Quick Facts Cheat Sheet
All 100 essential facts from the official handbook on one page. Perfect for quick review before your test.
Key Acts & Legislation
- 1215Magna Carta: reduced the rights of the king and laid out basic rights for the people.
- 1535ā1542Laws in Wales Acts (under King Henry VIII): united England and Wales.
- 1679Habeas Corpus Act: forbade unlawful imprisonment.
- 1689Bill of Rights: confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the king's power.
- 1707Act of Union: united the kingdoms of England and Scotland, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1832Reform Act: abolished pocket and rotten boroughs, gave more parliamentary seats to towns and cities.
- 1833Emancipation Act: abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. William Wilberforce was the leading campaigner.
- 1918Women gained the right to vote at age 30 and over.
- 1928Women gained equal voting rights at age 21, the same as men.
- 1913Home Rule proposed in Ireland: idea of a self-governing Ireland with its own parliament.
- 1921Peace treaty signed, splitting Ireland into two parts.
- 1944Education Act (R A Butler): introduced free secondary education and a clear distinction between primary and secondary schools.
Historical Eras
- 43ā410 ADRomans ruled Britain for approximately 400 years. Hadrian's Wall built to keep out the Picts in what is now Scotland.
- 1066ā1485Middle Ages: period of constant war, including the Crusades and the Hundred Years' War.
- 1500sElizabethan period: known for growing patriotism, expanded trade, and rich poetry and drama.
- 1700sThe Enlightenment: development of new ideas about politics, philosophy, and science. Adam Smith (economics) and David Hume (philosophy) were influential Scottish thinkers.
- Mid-1700s to 1800sIndustrial Revolution: Britain produced over half the world's supplies of cotton cloth, coal, and iron. Machinery and steam power were developed.
- 1837ā1901Victorian Age: Queen Victoria reigned. Britain increased power and influence abroad, becoming the largest empire in world history.
Modern Era
- State retirement pension and free school meals introduced before World War I.
- 1900sThe jet engine and radar were invented in Britain. The television (John Logie Baird), hovercraft (Sir Christopher Cockerell), and the World Wide Web (Sir Tim Berners-Lee) were all British inventions.
- 1929Great Depression: high unemployment, especially in heavy industries. Aviation and automobile industries developed.
- 1942Beveridge Report (William Beveridge): set out ideas that led to the foundation of the modern welfare state.
- 1945ā1950NHS and social security system established. Clement Attlee was Prime Minister.
- 1947Nine colonies gained independence, including India, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
- 1950sPost-war labour shortages led to recruitment of workers from India, Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh.
- 1960sIncreased wealth and liberalisation of social laws (e.g. abortion and divorce). The Beatles and The Rolling Stones rose to fame.
- 1973UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC).
- 1998Good Friday Agreement led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
- 1999Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly established.
Battles & Wars
- 1066William of Normandy conquered England at the Battle of Hastings. The Bayeux Tapestry commemorates this event.
- 1314Battle of Bannockburn: Scottish King Robert the Bruce defeated the English.
- 1455ā1485War of the Roses: civil war between the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the House of York (white rose). Ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor became King Henry VII.
- The last of the Welsh rebellions had been defeated by the mid-15th century.
- 1588The Spanish Armada was defeated under Elizabeth I.
- 1640English Civil War began. Parliament (Roundheads) vs the King (Cavaliers). Charles I introduced a Prayer Book that Puritan-led Parliament opposed. King's army defeated at Marston Moor and Naseby. King Charles I was executed.
- 1776American colonies declared independence over taxation.
- 1805Battle of Trafalgar: Lord Horatio Nelson (of Nelson's Column) defeated the combined French and Spanish fleet.
- 1815Battle of Waterloo: the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon.
- 1889ā1902Boer War in South Africa.
- 1916Battle of the Somme (WWI): British forces suffered 60,000 casualties on the first day alone.
- 1918World War I ended at 11:00 on 11 November.
- 1939German invasion of Poland led UK and France to declare war on Germany.
- 1940Evacuation of Dunkirk (WWII): rescue of 300,000 men by volunteers and small boats.
- 1940Battle of Britain (WWII): aerial battle between German and British forces.
- 1982Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.
Key Events
- 1348The Black Death killed over one-third of the population of Britain. Led to labour shortages, increased wages, and movement into towns and cities.
