On This Day

Full of facts and trivia for every day of the year

Do you know when the Duke of Albemarle arranged Britain’s first boxing match, between his butler and his butcher? Or when the first speeding fine was issued for exceeding 2 mph in a built-up area?

On This Day is a fascinating delve into often significant, and sometimes unusual, moments throughout history.

From the Register section of The Times, discover the connections between people, events and places across the centuries and learn intriguing facts about world and British history and popular culture.
A day-by-day approach to the key events for each day across the yearsFamiliar and lesser-known events are connected across the agesUncover little-known historical facts about your own special datesEducational and entertaining facts in equal measureContains a helpful index arranged by year to help you find those key event anniversaries
These fascinating facts, trivia, events, milestones and landmarks are selected from the fields of history, warfare, politics, medicine, science, sport, space exploration, literature, popular culture, etc. Together they offer a blend of key events that have shaped world history or society in one form or other.

About the author

James Owen is an author, historian and journalist who has written regularly for The Times for the last 15 years.