1900 William Boog Leishman, Scottish army physician who discovered the protozoan parasite that causes the group of diseases now known as leishmaniasis. He was Knighted in 1909. Leishman discovered the protozoan parasite that causes kala-azar in 1900, using a technique now called Leishman's stain, to examine cells from the spleen of a soldier who had died of kala-azar. 1900 Jarrow Town in Tyne and Wear, northeast England, on the south bank of the River Tyne. The shipbuilding industry was established by the Palmer brothers, and iron works were founded alongside the shipyards. The world's first oil tanker was produced here and some 900 ships were launched from Jarrow prior to 1933. 1901 Hubert Cecil Booth, English inventor of the vacuum cleaner. A mechanic and engineer by trade, he patented an electric machine in 1901 that went into production the following year. 1902 William Maddock Bayliss, English physiologist who discovered the digestive hormone secretin, the first hormone to be found, with Ernest Starling. During World War I, Bayliss introduced the use of saline (salt water) injections to help the injured recover from shock. He was Knighted in 1922. 1904 (John) Ambrose Fleming, English electrical physicist and engineer who invented the thermionic valve in 1904 and devised Fleming's rules. He was Knighted in 1929. 1904 Frederick Frost Blackman, English botanist after whom the Blackman reactions of photosynthesis are named. 1905 Ernest Henry Starling, English physiologist who, with William Bayliss, discovered secretin and in 1905 coined the word `hormone´. He formulated Starling's law, which states that the force of the heart's contraction is a function of the length of the muscle fibres. He is considered one of the founders of endocrinology. 1908 James Mackenzie, Scottish physician and cardiologist who was a pioneer of modern cardiac medicine. He was first to identify a large number of irregularities in the heart's beat and establish which were caused by serious disease and which were of no consequence. 1909 Arthur Lapworth, British chemist, one of the founders of modern physical-organic chemistry. He formulated the electronic theory of organic reactions (independently of English chemist 1910 Francis William Aston, English physicist who developed the mass spectrometer, which separates isotopes by projecting their ions (charged atoms) through a magnetic field. For his contribution to analytic chemistry and the study of atomic theory he was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. 1913 The first purpose-designed aircraft carrier was the British HMS Hermes. 1913 Stainless Steel - alloy of iron, chromium, and nickel that resists rusting. Used for cutlery, kitchen fittings and in surgical instruments, Stainless steel was first produced in the UK in 1913. 1913. The first crossword was devised by Arthur Wynne of Liverpool, England. 1913 William Henry Bragg, English physicist. In 1915 he shared with his son Lawrence Bragg the Nobel Prize for Physics for their research work on X-rays and crystals. He constructed the first X-ray spectrometer 1913. 1913 Arthur Holmes, English geologist who helped develop interest in the theory of continental drift. He also pioneered the use of radioactive decay methods for rock dating, giving the first reliable estimate of the age of the Earth. 1914 Short - British aircraft manufacturers. The Type 184 seaplane was the first aircraft to carry a torpedo and, during the World War I Gallipoli campaign, was the first aircraft to sink an enemy ship with a torpedo. 1915 Frederick Handley Page, English aeronautical engineer who designed the first large bomber. His company produced a series of military aircraft, including the Halifax bomber in World War II. In 1930, Handley Page produced the first 40-seat airliner, the Hercules, a four-engined plane. He was Knighted in 1942. 1916 The 'Tank' - The first effective tracked and armoured fighting vehicle, invented by the British soldier and scholar Ernest Swinton, and first used in the Battle of the Somme 1916. 1919 The first nonstop transatlantic round trip flight was completed by a rigid airship, the British R34. 1919 John William Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown made the first nonstop transatlantic flight, from Newfoundland to Ireland aboard a Vickers Vimy. 1919 The first car-towed caravan was made by Eccles Motor Transport. 1921 John James Rickard Macleod, Scottish physiologist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Frederick Banting in 1923 for their part in the discovery of insulin, the hormone in the pancreas that reduces blood glucose (sugar) levels. Since its discovery, insulin has been used extensively as the main treatment for diabetes. 1924 Frank Watson Dyson, English astronomer. He was especially interested in stellar motion and time determination. He was one of a number of astronomers who confirmed the observations of Jacobus Kapteyn on the proper motions of stars, which indicated that the stars in our Galaxy seemed to be moving in two great streams. These results were later realized to be the first evidence for the rotation of our Galaxy. He initiated the public broadcasting of time signals by the British Broadcasting Corporation over the radio in 1924. 