I often wonder what significant anniversaries are due at some point in the future as some of them might be of interest as triggers for blog posts or visits somewhere. However, it is often difficult to find out quickly what events have significant anniversaries - hence this section on the website.
By "significant anniversaries", I mean dates that are not, for example, the 73rd anniversary of something, but the 50th, 100th, 200th etc.
It should help to flag up interesting events.
Significant anniversaries during December 2020
| Anniversary | Details |
| 1st | The first opposite-sex couples are granted civil partnerships in England and Wales by amended legislation under the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act of 26 March. (31st Dec 2019) |
| 1st | In the general election, the Conservative Party, led by Boris Johnson, achieves a majority of 80 seats in the House of Commons, while the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, suffers major losses resulting in their lowest proportion of seats since 1935. The Scottish National Party wins a landslide in Scotland, winning 48 of the 59 seats. (12th Dec 2019) |
| 1st | Virgin Trains cease operations on the West Coast Main Line after running trains on the line since 9 March 1997. They are replaced the following day by Avanti West Coast. (7th Dec 2019) |
| 5th | Storm Eva causes more intensive flooding in northern England, with homes evacuated in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and rivers overflowing in Manchester and Leeds. (25th Dec 2015) |
| 5th | British astronaut Tim Peake becomes the first Briton under the banner of the European Space Agency to set foot on the International Space Station. (15th Dec 2015) |
| 5th | The Forth Road Bridge in Scotland is closed due to structural defects, and the Scottish Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, declares that it will not be reopened until January 2016. (4th Dec 2015) |
| 10th | Greater Gabbard wind farm first generates electricity. (29th Dec 2010) |
| 10th | Mark Weston, the first person to face a second murder trial in the United Kingdom following the abolition of the double jeopardy rule in England and Wales, is convicted of killing a woman in Oxfordshire in 1995. He is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 13 years. (13th Dec 2010) |
| 10th | The coalition government wins a vote in the House of Commons to raise the cap on university tuition fees in England to £9,000 with a majority of 21. (9th Dec 2010) |
| 10th | The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal returns to Portsmouth for the last time before being decommissioned. The amphibious warfare ship HMS Albion is announced as her successor as the Royal Navy's flagship. (3rd Dec 2010) |
| 10th | Heavy snow and freezing temperatures now affect most of the country, with road, rail and air services disrupted and thousands of schools shut. Gatwick and Edinburgh Airports are both closed. (1st Dec 2010) |
| 60th | The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom. (31st Dec 1960) |
| 60th | The first episode of the world's longest-running television soap opera Coronation Street is broadcast. (9th Dec 1960) |
| 70th | The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park. (28th Dec 1950) |
| 70th | The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951. (25th Dec 1950) |
| 75th | Britain receives its first shipment of bananas since the beginning of the war. (31st Dec 1945) |
| 80th | In The Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, killing almost 200 civilians. (29th Dec 1940) |
| 80th | World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield as a result of a German air raid. (12th Dec 1940) |
| 275th | Charles Edward Stewart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the second Jacobite Rising. (4th Dec 1745) |
| 600th | Henry V of England enters Paris. (1st Dec 1420) |
| 850th | Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II. (29th Dec 1170) |
Alternatively, see all anniversaries for this month.
Or... select a different date below:
