| |
Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1946 | - 1946: NHS
Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)
- 1946: Alistair Cooke
Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio - until 2004
- 1 Jan 1946: Heathrow Airport
First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport
- 1 Mar 1946: Bank of England
Bank of England nationalised
|
| 2 | 1947 | - 1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years
Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much flooding later
- 1947: First British nuclear reactor
First British nuclear reactor developed
- 1 Jan 1947: National Coal Board
Coal Mines nationalised
- 23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded
- 1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund begins financial operations
- 1 Apr 1947: School leaving age
School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
- 26 Oct 1947: British military occupation
British military occupation ends in Iraq
- 20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten
Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in
Westminster Abbey
|
| 3 | 1948 | - 1948: British Citizenship Act
British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports
- 1948: Transistor radio
Transistor radio invented
- 1948: Long-playing record
Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark
- 1 Jan 1948: British Railways
British Railways nationalised
- 5 Jul 1948: NHS
National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
- 29 Jul 1948: London Olympics
London Olympics begin
|
| 4 | 1949 | - 1949: Bristol Brabazon
Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)
- 1949: De Haviland Comet
De Haviland produces the Comet - first jet airliner
- 15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing
Clothes rationing ends in Britain
- 4 Apr 1949: NATO
Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
|
| 5 | 1950 | - 26 May 1950: Petrol rationing
Petrol rationing ends in Britain
- 11 Jul 1950: Andy Pandy
'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV
- 9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing
Soap rationing ends in Britain
- 28 Dec 1950: Peak District
The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
|
| 6 | 1951 | - 3 May 1951: Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London
- 28 May 1951: The Goon Show
First Goon Show broadcast
- 20 Dec 1951: Experimental Breeder Reactor
Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
|
| 7 | 1952 | - 1952: Contraceptive pill
Contraceptive pill invented
- 1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb
Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia
- 1952: Radioactive carbon
Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects
- 1952: Bonn Convention
Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany
- 6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies
King George VI dies
- 21 Feb 1952: ID Cards abolished
Identity Cards abolished in Britain
- 2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service
First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London
and Johannesburg
- 5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London
Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)
- 16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth flood disaster
Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster
- 6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes
DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed including Test Pilot John Derry. The DH110 was the prototype of the Royal Navy's Sea Vixen fighter jet.
- 3 Oct 1952: Tea rationing
End of tea rationing in Britain
- 1 Nov 1952: First H-bomb
The first H-bomb ever ('Mike') was exploded by the USA - the mushroom cloud
was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised.
- 25 Nov 1952: The Mousetrap
Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London
- 4 Dec 1952: The Great Smog
Great smog hits London
|
| 8 | 1953 | - 31 Jan 1953: East Coast Floods
Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century -
severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives - - effects travelled from the west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even worse affected with over a thousand deaths]
- 5 Feb 1953: Sweet rationing ends
Sweet rationing ends in Britain
- 5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin
Death of Stalin
- 26 Mar 1953: Polio vaccine
Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine
- 24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted
Winston Churchill knighted
- 25 Apr 1953: DNA
Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA
- 2 Jun 1953: Elizabeth II
Coronation of Elizabeth II
- 26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends
Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
|
| 9 | 1954 | - 1954: Comprehensive school
First comprehensive school opens in London
- 1954: Routemaster bus
Routemaster bus starts operating in London
- 1954: Transistor radios
First transistor radios sold
- 6 May 1954: Roger Bannister
First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)
- 3 Jul 1954: Food rationing
Food rationing officially ends in Britain
- 5 Jul 1954: first television news bulletin
BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
- 30 Sep 1954: USS Nautilus
First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
|
| 10 | 1955 | - 1955: Self-grip wrench
'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons
- 27 Jul 1955: Allied occupation of Austria ends
Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends
- 22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV
Commercial TV starts in Britain
|
| 11 | 1956 | - 1956: First nuclear power station
Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland
- 1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet
Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)