1924 Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, (Baron Blackett) British physicist. He was awarded a Nobel prize 1948 for work in cosmic radiation and his perfection of the cloud chamber, an apparatus for tracking ionized particles, with which he confirmed the existence of positrons. In 1924, working under physicist Ernest Rutherford at Cambridge, Blackett made the first photograph of an atomic transmutation, which was of nitrogen into an oxygen isotope. He continued to develop the cloud chamber and 1932 designed one where photographs of cosmic rays were taken automatically. Later he discovered particles with a lifespan of 10-10 sec, which became known as strange particles. 1925 John Logie Baird, Scottish electrical engineer who pioneered television. In 1925 he gave the first public demonstration of television, transmitting an image of a recognizable human face. The following year, he gave the world's first demonstration of true television before an audience of about 50 scientists at the Royal Institution, London. In 1929 The BBC began broadcasting experimental TV programmes, using Baird's system. 1926 Edward Victor Appleton, British physicist. He worked at Cambridge under Ernest Rutherford from 1920. He proved the existence of the Kennelly-Heaviside layer (now called the E layer) in the atmosphere, and the Appleton layer beyond it, which Appleton measured at about 230 km/145 miles above the Earth's surface (the first distance measurement made by means of radio). He was involved in the initial work on the atom bomb and won the Nobel Prize in 1947. 1927 Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford, British archaeologist. He introduced aerial survey as a means of finding and interpreting remains, an idea conceived during World War I. A leading field archaeologist, he was the first archaeology officer of the Ordnance Survey 1920-46. 1928 John Logie Baird demonstrated colour TV. 1928 Alexander Fleming, Scottish bacteriologist who discovered the first antibiotic drug, penicillin, in 1928. In 1922 he had discovered lysozyme, an antibacterial enzyme present in saliva, nasal secretions, and tears. While studying this, he found an unusual mould growing on a neglected culture dish, which he isolated and grew into a pure culture; this led to his discovery of penicillin. 1930 Frank Whittle, British engineer. He patented the basic design for the turbojet engine in 1930. He had the idea for a jet engine 1928 but could not persuade the Air Ministry of its potential until 1935. He was knighted in 1948. 1932 John Douglas Cockcroft, British physicist. He and Irish physicist Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton succeeded in splitting the nucleus of an atom for the first time. For this they were jointly awarded a Nobel prize 1951. Walton and Cockcroft built the first successful particle accelerator. 1933 (Walter) Norman Haworth, English organic chemist who was the first to synthesize a vitamin (ascorbic acid, vitamin C) in 1933, for which he shared a Nobel prize 1937. He made significant advances in determining the structures of many carbohydrates, particularly sugars. He was Knighted in 1947. 1935 Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, Scottish physicist who developed a forerunner of radar. He proposed in 1935 a method of radiolocation of aircraft - a key factor in the Allied victory over German aircraft in World War II. He was Knighted in 1942. 1936 Alan Mathison Turing, English mathematician and logician. In 1936 he described a `universal computing machine´ that could theoretically be programmed to solve any problem capable of solution by a specially designed machine. This concept, now called the Turing machine, foreshadowed the digital computer. Turing was the first to suggest the possibility of machine learning and artificial intelligence. 1936 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) debuts the world's first television service from Alexandra Palace with three hours of programming a day. 1938 Lionel Sharples Penrose, English physician and geneticist who carried out pioneering work on mental retardation and Down's syndrome. He was the first to demonstrate the significance of the mother's age. 1938 The British steam locomotive Mallard set a steam-rail speed record of 203 kph/126 mph. 1942 James Stanley Hey, English physicist whose work in radar led to pioneering research in radioastronomy. He discovered that large sunspots were powerful ultra-shortwave radio transmitters, and pinpointed a radio source in the Milky Way. 1943 Barnes Neville Wallis, British aeronautical engineer who designed the airship R-100, and during World War II invented the `bouncing bombs´ used by the Royal Air Force Dambusters Squadron to destroy the German Möhne and Eder dams in 1943. He also assisted in the development of the Concorde supersonic airliner and developed the swing wing aircraft. He was Knighted in 1968. 