January
15th January – Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England in 1559
16th January – Julius Caesar was granted the title Augustus marking the beginning of the Roman Empire in 27 BCE
26th January – 75th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948
27th January – 50th anniversary of the US withdrawing troops from Vietnam in 1973
January sees several significant historical anniversaries you may wish to mark in your classroom.
On 26th January, it will be the 75th anniversary of the assassination of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi. Killed by a Hindu nationalist, Gandhi is considered by many Indians to be the ‘Father of the Nation’ and was a proponent of non-violent protest.
And if your students are studying the Vietnam War, then you’ll be interested to learn that 27th January marks the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1973.
History school trips to Vietnam are really popular at the moment – check out Portsmouth Grammar School’s case study to find out what they got up to and discover how much the students got out of the trip.
February
6th February – British women over the age of 30 obtained the right to vote in 1918
11th February – Henry VIII recognised as Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1531
16th February – 100th anniversary of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber being opened in 1923
25th February – 75th anniversary of Communists seizing power in Czechoslovakia in 1948
For history students, there are a couple of key historical anniversaries in February.
KS3 groups will be interested to learn that 11th February is the anniversary of Henry VIII being recognised as Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1531 - a key event in the Reformation and a pivotal moment in British history.
The later Act of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed the King’s supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognising this.
GCSE students might be more interested in the 75th anniversary of Communists seizing power in Czechoslovakia, which was part of the spread of communism in Eastern Europe and an important event on the road to the Cold War.
March
5th March – 70th anniversary of Stalin’s death in 1953
16th March – 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II apologising in 1998 for the Catholic Church’s failure to challenge Nazi Germany and save Jews from the Holocaust
21st March – Martin Luther King Jr. leads march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965
23rd March – 420th anniversary of death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603
In March, we’ll mark the anniversary of the passing of two key historical figures. On 5th March, it will be 70 years since the death of Stalin and on 23rd March it will be the 420th anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth I. If your students are studying Elizabethan England, you may like to consider a school trip to Kenilworth Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon, where they can learn more about life during this period.
And for any groups studying the civil rights movement, 21st March is the anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous ‘How Long, Not Long’ speech.
April
3rd April – 75th anniversary of Congress ratifying the Marshall Plan in 1948
10th April – Good Friday Agreement signed in Northern Ireland in 1988
15th April – Liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945
16th April – 80th anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943
April is another month full of important historical anniversaries that you may want to mark in your classroom.
On 3rd April it will be the 75th anniversary of Congress ratifying the Marshall Plan, which was designed to help Western Europe recover from the impact of World War 2 and prevent the spread of communism.
And on 16th April it will be the 80th anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – a key event in the Holocaust and the largest single revolt by Jews during the Second World War.
On 10th April it will be the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement which helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. Students can learn more about the significance of this on a school trip to Belfast.
And on 15th April it will be the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne Frank died.
May
2nd May – Fall of Berlin in 1945
8th May – Victory in Europe Day, first celebrated in 1945
12th May – Birth of Florence Nightingale in 1840
There are a couple anniversaries relating to World War 2 in May. The Fall of Berlin took place on 2nd May 1945 and VE Day was first celebrated on 8th May 1945, when the Allies accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender.
And 12th May is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
If your students are studying Medicine Through Time, a school trip to London offers the opportunity to learn more about the life and work of Florence Nightingale at the Florence Nightingale Museum.
June
6th June – Normandy Landings 1944
12th June – Birth of Anne Frank in 1929
22nd June – Checkpoint Charlie dismantled in 1990
26th June – 75th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift in 1948
In June, the big anniversary relates to the Cold War, with 26th June being the 75th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift, when American and British Forces had to drop supplies into West Berlin by air after the Soviets blocked all other access to the Western-controlled part of the city.
If you’re teaching the Cold War, a school trip to Berlin offers a fantastic variety of visits and experiences to bring the period to life and help students to understand the ideological differences between the USSR and the West, as well as learn more about what life was like in a divided city. And you may like to visit our Teacher Zone where you’ll find some FREE Cold War history resources.
6th June is the 78th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, which can be brought to life on a school trip to Normandy. Stay in self-contained accommodation designed for school and youth groups just a stone’s throw from the beaches where the landings took place and explore the many fantastic museums and attractions in the area that bring the event to life.
