A Century of Change

A CENTURY OF CHANGE

Part 2 - 1955 to 2004

(back to Part 1 - 1905 to 1954)

1955

In New York, the Chase National Bank and Bank of Manhattan announce merger plans. Joe Davies achieves snooker's first official 147 break. The UK Government announce a £1,240 million plan to electrify the railways and £212 million to modernise Britain's roads. The Highway Code is published. Sir Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister and is replaced by Sir Anthony Eden.   Albert Einstein dies. The Warsaw Pact is signed. The Dambusters film opens in London. Stirling Moss wins the Mille Miglia. West Germany becomes a sovereign state with the abolishment of the Allied High Commission. The British submarine HMS Sidon sinks in Portsmouth harbour after an explosion. Eighty people die when three cars crash at Le Mans. Ruth Ellis is hanged for the murder of her lover, racing driver David Blakely. Disneyland opens in California. Donald Campbell breaks the water speed record on Ullswater with a speed of 202.332mph. Eamonn Andrews compares the new 'This Is Your Life'. In Buenos Aires, Juan Peron is overthrown. James Dean dies in a car smash. Commercial television starts with the first broadcasts by ITV. The BBC buys Ealing Film Studios and then demonstrates colour television at Alexandra Palace. Princess Margaret decides against marrying Group Captain Peter Townsend. Campbell increases his water speed record to 216.2mph. Hugh Gaitskell becomes leader of the Labour Party.

1956

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is announced. U-2 spy planes arrive at RAF Lakenheath. The ability to record TV programs on magnetic tape is demonstrated. Rocky Marciano announces his retirement. The new Premium Bond is announced. Prince Rainier II of Monaco marries the American actress Grace Kelly. The US drops the first H-bomb from a plane over Bikini Atoll. Self-service shops appear around Britain for the first time. Commander 'Buster' Crabb drowns in Portsmouth harbour while carrying out underwater tests near visiting Russian warships. British rail abolishes Third Class coaches.    The Clean Air Bill is passed. Jaguar wins the Le mans 24 Hour race. President Nasser nationalises the Anglo-French controlled Suez Canal Company. British and French troops sail for Suez. Parking meters and traffic wardens are introduced. US air pioneer, William E Bowing dies. Elvis Presley appears on the Ed Sullivan show. Bill Haley and the Comets sing Rock Around The Clock. The Queen opens Britain's first full scale nuclear power station at Calder Hall. Hungary revolts against Soviet domination. US food pioneer Clarence Birdseye dies. Israeli troops invade Egypt. Anglo-French forces bombard Suez. The Melbourne Olympic Games open. The Anglo-French forces seize control of the Suez Canal zone. The United Nations impose a ceasefire. Under severe pressure from the United States, Britain starts to withdraw from Suez. Soviet tanks crush the Hungarian revolt. In the UK, the government approves TV broadcasting between 6pm and 7pm.

1957

Sir Anthony Eden resigns as Prime Minister to be replaced by Harold Macmillan. Humphrey Bogart dies. Bill Haley and his Comets arrive in the UK for a concert tour. The Vulcan bomber enters service with the RAF. Vauxhall launches its new 'Victor' model. Six European nations form the Common Market. Britain's Gold Coast colony becomes the state of Ghana. The first edition of Patrick Moore's 'The Sky At Night' is broadcast. Britain drops its first hydrogen bomb on Christmas Island. The GPO announces plans for automatic trunk dialling by 1959. ERNIE picks the first premium bond winners. Alfie Bass and Bill Fraser star in ITV's 'The Army Game'. Stirling Moss wins the British Grand Prix at Aintree. 'Let us be frank about it. Most of our people have never had it so good' quotes Harold Macmillan. A £17M expansion scheme is announced for Heathrow Airport. Jimmy Greaves starts his career at Chelsea FC. Oliver Hardy dies. Malaya gains its independence. French fashion designer Christian Dior dies. Russia starts the space age with Sputnik-I. The GPO announces plans to replace addresses with 'postcodes'. The government announces plans for a London to Dover motorway.

