November  

1        1959. The first stretch of the M1 motorway was opened.

2        1871. The practice of taking photographs of all prisoners began in Britain. Known as "The Rogues' Gallery".

3        1975. The underwater North Sea pipeline was opened by the Queen.

4        1605. Guy Fawkes, the Gunpowder Plot conspirator, was arrested.

5        1927. Britain's first automatic traffic lights began use in Wolverhampton.

6        1975. The Sex Pistols' first-ever public performance at St. Martin's College, London was cut short after 10mins.

7        1783. The last-ever public hanging in England took place at Tyburn.

8        1958. Melody Maker magazine published the first British album charts.

9        1965. Capital punishment was abolished in Britain.

10    1871. Henry Morton Stanley ended his search for explorer David Livingstone at LakeTaganyika, Africa.

11    1918. Signing of the Armistice ending the First world War.

12    1944. The German battleship, Tirpitz, was sunk by the RAF.

13    1851. The London to Paris telegraph service began operation.

14    1952. The New Musical Express published Britain's first pop singles chart.

15    1837. Pitman's shorthand system was published.

16    1928. Obscenity charges were brought in London against Radclyffe Hall's lesbian novel "The Well of Loneliness".

17    1970. Stephanie Rahn became the first Sun newspaper page three girl.

18    1987. The London Underground fire disaster at King's Cross killed 30 people.

19    1850. Alfred Tennyson was appointed Poet Laureate.

20    1759. The British fleet destroyed the French fleet at the battle of Quiberon Bay preventing the planned invasion of England.

21    1990. The Cold War was formally ended by the Charter of Paris.

22    1946. Biro pens, invented by Hungarian Laszlo Biro, first went on sail in Britain.

23    1963. The first episode of Doctor Who was televised by the BBC.

24    1859. Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" was first published.

25    1941. HMS Barham was sunk with the loss of 868 lives.

26    1703. The Great Storm hit Britain and 8,000 people lost their lives.

27    1970. The Gay Liberation Front held its first demonstration in London.

28    1660. The Royal Society was chartered in London.

29    1947. The United Nations approved Britain's plan for the partition of Palestine.

30    Saint Andrew's Day. Patron Saint of Scotland.

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