Timeline of Manchester history facts for kids

Manchester is a famous city in northwest England with a long and interesting history. It started as a small Roman fort and grew into a huge industrial city, especially known for its cotton factories. Today, Manchester is a lively city known for its music, sports, and science. This timeline shows some of the most important moments in its past.

Early History (Before 1000 AD)

• Around 79 AD: The Romans built a wooden fort called Mamucium in the Castlefield area.
• 200 AD: The wooden fort was replaced with a stronger stone one. A small town started to grow around it.
• 407 AD: The Roman army left Britain, and their forts and towns were abandoned.
• Around 870 AD: The Nico Ditch, a large ditch, was dug.

Middle Ages (1000–1499)

• 1080s: The area around "Mamecester" (Manchester) was given to Albert de Gresle.
• 1227: A special document called a charter was given for a yearly fair to be held at Acresfield, which is now St Ann's Square.
• 1301: Manchester received a new charter, making it a borough governed by a reeve (a local official).
• Around 1350: Weavers from Flanders (modern-day Belgium) came to Manchester and started the textile industry, which became very important.
• 1368: The Salford Old Bridge was built across the River Irwell, connecting Manchester with Salford.
• 1421: St Mary's Church became a collegiate church, which meant it had a group of clergy living together. This church later became Manchester Cathedral.

16th Century (1500s)

• 1515: Manchester Grammar School was founded by Bishop Hugh Oldham. It was one of the first free grammar schools in England.
• 1552: The building that is now the Old Wellington Inn was constructed.

17th Century (1600s)

• 1603: The plague hit Manchester, and about a quarter of the people living there died.
• 1620: Fustian, a type of strong cotton fabric, was woven in Manchester for the first time.
• 1637: Silk was woven in Manchester for the first time.
• 1639: William Crabtree was one of the first people to scientifically observe a transit of Venus (when Venus passes in front of the Sun).
• 1642: During the English Civil War, Royalist forces tried to capture Manchester but failed.
• 1656: Chetham's Hospital opened as a school for poor children. Chetham's Library also opened, becoming Britain's first free public library.
• 1687: The first known horse race meeting took place on Kersal Moor.

18th Century (1700s)

Early 1700s

• 1712: St Ann's Church was officially opened.
• 1715: During the Jacobite rising of 1715, James Stuart was declared King in Manchester. Later, Jacobite riots led to the destruction of the Cross Street Chapel.
• 1719: The first newspaper and the first book were printed in Manchester.
• 1724–1727: Daniel Defoe described Manchester as "one of the greatest... villages in England" in his book.
• 1729: The first Cotton Exchange was built.

Mid-1700s

• 1734–1736: The Mersey and Irwell Navigation was completed, allowing boats to reach Manchester.
• 1745: During another Jacobite rising of 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart's army marched through Manchester.
• 1752: The Manchester Royal Infirmary was founded as a small hospital.
• 1759: Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, was given permission to build the Bridgewater Canal. He hired James Brindley as the engineer.

Late 1700s

• 1761: The Bridgewater Canal opened, bringing coal from the Duke of Bridgewater's mines to Stretford. It was later extended to Castlefield.
• 1777: Manchester was shaken by an earthquake strong enough to ring church bells.
• 1781: The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society was founded, a group for discussing science and ideas. The "Manchester Infirmary, Lunatic Asylum and Public Baths" also opened, offering the country's first public baths.
• 1782: Shudehill Mill opened as a cotton mill, powered by Richard Arkwright's new machines.
• 1785: James Sadler made a balloon flight from Manchester.
• 1786: The Manchester Academy opened, a school founded by Presbyterians. Around 14 Jewish families also settled in Manchester.
• 1790: Piccadilly Mill became the first cotton mill in Manchester to be powered directly by a steam engine. St Mary's Hospital was founded for mothers and babies.
• 1792: The Manchester and Salford Police Act created Police Commissioners to manage the night watch, fire engines, and street maintenance.
• 1793: The Manchester Penny Post was launched, the first such postal service outside London.
• 1794: John Dalton gave an important paper on colour blindness to the Literary and Philosophical Society.
• 1796: The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal and the Ashton Canal were mostly completed, improving transport for goods.
• 1798: Old Mill, part of the Murrays' Mills complex, was completed. It is the oldest surviving mill in the city. Nathan Mayer Rothschild moved to Manchester to trade textiles.