1958

Vickers sign a contract with the BOAC to build the VC-10. Parking meters are introduced in London's Mayfair. The Munich air disaster. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is launched. The last debutantes are presented to the Queen. Elvis Presley joins the American Army. 3000 anti-nuclear protesters march from London to Aldermaston. The Comet IV makes its maiden flight. The Austin Healey Sprite is launched by BMC. The CEGB announces that it is to build a nuclear power station at Dungeness in Kent. Christopher Cockerell invents the hovercraft. The Queen opens the new £7M facilities at Gatwick Airport. Yellow 'No Waiting' lines come into force in London. Brazil win the World Cup in Stockholm. Prince Charles is created Prince of Wales by the Queen. Peter Collins is killed during the German Grand Prix. The Midland Bank is the first bank to offers personal loans. US pop start Michael Jackson is born. It is announced that the US submarine Nautilus sailed across the North Pole under the ice cap last summer.   Stereophonic sound or High Fidelity is announced. Race riots flare in Notting Hill Gate. Fidel Castro launches an offensive against the Cuban government of President Batista. BOAC launches its first scheduled transatlantic service. Mike Hawthorn becomes Britain's first motor racing World Champion. The Bubble-car is launched. Donald Campbell achieves a new water speed record of 248.62mph. Britain's first motorway, the Preston bypass, is opened. The Thalidomide drug causes an epidemic of birth defects.

1959

Fidel Castro's guerrillas sweep into power. A doctor says that obesity is a bigger problem in Britain than malnutrition. It is estimated that there are 24.5 million television sets in Britain and that they are watched for 12.5 hours per week - an hour more than in 1957! World Champion Mike Hawthorn is killed in a car crash on the Guildford bypass. London Transport announces plans for the Victoria line. Buddy holly, Richie Valens and JP 'Big Bopper' Richardson are killed in a plane crash in Iowa, USA. Donald Campbell achieves a new water speed record of 260.35mph. Alabama in the USA bans a children's book because it shows a black rabbit marrying a white one! Work starts on the Mont Blanc tunnel. The average male manual worker in Britain earns £13 2s 11d a week. Billie Holliday dies aged 44. Alec Issigonis's Mini is launched.    The transistor radio is launched. Errol Flynn and Mario Lanza die. The £10 note is announced. The M1 opens. Britain and six other European nations launch the European Free Trade Association in competition to the Common Market. Duty free wine and spirits are now available at selected UK airports. The Hawker Siddeley and de Havilland aircraft groups announce merger plans.

1960

Britain announces plans to fund a supersonic airliner, possibly in conjunction with France or the United States.    The Sharpeville massacre. Dr Richard Beeching is appointed to head a four man team to study Britain's rail network. There is an increasing 'flood' of East German refugees arriving in the west. A U2 spy plane, piloted by Gary Powers, is shot down over the USSR. Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Jaguar acquires Daimler. Beer goes up by 1d a pint to 1/7d. The Rome Olympics - boxer Cassius Clay wins gold. Donald Campbell crashes the new Bluebird car at 350mph. A Royal Commission says that the London County Council should be replaced by a Greater London Council. HMS Dreadnought, Britain's first nuclear submarine is launched. The Hawker P1127 vertical take off jet makes its first flight. Nigeria becomes an independent state. US film pioneer Max Sennett and actor Clark Gable die. John F Kennedy is elected President of the USA. It is announced that Leyland Motors will take over Standard-Triumph International. The end of National Service.

