1951 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1951 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

*Monarch - King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee Labour Party, Winston Churchill Conservative Party

Events

* 11 April - The Stone of Scone is located in Forfar, having been stolen by Scottish Nationalists.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 17 April - the submarine HMS "Affray" sinks, killing its 75 crew. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/17/newsid_2847000/2847935.stm|title="Fears for crew of lost British submarine", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* March - "Pineapple Poll", a Gilbert and Sullivan inspired comic ballet, created by choreographer John Cranko with arranger Sir Charles Mackerras is premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre by the Sadler's Wells Ballet. [cite book |title= The Hutchinson Factfinder |publisher= Helicon |year= 1999 |isbn= 1-85986-000-1 ]
* 3 May - George VI opens the Festival of Britain. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/3/newsid_2481000/2481099.stm|title="King George opens Festival of Britain", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 28 May - first broadcast of "The Goon Show" radio series.
* 7–8 June - Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean defect to the USSR.cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/lostdecade/timeline_html.shtml|title=The Lost Decade Timeline, BBC|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 10 July - Boxer Randy Turpin beats the American Sugar Ray Robinson in a fight in London to become world middleweight champion.
* 15 August - the first Miss World beauty pageant is held as part of the Festival of Britain.
* 14 September - Clement Attlee opens the largest oil refinery in Europe at Fawley on Southampton Water. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/14/newsid_3051000/3051902.stm|title="Refinery opens as oil row continues", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 23 September - George VI has an operation to remove part of his lung. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/23/newsid_3083000/3083301.stm|title="King has lung operation", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 30 September - Festival of Britain ends. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/30/newsid_3161000/3161521.stm|title=Festival closes to applause, BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 26 October - Conservative Party under Winston Churchill wins the general election, regaining the position of Prime Minister that he lost six years ago. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/26/newsid_3687000/3687425.stm|title="Churchill wins general election", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 31 October - Zebra crossings, a type of pedestrian crossing, introduced.
* 2 November - 6,000 British troops are sent to Egypt to deal with anti-British disturbances at Fayid in the Suez Canal Zone of the country. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/2/newsid_3167000/3167115.stm|title="6,000 British troops flown into Egypt", BBC News|accessdate=2008-01-06]
* 20 November - More than 1,000 families of British servicemen begin to move out of the Suez Canal Zone of Egypt after a shooting which claimed the lives of five British soldiers as well as nine Egyptian civilians. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_3204000/3204331.stm|title="1951: British families leave Egypt's Canal Zone", BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-03]
* 20 November - The 1951 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are announced, to mark the resignation of Prime Minister Clement Attlee. ["The Times", Friday, November 30, 1951; pg. 6; Issue 52172; col G: "The Resignation Honours: Earldom For Lord Jowitt".]
* 10 December - John Cockcroft wins the Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Ernest Walton "for their pioneer work on the transmutation of atomic nuclei by artificially accelerated atomic particles". [cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1951/|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1951|accessdate=2008-02-03]

Undated

* The first three National parks of England and Wales are established: Snowdonia, the Peak District and the Lake District.

Publications

* Agatha Christie's novel "They Came to Baghdad".
* Graham Greene's novel "The End of the Affair".
* C. S. Lewis' novel "Prince Caspian".
* Nicholas Monsarrat's novel "The Cruel Sea".
* Anthony Powell's novel "A Question of Upbringing", first in the 12-volume cycle "A Dance to the Music of Time".
* John Wyndham's novel "The Day of the Triffids".

Births

* 5 January - Steve Arnold, footballer
* 30 January - Phil Collins, musician and producer
* 14 February - Kevin Keegan, footballer and football manager
* 15 February - Jane Seymour, actress
* 20 February - Gordon Brown, Prime Minister
* 27 February - Steve Harley, musician (Cockney Rebel)
* 1 March - Mike Read, television presenter and radio disc jockey
* 4 March - Kenny Dalglish, footballer and football manager
* 4 March - Chris Rea, singer and musician
* 13 April - Peter Davison, actor
* 14 April - Julian Lloyd Webber, cellist and composer
* 20 April - Louise Jameson, actress
* 25 April - Ian McCartney, politician
* 8 June - Bonnie Tyler, singer
* 14 June - Paul Boateng, politician
* 28 June - Lalla Ward, actress
* 24 July - Chris Smith, politician
* 19 August - John Deacon, bassist (Queen)
* 22 September - David Coverdale, singer
* 26 September - Stuart Tosh, musician
* 27 September - Paul Craig, professor of law
* 2 October - Sting, musician
* 15 November - Alamgir Hashmi, poet
* 19 November - Lord Falconer of Thoroton, politician
* 8 December - Bill Bryson, American-born British author
* 10 December - Doug Allder, footballer
* 20 December - Peter May, novelist and television dramatist

Deaths

* 25 February - Percy Malcolm Stewart, industrialist (born 1872)
* 6 March - Ivor Novello, actor, musician, and composer (born 1893)
* 6 April - Robert Broom, paleontologist (born 1866)
* 14 April - Ernest Bevin, labour leader, politician, and statesman (born 1881)
* 22 April - Horace Donisthorpe, myrmecologist (born 1870)
* 24 April - James Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay, businessman and public servant (born 1857)
* 11 June - W. C. Sellar, humourist (born 1898)
* 3 July - Gwendoline Davies, philanthropist (born 1882)
* 21 August - Constant Lambert, composer (born 1905)
* 27 September - Robert Thomas, politician (born 1873)
* 29 September - Evan Roberts, preacher (born 1878)
* 11 October - Donald Cameron, 25th Lochiel, Scottish chieftain (born 1876)

References

ee also