A hacker stole a script for Downton Abbey's series finale, which stars Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham  Photo: ITV

Will Edith finally find happiness with Bertie Pelham? Photo: Carnival Films

1912

The Titanic sinks and 1,500 people perish

(Picture: Getty)

At Downton Abbey... James Crawley and his brother Patrick drown leaving the Earl of Grantham without an heir. The Duke of Crowborough visits and the family feel he is a good match for Lady Mary. However, it transpires that he had an affair with footman Thomas. Below stairs, the Earl’s former batman, Bates, is hired as his valet. This causes problems for the ambitious Thomas, while head housemaid Anna takes quite a shine to him.

1914

Women in the UK fight for universal suffrage and many are imprisoned

Suffragettes on a 'poster parade' in 1914 (Picture: Getty)

At Downton Abbey... Lady Sybil takes up the Suffragettes' cause. Matthew asks Mary to marry him but she turns him down, owing to the scandal that is still circulating concerning she and Pamuk.

1918

The Armistice is signed

Armistice Day in London in 1918 (Photo: Getty)

At Downton Abbey... Matthew returns from the war paralysed from the waist down. William is seriously wounded and later dies, but not before marrying Daisy. Chauffeur Branson proposes to Lady Sybil. Bates visits London only to discover that his wife, from whom he is seeking a divorce, has died. A badly disfigured Canadian serviceman arrives at Downton claiming to be heir Patrick Crawley. However, the Earl casts doubt over the veracity of his story and the man soon disappears.

1922

India struggles to gain independence from Britain and Gandhi preaches non-violent civil disobedience

Freedom fighter Gandhi with his followers (Picture: AFP)

At Downton Abbey... Cora’s maid moves to Bombay to work for the Marchioness of Flintshire, whose husband is posted there. Lady Mary has been named sole heir of Downton. Anna is raped by a valet who is visiting the house as a servant of a weekend guest. Eventually she tells Bates who vows revenge.

The charity is named after her grandparents Claire and Lionel Braithwaite and states on its website that it 'works to improve the quality of life for communities globally in the areas of health, education, arts and culture'. 

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Going for gold: Rihanna was the belle of the ball wowing in a gold Dior gown and matching coat

Feminist protesters hit the red carpet alongside stars of the film Suffragette at the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival. Scenes from real life mirrored those in the drama, which stars Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep and Anne-Marie Duf

Feminists light smoke flares and protest on the sidelines of the premiere of Suffragette

It was a presidential election year rife with political partisanship, especially within the ranks of the Republican Party. 1964 also saw the ratification of a sweeping Civil Rights Act, the Freedom Summer in Mississippi, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and the birth of the Free Speech Movement on college campuses. On a lighter note, the Beatles' appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and the launch of their first North American tour fuelled a national epidemic of Beatlemania.