Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Apr
05
Apr
09
May
22
May
31
The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320-foot-high Elizabeth Tower, begins ticking over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time on May 31, 1859. The great bell's strikes are first heard a few weeks later, on July 11.
In this This Day in History video, take a look at May 31, the day in 1859 when the Big Ben clock tower was set up in St. Stephen’s tower above the British House of Commons, and also the day in 1961 when South Africa became an independent republic and withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations. In 2005 on this day, Mark Felt made himself known as the secret deep throat source in Watergate.
Oct
16
Nov
24
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British naturalist Charles Darwin, is published in England on November 24, 1859. Darwin’s theory argued that organisms gradually evolve through a process he called “natural selection.” In natural selection, organisms with genetic variations that suit their environment tend to propagate more descendants than organisms of the same species that lack the variation, thus influencing the overall genetic makeup of the species.
A First Edition Of Charles Darwin'S Groundbreaking Origin Of Species Goes On Display At Christie'S King Street, The Book, Which Was Published 150 Years Ago, Is Expected To Fetch Somewhere In The Region Of £50K. Christie'S London. (Photo by John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)
UK Press via Getty Images
Dec
02
Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.
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