Darcy Press is a publisher of books, both Fiction and Non-fiction, featuring the history of the twentieth century. Please look at the rest of the website by clicking the Home tab above. Below is Mr Darcy's own timeline of his selection of events that interest him and is not intended to be completely comprehensive. He offers it here for information and for others to enjoy.   1900s  |  1910s  |  1920s  |  1930s  |  1940s  |  1950s  |  1960s  |  1970s  |  1980s  |  1990s   1910 Baroness de Laroche in France become first woman to receive a pilots license. 8 Mar 10 Mar First film D. W Griffith's 'In Old California' is made in Hollywood USA. Henri Fabre makes the first flight in a seaplane in Martigues, France 28 Mar 23 Apr King Albert opens the World Exhibition in Brussels, Belgium. British King Edward VII dies of pneumonia and is succeeded by George V 6 May 20 May Halley's comet comes closest to the Earth. Sir Robert and Agnes Baden-Powell found Girl Guides. 31 May 22 Jun German Zeppelin Airship Deutschland takes first paying passengers. Zeppelin Deutschland wrecked in Teutoberg forest. 28 Jun 7 Jul French Aviator Hubert Latham reaches 5000ft at Rheims Talking motion pictures demonstrated by Thomas Alva Edison in New Jersey, USA. 27 Aug 4 Oct King Manuel of Portugal deposed; republic formed UK General Election is dead heat by Asquith remains Prime Minister 20 Dec 1911 White Star liner Titanic Launched. Together with her sister ship SS Olympic she is the largest vessel afloat. 31 May 1 Jun First electric Trolley buses go into service in Leeds and Bradford, UK Coronation of British King George V in Westminster Abbey London. 23 Jun 10 Aug British House of Lords surrenders its veto Strike by 200000 transport workers leads to 50000 troops on duty. 18 Aug 23 Oct Winston Churchill becomes First Sea Lord in UK Marie Curie wins second Nobel Prize for Chemistry 10 Dec 14 Dec Norwegian Roald Amundsen beats Robert Scott to the South Pole. Dr Sun Yat-Sen becomes President of new Chinese Republic 29 Dec 1912 Frenchman Henri Seimet becomes first to fly non-stop from Paris to London. 7 Mar 15 Apr SS Titanic hits iceberg and sinks Transport strike in UK brings country to standstill 26 May 29 Jun Fifth Olympic games opens in Stockholm Air Mail service begins between London and Paris. 1 Aug 5 Nov Woodrow Wilson wins American Presidency 1913 Young Turks depose government of the Grand Vizier Kiamil Pasha 31 Jan 10 Feb Captain Robert Scott and two companions found dead in Antartica Balkan Peace Talks conclude with Turkey abandoning all but a toehold in Europe. 30 May 4 Jun Suffragette Emily Davidson is seriously injured trying to stop the Kings horse at the Derby. She dies 4 days later. Norwegian Parliament grants women equal electoral rights as men 29 Jun 8 Jul Suffragette Silvia Pankhurst sentenced to 3 months imprisonment New record flight of 277 miles set by American Wood. 8 Aug 7 Sep German Friedrich makes first Paris Berlin passenger flight First flight of the Zeppelin L2, the larges to date at 160m long. 8 Sep 23 Sep Frenchman Roland Garros flies across the Mediterranean from southern France to Tunis. Last obstacle removed between Atlantic and Pacific oceans to open Panama Canal. 10 Oct 17 Oct Zeppelin L2 explodes killing all 28 on board 1914 G.B. Shaw's play Pygmalion opens in London 13 Apr 21 Apr British King George and Queen Mary visit Paris. Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo Bosnia. 28 Jun 23 Jul Austria issues ultimatum to Serbia Austria declares war on Serbia 28 Jul 29 Jul Russia mobilises its troops German Kaiser declares war on Russia 1 Aug 3 Aug Germany declares war on France Germany invades Belgium resulting in Britain declaring war on her 4 Aug 31 Aug Russian army routed at Tannenberg At battle of the Marne French halt German advance 14 Sep 25 Dec Brief truce on Christmas day on the western front 1915 German Zeppelins bomb Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn 19 Jan 24 Jan Battle of Dogger Bank. British Cruisers sink German Battle Cruiser Blucher. British and French Battleships bombard the Dardanelles Forts. 19 Feb 1 Mar Russians defeat German army at Prasnych. On the Western Front the British take Neuve Chappelle 10 Mar 5 Apr The French begin a broad offensive from the Meuse to the Moselle British begin spring offensive at Ypres 22 Apr 26 Apr Allied Troops go ashore at Gallipoli Cunard Liner Lusitania sunk by German submarine. 8 May 10 May Zeppelins carry out first bombing raid on London Grand coalition government formed in the UK 25 May 6 Jun British aircraft pilot Ft Sub-Lieutenant Reginald Warneford destroys Zeppelin by bombs. Russians lose Lemberg to the Austrians 23 Jun 7 Jul Russians defeat Austo-German troops near Lyublin Russians lose Brest-Litovsk to the Germans 30 Aug 26 Sep Allies open autumn offensive on the western front. British nurse Edith Cavell shot by German firing squad as spy 12 Oct 21 Oct Belgrade occupied by German-Austrian forces Death of great English cricketer W.G. Grace. 23 Oct 12 Dec In Germany Hugo Junkers builds the first all metal aeroplane. Allies evacuate all troops from Gallipoli. 