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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1954 | - 1954—1954: First comprehensive school opens in London
- 1954—1954: Routemaster bus starts operating in London
- 1954—1954: First transistor radios sold
- 6 May 1954—6 May 1954: First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)
- 3 Jul 1954—3 Jul 1954: Food rationing officially ends in Britain
- 5 Jul 1954—5 Jul 1954: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
- 30 Sep 1954—30 Sep 1954: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
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| 2 | 1955 | - 1955—1955: 'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons
- 27 Jul 1955—27 Jul 1955: Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends
- 22 Sep 1955—22 Sep 1955: Commercial TV starts in Britain
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| 3 | 1956 | - 1956—1956: Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland
- 1 Mar 1956—1 Mar 1956: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)
- 17 Apr 1956—17 Apr 1956: Premium Bonds first launched - first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957
- 3 Jun 1956—3 Jun 1956: 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—31 Oct 1956: Britain and France invade Suez
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| 4 | 1957 | - 1957—1957: Britain introduces parking meters
- 1957—1957: Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)
- 11 Jan 1957—11 Jan 1957: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
- 14 May 1957—14 May 1957: Post-Suez petrol rationing ends
- 15 May 1957—15 May 1957: Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island
- 25 May 1957—25 May 1957: 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—4 Dec 1957: Lewisham rail disaster - 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct
collapses on top of them
- 25 Dec 1957—25 Dec 1957: Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
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| 5 | 1958 | - 1958—1958: Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)
- 1958—1958: Computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce
- 1958—1958: USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
- 13 May 1958—13 May 1958: Velcro trade mark registered
- 26 Jul 1958—26 Jul 1958: Prince Charles' Investiture as 'Prince of Wales'
- 5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)
- 5 Dec 1958—5 Dec 1958: Preston by-pass opens - UK's first stretch of motorway
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| 6 | 1959 | - 3 Feb 1959—3 Feb 1959: 'The Day The Music Died' - plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and
The Big Bopper
- 17 Feb 1959—17 Feb 1959: Vanguard 2 satellite launched - first to measure cloud-cover distribution
- 24 May 1959—24 May 1959: Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day
- Aug 1959—Aug 1959: BMC Mini car launched
- 3 Oct 1959—3 Oct 1959: Postcodes introduced in Britain
- 1 Nov 1959—1 Nov 1959: First section of M1 motorway opened
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| 7 | 1960 | - 17 Mar 1960—17 Mar 1960: New ?1 notes issued by Bank of England
- 18 Mar 1960—18 Mar 1960: Last steam locomotive of British Railways named
- 21 Jul 1960—21 Jul 1960: 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 Aug 1960—12 Aug 1960: Echo I, the first (passive) communications satellite, launched
- 12 Sep 1960—12 Sep 1960: MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced
- 1 Oct 1960—1 Oct 1960: HMS 'Dreadnought' nuclear submarine launched
- 2 Nov 1960—2 Nov 1960: Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' case
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| 8 | 1961 | - 1 Jan 1961—1 Jan 1961: Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK
- 13 Mar 1961—13 Mar 1961: Black & White ?5 notes cease to be legal tender
- 14 Mar 1961—14 Mar 1961: New English Bible (New Testament) published
- 1 May 1961—1 May 1961: Betting shops legal in Britain
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| 9 | 1962 | - 1962—1962: Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration
- 1962—1962: Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies
- 1962—1962: Britain and France agree to construct 'Concorde'
- 25 May 1962—25 May 1962: Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz)
- 15 Jun 1962—15 Jun 1962: First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley Glos)
- Jul 1962—Jul 1962: First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl
- 10 Jul 1962—10 Jul 1962: First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) - first live broadcast on 23 Jul
- 24 Oct 1962—24 Oct 1962: Cuba missile crisis - brink of nuclear war
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| 10 | 1963 | - 1963—1963: France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC
- Jan 1963—Jan 1963: 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—27 Mar 1963: Beeching Report on British Railways (the 'Beeching Axe')
- 1 Aug 1963—1 Aug 1963: Minimum prison age raised to 17
- 8 Aug 1963—8 Aug 1963: 'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train
- 17 Sep 1963—17 Sep 1963: Fylingdales (Yorks) early warning system operational
- 18 Nov 1963—18 Nov 1963: Dartford Tunnel opens
- 23 Nov 1963—23 Nov 1963: First episode of 'Dr Who' on BBC TV
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| 11 | 1964 | - 1 Jan 1964—1 Jan 1964: First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV
- 9 Apr 1964—9 Apr 1964: First Greater London Council (GLC) election
- 21 Apr 1964—21 Apr 1964: BBC2 TV launched
- 22 Aug 1964—22 Aug 1964: 'Match of the Day' starts on BBC2
- 4 Sep 1964—4 Sep 1964: Forth road bridge opens
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| 12 | 1965 | - 1965—1965: Britain enacts first Race Relations Act
- 7 Feb 1965—7 Feb 1965: First US raids against North Vietnam
- 7 Apr 1965—7 Apr 1965: Winston Churchill dies
- 1 Aug 1965—1 Aug 1965: TV cigarette advertising banned in Britain
- 8 Oct 1965—8 Oct 1965: Post Office Tower operational in London
- 28 Oct 1965—28 Oct 1965: Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then
abolished 18 Dec 1969
- 22 Dec 1965—22 Dec 1965: 70mph speed limit introduced on British roads
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| 13 | 1966 | - 14 Feb 1966—14 Feb 1966: Australia converts from ? to $