- 17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds
Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957
- 3 Jun 1956: 3rd class travel
3rd class travel abolished on British Railways (renamed 'Third Class' as 'Second Class', which had been abolished in 1875 leaving just First and Third Class)
- 31 Oct 1956: Suez Crisis
Britain and France invade Suez
|
| 12 | 1957 | - 1957: Parking meters
Britain introduces parking meters
- 1957: Helvetica
Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)
- 11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
- 14 May 1957: Petrol rationing
Post-Suez petrol rationing ends
- 15 May 1957: British hydrogen bomb
Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island
- 25 May 1957: Treaty of Rome
Treaty of Rome to create European Economic Community (EEC) of six countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg - became operational Jan 1958
- 4 Dec 1957: Lewisham rail disaster
Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them
- 25 Dec 1957: Christmas TV broadcast
Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
|
| 13 | 1958 | - 1958: Anti-nuclear protest
Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)
- 1958: Rise of Computers
Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce
- 1958: ICBM
USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
- 13 May 1958: Velcro
Velcro trade mark registered
- 26 Jul 1958: Prince of Wales
Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales'
- 5 Dec 1958: Subscriber Trunk Dialling
Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)
- 5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens
Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway
|
| 14 | 1959 | - 3 Feb 1959: The Day The Music Died
'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and
The Big Bopper
- 24 May 1959: Commonwealth Day
Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day
- Aug 1959: Mini
BMC Mini car launched
- 3 Oct 1959: Postcodes introduced
Postcodes introduced in Britain
- 1 Nov 1959: M1 motorway
First section of M1 motorway opened
|
| 15 | 1960 | - 17 Mar 1960: New Pound Notes
New £1 notes issued by Bank of England
- 18 Mar 1960: Last steam locomotive
Last steam locomotive of British Railways named 'Evening Star'
- 21 Jul 1960: Francis Chichester
Francis Chichester arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II (took 40 days),
winning the first single-handed transatlantic yacht race which he co-founded
- 12 Sep 1960: MoT tests
MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced
- 1 Oct 1960: HMS Dreadnought
HMS 'Dreadnought' the Royal Navy's 1st nuclear submarine launched
- 2 Nov 1960: Lady Chatterley's Lover
Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case
|
| 16 | 1961 | - 1 Jan 1961: Farthing
Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK
- 13 Mar 1961: £5 notes
Black & White £5 notes cease to be legal tender
- 14 Mar 1961: New English Bible
New English Bible (New Testament) published
- 1 May 1961: Betting shops
Betting shops legal in Britain
|
| 17 | 1962 | - 1962: Commonwealth Immigrants Act
Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration
- 1962: Thalidomide
Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies
- 1962: Concorde
Britain and France agree to construct 'Concorde'
- 25 May 1962: Coventry Cathedral
Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz)
- 15 Jun 1962: Berkeley Power Station
First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos)
- Jul 1962: Hovercraft
First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl
- 10 Jul 1962: Telstar
First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul
- 24 Oct 1962: Cuba missile crisis
Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war
|
| 18 | 1963 | - 1963: EEC
France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC
- Jan 1963: Cold weather
Cold weather forces cancellation of most football matches (only 4 English First Division matches in the month) - the first 'pools panel' created
- 27 Mar 1963: Beeching Axe
Richard Beeching Report on British Railways - 'The Reshaping of British Railways' published (the 'Beeching Axe')
- 1 Aug 1963: Minimum prison age
Minimum prison age raised to 17
- 8 Aug 1963: Great Train Robbery
'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. £2.6 Million stolen
- 17 Sep 1963: Fylingdales
Fylingdales (Yorkshire) early warning radar system operational
- 18 Nov 1963: Dartford Tunnel
Dartford Tunnel opens
- 23 Nov 1963: Dr Who
First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV
|
| 19 | 1964 | - 1 Jan 1964: Top of the Pops
First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV
- 9 Apr 1964: GLC
First Greater London Council (GLC) election
- 21 Apr 1964: BBC 2
BBC2 TV launched
- 22 Aug 1964: Match of the Day
'Match of the Day' starts on BBC2
- 4 Sep 1964: Forth road bridge
Forth road bridge opens
|
| 20 | 1965 | - 1965: Race Relations Act
Britain enacts first Race Relations Act
- 7 Feb 1965: North Vietnam
First US raids against North Vietnam
- 7 Apr 1965: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill dies
- 1 Aug 1965: Cigarette advertising
TV cigarette advertising banned in Britain
- 8 Oct 1965: Post Office Tower
Post Office Tower operational in London
- 28 Oct 1965: Death penalty
Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then
abolished 18 Dec 1969
- 22 Dec 1965: 70mph speed limit
70mph speed limit introduced on British roads
|
| 21 | 1966 | - 14 Feb 1966: Australia currency
Australia converts from £ to $
- 3 May 1966: The Times
'The Times' begins to print news on its front page in place of classified
Advertisements
- 30 Jul 1966: World Cup
World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany)
- 8 Sep 1966: Severn road bridge
First Severn road bridge opens
- 21 Oct 1966: Aberfan disaster
Aberfan disaster - colliery slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children
- 1 Dec 1966: Stamps