19th Century (1800s)

Early 1800s

• 1801: The first national census showed Manchester's population was 78,727.
• 1803: John Dalton's atomic theory was first announced in Manchester.
• 1804: The Rochdale Canal opened, becoming the first canal to cross the Pennines mountains.
• 1806: The Portico Library, a beautiful building designed in the Greek style, opened as a library and newsroom.
• 1812: Food riots took place in Shudehill and Deansgate.
• 1815: The number of cotton warehouses in Manchester reached 1,819, showing its importance in the cotton trade.
• 1816: Manchester gained a piped water supply.
• 1817: The first Manchester gasworks was built, providing street lighting and gas to the public.
• 1819: The Peterloo Massacre happened in St Peter's Field. Cavalry charged into a crowd of protesters, killing 15 people and injuring over 400.

Mid-1800s

• 1821: The Manchester Guardian newspaper was founded.
• 1824: The Mechanics' Institute was established, which later became part of the University of Manchester.
• 1825: The Old Town Hall in King Street was completed.
• 1830: The Liverpool & Manchester Railway, the world's first passenger railway operated by steam locomotives, officially opened. The Manchester Royal Infirmary was granted its "Royal" prefix.
• 1831: The population of Manchester reached 142,000.
• 1832: The 1829-51 cholera pandemic struck Manchester, killing 674 people. Richard Cobden settled in Manchester, becoming a key figure in the textile industry.
• 1833: Joseph Whitworth started his business making very precise machine tools.
• 1836: Belle Vue Zoological Gardens opened.
• 1838: The Anti-Corn Law League was founded in Manchester by Richard Cobden and John Bright. Manchester became a municipal borough, with Thomas Potter as its first mayor.
• 1839: The first section of the Manchester & Leeds Railway opened. George Bradshaw published the first national railway timetable in Manchester.
• 1840: The first (temporary) Free Trade Hall was built.
• 1841: The Manchester & Leeds Railway opened fully, becoming the first railway to cross the Pennines.
• 1842: Friedrich Engels moved to Manchester to work for his family's textile business. He later wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England based on his observations here.
• 1844: Manchester Victoria railway station opened. New back-to-back houses were banned in Manchester.
• 1845: Karl Marx visited Friedrich Engels in Manchester, and they studied together in Chetham's Library.
• 1846: Queen's Park, Hendham Hall, Philips Park, Clayton, and Peel Park, Salford opened as some of the world's first free public parks.
• 1847: The Anglican Diocese of Manchester was created, and St Mary's Church became Manchester Cathedral.
• 1848: Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life, was published.
• 1849: The Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway opened, becoming the first suburban railway.

Late 1800s

• 1851: Owens College, which later became the University of Manchester, was established. The population of Manchester grew to over 300,000.
• 1852: The public library in Tonman Street became the first in England to offer free book lending.
• 1853: Manchester was granted city status. The number of cotton mills in Manchester reached its peak at 108.
• 1854: Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South, set in a fictional Manchester, began publication.
• 1856: The third and final Free Trade Hall was completed.
• 1857: The Art Treasures of Great Britain exhibition was held in Trafford Park, one of the largest art displays ever. The orchestra that played for visitors became The Hallé.
• 1858: The Hallé gave its first concert as a permanent orchestra.
• 1861: The American Civil War began, leading to the Lancashire Cotton Famine (1861–1865) as cotton supplies were cut off.
• 1863: The North of England Co-operative Wholesale Industrial and Provident Society Limited, which became The Co-operative Group, was registered in Manchester.
• 1867: Lydia Becker started the Manchester Women's Suffrage Committee, one of the first groups to fight for women's right to vote.
• 1868: The first national Trades Union Congress meeting was held in Manchester. Strangeways Prison opened. The Manchester Evening News newspaper was first published. The foundation stone for the new Manchester Town Hall was laid.
• 1869: Arthur Brooke opened his tea merchant's business, Brooke Bond.
• 1870: Alexandra Park opened to the public. Friedrich Engels moved permanently to London from Manchester.
• 1872: Charles Prestwich Scott became editor of The Manchester Guardian.
• 1874: The third Royal Exchange for cotton dealers was completed. Manchester High School for Girls opened, providing academic education for girls.
• 1876: Isabella Banks' novel The Manchester Man was published.
• 1877: The first horse tramway service began in the city. The new Manchester Town Hall, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, was officially opened.
• 1878: The team that would become Manchester United F.C. was formed as Newton Heath Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Football Club.
• 1879: The first public telephone exchange in Britain outside London opened in Manchester. Southern Cemetery opened.
• 1880: Victoria University was chartered, including Owens College. The permanent Manchester Central railway station officially opened. The team that would become Manchester City F.C. played its first recorded football match as St Marks (West Gorton).
• 1881: The Manchester Regiment of the British Army was formed.
• 1882: The Royal Manchester Institution building became the Manchester Art Gallery.
• 1883: Women were first allowed to study for degrees at Owens College.
• 1885: The Manchester Ship Canal was authorised. Harpurhey, Bradford-with-Beswick, and Rusholme became part of the city.
• 1887: The Royal Jubilee Exhibition was held. Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal began.
• 1888: The new Manchester Museum building opened.
• 1889: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was founded in Didsbury. Victoria Square Dwellings, Manchester's first council housing, were built. The Whitworth Art Gallery was founded.

