | Whig | 71%
|
1718 | Lieutenant Robert Maynard kills this infamous pirate in hand to hand combat.. | Blackbeard | 70%
|
1798 | This scientist publishes "An Inquiry Into the Causes and Effects of the Variolæ Vaccinæ". He goes on to become a pioneer of the smallpox vaccine. | Edward Jenner | 69%
|
1784 | A tax is introduced, charging per thousand of these items which are used in house building. | Bricks | 68%
|
1705 | Edmond Halley publishes a paper on the astronomical movements of this type of object. | Comet | 68%
|
1770 | The future politician William Huskisson is born. He later gains lasting posterity when run over by this means of public transport, becoming its first casualty. | Railway locomotive | 68%
|
1787 | Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth with this group of 11 ships, carrying around 700 convicts to this destination in Australia. | {Botany} Bay | 67%
|
1776 | This book by Economist Adam Smith is published for this first time. | The {Wealth} of Nations | 67%
|
1715 | London enjoys 3 minutes 33 seconds of totality during this natural phenomenon. | Solar Eclipse | 66%
|
1761 | This house is acquired by King George III as a private residence for Queen Charlotte. | Buckingham Palace | 63%
|
1713 | The Treaty of Utrecht cedes this Mediterranean territory to Britain. | Gibraltar | 63%
|
1753 | The Cornish Stannary Parliament, responsible for governing the mining of this metal, is discontinued after more than 500 years. | Tin | 63%
|
1702 | Britain's first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, begins publication in this London street. | Fleet Street | 62%
|
1768 | This art institution is founded for the purpose of promoting the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts. | Royal {Academy} of Arts | 62%
|
1724 | George Stubbs is born. He goes on to be best known for his paintings of this animal. | Horses | 61%
|
1774 | Yorkshire born chemist Joseph Priestley isolates what he called dephlogisticated air for the first time. We now know it by this name. | Oxygen | 61%
|
1773 | This future governor of New South Wales is born in Scotland. He is remembered today in the name of an Australian city. | Thomas Brisbane | 61%
|
1736 | This Act comes into effect making it a crime to claim that someone has magical powers and abolishes the hunting and execution of anyone believed to possess them. | Witchcraft | 61%
|
1719 | This novel by Daniel Defoe is published for the first time. | Robinson Crusoe | 60%
|
1744 | The earliest known laws for this popular sport are drafted. | Cricket | 59%
|
1793 | During the French Revolutionary Wars, the Royal Navy boards and captures French warships sheltering in this neutral port in northern Italy. | Genoa | 59%
|
1711 | On Christmas Day this cathedral is declared officially complete by Parliament. | St. Paul's | 59%
|
1775 | Inventor Richard Arkwright receives a patent for his carding machine used for converting this raw material to a form suitable for spinning. | Cotton | 57%
|
1703 | This scientist is elected president of the Royal Society in London. | Isaac Newton | 57%
|
1743 | Scottish folklore tells of how an old man named MacQueen of Findhorn kills the very last of these animals to be found living wild in Britain. | Wolf | 56%
|
1756 | The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Britain and this German state, intended to guarantee the neutrality of Hanover. | Prussia | 53%
|
1707 | Great Britain becomes a sovereign country after ratification of these Acts of Parliament. | Acts of {Union} | 51%
|
1755 | This lexicographer's book, "A Dictionary of the English Language" is finally published. | Samuel Johnson | 51%
|
1791 | The Constitutional Act is enacted in London giving this future independent country its first parliamentary constitution. | Canada | 50%
|
1710 | The world's first legislation of this form comes into effect, giving protection for creative work. | Copyright | 50%
|
1742 | James Bradley is appointed to this senior position, simultaneously becoming director of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. | {Astronomer} Royal | 49%
|
1783 | This famous figure, remembered as 'England's greatest gardener' dies in London. | {'Capability'} Brown | 48%
|
1726 | This French Enlightenment writer and philosopher begins a three year exile in Britain. | Voltaire | 48%
|
1738 | John Wesley's evangelical conversion essentially launches this Protestant denomination. | Methodism | 47%
|
1721 | This person becomes de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain. | Robert Walpole | 47%
|
1735 | George Hadley publishes the first explanation of these equatorial east to west winds. | {Trade} winds | 47%
|
1767 | The final volume of this novel by Laurence Sterne, inspired by Don Quixote, is published | Tristram {Shandy} | 46%
|
1712 | This character is created as a national personification of England, and Britain in general. | John Bull | 45%
|
1717 | This music by Handel is performed on a barge on the River Thames for the king. | Water Music | 45%
|
1779 | The first ever 'Oaks' horse race is run at this Surrey race course. | Epsom | 44%
|
1769 | This brand of London dry gin is produced for the first time. | Gordon's | 44%
|
1795 | This person is born; he will later be known as 'The Sporting Parson' and will become an enthusiastic dog breeder, developing this terrier breed that carries his name. | Jack Russell | 44%
|
1749 | This law enforcement body, London's first professional police force, is founded. | {Bow} Street Runners | 42%
|
