Born to brave, new world

THE year of Marion Richardson's birth, 1901, began with the death in January of Queen Victoria - pictured - bringing to an end one of the UK's most transformational eras, and the accession of Edward VII.

By The Newsroom

Published 22nd Dec 2010, 14:39 BST

Updated 22nd Dec 2010, 22:44 BST

It was the year in which Britain's first cinema opened, the first electric trams were introduced to London, Glasgow and Portsmouth, while patents for an electric vacuum cleaner and a construction toy later to be named Meccano were lodged.

In 1901, a showing of 71 paintings by Vincent van Gogh in Paris caused a sensation, just 11 years after his death.

Politically, the Tories were in power, with Robert Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury as Prime Minister, while it was the year Winston Churchill became an MP.