| |
Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1972 | - 1972: Northern Ireland
Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland
- 1972: Anti-hijack measures
Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports
- 1972: Dutch Elm disease
Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK
- 1972: VCR
Domestic video cassette recorders introduced
- 30 Jan 1972: Bloody Sunday
'Bloody Sunday' in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
- 28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
|
| 2 | 1973 | - 1 Jan 1973: Britain enters Common Market
Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark)
- 17 Mar 1973: London Bridge
Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen
- 1 Apr 1973: VAT
VAT introduced in Britain
- 26 Sep 1973: Concorde
Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking
time
- 14 Oct 1973: Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey
- 31 Dec 1973—9 Mar 1974: Three-day week
Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to
conserve power
|
| 3 | 1974 | - 1974: New counties formed
New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries
- 1 Jun 1974: Flixborough disaster
Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people
- 7 Nov 1974: Lord Lucan
Lord Lucan disappears
- 21 Nov 1974: IRA
Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
|
| 4 | 1975 | - 1975: Unemployment
Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2
- 11 Feb 1975: Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition)
- 28 Feb 1975: Moorgate tube crash
Moorgate tube crash in London - over 43 deaths, greatest loss of life on the
Underground in peacetime. The cause of the incident was never conclusively determined
- 4 Mar 1975: Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin knighted
- 5 Jun 1975: Referendum
UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community
- 29 Oct 1975: Yorkshire Ripper
'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder
- 3 Nov 1975: North Sea oil
First North Sea oil comes ashore
- 29 Nov 1975: Bill Gates
The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates ('Microsoft' became a Trademark the
following year)
- 27 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act
Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
|
| 5 | 1976 | - 1976: Cod War
'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland
- 1976: Deaths exceeded live births
Deaths exceeded live births in England & Wales for first time since records began in 1837
- 1976: National Theatre
National Theatre opens in London
- 21 Jan 1976: Concorde
Concorde enters supersonic passenger service
- 1 Apr 1976: Apple Computer
Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
- 5 Apr 1976: James Callaghan
James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister
- 6 Aug 1976: Drought Act
Drought Act 1976 comes into force during the long, hot summer
|
| 6 | 1977 | - 2 Mar 1977: Red Rum
'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National
- 25 May 1977: Star Wars
George Lucas' film Star Wars' released
- 5 Jun 1977: Apple II
Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale
- 7 Jun 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee
Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London
- 22 Nov 1977: Concorde
Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated
|
| 7 | 1978 | - 8 Apr 1978: Parliament broadcasts
Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts
- 1 May 1978: First May Day holiday
First May Day holiday in Britain
- 25 Jul 1978: First 'test tube' baby
World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham
- 30 Nov 1978: The Times
Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13
Nov 1979)
|
| 8 | 1979 | - 14 Feb 1979: HMS Ark Royal IV
HMS Ark Royal, the fourth ship to bear the name and Britain's last conventional fixed-wing aircraft carrier, is decommissioned
- 1 Mar 1979: Devolution
32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against
- 30 Mar 1979: Airey Neave
Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster
- 31 Mar 1979: Malta
Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta
- 4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister
- 1 Jul 1979: Sony Walkman
Sony introduces the Walkman
- 27 Aug 1979: Lord Mountbatten
Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in IRA bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland
- 18 Sep 1979: Corporal punishment
ILEA (Inner London Education Authority) votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
|
| 9 | 1980 | - 5 May 1980: Iranian Embassy
SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages
- 8 Dec 1980: John Lennon
John Lennon assassinated in New York
|
| 10 | 1981 | - 25 Jan 1981: SDP Launched
Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain
- 29 Mar 1981: London marathon
First London marathon run
- 11 Apr 1981: Brixton riots
Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots
- 25 Apr 1981: April blizzards
Worst April blizzards this century in Britain
- 27 Apr 1981: Computer mouse
First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC systems)
- 2 Jun 1981: HMS Ark Royal V
The 3rd and final member of the Invincible class light aircraft carriers, HMS Ark Royal, is launched by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother at Swan Hunter on the Tyne.
