History

27 September 1825: Locomotion No. 1 sets off on the Stockton and Darlington railway, built by George and Robert Stephenson. This is the first ever public railway journey, and this date is considered to be the beginning of the Railway Age. Over the next few…

27 September 1825: Locomotion No. 1 sets off on the Stockton and Darlington railway, built by George and Robert Stephenson. This is the first ever public railway journey, and this date is considered to be the beginning of the Railway Age. Over the next few decades, a railway boom would engulf first Britain and then the world, fuelling the industrial revolution and shrinking travel times. Poor families who had not left their village in generations would soon be able to travel great distances. On this occasion, amid great fanfare, the engine transported around 600 people 8.7 miles - at an average of 8 miles per hour.

On the 4th of September, 925, Æthelstan was crowned King of the Anglo-Saxons. Wearing a crown for the first time instead of a helmet, and holding a ceremony in the Frankish style, his rule marked a shift in identity and the balance of power in Northwestern Europe; he would go on to become the first King of England and one of the most consequential rulers in British history.

Thank you for your attention to this live account of VE Day and the day afterwards. Europe and the world begins to enter the post-war era. However, there is still much to be done. The war with Japan looks likely to grind on for a long time; even with their…

Thank you for your attention to this live account of VE Day and the day afterwards. Europe and the world begins to enter the post-war era. However, there is still much to be done. The war with Japan looks likely to grind on for a long time; even with their cities firebombed, the Japanese government stubbornly holds out. Europe is starkly divided between East and West. Some Allied commanders are even considering "Operation Unthinkable:" an assault against the Soviet Union... In spite of widespread expressions of joy, it is noted that many people in the west are actually quite sad. People obviously do not want to be bombed and terrorised again, but there it is possible that the end of a shared community struggle prompts a sort of melancholy - something known also to the many soldiers, who are aware their time with their comrades is coming to an end. Europe is in ruins, rationing is still in place, and it is clear the old world is dead. It is time to win the peace...

21:00 CET: The Wehrmacht issues their last report over the radio. [Subtitles in link] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kS4PZlF_BM

There is some confusion in Slovenia. Alexander Löhr, commander of Army Group E, has surrendered. However, he seems to have escaped, and his troops are disobeying the order. He is making his way towards Austria. An intense manhunt begins.

07:14 local time: The tiny Channel Islands, off the coat of France, have remained under Nazi occupation despite their close proximity to Normandy, where Allied landings took place last year. Major-General Heine (centre) signs their surrender.

Stutthof concentration camp is liberated by the Red Army. About 100 people survive; most of the others have been taken away on death marches. It is the last concentration camp to be liberated.

Morning: Vidkun Quisling, Nazi-appointed leader of Norway, turns himself in at Møllergata 19 police station. He has lived to see his name become a word for traitor; he believes that "in ten years' time I will have become another Saint Olav."

11:00 local time: Josef Stalin announces that "the Great Patriotic War has concluded." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqFx4fdOgHU

07:14 local time: The tiny Channel Islands, off the coat of France, have remained under Nazi occupation despite their close proximity to Normandy, where Allied landings took place last year. Major-General Heine (centre) signs their surrender.