Talk:Sir Arthur Harris (Underdog)/@comment-31536368-20170321050715

The First Millennium 100AD - 1000AD

For Britain the start of the first millennium is marked by the presence of the Romans, who brought with them a hitherto unknown level of civilisation, including an efficient communications system, incredible construction skills and even central heating. Following their departure a long and ultimately futile struggle against the invasions and settlement of people from the Continent of Europe saw Britain again become a patchwork of numerous kingships, each loath to relinquish their sovereignty.

Not until the military success of Alfred the Great did England start to find an enduring unity. But at the end of the first millennium AD a major role on the world scene was still some way distant.

The Second Millennium1100AD - 2000AD

During the second millennium the pace of change quickened dramtically. If the Doomsday book revealed a small and rural economy, the centuries that followed transformed the country into a highly advanced industrial nation. Not only did British scientists and engineers lead the way in discovery and inovation but the nation that produced Newton also showed itself capable of giving birth to great writers, poets, artists and composers. The name of Shakespeare, for instance, is known throughout the world and it is appropriate that one of his plays should have provided the edge inscription for the new millennium crown, "WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE', taken from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' and recognizing the dawn of the new millennium as an opportunity to look to the future.



The coin bears Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen introduced in 1998.