- 29 Jul 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996)
- 12 Aug 1981: IBM
IBM launches the first PC
|
| 11 | 1982 | - 26 Jan 1982: Unemployment
Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population)
- 5 Feb 1982: Laker Airways
Laker Airways collapses
- 19 Feb 1982: DeLorean
DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership
- 18 Mar 1982: South Georgia
Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia
- 2 Apr 1982: Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
- 5 Apr 1982: Royal Navy Taskforce
Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands
- 2 May 1982: ARA General Belgrano
British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General Belgrano
- 28 May 1982: Goose Green
First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green). 2Para take the settlement despite loss of their CO Lt Col H Jones
- 14 Jun 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands
Ceasefire in Falklands
- 21 Jun 1982: Prince William
Prince William is born
- 20 Jul 1982: IRA bombings
IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park)
- 19 Sep 1982: Smiley emoticon :-)
Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time
- 11 Oct 1982: Mary Rose
Mary Rose raised in the Solent (sank in 1545)
- 31 Oct 1982: Thames Barrier
Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7)
- 2 Nov 1982: Channel 4
Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown'
- 4 Nov 1982: 38 tonnes lorries
Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads
- 12 Dec 1982: Greenham Common
Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)
|
| 12 | 1983 | - 1983: Dame Mary Donaldson
First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson)
- 17 Jan 1983: Breakfast TV
Start of breakfast TV in Britain
- 31 Jan 1983: Seat belt law
Seat belt law comes into force
- 21 Apr 1983: One Pound Coin
£1 coin into circulation in Britain
- 7 Oct 1983: GLC
Plans to abolish GLC announced
- 26 Nov 1983: Brinks Mat
Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are stolen from a
vault at Heathrow Airport
|
| 13 | 1984 | - 6 Mar 1984: Miners strike
Miners strike begins
- 17 Apr 1984: Libyan Embassy
Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in
London
- 22 Jun 1984: Virgin Atlantic
Inaugural flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic
- 9 Jul 1984: York Minster Fire
York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the Rose Window' not affected
- 12 Oct 1984: Brighton Bomb
IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed
- 24 Oct 1984: Miners' strike
Miners' strike - High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets
- 3 Dec 1984: British Telecom privatised
British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading
|
| 14 | 1985 | - 3 Mar 1985: Miners Strike ends
Miners agree to call off strike
- 11 Mar 1985: Harrods
Al Fayed buys Harrods
- 13 Jul 1985: Live Aid
Live Aid' pop concert raises over £50M for famine relief
- 1 Sep 1985: Titanic found
Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)
|
| 15 | 1986 | - 31 Mar 1986: Metropolitan councils abolished
GLC and 6 other metropolitan councils abolished
- 26 Apr 1986: Chernobyl
Chernobyl nuclear accident - radiation reached Britain on 2 May
- 26 May 1986: European flag
The European Community adopts the European flag
- 23 Jul 1986: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey
- 27 Oct 1986: London Stock Market
'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market
- 29 Oct 1986: M25
M25 motorway ring around London completed
|
| 16 | 1987 | - 1987: World population
World population crossed the 5 billion mark
- 2 Feb 1987: Terry Waite kidnapped
Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991)
- 6 Mar 1987: Herald of Free Enterprise
Car ferry 'Herald of Free Enterprise' capsizes off Zeebrugge - 188 die
- 1 Jul 1987: Channel Tunnel
Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel
- 19 Aug 1987: Hungerford Massacre
Hungerford Massacre - Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle
- 16 Oct 1987: October Hurricane
The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England
- 19 Oct 1987: Black Monday
'Black Monday' in the City of London - Stock Market crash
- 8 Nov 1987: Enniskillen bombing
Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony
- 18 Nov 1987: King's Cross fire
King's Cross fire in London - 31 people die
|
| 17 | 1988 | - 5 Feb 1988: First 'Red Nose Day'
First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity
- 6 Jul 1988: Piper Alpha disaster
Piper Alpha disaster - North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire
killing 167 men
- 15 Nov 1988: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act - reformulated the statutory basis of
copyright law (including performing rights) in the UK
- 12 Dec 1988: Clapham Junction rail crash
Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of
three commuter trains
- 21 Dec 1988: Lockerbie disaster
Lockerbie disaster - Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland
|
| 18 | 1989 | - 1989: Poll Tax
Poll Tax implemented in Scotland
- 14 Feb 1989: GPS
The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
- 2 Mar 1989: CFCs Banned
EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of
the century
- 9 Nov 1989: Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall torn down
- 21 Nov 1989: House of Commons televised
Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live
|
| 19 | 1990 | - 11 Feb 1990: Nelson Mandela released
Nelson Mandela released in South Africa
- 31 Mar 1990: Poll Tax Riots
Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England &
Wales
- 25 Apr 1990: Hubble space telescope
Hubble space telescope launched
- 22 Nov 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns
Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister)
- 1 Dec 1990: Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle
|
| 20 | 1991 | - 1991: Poll Tax replaced
Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax)
- 1991: The Internet
The 'Internet' comes into existence
- 18 May 1991: Helen Sharman
Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space
- Aug 1991: Soviet Union
Collapse of the Soviet Union
- 6 Sep 1991: Leningrad renamed
Leningrad renamed St Petersburg
- 5 Nov 1991: Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell drowns at sea
|
| 21 | 1992 | - 7 Feb 1992: The Maastricht Treaty
European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty
- 22 Apr 1992: Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons
- 15 Aug 1992: Premier League
Football kicks off in England
- 16 Sep 1992: Black Wednesday
'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM
- 20 Nov 1992: Windsor Castle Fire
Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over £50 million worth of damage
- 24 Nov 1992: Annus Horribilis
The Queen describes this year as an 'Annus Horribilis'
|
| 22 | 1993 | - 1993: Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000)
- 1993: Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax
- Jul 1993: European Union (EU)
Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)
|
| 23 | 1994 | - 1994: The Internet
15 million people now connected to the Internet
- 12 Mar 1994: Church of England
Church of England ordains its first female priests
- 6 May 1994: Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel open to traffic
- 19 Nov 1994: National Lottery
National Lottery starts
|
| 24 | 1995 | - 26 Feb 1995: Nick Leeson
Nick Leeson brings down Barings Bank
- 15 Jul 1995: Amazon.com
First item sold on Amazon.com
- 16 Nov 1995: The Queen Mother
The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old
- 22 Nov 1995: Toy Story
'Toy Story' released - first feature-length film created completely using
computer-generated imagery
|
| 25 | 1996 | - 9 Feb 1996: IRA
IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands - ends 17 month ceasefire
- 13 Mar 1996: Dunblane massacre
Dunblane massacre
- 15 Jun 1996: IRA
IRA bomb explodes in Manchester
- 5 Jul 1996: Dolly
Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly)
- 28 Aug 1996: Charles and Diana divorce
Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced
|
| 26 | 1997 | - 30 Mar 1997: Channel 5 TV begins
Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls)
- 1 May 1997: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain
'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as
Prime Minister)
- 6 May 1997: Bank of England to be made independent
Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government
control
- 11 May 1997: First time a computer beats a master at chess
First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry
Kasparov)
- 1 Jul 1997: Hong Kong returned to China
Hong Kong returned to China
- 19 Jul 1997: IRA
IRA declares a ceasefire
- 31 Aug 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales killed
Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris
- 25 Sep 1997: Land speed record breaks sound barrier
Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time. RAF pilot Andy Green drives ThrustSSC through the sound barrier.
|
| 27 | 1998 | - 10 Apr 1998: Good Friday peace agreement
Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland - effectively implemented in
May 2007
- 14 Aug 1998: IRA
Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people
- 27 Sep 1998: Google
'Google' search engine founded
|
| 28 | 1999 | - 1999: World population
World population reaches 6 billion
- 1 Jan 1999: European Monetary Union
European Monetary Union begins - UK opts out - by the end of the year the
Euro has approximately the same value as the US Dollar
- 1 Jul 1999: The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth
The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth - powers are
officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh
- 11 Aug 1999: Total eclipse of the sun
Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall
- 11 Nov 1999: Hereditary Peers
Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords
|
| 29 | 2000 | - Mar 2000: London Eye opens
London Eye opens, late but popular
- 22 Apr 2000: The Big Number Change
The Big Number Change takes place in the UK - affected telephone dialling
codes assigned to Cardiff, Coventry, London, Northern Ireland, Portsmouth and Southampton
- 4 May 2000: Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord
Mayor of London!)
