| 1 | 1940 | - 1 Apr 1940—1 Apr 1940: BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd
- 11 May 1940—11 May 1940: National Government formed under Churchill
- 13 May 1940—13 May 1940: Germany invades France
- 27 May 1940—27 May 1940: Start of the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk (27 May - 4 Jun)
- 25 Jun 1940—25 Jun 1940: Fall of France to Germany
- 7 Sep 1940—7 Sep 1940: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of
bombing
- 15 Sep 1940—15 Sep 1940: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the
RAF - Hitler postpones invasion of Britain
- 14 Nov 1940—14 Nov 1940: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
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| 2 | 1941 | - 1941—1941: Britain introduces severe rationing
- 1941—1941: First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle
- 1941—1941: Bailey invents his portable military bridge
- 1941—1941: First use of antibiotics
- 10 May 1941—10 May 1941: Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland
- 27 May 1941—27 May 1941: 'Bismark' sunk
- 22 Jun 1941—22 Jun 1941: Germany invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
- 1 Jul 1941—1 Jul 1941: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain
- Dec 1941—Dec 1941: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England
- Dec 1941—Dec 1941: 'Manhattan Project' of nuclear research begins in America
- 7 Dec 1941—7 Dec 1941: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour
- 8 Dec 1941—8 Dec 1941: USA enters WWII
- 24 Dec 1941—24 Dec 1941: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
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| 3 | 1942 | - 1942—1942: Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with
Max Neumann - used to crack German codes
- 1942—1942: Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam
- 30 May 1942—30 May 1942: Over 1,000 allied bombers raid Cologne
- 4 Jun 1942—4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway
- 19 Aug 1942—19 Aug 1942: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops
- 6 Sep 1942—6 Sep 1942: Germans defeated at Stalingrad
- 3 Oct 1942—3 Oct 1942: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany - first man-made object to reach
space
- 23 Oct 1942—23 Oct 1942: Battle of El Alamein - Montgomery defeats Rommel
- 2 Dec 1942—2 Dec 1942: 'Manhattan Project' - a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining
nuclear chain reaction
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| 4 | 1943 | - 1943—1943: Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins
- 16 May 1943—16 May 1943: 'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF
- 24 Jul 1943—24 Jul 1943: Allies invade Italy - Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
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| 5 | 1944 | - 6 Apr 1944—6 Apr 1944: PAYE income tax begins
- 4 Jun 1944—4 Jun 1944: Allies enter Rome
- 6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D-Day invasion of Normandy
- 12 Jun 1944—12 Jun 1944: First V1 flying bombs hit London
- 8 Sep 1944—8 Sep 1944: First V2 rocket bombs hit London
- 11 Sep 1944—11 Sep 1944: Allies enter Germany
- 16 Dec 1944—16 Dec 1944: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
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| 6 | 1945 | - 4 Feb 1945—4 Feb 1945: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
- 29 Mar 1945—29 Mar 1945: Last V1 flying bomb attack
- 25 Apr 1945—25 Apr 1945: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops
- 30 Apr 1945—30 Apr 1945: Hitler commits suicide
- 8 May 1945—8 May 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe)
- 9 May 1945—9 May 1945: Channel Islands liberated
- 26 Jun 1945—26 Jun 1945: UN Charter signed in San Francisco
- 16 Jul 1945—16 Jul 1945: First ever atomic bomb exploded in a test in New Mexico (although there were
other forms of atomic device before that, such as the Pile at Stagg Field, first critical on
2nd Dec 1942)
- 26 Jul 1945—26 Jul 1945: Labour win UK General Election - Churchill out of office
- 29 Jul 1945—29 Jul 1945: BBC Light Programme starts
- 6 Aug 1945—6 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
- 9 Aug 1945—9 Aug 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
- 15 Aug 1945—15 Aug 1945: VJ Day (Victory in Japan)
- 2 Sep 1945—2 Sep 1945: Japanese surrender signed aboard USS Missouri
- 24 Oct 1945—24 Oct 1945: United Nations Organisation comes into existence
- 4 Nov 1945—4 Nov 1945: UNESCO founded
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| 7 | 1946 | - 1946—1946: Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)
- 1946—1946: Alistair Cooke starts his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio - until 2004
- 1 Jan 1946—1 Jan 1946: First civillian flight from Heathrow Airport
- 1 Mar 1946—1 Mar 1946: Bank of England nationalised
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| 8 | 1947 | - 1947—1947: Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year - heavy snow and much
flooding later
- 1947—1947: First British nuclear reactor developed
- 1 Jan 1947—1 Jan 1947: Coal Mines nationalised
- 23 Feb 1947—23 Feb 1947: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded
- 1 Mar 1947—1 Mar 1947: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations
- 1 Apr 1947—1 Apr 1947: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
- 26 Oct 1947—26 Oct 1947: British military occupation ends in Iraq
- 20 Nov 1947—20 Nov 1947: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in
Westminster Abbey
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| 9 | 1948 | - 1948—1948: British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports
- 1948—1948: Transistor radio invented
- 1948—1948: Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark
- 1 Jan 1948—1 Jan 1948: British Railways nationalised
- 5 Jul 1948—5 Jul 1948: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
- 29 Jul 1948—29 Jul 1948: London Olympics begin
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| 10 | 1949 | - 1949—1949: Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)
- 1949—1949: De Haviland produces the Comet - first jet airliner
