Society

Interactive timelines: Comparing the reigns of Victoria and Elizabeth

The Victorian and Elizabethan eras were marked by massive change

Queen Elizabeth II passed Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-serving monarch on Sept. 9, 2015. Read our coverage here.

23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes. It sounds like a vast expanse of time in general, especially to hold one position, yet it is precisely how long Queen Victoria reigned as Britain’s monarch, a record mark that Queen Elizabeth II will crack on Sept. 9. But perhaps the best way to give some sense of the remarkable stretch of time is to showcase the stunning amount of change that transpired over the course of both the Victorian and Elizabethan eras. There are some remarkable similarities. At Year 30 of each reign, the queens each took part in a monumental event for Canada: becoming a Dominion in 1867 for Victoria, and patriating the Constitution in 1982 for Elizabeth. Below, a pair of timelines show some of the biggest events under Victoria and Elizabeth II’s 63-year rules.

QUEEN VICTORIA

QUEEN ELIZABETH

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