1945 Andrew Fielding Huxley, English physiologist, awarded the Nobel prize in 1963 with Alan Hodgkin for work on nerve impulses, discovering how ionic mechanisms are used in nerves to transmit impulses. He was Knighted in 1974. Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, British physiologist, He devised techniques for measuring electric currents flowing across a cell membrane. Hodgkin and Huxley managed for the first time to record electrical changes across the cell membrane. 1945 J(ohn) Z(achary) Young, English zoologist who discovered and studied the giant nerve fibres in squids, contributing greatly to knowledge of nerve structure and function. He also did research on the central nervous system of octopuses, demonstrating that memory stores are located in the brain. 1948 Frederic Calland Williams, English electrical and electronics engineer who developed cathode-ray-tube storage devices used in many early computers. He took part in building the first stored-program computer 1948. He was Knighted in 1976 1948 Stanley Matthews, English footballer who played for Stoke City, Blackpool, and England. He played nearly 700 Football League games, and won 54 international caps. He was the first Footballer of the Year in 1948 (again in 1963), the first European Footballer of the Year in 1956, and the first footballer to be knighted for services to the game in 1965. 1949 Geoffrey De Havilland, British aircraft designer who designed and whose company produced the Moth biplane, the Mosquito fighter-bomber of World War II, and in 1949 the Comet, the world's first jet-driven airliner to enter commercial service. Knighted in 1944. 1950 (William) Richard Shaboe Doll, British physician who, working with Bradford Hill, provided the first statistical proof of the link between smoking and lung cancer in 1950. - Austin Bradford Hill, English epidemiologist and statistician. He pioneered rigorous statistical study of patterns of disease. He was Knighted in 1961. 1952 John (Rhodes) Cobb, British racing driver. He broke the world land-speed record 1938, 1939, and 1947, setting a personal best time of 634.37 km/h (394.19 mph). He attempted to break the world water-speed record on Loch Ness in Scotland 1952. On his first run he became the first person to break the 200 mph barrier on water, averaging 332.95 km/h (206.89 mph) 1954 Roger Gilbert Bannister, British Athlete, becomes the first to run the Mile in under 4 minutes. 1957 Alick Isaacs, Scottish virologist who, in 1957 discovered interferon, a naturally occurring antiviral substance produced by cells infected with viruses. The full implications of this discovery are still being investigated. 1958 Frederick Sanger, English biochemist. He was the first person to win a Nobel Prize for Chemistry twice: the first 1958 for determining the structure of insulin, and the second 1980 for work on the chemical structure of genes. 1958 Christopher Sydney Cockerell, English engineer who invented the hovercraft in the 1950s. He made a major contribution to aircraft radio navigation and communications. During this period he filed 36 patents. 1958 Vanwall, British motor-racing team and manufacturer - the first winners of the Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship. 1958 Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Irish adventurer, explorer, and writer who made the first land crossing of South America at its widest point in 1958. 1959 Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer. At the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, Cambridge, he developed the technique of sky-mapping using `aperture synthesis´, combining smaller dish aerials to give the characteristics of one large one. His work on the distribution of radio sources in the universe brought confirmation of the Big Bang theory. He was knighted in 1966, and won, with his co-worker Antony Hewish, the Nobel Prize for Physics 1974. 1960 Chris (-tian John Storey) Bonington, British mountaineer. He took part in the first ascent of Annapurna II in 1960, Nuptse in 1961, and the first British ascent of the north face of the Eiger in 1962, climbed the central Tower of Paine in Patagonia in 1963, and was the leader of an Everest expedition in 1975 and again in 1985, reaching the summit. 1962 Dounreay, Site of the world's first fast-breeder nuclear reactor on the north coast of Scotland. 1962 Neil Bartlett, British chemist. He prepared the first compound of one of the inert gases, which were previously thought to be incapable of reacting with anything. 1964 (Michael) Anthony Epstein, English microbiologist who, in collaboration with his assistant Barr, discovered in 1964 the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that causes glandular fever in humans and has been linked to some forms of human cancer. 1964 Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, English biochemist who analysed the structure of penicillin, insulin, and vitamin B12. Hodgkin was the first to use a computer to analyse the molecular structure of complex chemicals, and this enabled her to produce three-dimensional models. She won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964. 