Forward Planner: News Anniversaries for the next 6 months
Here's the Expertsources list of some future UK news anniversaries which may spark
ideas for follow-ups & features. It's as accurate as we can make it, but clearly doesn't
include everything or cater for all tastes - two impossible tasks!
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Select Month:- Sep 2026 Oct 2026 Nov 2026 Dec 2026 Jan 2027 Feb 2027
February 2027
5 Years (2022)
Feb 08: COVID-19 pandemic: the number of confirmed cases exceeds 400 million worldwide
Feb 09: Fusion Energy - The biggest breakthrough since 1997 is reported at the Joint European Torus in Oxford, the UK.
Feb 24: Russo-Ukrainian crisis: Russia begins a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting countries to impose even harsher sanctions on Russia's government.
Feb 26: Russian invasion of Ukraine: The EU, US, and their allies commit to imposing further restrictions and other sanctions, fueling a financial crisis in Russia.
Feb 28: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases the second part of its Sixth Assessment Report on climate change. It concludes that many impacts are now "irreversible".
10 Years (2017)
Feb 01: UK MPs vote 494 to 114 backing Brexit Bill to give EU formal notice of leaving.
Feb 02: UK: HBOS banker and 5 other financiers jailed for £245m loans scandal.
Feb 06: Death ex-S.African rugby capt Joost van der Westhuizen, 45 (motor neurone disease).
Feb 08: Death UK comedy writer Alan Simpson, 87 (co-writer 'Hancock's Half Hour'; 'Steptoe & Son').
Feb 13: Death actress Sara Coward from breast cancer, 69 (Caroline Sterling in The Archers).
Feb 13: UK: Co-op Bank puts itself up for sale and inviting offers to buy all of its shares.
Feb 13: Yorkshire batsman Joe Root, 26, appointed new England cricket captain.,
Feb 14: Half brother of N.Korean leader Kim Jong-un killed by poison, Kuala Lumpur.
Feb 14: US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigns over Russia talks allegations.
Feb 20: US food company Kraft Heinz abandons its offer to buy rival Unilever for over £110 billion.
Feb 22: UK: Ian Stewart, 56 guilty of murder of finance, author Helen Bailey, 51 in Herts.
Feb 22: UK: Ms Cressida Dick, 56, is Met Police 1st female Commissioner in 188 years.
Feb 23: UK: Leicester City sack manager Claudio Ranieri 9 months after won Premier League.
Feb 24: 2 UK by-elections. Conservatives take Copeland from Labour for 1st time in 80 years.
Feb 26: Death of Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman, 86 (Father of House of Commons).
Feb 26: Film 'Moonlight' wins Best Picture Oscar (after 'La La Land' mistakenly declared the winner).
Feb 28: Sir Philip Green agrees £363m cash payment to plug gap in BHS pension scheme.
15 Years (2012)
Feb 03: Resignation of UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne in speeding fine scandal.
Feb 06: Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.
Feb 19: Media businessman James Murdoch resigns from News International.
Feb 22: Death of Irish comedian Frank Carson aged 85.
Feb 26: 1st edition of new British newspaper The Sun on Sunday.
Feb 29: Death of British singer Davy Jones aged 66 ('The Monkees').
Feb 29: Death of UK policeman PC David Rathband shot and blinded while on duty.
20 Years (2007)
Feb 06: Death of US singer Frankie Laine ('Mule Train', High Noon', 'Rawhide')
Feb 09: Death of British TV actor Ian Richardson ('House of Cards') aged 72.
Feb 28: Death of Italian-born Scottish hoterlier Charles Forte aged 98.
25 Years (2002)
Feb 06: Official date of Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee (50 years on throne).
Feb 09: Death of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, aged 71.
Feb 09: UK: Singer Will Young is the 1st winner of TV talent competition 'Pop Idol'.
Feb 12: Start of trial of Slobodan Milosevic, ex Yugoslav President, in The Hague.
Feb 16: Death of 1st England football manager Walter Winterbottom (1946-1962) aged 88.
Feb 21: Death of British actor John Thaw aged 60 ('The Sweeney', 'Kavanagh QC', 'Morse').
Feb 27: Death of Irish-born British comedian Spike Milligan aged 83 ('The Goons').
Feb 28: Former currencies of the Euro-joining EU nations cease to be legal tender.
30 Years (1997)
Feb 06: UK: Court of Appeal allows widow Diane Blood to use sperm of her dead husband.
Feb 14: UK: Inquest jury says teenager Stephen Lawrence 'unlawfully killed' by 5 white youths.
Feb 19: Death of Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping aged 92.
Feb 21: UK: 'Bridgewater 3' freed. Served 18 yrs for murder of 13 yr old Carl Bridgewater.
Feb 22: UK: 'Dolly the Sheep' is world's 1st successfully cloned mammal.
Feb 27: Divorce becomes legal in Ireland (banned since independence in 1921).
Feb 27: UK introduces new laws banning most handguns in Britain (after Dunblane shootings).
35 Years (1992)
Feb 01: Camp David: US Pres Bush & Russian Pres Yeltsin declare Cold War to be over.