- 15 Mar 1949—15 Mar 1949: Clothes rationing ends in Britain
- 4 Apr 1949—4 Apr 1949: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
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| 11 | 1950 | - 19 May 1950—19 May 1950: Points rationing ends in Britain
- 26 May 1950—26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ends in Britain
- 11 Jul 1950—11 Jul 1950: 'Andy Pandy' first seen on BBC TV
- 9 Sep 1950—9 Sep 1950: Soap rationing ends in Britain
- 28 Dec 1950—28 Dec 1950: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
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| 12 | 1951 | - 3 May 1951—3 May 1951: Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London
- 28 May 1951—28 May 1951: First Goon Show broadcast
- 20 Dec 1951—20 Dec 1951: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor
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| 13 | 1952 | - 1952—1952: Contraceptive pill invented
- 1952—1952: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Australia
- 1952—1952: Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects
- 1952—1952: Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany
- 6 Feb 1952—6 Feb 1952: King George VI dies
- 21 Feb 1952—21 Feb 1952: Identity Cards abolished in Britain
- 2 May 1952—2 May 1952: First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOACComet between London
and Johannesburg
- 5 Jul 1952—5 Jul 1952: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)
- 16 Aug 1952—16 Aug 1952: Lynmouth (North Devon) flood disaster
- 6 Sep 1952—6 Sep 1952: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed
- 3 Oct 1952—3 Oct 1952: End of tea rationing in Britain
- 1 Nov 1952—1 Nov 1952: 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—25 Nov 1952: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' opens in London
- 4 Dec 1952—4 Dec 1952: Great smog hits London
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| 14 | 1953 | - 31 Jan 1953—31 Jan 1953: 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—5 Feb 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain
- 5 Mar 1953—5 Mar 1953: Death of Stalin
- 26 Mar 1953—26 Mar 1953: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine
- 24 Apr 1953—24 Apr 1953: Winston Churchill knighted
- 25 Apr 1953—25 Apr 1953: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA
- 2 Jun 1953—2 Jun 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II
- 26 Sep 1953—26 Sep 1953: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
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| 15 | 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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| 16 | 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
|
| 17 | 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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| 18 | 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
|
| 19 | 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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| 20 | 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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| 21 | 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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| 22 | 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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| 23 | 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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| 24 | 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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| 25 | 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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| 26 | 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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| 27 | 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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| 28 | 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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| 29 | 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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| 30 | 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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| 31 | 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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| 32 | 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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| 33 | 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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| 34 | 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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| 35 | 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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| 36 | 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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| 37 | 1976 | - 1976—1976: 'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland
- 1976—1976: Deaths exceeded live births in E&W for first time since records began in 1837
- 1976—1976: James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister
- 1976—1976: National Theatre opens in London
- 21 Jan 1976—21 Jan 1976: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service
- 1 Apr 1976—1 Apr 1976: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
- 6 Aug 1976—6 Aug 1976: Drought Act 1976 comes into force ? the long, hot summer
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| 38 | 1977 | - 2 Mar 1977—2 Mar 1977: 'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National
- 25 May 1977—25 May 1977: George Lucas' film Star Wars' released
- 5 Jun 1977—5 Jun 1977: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale
- 7 Jun 1977—7 Jun 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London
- 22 Nov 1977—22 Nov 1977: Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated
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| 39 | 1978 | - 8 Apr 1978—8 Apr 1978: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts
- 1 May 1978—1 May 1978: First May Day holiday in Britain
- 25 Jul 1978—25 Jul 1978: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham
- 30 Nov 1978—30 Nov 1978: Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13
Nov 1979)
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| 40 | 1979 | - 1 Mar 1979—1 Mar 1979: 32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against
- 30 Mar 1979—30 Mar 1979: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster
- 31 Mar 1979—31 Mar 1979: Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta
- 4 May 1979—4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister
- 1 Jul 1979—1 Jul 1979: Sony introduces the Walkman
- 27 Aug 1979—27 Aug 1979: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland
- 18 Sep 1979—18 Sep 1979: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
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| 41 | 1980 | - 5 May 1980—5 May 1980: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages
- 8 Dec 1980—8 Dec 1980: John Lennon assassinated in New York
|
| 42 | 1981 | - 25 Jan 1981—25 Jan 1981: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain
- 29 Mar 1981—29 Mar 1981: First London marathon run
- 11 Apr 1981—11 Apr 1981: Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots
- 25 Apr 1981—25 Apr 1981: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain
- 27 Apr 1981—27 Apr 1981: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system)
- 29 Jul 1981—29 Jul 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996)
- 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches the first PC
- 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches its PC ? starts the general use of personal computers
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| 43 | 1982 | - 26 Jan 1982—26 Jan 1982: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population)
- 5 Feb 1982—5 Feb 1982: Laker Airways collapses
- 19 Feb 1982—19 Feb 1982: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership
- 18 Mar 1982—18 Mar 1982: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia
- 2 Apr 1982—2 Apr 1982: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
- 5 Apr 1982—5 Apr 1982: Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands
- 2 May 1982—2 May 1982: British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General
Belgrano
- 28 May 1982—28 May 1982: First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green)
- 14 Jun 1982—14 Jun 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands
- 21 Jun 1982—21 Jun 1982: Prince William is born
- 20 Jul 1982—20 Jul 1982: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park)
- 19 Sep 1982—19 Sep 1982: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time
- 11 Oct 1982—11 Oct 1982: Mary Rose' raised in the Solent (sank in 1545)
- 31 Oct 1982—31 Oct 1982: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7)
- 2 Nov 1982—2 Nov 1982: Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown'
- 4 Nov 1982—4 Nov 1982: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads
- 12 Dec 1982—12 Dec 1982: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov
1983)
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| 44 | 1983 | - 1983—1983: First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson)
- 17 Jan 1983—17 Jan 1983: Start of breakfast TV in Britain
- 31 Jan 1983—31 Jan 1983: Seat belt law comes into force
- 21 Apr 1983—21 Apr 1983: ?1 coin into circulation in Britain
- 7 Oct 1983—7 Oct 1983: Plans to abolish GLC announced
- 26 Nov 1983—26 Nov 1983: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly ?26 million are stolen from a
vault at Heathrow Airport
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| 45 | 1984 | - 6 Mar 1984—6 Mar 1984: Miners strike begins
- 17 Apr 1984—17 Apr 1984: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in
London
- 22 Jun 1984—22 Jun 1984: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic
- 9 Jul 1984—9 Jul 1984: York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building
but the Rose Window' not affected
- 12 Oct 1984—12 Oct 1984: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed
- 24 Oct 1984—24 Oct 1984: Miners' strike ? High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets
- 3 Dec 1984—3 Dec 1984: British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading
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| 46 | 1985 | - 3 Mar 1985—3 Mar 1985: Miners agree to call off strike
- 11 Mar 1985—11 Mar 1985: Al Fayed buys Harrods
- 13 Jul 1985—13 Jul 1985: Live Aid' pop concert raises over ?50M for famine relief
- 1 Sep 1985—1 Sep 1985: Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)
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| 47 | 1986 | - 31 Mar 1986—31 Mar 1986: GLC and 6 metropolitan councils abolished
- 26 Apr 1986—26 Apr 1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident - radiation reached Britain on 2 Ma
- 26 May 1986—26 May 1986: The European Community adopts the European flag
- 23 Jul 1986—23 Jul 1986: Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey
- 27 Oct 1986—27 Oct 1986: 'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market
- 29 Oct 1986—29 Oct 1986: M25 motorway ring around London completed
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| 48 | 1987 | - 1987—1987: World population crossed the 5 billion mark
- 2 Feb 1987—2 Feb 1987: Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991)
- 6 Mar 1987—6 Mar 1987: Car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise' capsizes off Zeebrugge - 188 die
- 1 Jul 1987—1 Jul 1987: Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel
- 19 Aug 1987—19 Aug 1987: Hungerford Massacre - Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle
- 16 Oct 1987—16 Oct 1987: The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England
- 19 Oct 1987—19 Oct 1987: 'Black Monday' in the City of London - Stock Market crash
- 8 Nov 1987—8 Nov 1987: Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony
- 18 Nov 1987—18 Nov 1987: King's Cross fire in London - 31 people die
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| 49 | 1988 | - 5 Feb 1988—5 Feb 1988: First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity
- 6 Jul 1988—6 Jul 1988: Piper Alpha disaster - North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire
killing 167 men
- 15 Nov 1988—15 Nov 1988: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act - reformulated the statutory basis of
copyright law (including performing rights) in the UK
- 12 Dec 1988—12 Dec 1988: Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of
three commuter trains
- 21 Dec 1988—21 Dec 1988: Lockerbie disaster - Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland
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| 50 | 1989 | - 1989—1989: Poll Tax implemented in Scotland
- 14 Feb 1989—14 Feb 1989: The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
- 2 Mar 1989—2 Mar 1989: EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of
the century
- 9 Nov 1989—9 Nov 1989: Berlin Wall torn down
- 21 Nov 1989—21 Nov 1989: Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live
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| 51 | 1990 | - 11 Feb 1990—11 Feb 1990: Nelson Mandela released in South Africa
- 31 Mar 1990—31 Mar 1990: Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England &
Wales
- 25 Apr 1990—25 Apr 1990: Hubble space telescope launched
- 22 Nov 1990—22 Nov 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister)
- 1 Dec 1990—1 Dec 1990: Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle
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| 52 | 1991 | - 1991—1991: Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax)
- 1991—1991: The 'Internet' comes into existence
- 18 May 1991—18 May 1991: Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space
- Aug 1991—Aug 1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union
- 6 Sep 1991—6 Sep 1991: Leningrad renamed St Petersburg
- 5 Nov 1991—5 Nov 1991: Robert Maxwell drowns at sea
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| 53 | 1992 | - 7 Feb 1992—7 Feb 1992: European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty
- 22 Apr 1992—22 Apr 1992: Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons
- 15 Aug 1992—15 Aug 1992: Football Premier League kicks off in England
- 16 Sep 1992—16 Sep 1992: 'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM
- 20 Nov 1992—20 Nov 1992: Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over ?50 million worth of damage
- 24 Nov 1992—24 Nov 1992: The Queen describes this year as an 'Annus Horribilis'
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| 54 | 1993 | - 1993—1993: Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000)
- 1993—1993: Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax
- Jul 1993—Jul 1993: Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)
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| 55 | 1994 | - 1994—1994: 15 million people now connected to the Internet
- 12 Mar 1994—12 Mar 1994: Church of England ordains its first female priests
- 6 May 1994—6 May 1994: Channel Tunnel open to traffic
- 19 Nov 1994—19 Nov 1994: National Lottery starts
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| 56 | 1995 | - 26 Feb 1995—26 Feb 1995: Nick Leeson brings down Barings Bank
- 15 Jul 1995—15 Jul 1995: First item sold on Amazon.com
- 16 Nov 1995—16 Nov 1995: The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old
- 22 Nov 1995—22 Nov 1995: Toy Story' released - first feature-length film created completely using
computer-generated imagery
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| 57 | 1996 | - 9 Feb 1996—9 Feb 1996: IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands - ends 17 month ceasefire
- 13 Mar 1996—13 Mar 1996: Dunblane massacre
- 15 Jun 1996—15 Jun 1996: IRA bomb explodes in Manchester
- 5 Jul 1996—5 Jul 1996: Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly)
- 28 Aug 1996—28 Aug 1996: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced
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| 58 | 1997 | - 30 Mar 1997—30 Mar 1997: Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls)
- 1 May 1997—1 May 1997: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as
Prime Minister)
- 6 May 1997—6 May 1997: Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government
control
- 11 May 1997—11 May 1997: First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry
Kasparov)
- 1 Jul 1997—1 Jul 1997: Hong Kong returned to China
- 19 Jul 1997—19 Jul 1997: IRA declares a ceasefire
- 31 Aug 1997—31 Aug 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris
- 25 Sep 1997—25 Sep 1997: Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time
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| 59 | 1998 | - 10 Apr 1998—10 Apr 1998: Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland - effectively implemented in
May 2007
- 14 Aug 1998—14 Aug 1998: Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people
- 27 Sep 1998—27 Sep 1998: 'Google' search engine founded
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| 60 | 1999 | - 1999—1999: World population reaches 6 billion
- 1 Jan 1999—1 Jan 1999: 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—1 Jul 1999: 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—11 Aug 1999: Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall
- 11 Nov 1999—11 Nov 1999: Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords
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| 61 | 2000 | - 1 Jan 2000—1 Jan 2000: The year in Britain started with a 'flu bug rather than a millennium bug
- Mar 2000—Mar 2000: London Eye opens, late but popular
- 22 Apr 2000—22 Apr 2000: 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—4 May 2000: Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord
Mayor of London!)
- 10 Jun 2000—10 Jun 2000: Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly
declared dangerous and closed - finally reopened Feb 2002
- 25 Jul 2000—25 Jul 2000: A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with the loss of all lives
- Sep 2000—Sep 2000: '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—Oct 2000: Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many
parts of Britain (Oct-Dec)
- 17 Oct 2000—17 Oct 2000: Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused
by a broken rail
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English
1940 - 2000 (59 years) 