1739 | This highwayman is hanged after which his exploits are romanticised in fiction. | Dick Turpin | 42%
|
1709 | Abraham Darby successfully uses coke in a blast furnace to produce this material. | {Cast} iron | 40%
|
1750 | This society is founded, catering for those who share a passion for horseracing. | {Jockey} Club | 40%
|
1771 | James Cook returns to Britain on this ship after his first global circumnavigation. | HMS Endeavour | 38%
|
1792 | This household name high street retailer begins life as a news vendor in London. | W.H. Smith | 38%
|
1781 | At this battle General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to General George Washington, ending the armed struggle of the American Revolutionary War. | Yorktown | 38%
|
1758 | British and French fleets fight at the Battle of Negapatam during this global conflict. | {Seven Years'} War | 37%
|
1777 | A 93 mile long canal is completed connecting the Trent with this other river. | Mersey | 36%
|
1748 | These items, resulting in a standard sartorial appearance, are issued to the Royal Navy for the first time. | Uniforms | 36%
|
1730 | The future pottery manufacturer is born in Staffordshire. | Josiah Wedgwood | 35%
|
1708 | The Scottish Militia Bill is denied this approval by Queen Anne making it the last time this has been withheld at Westminster. | Royal {Assent} | 33%
|
1731 | An incident involving an assault on the captain of a British ship off the coast of Florida gives its name to this later conflict between Britain and Spain. | War of {Jenkins}' Ear | 33%
|
1727 | George II is crowned at Westminster Abbey for which this Handel anthem was composed. | {Zadok} the Priest | 33%
|
1764 | Artist William Hogarth dies. He is perhaps best known for this series of eight paintings. | A {Rake}'s Progress | 32%
|
1746 | This conflict, the final pitched battle on British soil, brings an end to the Jacobite Rising. | Culloden | 32%
|
1794 | British troops capture this Caribbean island from the French. | Martinique | 32%
|
1734 | The Bank of England moves to this location in London which it still occupies. | {Threadneedle} Street | 32%
|
1706 | This tea marketer opens its first shop in London, still operating today at the same premises. | Twinings | 30%
|
1765 | This ship is launched. In the 21st century it remains the oldest naval ship still in commission. | HMS Victory | 27%
|
1786 | This poem by Robert Burns is first published in the Caledonian Mercury. | Address to a {Haggis} | 25%
|
1723 | The Black Act is passed making this rural crime a capital offence. | Poaching | 24%
|
1725 | This future statesman is born. He will later be known for his association with India. | Robert Clive | 24%
|
1751 | The first factory of what will become this well-known porcelain manufacturing company is established in the West Midlands. | Royal {Worcester} | 24%
|
1701 | This agriculturalist invents a drill for efficiently planting seeds in rows. | Jethro Tull | 22%
|
1772 | This future Lake Poet and founder of the Romantic Movement is born in Devon. | Samuel Taylor Coleridge | 21%
|
1733 | John Kay patents this device to greatly speed up the process of weaving cloth. | Flying {Shuttle} | 20%
|
1728 | This type of bank account credit is offered to a customer for the very first time. | Overdraft | 20%
|
1754 | This English author, remembered for his comic novel 'Tom Jones', dies in Lisbon. | Henry Fielding | 18%
|
1704 | The major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession sees the Grand Alliance, led by the Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy secure an overwhelming victory. | Blenheim | 17%
|
1722 | This muzzle-loading musket becomes the British Army's standard infantry firearm. | Brown {Bess} | 17%
|
1737 | Construction begins on this iconic circular library building in the University of Oxford. | {Radcliffe} Camera | 17%
|
1796 | This Scottish explorer reaches the Niger River at Ségou, the first European to do so. He became well known for his influential book 'Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa'. | Mungo Park | 16%
|
1780 | Robert Raikes promotes this national, christian, educational movement from his home in Gloucester. | {Sunday} Schools | 16%
|
1757 | This future Scottish civil engineer is born. He goes on to establish himself as arguably the greatest builder of roads, bridges and canals Britain has ever seen. | Thomas Telford | 15%
|
1700 | This treaty is signed in an attempt to resolve disagreements between England and Spain. | Treaty of {London} | 14%
|
1790 | A bill become law to establish this port and town in South Wales, now the site of a major gas and oil terminal. | Milford Haven | 13%
|
1741 | This influential actor, playwright, manager and producer makes his London stage debut. His legacy is to have venues named after him in multiple countries. | David Garrick | 12%
|
1732 | Trinity House moors the world's first of these navigation aids in the Thames Estuary. | Lightship | 11%
|
1759 | A new lighthouse is lit for the first time on these dangerous rocks off the coast of Cornwall. | Eddystone | 8%
|
1766 | The paper "On Factitious Airs", is published by this scientist, and is credited as showing the discovery of hydrogen. | Henry Cavendish | 6%
|
1729 | This Dartmouth born inventor dies. He is best known for creating the atmospheric engine that still bears his name - the first practical fuel-burning engine. | Thomas Newcomen | 6%
|
1720 | This future brewer and M.P. is born. His early brewery develops into a major company that still bears his name. | Samuel Whitbread | 4%
|
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