- 10 Jun 2000: Millennium footbridge
Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly
declared dangerous and closed - finally reopened Feb 2002
- 25 Jul 2000: Concorde crashes
A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with the loss of all lives
- Sep 2000: People Power
'People Power' emerged suddenly as protestors against high Road Fuel Tax used
mobile phones and the Internet to co-ordinate blockades on fuel depots - resulted in nationwide panic buying of fuel and service stations running out across the country
- Oct 2000: Heavy rains
Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many
parts of Britain (Oct-Dec)
- 17 Oct 2000: Hatfield rail crash
Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused
by a broken rail
|
| 30 | 2001 | - Feb 2001: Foot & Mouth disease
Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK - lasted until October - caused
postponement of local and general elections from May to June
- 12 May 2001: FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - first time away from Wembley since 1922
- 7 Jun 2001: General Election - Labour returned
General Election - Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time
they had succeeded in gaining a second term
- 1 Sep 2001: New-style number plates
New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC]
- 7 Nov 2001: Concorde flights resume
Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks following the crash of Air France Flight 4590 the previous year
- Dec 2001: Postage Stamps
UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class definitives already on sale)
|
| 31 | 2002 | - 1 Jan 2002: The Euro
Twelve major countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Holland, Irish Republic,
Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and their
dependents start using the Euro instead of their old national currencies; the UK stays out - the Euro worth 62p at this time
- 22 Feb 2002: Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge over the Thames in London finally opens, after works to stop it wobbling.
- 30 Mar 2002: The Queen Mother
The Queen Mother dies, aged 101 years
- 2 Jul 2002: Steve Fossett
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon.
|
| 32 | 2003 | - 17 Feb 2003: London Congestion Charge
Start of Congestion Charge for traffic entering central London
- 10 Aug 2003: Record Temperature
Temperatures reach record high of 101 F (38.3 C) in Kent
- 24 Oct 2003: End of Concorde
Last commercial flight of Concorde
- 22 Nov 2003: England wins Rugby World Cup
England wins Rugby World Cup in nail-biting final in Australia - first northern hemisphere team to do this
- 13 Dec 2003: Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein captured near his home town of Tikrit (executed 30 Dec 2006)
- 26 Dec 2003: Queen Mary 2
Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton from the builder's yard in France 2004.
|
| 33 | 2004 | - 29 Mar 2004: Smoking ban
Ireland becomes first country in the world to ban smoking in public places
- 29 Mar 2004: Alistair Cooke dies
Alistair Cooke dies at the age of 95 - until four weeks previously, and since
1946, he had broadcast his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio
- 1 May 2004: Enlargement of the European Union
Enlargement of the European Union to include 25 members by the entry of 10
new states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus
|
| 34 | 2005 | - 16 Feb 2005: Climate Change
Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into force
- 18 Feb 2005: Hunting ban
Ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England & Wales (had already been a similar law for about two years in Scotland)
- 6 Jul 2005: London chosen
London chosen as venue for the 2012 Olympic Games
- 7 Jul 2005: Suicide bombers
Suicide bombers attack London for the first time
- 28 Jul 2005: IRA
IRA declare an end to their 'armed struggle'
- 12 Sep 2005: England regain the 'Ashes'
England regain the 'Ashes' after a gripping Test series (but are whitewashed 5-0 in the return series in Australia 2007)
- 9 Dec 2005: Last Routemaster bus
Last Routemaster bus runs on regular service in London
- 11 Dec 2005: Buncefield Oil Depot Explosion
Explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead
The first and largest explosion occurred at 06:01 UTC which led to further explosions which eventually overwhelmed 20 large storage tanks. The emergency services announced a major emergency at 06:08 and a fire fighting effort began. The cause of the explosion seems to have been a fuel-air explosion of unusually high strength. The British Geological Survey monitored the event, which measured 2.4 on the Richter scale. News reports described the incident as the biggest of its kind in peacetime
- 21 Dec 2005: Civil partnerships
Same-sex civil partnerships begin - famously, on this day, between Elton John and David Furnish
|
1972 - 2005 (33 years)