In the news1879
1879 Tay Bridge collapses killing 75 passengers
In 1879, the two-mile Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm, killing 75 passengers in Britain's largest engineering disaster.
Mar 1873 – 20 Nov 1939
6 facts1 source
Mar 1873
Born
2 Aug 1906
A daughter is born
20 Nov 1939
Dies
She lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1879
In 1879, the two-mile Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm, killing 75 passengers in Britain's largest engineering disaster.
What people wore
Sunday Best as a Status Symbol
Ordinary working-class men and women maintained a Sunday best outfit, often a three-piece suit for men, to symbolize respectability and celebrate the weekly day of rest.
Getting around
Dramatic increases in travel speed by rail
Rail travel speeds significantly outperformed earlier coaches, with journeys that took 20 hours by stagecoach in 1830 taking only five hours by train by the early 20th century. For example, in 1872, a 220-mile trip to Scotland via train and carriage took over 9.5 hours, averaging about 23 miles per hour.
In Europe · 1859–1871Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.
In the news1870
The Education Act of 1870 mandated that school became accessible for everyone in Britain.
Music
Collecting Coins for Dance Music
At platform dances, musicians sometimes used a portable dancing booth with a box placed out front to collect coins from each dancer. This ensured payment for players when the older custom of paying during long-wise country dances became difficult to manage.
Daily life
Compulsory education began in 1880
Compulsory school attendance was established in 1880 for children aged five to ten, helping to increase literacy rates significantly.