20th Century (1900s)

Early 1900s

• 1900: John Rylands Library officially opened. Manchester's Osborne Swimming Club won gold in water polo at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
• 1901: Manchester Corporation Tramways began public electric tram services.
• 1902: Manchester United F.C. was formed from Newton Heath. Heaton Park was sold to Manchester City Council for public use.
• 1903: The Victoria University of Manchester became an independent university. The Midland Hotel, Manchester opened. The militant Women's Social and Political Union was founded by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst in Manchester.
• 1904: Manchester City F.C. won the FA Cup, becoming the first Manchester team to win a major trophy. Charles Rolls and Henry Royce met in Manchester, leading to the creation of Rolls-Royce motor cars. Moss Side, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Withington, Burnage, and Didsbury became part of the city.
• 1905: Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst were imprisoned after interrupting a political rally, marking the start of militant suffragette actions.
• 1906: Victoria Baths opened.
• 1907: Ernest Rutherford became head of the Physics Department at Victoria University of Manchester. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry the following year.
• 1908: Manchester United F.C. won their first major trophy, the Football League First Division title. The Hallé gave its first concert as a permanent orchestra. Annie Horniman opened the Gaiety Theatre, Britain's first regional repertory theatre. Vimto was invented in Manchester.
• 1909: Gorton and Levenshulme became part of the city.

Mid-1900s

• 1910:' Avro aircraft factory was established in Manchester. Manchester United F.C. played their first game at Old Trafford. Frenchman Louis Paulhan won the Daily Mails London to Manchester air race.
• 1911: The Ford Motor Company assembled its first Model T car at its plant in Trafford Park.
• 1912: Manchester Opera House opened.
• 1913: Suffragettes smashed glass in paintings at Manchester Art Gallery and planted a bomb in Alexandra Park.
• 1917: Ernest Rutherford, at the Victoria University of Manchester, achieved nuclear transmutation, discovering the proton.
• 1919: Manchester-born John Alcock and Manchester-raised Arthur Whitten Brown made the first nonstop transatlantic flight.
• 1922: The British Broadcasting Company began radio broadcasts from its Manchester station 2ZY, including the BBC's first children's programme.
• 1923: Manchester City F.C. played their first game at Maine Road.
• 1924: The Manchester Cenotaph, a war memorial, was unveiled.
• 1926: Greyhound racing began at Belle Vue Stadium, the first track in Britain.
• 1929: Manchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome opened as Britain's first municipal airport.

