The 10 historical social events experienced by Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II ruled the United Kingdom for 70 years, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history, so in her long term of office, she lived several historical events. These were the social events that marked her reign. Queen Elizabeth II was the sovereign of the United Kingdom since the middle of the last century when important social and technological changes began to occur in the world that marked global history.

First coronation broadcast on television

Queen Elizabeth II's term of office began with an important social event: the first coronation broadcast on television. On June 2, 1953, the world witnessed an important social event; an estimated 27 million people watched the event and 11 million listened to it on the radio. The BBC was in charge of the broadcast.

End of the Cuban Revolution

In January 1959, Queen Elizabeth II experienced a second major social event when Fidel Castro took over the presidency of Cuba.

England 66 World Cup

In 1966, the eighth edition of the World Cup was played in England. The final was played between England and Federal Germany at Wembley Stadium. The hosts were the winners with a score of 4-2. Queen Elizabeth II presented the Cup to the champions.

Decolonization of the territories of the United Kingdom

During the reign of Elizabeth II, one of the most important social events for her monarchy took place, the independence of 32 countries from the United Kingdom, among them: Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Belize, Bahamas, and Qatar.

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident

Queen Elizabeth II experienced the worst nuclear accident in the history of the world. On April 26, 1986, the "Vladimir Ilich Lenin" nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploded.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Another historic social event that Queen Elizabeth II witnessed was the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, which separated Germany for 30 years.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the USSR, announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union after 69 years of its founding.

Rwandan Genocide

Between 500,000 and 1 million people were killed as a result of the attempted extermination of the Tutsi population by the hegemonic Hutu government of Rwanda.

Presidency of Nelson Mandela

Queen Elizabeth II was still at the helm of the United Kingdom when activist Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa on May 10, 1994.

Death of Lady Diana

On August 31, 1997, Lady Di, ex-wife of King Charles III, died during a car accident in Paris.

Queen Elizabeth II in Mexico

Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Mexico one day in February 1975, it was the first official visit of a British monarch to the country; during the diplomatic trip, she enjoyed several regional dishes and songs like La Cucaracha.

Elizabeth II, who became monarch at the age of 25, made port in Cozumel, Quintana Roo amidst rainy weather; she then took a plane to Mexico City. It was the first of only two visits he made to the country.

César Lajud, Mexican professor of Economics at the Nebrija University in Madrid, was present and told the BBC what it was like: "The affection shown for him was very evident. There was a demonstration of joy and goodwill to send a message to the sovereign that she was very welcome in Mexico".

What did Elizabeth II eat in Mexico?

Once in Mexico City, Elizabeth II visited a palace very different from Buckingham Palace: Palacio Nacional, where she had a gala dinner with the then President Luis Echeverría, they served chicken stuffed with pate, accompanied by artichoke hearts, and played La Cucaracha, according to what the media reported.

Professor Lajud commented to said media: "I remember the detail of La Cucaracha... I understand that listening to it was very pleasant for the visitors... a song historically linked to the Mexican Revolution, which has been adapted to the country's culture, and has become a reference when you want to brighten up any moment".

While in Mexico, the British monarch's breakfasts consisted of fresh fruit, milk, eggs with bacon, and essential tea.

In addition to Yucatan, during her visit to Oaxaca she bought handicrafts in a market; also Guanajuato, when leaving the Pípila monument she went to the Hidalgo market, where she was given strawberries, biznagas, cheese, and a variety of snacks such as tlacoyos, according to the chronicles of the time.

It was reported that the British embassy prepared a menu for her with products from various representatives of the country: melons from Uruapan (Michoacán), strawberries from Zamora (Michoacán), and lime water from Silao (Guanajuato).

Previously, President Echeverría had visited Queen Elizabeth in London, where he was invited to a private dinner with the Queen at Windsor Castle and offered her a Mexican specialty: pipián, which the British regent liked very much. That was when he invited her to Mexico.

In Mexico, this recipe was taken up again to serve in a banquet of chicken in pipian prepared by the cook Cuquita de Castro Lopez and Margarito Corona. The Queen even ate it reheated.

Professor Harim Gutiérrez, from the Autonomous Metropolitan University of Mexico, also told the BBC that her visit helped promote tourism: "If she went to handicraft markets, visited archaeological sites, went to popular markets, they gave her typical food, tlacoyos, tortillas, and other typical dishes, then it also became another promotion for the country".

In 1983 she returned to the country for the last time, in a less festive atmosphere. In 2015, the monarch gave a speech about Enrique Peña Nieto's visit to the United Kingdom and commented: "Prince Felipe and I have warm memories of our visits to Mexico in 1975 and 1983″.

Acapulco remembers when Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed its beaches

In her 70 years of reign, Elizabeth II visited several nations, one of them was Mexico and one of the most remembered occurred on February 17, 1983, as the queen and her husband Philip of Edinburgh, enjoyed the beaches of Acapulco, Guerrero.

The Acapulco Tourism Promotion Trust recalled this event, stating that although they only stayed four days, "they were enough for her to be fascinated by the sun, the sea and the sand of the port. The bay has hosted great personalities, from actors, singers, soccer players, to the royalty of England".

In that year, the royal couple toured several Latin American nations, one of them being Mexico and the resort of Acapulco. During their stay, they walked along the Miguel Alemán Valdés coastline and Fort San Diego, where they admired the beauty of the landscape and caused amazement among Acapulqueños and tourists strolling through the place.

"Although they left some places to visit because of their brief stay, tourists can visit the different restaurants, condominiums, and shopping malls located along the coastline where both characters walked".

In addition to the souvenirs, Queen Elizabeth II took with her a silver tree that she received from the then president Miguel de la Madrid, in the same way, she left in Mexico a collection of books from the 19th century, a very valuable gift for the politician.