1811 - John Bright was born in Rochdale, Lancashire on the 16th of November.
1836 - He met Richard Cobden.
1838 - He made his first speech on the Corn Laws at Rochdale and joined the Manchesterprovisional committee.
1839 - He became one of the leading members and worked closely with Richard Cobden in the campaign for the repeal of the Corn Laws. He married to Elizabeth Priestman. He built the house, "One Ash".
1840 - He led a movement against the Rochdale church-rate.
1841 - He emerged as the chief supporting speaker to Cobden.
1843 - He was the Free Trade candidate at a by-election at Durham. He beacame MP for Durham.
1845 - He moved for an injury into the operation of the Game Laws.
1847 - He married his second wife, Margaret Elizabeth Leatham. He became MP for Manchester.
1854 - He was a member of the Peace Society and denounced the Crimean War as un-Christian.
1855 - He made his most memorable speech and was delivered on the 23th of February.
1856-1858 - He suffered a severe nervous breakdown due to his failure to stop the war. His Crimewar War led him losing his seat as member for Manchester. He launched a speech-making campaign for parliamentary reform in Birmingham.
1866 - He found himself the hero and chief mouthpiece of the reformers.
1868 - He accepted the post of President of the Board of Trade in Gladstone's first ministry.
1870 - He retired through ill-health.
1881 - He returned to political life as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
1882 - He retired because he opposed Gladstone's Home Rule policy for Ireland. He was elected lord rector of the University of Glasgow.
1886 - He was given an honorary degree of the University of Oxford.
1889 - He died on the 27th of March.
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