engineer, but leaves him eight years later to bring the collection on a tour of the British Isles.
ENGLAND - BAKER ST BAZAAR, 1835-84
For the next 33 years, she lives the exhausting and precarious life of a travelling showman, moving from town to town with her caravans, organising advertising, and encouraging newspaper anecdotes, or organising charity benefits to bring in useful patrons.
She suffers shipwreck in the Irish Sea, and fire during the Bristol Riots of 1831. Yet, throughout the travelling years, new figures are constantly introduced. p> 1835 - Madame Tussaud's settles into a permanent home in The Bazaar, Baker Street, London. p> "Visitors entering the Bazaar from Baker Street proceed to a saloon richly decorated with mirrored embellishments. Here sits an aged lady, with an accent which proclaims her Gallic origins. Were she motionless, you would take her for a piece of waxwork. This is Madame Tussaud, a lady who is in herself an Exhibition. " [From an 1842 guidebook]
1846 - Punch Magazine coins the name "Chamber of Horrors" for Madame Tussaud's separate room where gruesome relics of the French Revolution are displayed.
1850 - Madame Tussaud dies. In her old age, supported by two sons, she had achieved great success. She had resisted a US buy-out, her memoirs had been published, and her portrait was painted by a court painter. She had been immortalised by Dickens (as Mrs Jarley) and caricatured by Cruikshank. p> MOVE TO MARYLEBONE ROAD
1884 - Madame Tussaud's grandson, Joseph Randall, directs the move to the present site in Marylebone Road.
FIRE & RE-BUILDING 1925-28
1925 - Fire guts the whole building, destroying not only almost all the wax figures and their costumes, but priceless furnishings, paintings and relics too.
Fortunately, many of the old head moulds were saved, and from these the Exhibition was rebuilt, opening 3 years later with the addition of a large Cinema and Restaurant. p> WAR BRINGS ABOUT PLANETARIUM
1940 - A German bomb destroys the Cinema. Ironically, the figure of Hitler is one of the few figures to survive unscathed.
1958 - Madame Tussaud's opens the Commonwealth's first Planetarium on the site of the old cinema.
1971 - A new Madame Tussaud's opens its doors in the Kalverstraat, Amsterdam, returning to the continent for the first time since 1817.
1981 - Madame Tussaud's Amsterdam expands their collection and moves to celebrated Dam Square right in the heart of the city. p> 1993 - The Spirit of London, a spectacular animatronic ride, arrives at Madame Tussaud's. p> 1995 - The London Planetarium is re-opened after a ВЈ 4.5 million redevelopment, including the installation of the world-leading Digistar II Star Projector.
1996 - A bigger, better, more chilling than ever Chamber of Horrors is opened at Madame Tussaud's, London. p> 1999 - Madame Tussaud's opens in Las Vegas featuring American superstars and Hollywood legends. p> 2000 - Madame Tussaud's New York opens, featuring the city's 'Movers and Shakers', alongside a whole world of stars.
Madame Tussaud's opens in Hong Kong featuring over 100 wax figures of internationally-known personalities and local celebrities
2002 - Madame Tussaud's starts to introduce exciting new interactive attractions where guests get to feel what it is like to be famous. In the 'Goal!' attraction guests step into the moment when David Beckham prepares to take the 93rd minute free kick that leads England into the World Cup - his figure is created with a beating heart.
After a sitting at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II's 22nd figure is created for a Golden Jubilee attraction at Madame Tussaud's. The ropes surrounding the Royal Family are taken away forever as guests are invited to have a personal 'Audience with The Queen.' p> 2003 - Tussaud's collaborates with Disney to create a Treasure Planetarium attraction, and with Universal Pictures to create The Hulk attraction.
The Chamber-Live! gives a new injection of fear to the Chamber Of Horrors.
2004 - More new interactive attractions open; In 'Divas', starring Beyonce, Britney and Kylie, guests are taught dance moves and perform on stage with feedback on their performance from Beyonce via video link.
'Bollywood for Beginners 'opens with the new figure of Aishwariya Rai and guests get to perform in a scene from the film 'Bride & Predjudice'.
'Marry me George' sees guests getting the chance to have a dinner date with Mr Clooney and trying out their best chat-up lines - they are rewarded with either diamond engagement ring or the bill for dinner!
2005 - Madame Tussaud's gets rocking with a new show 'Air Guitar Star' starring The Darkness 'Justin Hawkins. Guests are taug...