First Christmas stamps issued in Britain
|
| 22 | 1967 | - 4 Jan 1967: Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on
Conniston Water - his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002
- 18 Mar 1967: Torrey Canyon
'Torrey Canyon' oil tanker runs aground off Lands End first major oil spill
- 28 May 1967: Francis Chichester
Francis Chichester arrives in Plymouth after solo circumnavigation in Gipsy Moth IV (he was knighted 7th July at Greenwich by the queen using the sword with which Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake four centuries earlier
- 27 Jun 1967: ATM
First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain - at Enfield branch of Barclays
- 1 Jul 1967: TV
First colour TV in Britain
- 14 Aug 1967: Pirate Radio
Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK
- 20 Sep 1967: QE2
'QE2' launched on Clydebank
- 27 Sep 1967: RMS Queen Mary
'Queen Mary' arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage
- 30 Sep 1967: BBC Radio
BBC Radios 1 2 3 & 4 open first record played on Radio 1 was the controversial 'Flowers in the Rain' by 'The Move'
- 5 Oct 1967: Majority Verdicts
Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts
|
| 23 | 1968 | - 18 Feb 1968: BST
British Standard Time introduced - Summer Time became permanent but arguments prevailed and Britain reverted to GMT in October 1971
- 18 Apr 1968: London Bridge
London Bridge sold (and eventually moved to Arizona) - modern London Bridge, built around it as it was demolished, was opened in Mar 1973
- 20 Apr 1968: Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration
- 23 Apr 1968: Decimal Coins
Issue of 5p and 10p decimal coins in Britain
- 29 May 1968: Manchester United
Manchester United first English club to win the European Cup
- 11 Aug 1968: Steam Trains
Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (Carlisle- Liverpool)
- 16 Sep 1968: Royal Mail
Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain
- 5 Oct 1968: The Troubles
Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland
|
| 24 | 1969 | - 2 Mar 1969: Concorde
Maiden flight of 'Concorde', at Toulouse
- 7 Mar 1969: Victoria Line
Victoria Line tube opens in London
- 17 Apr 1969: Voting age
Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
- 2 May 1969: RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
- 31 Jul 1969: Halfpenny
Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain
- 14 Aug 1969: Civil disturbances
Civil disturbances in Ulster - Britain sends troops to support civil authorities
- 7 Sep 1969: Monty Python's Flying Circus
First episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' recorded
- 14 Oct 1969: 50p coin
50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)
|
| 25 | 1970 | - 1970: Boeing 747
Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service
- 17 Jun 1970: Decimal postage stamps
Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain
- 19 Jun 1970: Edward Heath
Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister
- 30 Jul 1970: Thalidomide
Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims
- 19 Sep 1970: Glastonbury
First Glastonbury Festival held
- 20 Nov 1970: Ten shilling note
Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain
|
| 26 | 1971 | - 1971: Banking and Financial Dealings Act
Banking and Financial Dealings Act - replaced the Bank Holidays Act of 1871
- 1971: Sunday becomes the seventh day in the week
Sunday becomes the seventh day in the week as UK adopts decision of the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) to call Monday the first day
- 1971: Greenpeace
'Greenpeace' founded
- 1971: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce declared bankrupt
- 3 Jan 1971: Open University
Open University starts
- 15 Feb 1971: Decimalisation
Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland
- 9 Aug 1971: Internment
Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland
- 28 Oct 1971: Common Market
Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973)
- 28 Oct 1971: UK launches its first satellite
UK launches its first (and only) satellite, Prospero on the Black Arrow rocket
|
| 27 | 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
|
| 28 | 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
|
| 29 | 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
|
| 30 | 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
|
| 31 | 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
|
| 32 | 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
|
| 33 | 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)
|
| 34 | 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
|
| 35 | 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
|
| 36 | 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
|
| 37 | 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)
|
| 38 | 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
|
| 39 | 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
|
| 40 | 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)
|
| 41 | 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
|
| 42 | 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
|
| 43 | 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
|
| 44 | 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
|
| 45 | 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
|
| 46 | 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
|
| 47 | 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'
|
| 48 | 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)
|
| 49 | 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
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| 50 | 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
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| 51 | 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
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| 52 | 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.