1961

The lioness 'Elsa' - hero of Joy Adamson's book Born Free dies. The contraceptive pill goes on sale in the UK. The Postmaster General announces plans to build a 507ft GPO Tower in Central London. Dr Richard Beeching is appointed head of British Railways. George Formby dies. The E-Type Jaguar is launched. Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space. Armed Cuban exiles land at the Bay of Pigs. Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space and President Kennedy announces that the US will aim to put the first man on the moon. Dr Ramsey becomes Archbishop of Canterbury. Increasing numbers of East German refugees arrive in Berlin. Rudolf Nureyev defects to the west. East Germany closes the Berlin border and blocks it with barbed wire. The GPO announces that their new tower will be 603ft high and not 507ft as originally planned. The East Germans erect a five foot concrete wall along the border to replace the barbed wire and then proceed to reinforce it day by day. The first Mothercare shop opens in Kingston.   15,000 ban-the-bomb protesters arrive in Trafalgar Square. UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjoeld dies in a plane crash. Bob Dylan makes his first appearance in New York. The last steam train runs on London Underground. Malta becomes independent. U-Thant becomes UN Secretary General. The US announces plans to increase the number of military advisers in South Vietnam to 16,000. The British Government agrees to the principal of decimalisation. West Side Story is released.

1962

The De Havilland Trident makes its maiden flight. Yves Saint Laurent opens his own couture house in Paris. President Kennedy increases military aid to South Vietnam. Decca rejects the Beatles as their experts believe that they will never make it into the music charts.   James Hanratty is sentenced to death for the A6 murders. The Sunday Times gets a colour supplement. John Glenn orbits the Earth. The first push button 'Panda' crossing is installed in London. Stirling Moss is seriously injured in a 110mph crash at Goodwood. Private Eye makes its first appearance. The last trolley buses are taken out of service in London. A government committee suggests creating a second channel for the BBC. Telstar brings live trans-Atlantic television to our screens. Jamaica becomes independent. The Mont Blanc tunnel is completed. Marilyn Monroe dies. The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink of nuclear war. Uganda gains its independence. The agreement to build Concorde is signed by France and Britain. 'That Was The Week That Was' is launched.

1963

The leader of the Labour Party, Hugh Gaitskell, dies after a short illness. Harold Wilson is elected as his replacement. War Minister John Profumo denies any impropriety in his relationship with Christine Keeler. The Beeching report is published proposing to close over 2000 railway stations. Alcatraz prison in San Francisco bay closes. Sir Winston Churchill announces that he will retire from the House of Commons at the next election. John Profumo admits lying to the House of Commons and resigns. Henry Cooper floors Cassius Clay but a cut eye forces his retirement. Viscount Stansgate renounces his title to become Anthony Wedgwood Benn. Craig Breedlove sets a new world land speed record of 407.45mph. The Great Train Robbery nets £2.6million. Car tycoon Lord Nuffield, born William Morris, dies aged 84. American Express launches in the UK. Harold Macmillan resigns as Prime Minister in the wake of the Profumo scandal to be replaced by Sir Alec Douglas Home. 'She Loves You' signifies the start of Beatlemania. US President John F Kennedy is assassinated. Lee Harvey Oswald is charged with his murder but is himself murdered by Jack Ruby.

1964

Steptoe and Son hits the television screens. The average weekly wage is £16 14/11d.   Britain and France reach agreement to build a Channel Tunnel at a cost of £160M. Beatlemania hits New York as the Beatles fly in on Pan Am flight 101. Peter Sellers marries Brit Ekland. The first £10 banknote since the war is launched. Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world. The UK government announces mass closure of railway lines. Radio Caroline begins transmitting from a ship in the North Sea. Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor. Mods and Rockers fight in London. Play School is the first program transmitted on BBC2. The first woman MP, American born Nancy Astor dies. Mods and Rockers fight on the beaches at Margate. The Palestine Liberation Organisation is created in Jerusalem. Britain launches its Blue Streak missile from a site in Australia. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and treason.   Newspaper tycoon Lord Beaverbrook dies. Tottenham Hotspur forward John White is killed by lightning whilst sheltering under a tree on Enfield golf course. Donald Campbell sets a new 'wheel driven' land speed record of 403.1mph on Lake Eyre. The Beatles film 'A Hard Day's Night' premiers. James Bond author Ian Fleming dies. The United States steps up military action in Vietnam. The Forth Road Bridge opens. The Daily Herald newspaper is relaunched as The Sun. The maiden flight of the TSR-2, Britain's supersonic tactical strike aircraft. Harpo Marx dies. Nikita Khrushchev is ousted as Soviet leader and replaced by Leonid Brezhnev. China explodes its first atomic bomb. Ready Steady Go makes its first appearance on the television. In Britain, MP's vote to abolish the death penalty. Donald Campbell sets a new water speed record of 276.33mph. Diana Rigg and Patrick McNee appear in The Avengers.