Feb 07: 12 European Foreign & Finance Ministers ratify Maastricht Treaty.
Feb 10: Death of US author Alex Haley aged 70 ('Roots: Saga of an American Family').
Feb 10: Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson found guilty of rape
Feb 18: UK: BBC broadcasts 1st episode of comedy 'Men Behaving Badly'.
40 Years (1987)
Feb 02: Church of England envoy Terry Waite kidnapped by Islamic militants in Lebanon.
Feb 02: Death of British author Alistair Maclean aged 64 ('Guns of Navarone', 'Ice Station Zebra')
Feb 04: Death of US pianist & entertainer 'Liberace' aged 67.
Feb 04: Death of US pianist & entertainer 'Liberace' aged 67.
Feb 05: UK: Princess Anne appears on episode of BBC sports quiz 'A Question of Sport'.
Feb 11: Privatisation of British Airways & listing on London Stock Exchange
Feb 11: UK: Party organiser Cynthia Payne acquitted of charges of running prostitutes.
Feb 22: Death of American artist Andy Warhol aged 58
Feb 26: Church of England Synod votes in favour of allowing ordination of women.
Feb 27: Death of English stage & film actress Joan Greenwood, 65 ('Kind Hearts & Coronets')
45 Years (1982)
Feb 05: UK: Collpase of budget airline Laker Airways owing £270m.
Feb 25: European Court of Human Rights rules corporal punishment in British schools a violation.
55 Years (1972)
Feb 02: Demonstrators destroy British Embassy in Dublin ('Bloody Sunday' reprisal).
Feb 21: US President Richard Nixon begins historic 6-day visit to China.
Feb 22: IRA kill 5 women & army priest in bomb attack on Army Barracks at Aldershot.
Feb 25: UK miners call off 7 week national strike after offer of improved pay deal.
60 Years (1967)
Feb 20: Birth of American musician Kurt Cobain ('Nirvana').
65 Years (1962)
Feb 07: Birth of British stand up comedian Eddie Izzard.
Feb 10: U2 spy plane pilot Gary Powers exchanged for a Russian spy jailed in United States.
Feb 20: John Glenn is 1st US astronaut to orbit the earth in 'Friendship Seven' spacecraft.
70 Years (1957)
Feb 16: UK: BBC TV broadcasts 1st edition of rock and roll show 'Six-Five Special'.
Feb 19: UK: ITV broadcasts 1st episode of regular drama series 'Emergency Ward 10'.
Feb 27: Birth of British actor Timothy Spall ('Auf Wiedersehen, Pet').
Feb 27: Birth of British actor Timothy Spall.
75 Years (1952)
Feb 01: UK introduces detector vans to track down homes with unlicensed televisions.
Feb 06: UK: King George VI dies in sleep at Sandringham aged 56.
Feb 08: Princess Elizabeth proclaims herself Queen at St James's Palace, London.
Feb 10: Independent India's 1st general election: Jawaharlal Nehru confirmed as Prime Minister.
Feb 10: India's 1st general election: Congress Party leader Jawaharlal is Prime Minister.
Feb 15: UK: State Funeral for King George VI.
80 Years (1947)
Feb 02: Birth of American TV actress Farrah Fawcett ('Charlie's Angels')
Feb 12: Paris: Fashion designer Christian Dior introduces his 'new look' for women.
Feb 21: US scientist & inventor Edwin Land demonstrates 1st 'instant' (Polaroid) camera.
Feb 26: Birth English singer Sandie Shaw. Won of Eurovision Song Contest ('Puppet On A String')
85 Years (1942)
Feb 09: Birth of US singer-songwriter Carole King ('Half Way to Paradise', The 'Locomotion').
Feb 15: WW2: Surrender of British & Commonwealth troops on Singapore to Japanese.
Feb 19: WW2: Japanese planes bomb north Australian town of Darwin.
Feb 28: Birth of English musician Brian Jones ('Rolling Stones').
90 Years (1937)
Feb 16: US chemist Wallace Carothers granted a patent for 'nylon'.
Feb 21: Birth of Australian long distance runner Ron Clarke.
Feb 25: Birth of British actor Tom Courtney ('Billy Liar', 'Dr Zhivago').
95 Years (1932)
Feb 17: Birth of British actor Alan Bates ('Women In Love', 'An Englishman Abroad').
Feb 27: Birth of US film actress Elizabeth Taylor ('National Velvet', 'Cleopatra').
100 Years (1927)
Feb 03: Birth of Irish singer & entertainer Val Doonican.
Feb 14: Birth of Canadian actress Lois Maxwell (James Bond's 'Miss Moneypenny').
Feb 20: Birth of African-American actor Sidney Poitier ('In The Heat of the Night').
110 Years (1917)
Feb 13: WW1: Arrest in France of Dutch dancer Mata Hari for spying for Germany.
Feb 25: Birth of British writer Anthony Burgess ('A Clockwork Orange').
125 Years (1902)
Feb 04: Birth of American aviator Charles Linbergh (1st solo non-stop flight over Atlantic).
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