• The following list provides important anniversaries that could be commemorated in 2010.
• It can be used by teachers preparing assemblies, extension tasks and one-off lessons.
• I am limiting the list to multiples of 50 years (1960 (50 years ago today), 1910 (100 years ago today), 1860 (150 years ago today) etc).
• This is more meaningful than the “on this day in history” format (there is a 1/365 chance that any event from the entire history of civilisation has a 1/365 chance it happened “today”!)
• If you’d like to add to this list, please contact me with your suggestion or send a tweet using the hashtag #history2010.

1st The United States launches the first weather satellite, TIROS-1. 1960 (50 years ago today)
9th French typesetter Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville sings the French folk song “Au Clair de la Lune” to his phonautograph; producing the world’s earliest known sound recording 1860 (150 years ago today)
17th Eddie Cochran died 1960 (50 years ago today)
19th Melanchthon died 1560 (450 years ago today)
21st Twain died 1910 (100 years ago today)
27th Beethoven composes his famous piano piece, Für Elise. 1810 (200 years ago today)
27th The British House of Commons passes David Lloyd George’s (1909) ‘People’s Budget’ for the second time; it is passed by the House of Lords on 28 April. 1910 (100 years ago today)
27th Togo gains independence from French-administered U.N. trusteeship. 1960 (50 years ago today)