Late 1900s

• 1930: Barton Aerodrome opened as Britain's first permanent municipal airport.
• 1931: The population of Manchester reached its highest ever at 766,311.
• 1934: The circular Manchester Central Library was opened.
• 1938: Manchester Airport at Ringway opened.
• 1939: "Operation Pied Piper" began, evacuating children from Manchester due to the war.
• 1940: The Manchester Blitz saw heavy German air raids, causing widespread damage to the city, including Cross Street Chapel, the Free Trade Hall, and Manchester Cathedral.
• 1941: The prototype of the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber first flew from RAF Ringway. Old Trafford football stadium was severely damaged by air raids.
• 1945: Matt Busby became manager of Manchester United F.C..
• 1947: Mary Latchford Kingsmill Jones became the first woman Lord Mayor of Manchester.
• 1948: Manchester United won the 1948 FA Cup Final. The world's first working program was run on an electronic stored-program computer, the Manchester Baby.
• 1949: Manchester Corporation Tramways ran its last regular service. Old Trafford football stadium reopened after being rebuilt.
• 1951: Ferranti delivered the first commercially available electronic computer, the Ferranti Mark 1, to the University of Manchester.
• 1953: Tom Kilburn at the University of Manchester developed a device for floating-point calculations, leading to the first transistorized computer.
• 1956: Granada Television launched. Manchester United F.C. became the first English team to play in the European Cup. Bobby Charlton made his debut for Manchester United.
• 1958: The Munich air disaster killed 8 Manchester United F.C. players and 23 people in total.
• 1960: The first episode of the soap opera Coronation Street was aired.
• 1961: Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, visited Manchester and was greeted by a huge crowd.
• 1962: The CIS Tower was completed, becoming the tallest building in the UK outside London for a short time. Manchester was twinned with Saint Petersburg in the Soviet Union.
• 1966: The Mancunian Way elevated motorway was officially opened. Bob Dylan performed at the Free Trade Hall, where he was famously booed for playing with an electric band.
• 1967: The Stockport air disaster occurred when a plane crashed on approach to Manchester Airport, killing 72 people.
• 1968: Manchester United F.C. became the first English team to win the European Cup. Cotton trading at the Royal Exchange stopped.
• 1969: Manchester Central and Manchester Exchange railway stations were closed. The North Western Museum of Science and Industry, now the Science and Industry Museum, opened.
• 1970: BBC Radio Manchester opened. Manchester Polytechnic was formed.
• 1973: A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded in Manchester. The Royal Northern College of Music was formed.
• 1974: The City of Manchester became a metropolitan borough of the new Greater Manchester County Council. Piccadilly Radio began broadcasting.
• 1975: Manchester Arndale shopping centre opened.
• 1976: Royal Exchange Theatre opened.
• 1977: Belle Vue Zoological Gardens closed as a zoo.
• 1979: A major fire at a Woolworths store in Piccadilly Gardens killed eleven people. Castlefield was designated as a conservation area.
• 1981: The 1981 Moss Side riot took place.
• 1982: The rock band The Smiths was formed. The Haçienda nightclub opened. Pope John Paul II held a Mass at Heaton Park attended by 200,000 people.
• 1983: The Science and Industry Museum opened at the Liverpool Road station site. The city was twinned with Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) in East Germany. The rock band The Stone Roses was formed.
• 1985: British Airtours Flight 28M caught fire on the runway at Manchester Airport, killing 55 people. Cornerhouse arts venue opened.
• 1986: The G-Mex Centre opened in the former Manchester Central railway station. Alex Ferguson became manager of Manchester United F.C..
• 1988: The Windsor Link Line opened, connecting railway services across Manchester.
• 1990: The 1990 Strangeways Prison riot occurred. Manchester lost its bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• 1991: The rock band Oasis played their first gig.
• 1992: The Manchester Metrolink light rail system opened. Manchester United F.C. won the Football League Cup for the first time. Manchester Polytechnic became Manchester Metropolitan University. Two Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs exploded in Manchester.
• 1993: Manchester lost its bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics.
• 1994: The People's History Museum opened. The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology became an independent university. The Manchester Ship Canal was formally opened by Queen Victoria. First water from Thirlmere in the Lake District was delivered to Manchester.
• 1995: Manchester Arena opened at Victoria station.
• 1996: The 1996 Manchester bombing: A large lorry bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army devastated the city centre, but no one was killed due to a successful evacuation. Bridgewater Hall opened as a concert venue.
• 1997: Hulme Arch Bridge opened. The Spinningfields development began.
• 1998: Trafford Centre retail complex opened.
• 1999: Manchester United F.C. completed a continental treble (winning three major trophies in one season).

21st Century (2000s-Present)

• 2000: The Lowry art gallery and theatre complex opened in Salford Quays. The Printworks entertainment complex opened.
• 2002: Imperial War Museum North opened in Trafford Park. The City of Manchester Stadium opened, hosting the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
• 2004: A fire in the Guardian telephone exchange cut off 130,000 telephone lines. The Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology merged to form a new University of Manchester. Graphene was rediscovered and studied by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester.
• 2005: The "B of the Bang" sculpture was unveiled, Britain's tallest self-supporting sculpture.
• 2006: The Beetham Tower opened, becoming the tallest building in the UK outside London at the time.
• 2007: The first Manchester International Festival was held. The Manchester Civil Justice Centre opened.
• 2010: Nancy Rothwell became the first woman President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester.
• 2011: The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was established. Parts of Manchester were affected by the 2011 England riots.
• 2014: The Airport Line (Manchester Metrolink) opened, connecting the city to Manchester Airport station.
• 2017: The Manchester Metrolink Second City Crossing opened. Andy Burnham became the first Mayor of Greater Manchester. The Ordsall Chord opened, improving rail links.
• 2018: The South Tower in Deansgate Square surpassed Beetham Tower as the tallest building in the UK outside London.
• 2019: Manchester Museum returned sacred items to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders communities.
• 2020: Manchester went into a nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
• 2023: Manchester City F.C. completed a continental treble. The Bee Network, an integrated route network for Greater Manchester including buses, trams, cycling, and walking, was launched.
• 2024: Co-op Live, the UK's largest indoor arena, officially opened in Manchester.