Manchester Day 2022: 11 ways Manchester changed the world

Mancunians rarely need an excuse to brag about how great their city is. But when you take a minute to think about all the ground-breaking inventions and innovations born right here in Manchester it's easy to understand why.

From splitting the atom, to the first computer, discoveries made in Manchester have shaped society as we know it today. To celebrate the return of Manchester Day following its covid-enforced absence, here we take a look at 11 ways Manchester changed the world.

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The first test tube baby

The world's first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born at Oldham General Hospital on July 25, 1978 thanks to the work of the late Manchester-raised IVF pioneer Sir Robert Edwards. Her controversial birth caused a sensation around the world, sparking a fierce debate about the ethics of the procedure, while also being a source of hope to millions of childless couples throughout the world.

Sir Robert would go on to win the Nobel Prize for medicine for his breakthrough alongside gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and more than 10m babies have been born by IVF to date. The large glass jar in which Louise started her life is now on display in the Science Museum in London.

Votes for women

Emmeline Pankhurst began a revolution from the parlour of her home at 62 Nelson Street, Moss Side. The house was the birthplace of the Suffragette movement, with the first meeting of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) held there in 1903 to pursue more militant efforts to obtain the vote, amid frustrations over a lack of progress.

"We resolved to limit our membership exclusively to women, to keep ourselves absolutely