1. 300 AD
   740 AD
2. 1066 AD

The 1066 Battle of Stamford Bridge and Battle of Hastings were key points in British history. Thanks to these battles, William was established as the first Norman King of England. This ultimately resulted in the Anglo-Saxon language merging with French to form the modern English language,

1. 1583
   1683
2. 1783

With the American Revolution, Britain fought a tough battle with its own American colonies. By signing the Sept. 3, 1783 Treaty of Paris, Britain put an end to colonial rule in America and recognized the former colonies as the newly formed United States,

1. 1929
   1939
2. 1949

On Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, both Britain and France declared war on Germany. By the time the war ended in 1945, 50 million people around the globe had been killed.

1. June 1
   Aug. 4
2. Nov. 11

Britain and its allies signed an armistice with Germany on Nov. 11, 1918, bringing an end to WWI. Since then, November 11th has been celebrated as Remembrance or Armistice day in Britain.

1. 1307
   1407
2. 1607

On May 14, 1607, around 100 people from England settled at Jamestown, in modern-day Virginia. Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America, and served as the capital of the Virginia colony until the end of the century.

1. 1188
   1588
2. 1888

In July 1588, 130 ships known as the Spanish Armada set out to attack England. The English defeated the unbeatable Armada on July 29, 1588 -- and only about half of those ships made it back to Spain intact. It was a decisive victory for the Brits.

1. 1979
   1999
2. 2009

The British prime minister is roughly equivalent to the U.S. president. Britain got its first female PM in 1979 with the election of Margaret Thatcher, who remained in the role until 1991.

1. 1333
   1533
2. 1733

Henry VIII was determined to wed Anne Boleyn, despite the small fact that he was already married at the time. To make the marriage happen, Henry rejected the pope and formed the Church of England before wedding Anne on Jan. 25, 1533. She gave birth to their daughter Elizabeth I that September, then Henry had her beheaded just two years later.

1. 1105
   1605
2. 1905

On Nov. 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of associates plotted to blow up Parliament -- and failed. Every November 5th, Brits burn effigies of Fawkes to celebrate the failure of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.

1. 1569
   1769
2. 1969

While the steam engine wasn't invented by James Watt, he did patent a version with a separate combustion chamber in 1769. The invention sent Britain into the Industrial Revolution, and reshaped society and the economy.

1. 1987
   1997
2. 2007

Diana Spencer became Princess Diana when she married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. The pair divorced in 1996, but Diana remained an icon. She was killed in a Paris car crash on Aug. 31, 1997.

1. 1932
   1952
2. 1972

Born in 1926, QEII took the throne on Feb. 6, 1952. She eventually went on to become one of the longest reigning monarchs in history, celebrating 65 years as Queen with her Sapphire Jubilee in February 2017.

1. 1015
   1215
2. 1515

The Magna Carta, or Great Charter, was issued by King John in 1215. It set the foundation for modern British law, and limited the power of the king for the first time in history.

1. 1894
   1914
2. 1934

Britain entered WWI by declaring war on Germany on Aug. 4, 1914. By the time the war ended, more than 700,000 British soldiers had been killed.

1. 1851
   1951
2. 1991

From May to October 1851, London's Hyde Park was home to an impressive structure known as the Crystal Palace. The facility played host to the Great Exhibition, which has since been recognized as the first World's Fair.

1. 1805
   1875
2. 1925

The 1805 Battle of Trafalgar took place during Napoleon's reign. By defeating the French in this battle off the Spanish coast, the British discouraged Napoleon from ever attempting to invade British soil.

1. 1759
   1809
2. 1859

Charles Darwin flipped the scientific world on its head with the publication of "On the Origin of Species" on Nov. 24, 1859. Though his theories on natural selection were extremely controversial, they were largely accepted by the time of his death in 1882.

1. 1964
   1984
2. 1994

The Channel Tunnel -- or Chunnel -- opened on May 6, 1994. This rail tunnel beneath the English Channel connected Britain to mainland Europe for the first time in modern history.

1. 1908
   1948
2. 2012

As of 2018, London is the only city in the UK to have played host to the Olympics. The city hosted the games in 1908, 1948 and 2012.

1. 1688
   1788
2. 1888

The battle to overthrow the Catholic James II and win the throne for the Protestants William and Mary was known as the Glorious Revolution. It took place from 1688 to 1689, leaving William and Mark firmly in control of the throne.

1. 1996
   2006
2. 2016

On June 23, 2016, British voters elected to leave the European Union, with 51.9% of voters agreeing it was time to part ways. The referendum set the official departure date at March 29, 2019.

1. 1096
   1421
2. 1692

Believe it or not, teaching has been going on at Oxford since 1096. The oldest residence halls at the esteemed university date back to around 1249.

1. 1948
   1968
2. 1988

The National Health Services was established July 5, 1948. Since then, every British citizen has been entitled to free, taxpayer-funded healthcare.

1. 1666
   1766
2. 1866

From Sept. 2-6, 1666, fire burned throughout the city of London. By the time the fire was out, 16 people had died and 80 percent of the city was completely destroyed.

1. 1142
   1442
2. 1642

Britain experienced a Civil War from 1642 to 1651. King Charles I and Charles II fought and lost against Parliament. It was the last Civil War to take place on English soil.

1. 1973
   1986
2. 1999

Britain became a member of the European Economic Community (later the EU) on January 1, 1973. Two years later, Brits voted on a referendum regarding whether the country should remain in the EU. More than 67 percent of voters chose to stay.

1. 443 BC
   43 AD
2. 643 AD

The Romans invaded and conquered Britain in 43 AD. About 100 years earlier, Julius Caesar had tried to do the same thing, but couldn't quite complete the conquest. Roman rule in Britain had virtually ended by the 5th century.

1. 1507
   1707
2. 1907

Thanks to the Treaty of Union, England and Scotland joined forced to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The treaty took effect on May 1, 1707.

1. 1328
   1738
2. 1938

Ratified on May 1, 1328, the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton was an agreement reached between England and Scotland. It established Scotland as an independent nation for the first time, recognized the King of Scotland as its monarch and established borders between the two nations.

1. women's rights
   slavery
2. education

The Education Act of 1870 provided for universal education in Britain, establishing school boards and non-denominational schools throughout the nation. A similar Act a decade later made education compulsory for kids 10 and under, and by 1891, most school fees had been eliminated.