- 1400English became the preferred language of the royal court and official documents.
- 1660The Restoration: Charles (King of Scotland) was invited back as King Charles II after Oliver Cromwell's death.
- 1665The Great Plague struck London.
- 1688The Glorious Revolution: English Protestants asked William of Orange (Mary's husband, from the Netherlands) to become king, as they did not want a Catholic king. He faced no resistance.
- During Queen Elizabeth I's reign, English settlers began to move to North American colonies.
Key People
- 1721ā1742Sir Robert Walpole: first Prime Minister (King George I relied on ministers due to poor English).
- 1640sā1650sOliver Cromwell: titled Lord Protector, led Britain while it was without a monarch.
- King Alfred the Great: united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and defeated the Vikings.
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel: engineer famous for bridges, trains, tunnels, and ships.
- Dylan Thomas: Welsh poet, known for Under Milk Wood and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.
- Robert Burns: Scottish poet known as 'The Bard', wrote Auld Lang Syne.
- Richard Arkwright: efficient and profitable factory owner during the Industrial Revolution.
- Sake Dean Mahomet: set up the first curry house in Britain and introduced shampooing.
- Florence Nightingale: founder of modern nursing.
- Emmeline Pankhurst: leader of the suffragette movement.
- Rudyard Kipling: Indian-born author and poet.
- George and Robert Stephenson: famous pioneers of railway engines.
- St Columba and St Augustine: led Christian missionaries to Britain.
- Sir Francis Drake: Elizabethan sailor who helped defeat the Spanish Armada and sailed around the world.
- Pre-1720The Huguenots: French Protestants fleeing persecution who settled in England.
- Henry VIII: famous for marrying six times and breaking away from the Church of Rome. Wales was united with England under his rule.
- Margaret Thatcher: first female Prime Minister and the longest-serving PM of the 20th century.
- 1928Alexander Fleming: Scottish doctor who discovered penicillin.
- Clement Attlee: Churchill's Deputy PM, became PM in 1945. Nationalised major industries and created the NHS.
- Mary Peters: Olympic gold medallist who promoted sport and tourism in Northern Ireland.
- Roald Dahl: Welsh author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and George's Marvellous Medicine.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Scottish author and creator of Sherlock Holmes.
- 1990Sir Tim Berners-Lee: British inventor of the World Wide Web. First successful transfer on 25 December 1990.
- 1930sAlan Turing: British mathematician who developed the theory of the Turing machine, influential in computer science.
Values & Government
- Fundamental principles of British life: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, and participation in community life.
- The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- Crown Dependencies: the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. They have their own governments.
- The monarch is the Head of State. The Prime Minister is the head of government.
- Parliament has two chambers: the House of Commons (elected MPs) and the House of Lords (appointed/hereditary).
- General elections are held at least every five years. The party with the most seats forms the government.
- The Speaker is the chairperson of the House of Commons and is politically neutral.
- The Cabinet is a committee of senior ministers chosen by the Prime Minister.
- The judiciary is independent of the government.
- The UK is a member of the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and NATO.
- Devolved administrations: the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), the Welsh Parliament (Senedd), and the Northern Ireland Assembly (Stormont).
Culture & Society
- The Church of England is the established church. The monarch is its head. It is a Protestant church.
- Patron saints: St George (England, 23 April), St Andrew (Scotland, 30 November), St David (Wales, 1 March), St Patrick (Northern Ireland, 17 March).
- The Union Flag (Union Jack) is made up of the crosses of St George, St Andrew, and St Patrick.
- The national anthem is God Save the King (or Queen).
- Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) is celebrated on 5 November, marking the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
- Remembrance Day is on 11 November. People wear poppies and observe a two-minute silence.
- William Shakespeare: born in Stratford-upon-Avon. Wrote plays including Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet.
- Charles Dickens: author of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
- The Proms is an annual eight-week summer season of orchestral concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
- Cricket, football, rugby, tennis, and golf are popular sports. Cricket originated in England.
- The Ashes is a famous cricket series between England and Australia.
- Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
- The Grand National is a famous horse race held at Aintree, Liverpool.
- Notable UK landmarks: Big Ben, the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, the Giant's Causeway, Snowdonia, and the Lake District.
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