On 23rd May…

1931 - Whipsnade Zoo opened for the first time. It was the world’s first zoological park; a place where people could see animals in natural surroundings with plenty of space rather than cages.

On 24th May…

1153 - Malcolm IV became King of Scotland at the age of twelve. He had the nickname Malcolm the Maiden after swearing a vow of chastity.

1873 - Alexandra Palace was opened in time to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday. There were fireworks, concerts and recitals. It was to be an entertainment venue for Victorian London but unfortunately it was destroyed by a fire just sixteen days after its opening. A second palace was designed and built on the same site within two years.

On 25th May…

 1660 - Charles II landed back in Dover to take the throne and begin the restoration of the monarchy; ending eleven years of military rule and the Commonwealth led by Oliver Cromwell.

On 26th May…

1940 - The evacuation of Dunkirk, codenamed Operation Dynamo, began in order to save the lives of thousands of British, Canadian, French and Belgian soldiers trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk by advancing German troops. Hundreds of boats and vessels of all shapes and sizes answered the call to help and by 4th June over 330,000 Allied troops had been brought across the English Channel back to the safety of British shores.

On 27th May…

1914 - Joseph Wilson Swan died. He was a British scientist who invented an early electric lightbulb. His home was the first in the world to be lit by electric lights. Did you know that his design was used by Thomas Edison years later? In fact, Thomas Edison’s design was so similar to Swan’s that he was sued for patent infringement; the British courts ruled in favour of Joseph Swan and as a punishment, Edison had to make Joseph Swan a partner in his electric company. 

On 28th May…

On 29th May…

1953 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth standing at 8,848 metres above sea level.