20 Dec 1916 British House of Commons votes for Conscription 6 Jan 14 Jan Breaches of the Zuider Zee dykes in the Netherlands leads to widespread flooding Germans attack Verdun 21 Feb 8 Mar French halt the Germans west of Verdun and retake Corbeaux Irish rebels seize control of the post office in Sackville street and declare Irish Republic 25 Apr 12 May French halt the Germans west of Verdun and retake Corbeaux British and German fleets clash in the Battle of Jutland. 31 May 21 Jun Arabs rise in revolt against the Turks Russians capture most of Galicia from the Austrians 23 Jun 24 Jun Germans begin new Verdun offensive Somme campaign on the western front begins with heavy losses 3 Jul 15 Sep Tanks used on the Western Front. Second Battle of Verdun opens. French break German lines on a four mile front. 24 Sep 2 Nov Germans abandon Verdun Woodrow Wilson narrowly retains the American Presidency 11 Nov 21 Nov Franz Josef the Austrian Emperor dies. David Lloyd George becomes British premier 7 Dec 30 Dec Russian holy man Gregory Rasputin murdered 1917 American legend Buffalo Bill Cody dies 10 Jan 24 Feb Publication of secret Telegram from German foreign minister Zimmermann to Mexican government asking them to declare war on US. American start arm their ships to meet submarine menace 26 Feb 10 Mar Workers riot in Petrograd to protest against war and famine. Czar Nicholas II abdicates. Throne passes to his brother Michael 16 Mar 6 Apr US enters the war 'to save democracy'. British, Canadian and Australian Troops launch spring offensive against the Germans on the Hindenburg line by Arras 11 Apr 16 Apr Germans send Lenin to Russia in sealed train. Mutiny breaks out in part of the French Army. 4 May 26 May German planes bomb south-east coast of Britain Britain introduces the convoy system to counter submarines 1 Jun 7 Jun New Flanders offensive. British capture area south of Ypres German planes bomb London 14 Jun 27 Jun First American troops arrive in France. Russian provision government crushes Bolshevik uprising 16 Jul 26 Jul Germans break through French lines along the river Aisne French break German lines at Verdun. 20 Aug 20 Aug British get bogged down in mud in Thirds battle of Ypres Germans drive Russians out of Riga 17 Sep 30 Sep Czar and family sent to Siberia Italians collapse in front of the Germans around Caporetto 31 Oct 6 Nov Canadian troops capture Passchendaele Russian Bolsheviks overthrow Kerensky government 7 Nov 16 Nov Bolshevik troops take Moscow British capture Jerusalem from the Turks 9 Dec 22 Dec Russian Bolshevik government begins peace talks with the Germans and Austrians 1918 Martial law declared in Germany after a series of strikes by socialist Spartacists Jan 31 6 Feb Women over 30 given the vote in the UK. Russian government signs humiliating peace treaty. 3 Mar 31 Mar Germans make major breakthrough in allied lines around Arras. Royal Air Force formed. 1 Apr 22 Apr Red Baron von Richthofen is shot down. Germans take Soissons and threaten Rheims. 29 May 6 Jun American Marines attack Germans near Chateau Thierry French stop German advance 45 miles from Paris 22 Jun 26 Jun Civil War in Rusia between Bolsheviks and Whites Dutch pass a law to build a dyke closing off the Zuiderzee 13 Jul 16 Jul Russian Czar and his family murdered in cellar. Black day for German army when it was pushed back by Allies around Amiens 8 Aug 30 Sep Allies break through German lines in Flanders T.E. Lawrence leads the Arab army into Damascus 1 Oct 30 Oct Austrian Army evacuated Italian territory Germans appeal for an armistice 31 Oct 3 Nov Austria signs an armistice with the allies Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates; republic declared 9 Nov 11 Nov Germany signs the armistice with the allies Austrian emperor Karl abdicates; republic declared 11 Nov 14 Nov Josef Pilsudski becomes President of Poland Tomas Masaryk becomes President of Czechoslovakia 14 Nov 21 Nov German fleet surrenders to the Royal Navy Lloyd George wins British Election; women over 30 vote for the first time. 28 Dec 1919 Professor Ernest Rutherford splits the atom. 3 Jan 12 Jan Spartacist uprising in Berlin is crushed. First Air Service between London and Paris. 9 Feb 14 Feb American President Wilson succeeded in persuading 27 nations to agree to setting up of League of Nations. Trial flight of British Dirigible airship R34. 5 Mar 11 Mar Famine sweeps Germany and parts of Central Europe British troops under Brigadier-general Dyer massacres protestors at Amritsar in Northern India. 13 Apr 27 May Americans Read and Stone fly the Atlantic to Lisbon in three stages via the Azores. Alcock and Brown fly a Vickers-Vimy biplane non-stop across the Atlantic laning in an Irish bog. 15 Jun 21 Jun German sailors sunk their fleet in Scapa Flow as act of defiance German representatives finally sign Versailles Peace Treaty. 28 Jun 13 Jul British Airship R34 lands at Pulham, Norfolk after a two way crossing of the Atlantic. Wiemar Republic declared in Germany 31 Jul 31 Aug General Jan Smuts becomes Prime Minister of South Africa American Roland Rohlfs sets new altitude record of 34,610 feet in a Curtis Wasp 18 Sep 27 Nov Huge meteor lands in Lake Michigan in the US shaking buildings in nearby cities. Nancy Astor becomes the first British woman MP when she wins Plymouth in a byelection. 28 Nov 10 Dec Smith brothers make the first flight from Britain to Australia.   1900s  |  1910s  |  1920s  |  1930s  |  1940s  |  1950s  |  1960s  |  1970s  |  1980s  |  1990s