Every Major World Event That Happened During The Queen's Reign

Queen Elizabeth II ruled for seven decades — making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. And during that time she saw the world go through an incredible amount of change. Wars, political strife, scientific breakthroughs, assassinations, natural disasters, and financial crises: you name it, she lived through it. In truth, it’s humbling to list every major world event that happened during her reign. The Queen really did see it all!

1. The world’s first commercial jet service

Elizabeth had been on the throne for less than three months when the first entry on our list occurred. On May 2, 1952, the world’s first commercial flight took place. The British Overseas Airways Corporation commissioned a de Havilland Comet aeroplane to fly paying customers from London to Johannesburg, and the path toward air travel as we know it today began.

Problems with the Comet

These Comet planes were a lot more spacious and comfortable than most commercial planes today — they only carried between 36 and 44 passengers, yet were the size of Boeing 737s! Unfortunately, problems with the Comets persisted throughout the ’50s, and the very plane which made that first commercial flight crashed on January 10, 1954. Tragically, there were no survivors.

2. Discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure

In 1953 two scientists made a discovery they dubbed “the secret of life.” James Watson and Francis Crick, from King’s College in London, had identified the double-helix structure of human cells. Their discovery was also known as the deoxyribonucleic molecule — or DNA! Genetic engineering, molecular biology, exploring the human genome — it all sprang from this breakthrough.

Controversy over credit

Crick was awarded the Queen’s Medal for his work, and Watson won a Nobel Prize. Over the years, though, it’s come to light that their work expanded upon that of a colleague who never received their level of credit. Rosalind Franklin was an expert in X-ray diffraction and had taken images which showed DNA protein structure as a helix. It’s claimed these pictures were secretly shown to Crick and Watson by her students.

3. The world’s first successful organ transplant

History was made on December 23, 1954, when the world’s first successful organ transplant was carried out. Dr. Joseph Murray was the pioneering surgeon at Boston’s Brigham Hospital who transplanted a kidney from Roland Herrick to his twin Richard, who was suffering from nephritis. Murray had been part of a research project into transplantation since 1947 but had only experimented with human cadavers and dogs. 

New paths to investigate

Murray’s incredible breakthrough helped pave the way for 600,000 people to benefit from organ transplants all over the world. He once said, “My life as a surgeon-scientist, combining humanity and science, has been fantastically rewarding. In our daily patients we witness human nature in the raw — fear, despair, courage, understanding, hope, resignation, heroism. If alert, we can detect new problems to solve, new paths to investigate.”

4. The Cuban Missile Crisis

In October 1962 the United States and the Soviet Union brought the world to the very brink of nuclear war. You see, the Soviets had installed nuclear ballistic missiles in Cuba — missiles which could have struck the East Coast within minutes if launched. Presidents Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually came to an agreement — the missiles would be returned to the Soviet Union, and the U.S. vowed to never invade Cuba — and the world could breathe again. 

Operation Candid

The British government was understandably terrified by how close the world had come to annihilation, so it launched Operation Candid. This was a plan to be used in the event of nuclear war and it would have seen the royal family hidden in the Royal Yacht Britannia, which would float in lochs off the coast of Scotland. This floating bunker would move every night between the mountains, which hid her from Soviet radar.

5. Assassination of JFK

When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, the world went into a state of shock. Few events have been as scarring on the American psyche, and few have provoked as much fierce debate and conspiracy-theorizing over the years. From the Queen’s perspective, she actually knew JFK and his wife Jackie, having entertained them at Buckingham Palace in 1961.

A future that was not to be

Two years after Kennedy’s death, a public memorial was opened in Runnymede, Berkshire — where the Magna Carta was sealed. Jackie and her children attended, and the Queen made a heartfelt speech about the fallen President. She said, “The unprecedented intensity of that wave of grief… was a measure of the extent to which we recognized what he had already accomplished, and of the high hopes that rode with him in a future that was not to be.”

6. The Aberfan mining disaster

A total of 116 children and 28 adults perished on October 21, 1966, when an avalanche of coal-black slurry cascaded down a hill and landed on their school in Aberfan, Wales. It was waste from a nearby mining operation, and the disaster provoked immediate nationwide grief. Prince Philip quickly visited the scene, but the Queen waited eight long days to pay her respects — and it became one of her biggest regrets.

Reduced to tears

Biographer Sally Bechdel Smith claimed the Queen’s reasoning was, “People will be looking after me. Perhaps they'll miss some poor child that might have been found under the wreckage.” When she eventually made it there, the scene reduced her to tears — a rarity for a royal to show public emotion. In the documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen, Sir William Heseltine said, “I think she felt in hindsight that she might have gone there a little earlier.”

7. Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil-rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He had spearheaded the civil rights movement in the U.S. since the ’50s and is remembered to this day for his incredible speeches and non-violent protests against racial segregation. Sadly, his death arguably widened the divide between white and black citizens, and further radicalized activist groups such as the Black Panther Party.

“I’ve seen the promised land”

Poignantly, Dr. King’s speech from the night before his death — at Mason Temple Church in Memphis — seemed to foreshadow what was about to occur. He said that evening, “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land… I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

8. The Moon landing

When Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969, he uttered the instantly memorable phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He was soon joined by Apollo 11 colleague “Buzz” Aldrin and the two astronauts planted an American flag on the moon, declaring the country’s ultimate victory in the Space Race. The world watched on in amazement.

Skills and courage

In total 73 messages from world leaders — etched on tiny discs — were also left on the Moon, including one from the Queen! It read, “On behalf of the British people, I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the Moon. May this endeavor increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind.” She allegedly wasn’t a fan of the idea, though, with her private secretary writing that she felt it was too gimmicky!

9. The end of the Vietnam War

When the North Vietnamese army captured Saigon on April 30, 1975, South Vietnam finally surrendered. The South had already battled on for over two years following the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973, which had taken away the support they’d received from U.S. troops. The withdrawal of America effectively ended a devastating conflict in which many believed it should never have been involved.

An unpopular conflict

In fact, the United Kingdom was one of the countries who steadfastly refused to support the U.S. and its military intervention in Vietnam. While on the throne, the Queen watched anti-war protests take place, with the war proving as unpopular with British subjects as it was with American citizens. In the end, the controversy surrounding the war wound up badly straining the relationship between the two nations.  

10. Smallpox is eradicated

Smallpox — the deadly disease which had affected rich and poor alike throughout history — was declared eradicated on December 9, 1979, by the World Health Organization. To this day, it is still the only infectious disease afflicting mankind that has been stamped out completely. The disease finally died out in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, with the last confirmed case being found in Somalia in 1977.

Awful affliction

While Elizabeth II had no experience with smallpox, her distant predecessor and namesake Queen Elizabeth I survived an encounter with the disease — way back in 1562! She was 29 at the time and it was feared she would perish, but she pulled through with only minimal scarring. It’s salutary to think that it took more than 400 years for this awful affliction to finally stop plaguing humanity.

11. Chernobyl disaster

This infamous nuclear disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, and its effects are still being felt today. The Chernobyl power plant is located in northern Ukraine, which, back then, was still part of the Soviet Union. When a routine test went horribly wrong, two explosions blew the roof off one of the plant’s nuclear reactors, releasing an incredible amount of deadly radiation into the atmosphere.

Deadly legacy

A cement-and-steel structure was erected around the damaged reactor in an attempt to contain the radiation, but the damage had already been done. In ’95, it was estimated 125,000 people had died from various radiation effects — including cancer. The Soviet Union’s secrecy over the event — failing to tell the world about what happened until a Swedish power plant detected excess radiation blowing its way — hastened its demise.

12. Hillsborough disaster

April 15, 1989, is one of the darkest days in the history of English soccer. It was the day 94 Liverpool fans died and 766 more were injured when overcrowding caused a crush in the Leppings Lane stand of Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium. One more fan died a few days later in hospital, and two more followed — in 1993 and 2021 respectively — due to injuries sustained on that fateful day. 

Decades of pain ensue

In the days and weeks following the tragedy, drunken Liverpool fans were blamed for causing the crush. This led to decades of legal proceedings and ill-will — until 2012 when the Hillsborough Independent Panel found the fans were, in fact, unlawfully killed due to a failure of crowd control. In the end, the police — aided by the press — were found to have deflected blame onto the fans to cover up the failings of their response.

13. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War

Following World War Two, the Soviet Union erected an “Iron Curtain” which separated Eastern Europe from the West. Germany was divvied up by the U.K., France, U.S., and the Soviets, who took control of East Germany. It then operated under their regime of communism, and in 1961 the Berlin Wall was built to keep people in the capital — over which control had also been shared — from defecting to the West.

The Queen meets Gorbachev

On November 9, 1989, the wall finally began being torn down by angry, freedom-craving protesters, and it signalled that the Soviet Union was in its dying days. Seven months prior to this, the Queen had met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who had already wanted to reimagine the superpower under his policies of glasnost — “openness” — and perestroika, which meant “economic restructuring.” On December 26, 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved, and the Cold War was over.

