1952-2012 – 60 years under Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of England

1952-2012 – 60 years under Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of England

THE Queen became the fourth longest-reigning monarch in 1,000 years of English history during her Golden Jubilee anniversary in 2002.

In 2008, she overtook the 56-year record of Henry III (1216-1272), and in 2012 she will overtake the 59-year record of George III (1760-1820).

So what’s happened while Queen Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth the Second) has been the Queen of England?

Well, as you might expect, quite a lot!

Let’s go (this is a brief version, you understand – there’s quite a bit to squeeze in!).

On February 6^th 1952, Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father, King George VI
In 1965, the death penalty was abolished
1966 – England won the football (soccer) World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley Stadium)
In 1967, The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and abortion and homosexuality were legalized
March 2^nd 1969, Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner, made its maiden flight
February 6^th 1971 – the first British soldier was killed in Northern Ireland's 'Troubles'
February 15^th 1971 – decimalized currency replaces 'pounds, shillings and pence'
January 30^th 1972 – the British army killed 14 people in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on Bloody Sunday
January 1^st 1973 – Britain joined the European Economic Community
July 25^th 1978 – the world's first test-tube baby was born in Oldham, Lancashire
May 3^rd 1979 – Conservative Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister
August 27^th 1979 – the IRA killed the Queen's cousin, Lord Mountbatten
June 24^th 1981 – the Humber Bridge opened in Hull, Humberside, the longest single-span bridge in the world (at that time)
April 2^nd 1982 – Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands
October 12^th 1984 – IRA bombers struck at the Conservative conference in Brighton
July 13^th 1985 – Live Aid took place at Wembley Stadium, London and JFK Stadium, Philadelphia
1989 – Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web
January 17^th 1991 – Liberation of Kuwait began as Allies launch Operation Desert Storm
May 6^th 1992 – the Channel Tunnel opened, linking London and Paris by rail
May 1^st 1997 – Labour won the general election, with Tony Blair as prime minister
July 1^st 1997 – Britain handed Hong Kong back to China
August 31^st 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris
September 11^th 2001 – Islamic terrorists crashed aircraft on targets in New York and Washington
October 7^th 2001 – Britain joined the US in strikes on Taleban-controlled Afghanistan
March 20^th 2003 – Britain joined the US in an invasion of Iraq
July 6^th 2005 – London was named host city of the 2012 Olympic Games
July 7^th 2005 – Suicide bombers kill 52 people on London's transport system
December 2005 – Civil partnerships gave same-sex couples legal rights
2002 – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee

Celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee included a nationwide tour, culminating in a four-day-long weekend when local street parties were held. The Queen lit a beacon on June 3 and started a firework display and chain of beacons.

London Underground (Tube) ran trains through the night over the extended holiday period, and you can expect the same thing to happen in the summer of 2012 as the Queen of England celebrated 60 years as the head of the monarchy.