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| 53 | 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
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| 54 | 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
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| 55 | 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
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| 56 | 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)
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| 57 | 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.
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| 58 | 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.
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| 59 | 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
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| 60 | 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
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| 61 | 2006 | - 1 Mar 2006: Welsh Assembly
Welsh Assembly Building opened by the Queen
- 26 Mar 2006: Prohibition of smoking
Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland
- 21 Aug 2006: UK postage rates
UK postage rates start to be measured by size as well as by weight
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| 62 | 2007 | - 1 Jan 2007: Enlargement of the European Union
Further enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania
- 19 Feb 2007: Extension of Congestion Charge
Extension of Congestion Charge zone for London, westwards
- 8 May 2007: Northern Ireland Executive
A Northern Ireland Executive formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley (DUP)
and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein)
- 1 Jul 2007: Prohibition of smoking
Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in England (thus completing
cover of the entire UK)
- 14 Nov 2007: St Pancras International
First rail service direct from St Pancras to France (replacing that from Waterloo)
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| 63 | 2008 | - 1 May 2008: Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson defeats the incumbent Labour candidate Ken Livingstone for Mayor of London
- 8 Aug 2008: China Olympics
Great Britain compete at the Olympics in Beijing. The team wins 19 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals finishing 4th in the medal table, the best performance for the Great Britain team in a century.
- 5 Nov 2008: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton becomes the youngest ever Formula One World Champion
- 18 Dec 2008: Woolworths to close
Woolworths announce their 807 UK stores will close by 5 January 2009, putting some 27,000 people out of work
- 19 Dec 2008: MFI closes
Furniture retailer MFI ceases trading, closing all 111 of its stores and leaving its 1,400 workforce redundant.
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| 64 | 2009 | - 8 Jan 2009: Bank of England
The Bank of England cuts its base interest rate to 1.5% amid the global economic downturn, the lowest it has been in the bank's 300 year history.
- 23 Jan 2009: Recession
The Office of National Statistics announce that the United Kingdom's economy is officially in recession for the first time since 1991
- 8 May 2009: MPs Expenses
The Daily Telegraph obtains a full copy of MPs' expenses claims, and begin publishing them prior to the official parliamentary publication date of 1 July, reigniting the MPs' expenses controversy
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| 65 | 2010 | - 6 May 2010: UK General Election
The 2010 General Election takes place, resulting in a hung parliament. The Conservative Party win a plurality of seats, 306 of the 649 contested, placing them 20 seats short of an overall majority in the House of Commons, whilst the Labour Party win 258 seats, and the Liberal Democrats 57 seats
- 11 May 2010: David Cameron becomes PM
Gordon Brown confirms his resignation as prime minister and goes to Buckingham Palace to inform The Queen of his decision.
David Cameron is then confirmed as prime minister, in a coalition government between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg as deputy prime minister.
- 19 Oct 2010: HMS Ark Royal V
Defence Secretary Liam Fox announces that the flagship aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal is to be scrapped imminently as part of the Strategic Defense Review
- 4 Nov 2010: Ranger Rover
The one millionth Range Rover is produced at the Land Rover factory in Solihull, 40 years after the original Range Rover was first produced
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| 66 | 2011 | - 7 Jan 2011: Former MP David Chaytor jailed
Former Labour Member of Parliament David Chaytor was jailed for 18 months for fraudulently claiming more than £20,000 in expenses
- 1 May 2011: Osama bin Laden
U.S. President Barack Obama announces that Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda, has been killed during an American military operation in Pakistan.
- 6 Aug 2011—10 Aug 2011: The 2011 English riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, thousands of people took to the streets in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England. The resulting chaos generated looting, arson, and mass deployment of police. Disturbances began on 6 August 2011 after a protest in Tottenham,London, following the death of Mark Duggan, a local who was shot dead by police on 4 August 2011
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| 67 | 2012 | - 6 Feb 2012: Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her accession to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the 60th anniversary of her becoming Head of the Commonwealth
- 27 Jul 2012: 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Olympics were held in London. The UK won 29 Gold, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze medals
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| 68 | 2013 | - 16 Jan 2013: Aménas, Algeria
An estimated 41 international workers are taken hostage in an attack at a gas facility near In Aménas, Algeria, with a subsequent raid by Algerian forces resulting in multiple fatalities
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