12th June is the birthday of Anne Frank. Head over to our Teacher Zone to download our FREE Anne Frank timeline poster, to help your students understand her story and experience of the Holocaust. And if you want your students to learn more about Anne and the experience of Dutch Jews during the Holocaust, you may like to check out our trips to Amsterdam.
July
1st July – Start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916
5th July – 75th anniversary of the British National Health Service Act which created the NHS in 1948
10th July – Start of the Battle of Britain in 1940
14th July – Citizens of Paris storm the Bastille in 1789 at the start of the French Revolution
17th July – Potsdam Conference begins in 1945
1st July is the anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The battle was one of the deadliest in human history, with one million men wounded or killed – a third of the total number that took part in the battle.
Now that we’ve gone beyond the centenary of the First World War, it’s more important than ever to keep the memory of this destructive period of human history alive in future generations, so they don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. On a school trip to the Somme, your students will learn more about this deadly battle and will experience what life was like in the trenches of the Western Front.
We’ve also designed a free downloadable classroom poster to help them to better understand what life was like in the trenches.
5th July will mark the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service Act which created the National Health Service. Make sure you check out our medicine through time-themed school trips if your students are studying this!
And, of course, France celebrates its national day on 14th July, when citizens stormed the Bastille prison in 1789 at the start of the French Revolution. If your students are studying this period, you may like to take a look at our school trips to Paris.
August
6th August – Dropping of first atomic bomb used in warfare, ‘Little Boy’, which was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945
28th August – 60th anniversary of MLK’s ‘I have a dream’ speech in 1963
The big anniversary this month will be on 28th August, when we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech. He delivered the speech in front of over 250,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
You can take your students on a school trip to Washington D.C. to learn more about the civil rights movement and wider US political history. They can stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for themselves, to imagine what it must have been like to deliver such a powerful speech to so many people.
September
28th September – 95th anniversary of Alexander Fleming discovering penicillin in 1928
On 28th September it will be the 95th anniversary of the discovery of penicillin by Scottish physician Alexander Fleming in 1928. If your students are learning about the history of medicine, a school trip to Edinburgh offers the exciting opportunity to learn more about the incredible contributions that Scottish scientists have made to the field of medicine!
October
2nd October – Anniversary of the birth of Gandhi in 1869
21st October – Battle of Trafalgar 1805
29th October – 100th anniversary of the end of the Ottoman Empire after WW1
October is a month full of historical anniversaries, from the birth of Gandhi to the Battle of Trafalgar.
29th October will be the 100th anniversary of the end of the Ottoman Empire, when the Republic of Turkey was established in its place in 1923, after the empire’s defeat in WW1 and the victory of the Turkish national movement led by Atatürk in the Turkish War of Independence.
Head to our Teacher Zone where we have some fantastic free downloadable classroom posters, including one on the countries involved in WW1 and another showing the timeline of the end of WW1.
November
8th November – 100th anniversary of Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch
9th November – Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
22nd November – 60th anniversary of the assassination of JFK
28th November – 80th anniversary of the Tehran Conference, the first WW2 conference between the Big Three Allied leaders in 1943
There are three significant historical anniversaries in November 1923.
On 8th November it will be the 100th anniversary of Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch (also known as the Munich Putsch). The putsch resulted in Hitler’s eventual arrest and imprisonment, but it was during his time in prison for this that he wrote Mein Kampf.
It was also the event that really brought Hitler to the attention of the wider German public. Your students can learn more about this and the subsequent rise to power of Hitler and the Nazis on a history school trip to Munich or Berlin.
On 22nd November, it will be the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
And on 28th November it will be the 80th anniversary of the Tehran Conference, which was the first WW2 conference between the Big Three Allied leaders. We’ve designed some free downloadable classroom posters to help your students understand what was discussed at these conferences and how they contributed to the start of the Cold War.
December
1st December – Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery Alabama, 1955
5th December – 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death in 2013
6th December – The Thirteenth Amendment of the US Constitution was ratified in 1865, abolishing slavery in the US
16th December – 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
December will see the anniversaries for two important events in US political history and, in particular, the civil rights movement. On 1st December it will be the anniversary of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955, and on 6th December it will be the anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the US. If your students are learning about the civil rights movement, why not take them on a school trip to Atlanta or New York?
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