1965

Stanley Matthews is knighted. T.S. Elliot dies. Sir Winston Churchill dies at the age of 90 and is given a state funeral. British Rail announces plans to slash the rail network by half based on the Beeching report. The TSR-2 goes supersonic. The government announces that cigarette advertising is to be banned from television. British born US comedian Stan Laurel dies. General Franco's 'creeping blockade' of Gibraltar begins in an attempt to force Britain to give 'the Rock' back to Spain.   Goldie, London Zoo's Golden Eagle escapes captivity and spends two weeks living in the trees. The conflict in Vietnam continues to escalate. The government announce plans to switch to the decimal system. The TSR-2 is cancelled. British aircraft pioneer Geoffrey de Havilland dies. With the Speaker's casting vote, MPs approve a bill to impose a Corporation Tax on company profits. The first spacewalks. Elizabeth lane becomes the first woman High Court Judge. The Death penalty is abolished in the UK. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are charged with the 'Moors Murders'. The Post Office Tower is opened. An experimental 70mph speed limit is introduced in the UK. Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith issues a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Goldie escapes for the second time. Richard Dimbleby dies. 13 drown when the Sea Gem oil rig collapses in the North Sea.

1966

US actor and director, Buster Keaton dies. The World Cup goes missing in London and is found by a dog called Pickles. The State opening of parliament is televised for the first time. Julie Christie and Omar Sharif star in Dr Zhivago. Barclaycard, the first British credit card is introduced. BMC and Jaguar announce merger plans. Race riots flare in the USA. England beat West Germany 4-2 in the World Cup Final. The Hawker Harrier, the world's first vertical take off and landing aircraft is revealed at the Farnborough Air Show. The Aberfan disaster kills 144 people, mainly children. Walt Disney dies.

1967

Donald Campbell dies in his jet powered boat Bluebird on Coniston Water. Britain's largest new town will be called Milton Keynes. The government announces that US car firm Chrysler will be allowed to take over Rootes. A Mini Cooper wins the Monte Carlo Rally. Three American astronauts die in a launch simulation for the Apollo 1 launch. Dr J Robert Oppenheimer, US nuclear scientist, dies. The Queen Elisabeth Hall is opened. A star grading system for petrol is introduced in the UK. The Torrey Canyon runs aground off Lands End. Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, is stripped of his world title for formerly refusing to be inducted into military service. Compulsory breath tests are introduced. Francis Chichester finishes his solo 28,500mile round the world voyage. The Beatles LP, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is released. Israel is victorious in the six-day war. BBC-2 commences colour broadcasting. ITV launches 'News at Ten'. The British Steel Corporation is formed. The Dartford Tunnel opens at a cost of £8M. The Marine Broadcasting Act comes into force banning pirate radio stations. Flower power blooms. The Queen Mary arrives at the end of her last cruise. BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 replace the Light and Third Programmes and the Home Service. The Queen Elizabeth II is launched on Clydebank. The Abortion Bill becomes law. The Pound is devalued from $2.80 to $2.40. Foot and Mouth causes mass slaughter of animals. Louis Washkansky becomes the first man to have a heart transplant. The first Concorde is rolled out of its hanger in Toulouse.

