This day in history

The Great Exhibition opens to wide acclaim in Crystal Palace in London, England.

The exhibition took place in a giant glass-and-iron hall designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, with over 10,000 exhibitors setting up eight miles of tables. Although technological wonders from around the world were on display, the exposition was clearly dominated by Britain, the premier industrialised nation and workshop of the world.

Conceived by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, the Great Exhibition was a rousing success, hosting six million visitors before it closed in October. The many goods displayed ranged from kitchen appliances to false teeth, silks to farm machinery.

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join the European Union.
 

The Iraq War: On board the USS Abraham Lincoln, President Bush announces that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”
 

The Act of Union comes into force creating Great Britain, a union between England and Scotland.