- 3 May 1966—3 May 1966: 'The Times' begins to print news on its front page in place of classified
Advertisements
- 30 Jul 1966—30 Jul 1966: World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany)
- 8 Sep 1966—8 Sep 1966: First Severn road bridge opens
- 21 Oct 1966—21 Oct 1966: Aberfan disaster - slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children
- 1 Dec 1966—1 Dec 1966: First Christmas stamps issued in Britain
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| 14 | 1967 | - 4 Jan 1967—4 Jan 1967: Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on
Conniston Water - his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002
- 18 Mar 1967—18 Mar 1967: 'Torrey Canyon' oil tanker runs aground off Lands End first major oil spill
- 28 May 1967—28 May 1967: 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—27 Jun 1967: First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain - at Enfield branch of Barclays
- 1 Jul 1967—1 Jul 1967: First colour TV in Britain
- 14 Aug 1967—14 Aug 1967: Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK
- 20 Sep 1967—20 Sep 1967: 'QE2' launched on Clydebank
- 27 Sep 1967—27 Sep 1967: 'Queen Mary' arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage
- 30 Sep 1967—30 Sep 1967: 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—5 Oct 1967: Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts
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| 15 | 1968 | - 18 Feb 1968—18 Feb 1968: British Standard Time introduced - Summer Time became permanent but arguments prevailed and Britain reverted to GMT in October 1971
- 18 Apr 1968—18 Apr 1968: 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—20 Apr 1968: Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration
- 23 Apr 1968—23 Apr 1968: Issue of 5p and 10p decimal coins in Britain
- 29 May 1968—29 May 1968: Manchester United first English club to win the European Cup
- 11 Aug 1968—11 Aug 1968: Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (Carlisle- Liverpool)
- 16 Sep 1968—16 Sep 1968: Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain
- 5 Oct 1968—5 Oct 1968: Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland
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| 16 | 1969 | - 2 Mar 1969—2 Mar 1969: Maiden flight of 'Concorde', at Toulouse
- 7 Mar 1969—7 Mar 1969: Victoria Line tube opens in London
- 17 Apr 1969—17 Apr 1969: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
- 2 May 1969—2 May 1969: Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
- 31 Jul 1969—31 Jul 1969: Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain
- 14 Aug 1969—14 Aug 1969: Civil disturbances in Ulster - Britain sends troops to support civil authorities
- 7 Sep 1969—7 Sep 1969: First episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' recorded
- 14 Oct 1969—14 Oct 1969: 50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)
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| 17 | 1970 | - 1970—1970: Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service
- 17 Jun 1970—17 Jun 1970: Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain
- 19 Jun 1970—19 Jun 1970: Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister
- 30 Jul 1970—30 Jul 1970: Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims
- 19 Sep 1970—19 Sep 1970: First Glastonbury Festival held
- 20 Nov 1970—20 Nov 1970: Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain
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| 18 | 1971 | - 1971—1971: Banking and Financial Dealings Act - replaced the Bank Holidays Act of 1871
- 1971—1971: 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—1971: 'Greenpeace' founded
- 1971—1971: Rolls-Royce declared bankrupt
- 3 Jan 1971—3 Jan 1971: Open University starts
- 15 Feb 1971—15 Feb 1971: Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland
- 9 Aug 1971—9 Aug 1971: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland
- 28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973)
- 28 Oct 1971—28 Oct 1971: UK launches its first (and only) satellite, Prospero
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| 19 | 1972 | - 1972—1972: Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland
- 1972—1972: Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports
- 1972—1972: Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK
- 1972—1972: Domestic video cassette recorders introduced
- 30 Jan 1972—30 Jan 1972: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland
- 28 May 1972—28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
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| 20 | 1973 | - 1 Jan 1973—1 Jan 1973: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark)
- 17 Mar 1973—17 Mar 1973: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen
- 1 Apr 1973—1 Apr 1973: VAT introduced in Britain
- 26 Sep 1973—26 Sep 1973: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking
time
- 14 Oct 1973—14 Oct 1973: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey
- 31 Dec 1973—31 Dec 1973: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to
conserve power
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| 21 | 1974 | - 1974—1974: New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries
- 1 Jun 1974—1 Jun 1974: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people
- 7 Nov 1974—7 Nov 1974: Lord Lucan disappears
- 21 Nov 1974—21 Nov 1974: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
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| 22 | 1975 | - 1975—1975: Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2
- 11 Feb 1975—11 Feb 1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition)
- 28 Feb 1975—28 Feb 1975: 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—4 Mar 1975: Charlie Chaplin knighted
- 5 Jun 1975—5 Jun 1975: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community
- 29 Oct 1975—29 Oct 1975: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder
- 3 Nov 1975—3 Nov 1975: First North Sea oil comes ashore
- 29 Nov 1975—29 Nov 1975: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the
following year)
- 27 Dec 1975—27 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
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English
1954 - 1975 (20 years) 