1964 Fred Trueman, English cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler of great hostility, he played for Yorkshire 1949-68, and in 67 tests for England 1952-65. Through much of his test career he formed a fine opening bowling partnership with Brian Statham of Lancashire. In 1964 at the Oval, London, he gained special fame by becoming the first bowler to take 300 wickets in test cricket. 1965 Michael Penston, British astronomer at the Royal Greenwich observatory between 1965-90. From observations made with the Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite of hot gas circulating around the core of the galaxy NGC 4151, he concluded that a black hole of immense mass lay at the galaxy's centre. 1966 Harrier - The only truly successful vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing aircraft, often called the jump jet. It was built in Britain and made its first flight in 1966. It has a single jet engine and a set of swivelling nozzles. These deflect the jet exhaust vertically downwards for takeoff and landing, and to the rear for normal flight. Designed to fly from confined spaces with minimal ground support, it refuels in midair. 1967 (Susan) Jocelyn Bell Burnell, British astronomer. She discovered the first pulsar (rapidly flashing star) with Antony Hewish and colleagues at Cambridge University, England. 1968 John Blashford-Snell, British explorer and soldier. His expeditions have included the first descent and exploration of the Blue Nile 1968; the journey N to S from Alaska to Cape Horn, crossing the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia for the first time 1971-72; and the first complete navigation of the Congo-Zaïre River, Africa 1974-75. 1969 Wally (Walter William) Herbert, British surveyor and explorer. His first surface crossing by dog sledge of the Arctic Ocean 1968-69, from Alaska to Spitsbergen via the North Pole, was the longest sustained sledging journey (6,000 km/3,800 mi) in polar exploration. 1969 Concorde - The first and only supersonic airliner, which cruises at Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, about 2,170 kph/1,350 mph. Concorde, the result of Anglo-French cooperation, made its first flight in 1969 and entered commercial service seven years later. It is 62 m/202 ft long and has a wing span of nearly 26 m/84 ft. 1972 Graham Hill, English motor-racing driver. He won the Dutch Grand Prix in 1962, progressing to the world driver's title in 1962 and 1968. In 1972 he became the first Formula One World Champion to win the Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance (Le Mans 24-Hour Race). He was also the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship, Le Mans 24-Hour Race, and the Indianapolis 500 Race in his career as a driver. His son Damon won his first Grand Prix in 1993, making them the first father and son to both win a Grand Prix and then the first father and son to both become World Champion. 1973 The BBC and Independent Television in the UK introduced the world's first teletext systems, Ceefax and Oracle, respectively. 1975 Queen - British glam-rock group 1971-91 credited with making the first successful pop video, for their hit `Bohemian Rhapsody'. 1978 Patrick Christopher Steptoe, English obstetrician who pioneered in vitro fertilization. Steptoe, together with biologist Robert Edwards, was the first to succeed in implanting in the womb an egg fertilized outside the body. The first `test-tube baby´ - Louise Joy Brown, born at Oldham General Hospital, Lancashire. Robert Geoffrey Edwards, British physiologist. In the 1950s Edwards successfully replanted mouse embryos into the uterus of a mouse and he wondered if the same process could be applied to humans. 1982 Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes, British explorer who made the first surface journey around the world's polar circumference between 1979 and 1982. 1986 John Lowe, English darts player. In 1986 he achieved the first televised nine-dart finish at the MFI Championship at Reading. 1991 Tim Berners-Lee, British physicist. Inventor of the Internet - development of the graphical browser Mosaic was the key development that turned the Internet into a mass medium. 1993 Nigel Mansell, English motor-racing driver. First man to simultaneously win the Formula 1 and Indy championships. 1995 Genetic fingerprinting was developed in the UK by Professor Alec Jeffreys, and is now allowed as a means of legal identification. It is used in paternity testing, forensic medicine and inbreeding studies. The world's first national DNA database began operating in the UK April 1995 in accordance with the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. 1997 Thrust SSC (`SuperSonic Car´) goes supersonic. The Land Speed record has been broken many times, Richard Noble's 1993 record of 1,013 kph/633 mph was beaten by Thrust 2, driven by RAF pilot Andy Green at 1,142 kph/714 mph. But on Wednesday 15 October, Thrust SSC became the first 'car' to break the Sound Barrier setting the new record at 1,220.354 kph/762.721 mph. | 