14. Apartheid is dismantled

Apartheid — which means “apartness” — was the South-African legislation that made it legal to segregate non-white citizens. It began being dismantled in 1991 thanks in large part to the work of legendary activist Nelson Mandela. Elections in 1994 saw a coalition government brought into power with a non-white majority, and this made the eradication of apartheid official. The Queen visited South Africa in 1995 and met Mandela, who had become President.

“A shining example to the world”

In a heartfelt speech, the Queen said, “You have become one nation whose spirit of reconciliation is a shining example to the world, and I have come back to see for myself what is little short of a miracle.” In fact, she and Mandela became close friends. A statement from his foundation read, “They also talked on the phone frequently, using their first names with each other as a sign of mutual respect as well as affection.”

15. The cloning of Dolly the sheep

July 5, 1996, saw the birth of Dolly the sheep — the world’s first cloned mammal. It was an incredible breakthrough for science, but also one that raised many ethical and moral questions about the nature of cloning that still persist today. Many assumed that the next step would be cloning humans, which sounded terrifying to those who felt it would verge on “playing God.” As of yet, this hasn’t happened, though!

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

But how did Dolly come into being? Well, a Scottish scientist named Ian Wilmut and his team at the Roslin Institute used a technique called SCNT — somatic cell nuclear transfer. They took DNA from a sheep’s mammary cell and put it into an egg cell from another sheep, then implanted that into the uterus of another sheep to be grown until birth. Science is insane, people! 

16. The end of the British Empire

In 1922 the British Empire controlled a mind-boggling 25 percent of the total population and landmass of the earth. Most of these territories had been taken by force and their people enslaved, meaning the legacy of Britain’s colonial past is highly controversial. While Queen Victoria sat on the throne, the Empire grew and grew, but over the course of the 20th century it was systematically dismantled as many countries regained their sovereignty.

The Commonwealth of Nations

It’s generally believed the British Empire finally died on July 1, 1997, when the colony of Hong Kong was peacefully given over to China. It was replaced by the Commonwealth of Nations — 14 territories outside the U.K. who were still happy to be ruled by the British and recognized the royal family as their heads of state. These include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and Belize.

17. The end of The Troubles in Northern Ireland

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended 30 years of terrible conflict in Northern Ireland. When the Queen came into power, the country was ruled by Unionists who were happy to stay part of the United Kingdom. But from ’68 onwards, there began a push from Republicans to leave the U.K. and become part of the Republic of Ireland. The two sides waged war in the form of bombings, assassinations, and riots.

Painful legacy

In 2011 the Queen attended a banquet at Dublin Castle and directly addressed the Troubles. She said, “These events have touched us all, many of us personally, and are a painful legacy… To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy.” She then added, “With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.”

18. Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast of America. It first hit land between Florida and Miami, became more powerful when it reached the Gulf of Mexico, and finally struck Louisiana and Mississippi. It was one of the most powerful hurricanes in history, with winds hitting upwards of 170mph, but it was the aftermath that devastated New Orleans.

Flood risk

As a city, New Orleans sits 6 feet below sea level and is surrounded by the Mississippi River, Lake Borgne, and Lake Pontchartrain. This makes it especially at risk of flooding, and this is exactly what happened when the levees broke due to the pressure of Hurricane Katrina. In total about 1,500 citizens of Louisiana died, while hundreds of thousands of people in New Orleans lost their homes and the repair bill for damage to the city has been estimated at $125 billion.

19. The Great Recession

In 2007 the U.S. housing market bubble burst and it led to the worst economic downturn in world financial markets since the Great Depression. Banks suffered, as a big chunk of their assets were in the form of loans, and businesses were forced to lay off swathes of workers. Millions lost their homes and savings, so even when the recession had turned around by 2009, the damage had already been done.

“Why have these bankers got it all wrong?”

Far from living in an ivory tower, the Queen was reportedly very aware of what was happening during this period. In 2022 Gordon Brown — who was U.K. Prime Minster at the time — told British broadcaster the BBC, “She actually knew better about what was happening to the country,” adding, “It was quite embarrassing.” He noted, “I remember famously she asked, ‘Why have these bankers got it all wrong?’ in 2008.”

20. COVID-19 pandemic

The most recent world event in our list — and one that is still ongoing — is the COVID-19 pandemic. First identified on December 19, 2019, the coronavirus — which causes acute respiratory problems — was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization. Countries all over the world went into unprecedented lockdowns and restricted travel. In response, the Queen made only her fifth televised address in 70 years on the throne. 

We will meet again”

The worried monarch told her subjects in the U.K., “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.” She then added, “We should take comfort that, while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”