South Pole
Shackletons ship, the Nimrod, leaves Port Lyttlelton for the South Pole
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1908 in Great Britain
Explore 83 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1908.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1908
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 83 unique records.
83Unique records
1 of 3Page
32Named events on this page
19Named people on this page
11Places on this page
January
Birth of Stephane Grappelli
Birth of Stephane Grappelli
Masjed Soleyman Third Well Drilled
The concession syndicate begins drilling a third well at Masjed Soleyman after failures at earlier sites.
February
Birth of John Mills
Birth of John Mills, born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills
March
Resignation of Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Resigns as Prime Minister of Great Britain
Mount Erebus
Leads the first ascent of Mount Erebus with Douglas Mawson and Alistair Mackay during Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition
South Pole
Climbs Mt Erebus, the worlds southernmost active volcano
April
First Premiership Begins
Is appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Prime Minister of Great Britain
Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1st term
Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Cabinet
Appointed Member of Cabinet for the 1st time, age 33
Election
Must be elected to Parliament since offerred a place in the Cabinet
Election
Loses a bi-election in Manchester North West
President of Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Election
Accepts an invitation to stand as prospective Liberal Member of Parliament for Dundee
Election
Loses the North-West Manchester by-election by just 429 votes
Death of Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Dies after having been dogged by ill health
Reform of Parliament
Introduces a Bill to the House of Commons to set up Wage Boards
May
Member of Parliament
Elected Member of Parliament for Dundee with a Liberal majority 2,709
Birth of Robert Morley
Birth of Robert Morley
Commercial Oil Struck at Masjed Soleyman
A major oil reservoir is struck at Masjed Soleyman, transforming the prospects of D'Arcy's Persian concession.
June
Legislation
Introduces a state scheme for old age pensions in the Invalid & Old Age Pensions Act
Old Age Pension Scheme
Introduces a state scheme for old age pensions.
Reform of Social Welfare
Introduces a state scheme for old age pensions in the Invalid & Old Age Pensions Act
Death of Frederick Arthur Stanley
Death of Frederick Arthur Stanley
July
Reform of Workplace Conditions
Introduces the 2nd reading of the Mines Eight Hour Bill
August
Old Age Pensions
The Old Age Pensions Act creates non-contributory pensions for eligible elderly people.
Marriage
Churchill gets engaged to Clementine Hozier
South Pole
The Endurance leaves Plymouth for Buenos Aires
September
Marriage
Marries Clementine Hozier
Marriage
Signs the registar for Churchills marriage to Clementine Hozier
Birth of Edris Albert Eddie Hapgood
Birth of Edris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood
Marriage
Marries Winston Churchill
November
Birth of Vivien Fuchs
Birth of Vivien Fuchs
Other events (month unknown)
1908 FA Cup Final Double
Scores twice in the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Crystal Palace, helping Wolves claim their second FA Cup.
1st Flight
Makes the 1st powered flight in the UK
A Room with a View
Publication of "A Room with a View"
Armament
Appoints a committee of Lloyd George, Churchill & Harcourt for War Office estimates
Boy Scouts
Founds the Boy Scout movement
Captain
Appointed Captain
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.