chapter 10 UK history important people William Shakespeare 1564 to 1642 Lea he also dramatized significant events from the past but he did not focus solely on kings and queens he was one of the first to portray ordinary Englishmen and women Shakespeare had a great influence on the English language and invented many words that are still common today lines from his plays and poems which are often still quoted include once more into the breach Henry the fifth to be or not to be Hamlet a rose by any other name Romeo and Juliet all the world's a stage as you like it the Darling Buds of May sonnet 18 shall I compare thee to a summers day many people regard Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of all time his plays and poems are still performed and studied in Britain and other countries today The Globe Theatre in London is a modern copy of the theatres in which his plays were first performed Isaac Newton 1643 to 17 27 born in Lincolnshire eastern England Isaac Newton first became interested in science when he studied at Cambridge University he became an important figure in the field his most famous published work was philosophy a neutralist príncipe Mathematica mathematical principles of natural philosophy which showed how gravity applied to the whole universe Newton also discovered that white light is made up of colors of the rainbow many of his discoveries are still important for modern science richard arkwright 1732 292 born in 1732 art krai originally trained and worked as a barber he was able to dye hair and make wigs when weeks became less popular he started to work in textiles he improved the original carding machine carding is the process of preparing fibers for spinning into yarn and fabric he also developed horse-driven spinning mills that used only one machine these increased the efficiency of production later he used the steam engines power machinery Arkwright is particularly remembered for the efficient and profitable way he ran his factories Sark a Dean Mohammed 1759 to 1851 Muhammad was born in 1759 and grew up in the Bengal region of India he served in the Bengal army and came to Britain in 1782 he then moved to Ireland and eloped with an Irish girl called Jane Daly in 1786 returning to England at the turn of the century in 1810 he opened the Hindustan coffee house in George Street London it was the first curry house to open in Britain Muhammad and his wife also introduced shampooing the Indian art of head massage to Britain Richard Kipling 1865 to 1936 Rudyard Kipling was born in India in 1865 and later lived in India the UK and the USA he wrote books and poems set in both India and the UK his poems and novels reflected the idea that the British Empire was a force for good Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 his books include just-so stories and the Jungle Book which continued to be popular today his poem if has been voted among the UK's favourite poems it begins with these words if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowance for their doubting too if you can wait and not be tired by waiting or being lied about don't deal in lies or being hated don't give way to hating and yet don't look too good nor talk too wise if Richard Kipling Florence Nightingale 1822 1910 Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents at the age of 31 she trained as a nurse in Germany in 1854 she went to Turkey and worked in military hospitals treating soldiers who are fighting in the Crimean War she and her fellow nurses improved the conditions of the hospitals and reduced the mortality rate in 1860 she established the Nightingale training school for nurses at st. Thomas's Hospital in London the school was the first of its kind and still exists today as do many of the practices Florence used she is often regarded as the founder of modern nursing Alexander Fleming 1881 to 1955 born in Scotland flowing moved to London as a teenager and later qualified as a doctor he was researching influenza the flu in 1928 when he discovered penicillin this was then further developed into a usable drug by the scientists Howard Florey and Ernst chained by the 1940s it was in mass production Fleming won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1945 penicillin is still used to treat bacterial infections today Mary Peters 1939 born in Manchester Mary Peters moved to Northern Ireland as a child she was a talented athlete and won an Olympic gold medal in the pentathlon in 1972 after this she raised money for local athletics and became the team manager for the women's British Olympic team she continues to promote sport tourism in Northern Ireland and was made a dame of the British Empire in 2000 in recognition of her work Margaret Thatcher 1925 to 2013 Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a grocer from Grantham in Lincolnshire she trained as a chemist and lawyer she was elected as a Conservative MP in 1959 and became a cabinet minister in 1970 as the Secretary of State for Education and science in 1975 she was elected as leader of the Conservative Party and so became leader of the Opposition following the conservative victory in the general election in 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister of the UK she was the longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century remaining in office until 1990 during her Premiership there were a number of important economic reforms within the UK she worked closely with the United States President Ronald Reagan and was one of the first Western leaders to recognize and welcome the changes in the leadership of the Soviet Union which eventually led to the end of the Cold War Roald Dahl 1916 to 1990 Roald Dahl was born in Wales to Norwegian parents he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War it was during the 1940s that he began to publish books and short stories he is most well known for his children's books although he also wrote for adults his best-known works include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and George's marvellous medicine several of his books have been made into films Winston Churchill 1874 to 1965 Churchill was the son of a politician and before becoming a Conservative MP in 1900 was a soldier and journalist in May 1940 he became prime minister he refused to surrender to the Nazis and was an inspirational leader of the British people in a time of great hardship he lost the general election in 1945 but returned as Prime Minister in 1951 he was an MP until he stood down at the 1964 general election following his death in 1965 he was given a state funeral he remains a much admired figure to this day and in 2002 was voted the greatest Briton of all time by the public during the war he made many famous speeches including lions which you may still hear I have nothing to offer but blood toil tears and sweat Churchill's first speech to the House of Commons after he became prime minister 1940 we shall fight them on the beaches we shall fight them on the landing grounds we shall fight in the fields and in the street we shall fight in the Hills we shall never surrender speech to the House of Commons after Dunkirk 1940 never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few speech to the House of Commons during the Battle of Britain 1940 Clement Attlee 1883 to 1967 Clement Attlee was born in London in 1883 his father was a solicitor and after studying at Oxford University Atlee became a barrister he gave this up to do social work in East London and eventually became a Labour MP he was Winston Churchill's Deputy Prime Minister in the wartime coalition government and became prime minister after the Labour Party won the 1945 election he was prime minister from 1945 to 1951 and led the Labour Party for 20 years at least government undertook the nationalization of major industries like coal and steel created the National Health Service and implemented many of beverages plans for a stronger welfare state Atlee also introduced measures to improve the conditions of workers William Beveridge William Beveridge later Lord beverage was a British economist and social reformer he served briefly as a Liberal MP and was subsequently the leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords but is best known for the 1942 report social insurance and allied services as the beverage report the report was commissioned by the wartime government in 1941 it recommended that the government should find ways of fighting the five giant evils of want disease ignorance squalor and idleness and provided the basis for the modern welfare state Dylan Thomas 1914 to 1953 Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer he often read and performed his work in public including for the BBC his most well-known works include the radio play Under Milk Wood first performed after his death in 1954 and the poems do not go gentle into that good night which he wrote for his dying father in 1952 he died at the age of 39 in New York there are several memorials to him in his birthplace Swansea including a statue and the Dylan Thomas Center [Music] you