1968

British Motor Corporation and British Leyland announce merger plans. The Pueblo, an American Intelligence ship is seized by North Korean patrol boats. The Port of London announces plans to close London Docks and sell St Katherine Docks to the GLC.   Great Train Robber Charles Wilson is arrested in Canada. The National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank announce merger plans. Alexander Dubcek, a reformist, becomes leader of the Czechoslovakia Communist Party. The 'I'm Backing Britain' campaign takes off. The Beatles open their Apple boutique in London's West End. Rolls Royce wins a £150 million order for RB2-11 engines from Lockheed. Yuri Gagarin dies in an air crash. Dr Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis. Jim Clark is killed in a minor Formula Two race at Hockenheim in West Germany. US oil tycoon Robert McCullough pays £1 million for London Bridge. The first decimal coins come into circulation.    Charlie, Reggie and Ronnie Kray are arrested. Three people are killed when the part of the Ronan Point flats collapse.   Manchester United becomes the first English team to win the European Cup. Robert Kennedy is shot dead in Los Angeles. Comedian Tony Hancock dies. Alec Rose returns to Portsmouth after his lone round the world voyage and is knighted. Russian tanks invade Czechoslovakia. GEC and English Electric announce merger plans. British comedian Bud Flanagan dies. Richard Nixon is elected US President. Enid Blyton dies. Apollo 8 orbits the moon.

1969

The Ford Capri is announced. Rupert Murdock wins control of the News of the World. The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight. British born US actor Boris Karloff dies. Yassir Arafat becomes the leader of the PLO. The Concorde makes its maiden flight. Former US President Dwight D Eisenhower dies. High grade oil is discovered in the North Sea. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones is found dead in his swimming pool. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make the descent from Apollo 11 to land on the moon. The Rolling Stones free concert in Hyde Park. Prince Charles is invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle. Handley Page, Britain's oldest aircraft manufacturer, calls in the receiver. Troops begin to patrol the streets of Belfast. The Woodstock festival. Muammar Gaddafi seizes power in Libya. Monty Python's Flying Circus is launched. Easy Rider hits the cinema screen.

1970

The age of majority is reduced from 21 to 18. The first Boeing 747 lands at Heathrow. Prince Charles takes his seat in the House of Lords. Rolls Royce asks the Government for £50 million to develop the RB211-50 airbus jet engine. Rhodesia becomes a republic. US planes bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail. The Beatles dissolve their partnership in the High Court. British Leyland announces the end of the Morris Minor. Apollo 13 returns safely to Earth after being crippled by an explosion on the way to the Moon. England football captain, Bobby Moore is accused of stealing a gold bracelet in Bogota. The racehorse Arkle dies. The Range Rover, a new all purpose £2,000 four wheel drive vehicle, is announced. Austrian racing driver Jochen Rindt dies after crashing during qualification for the Italian Grand Prix - in October he becomes the first driver to win the World Championship posthumously. Concorde's first landing at Heathrow. Jimi Hendrix and, less than a month later, Janis Joplin are found dead. Three hijacked airliners, including a BOAC VC10, are blown up in Jordon. The Fijian islands become independent. A major oil field is found in the North Sea. French statesman and commander General Charles de Gaulle dies.

1971

US Boxer Sonny Liston and French fashion designer Coco Chanel die. 66 football fans are crushed to death as barriers collapse at Ibrox Park - home of Glasgow Rangers. Britain's currency goes decimal. Rolls Royce declares itself bankrupt and calls in the receiver. The Daily Sketch closes after 62 years of publication.    The Government announces a study into redeveloping London's Docklands. Louis Armstrong dies. George Harrison heads the Bangladesh Charity concerts in Madison Square Gardens. Nikita Khrushchev dies in Moscow, aged 77. The Post Office Tower is hit by a bomb that explodes just under the revolving restaurant.

1972

The former Cunard flagship, Queen Elizabeth, is destroyed by fire in Hong Kong harbour. Britain signs the Treaty of Brusels as part of the procedure to joining the European Community. FBI chief John Edgar Hoover, actress Dame Margaret Rutherford and former King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor die.    Bomb disposal experts parachute onto the QE2 in mid-Atlantic after a bomb warning is received. Five men are arrested after breaking into the Democratic national Committee's offices in the Watergate complex. A BEA Trident crashes at Staines shortly after takeoff from Heathrow. Swimmer mark Spitz wins five gold medals in the Munich Olympics. Sir Francis Chichester dies. General Idi Amin of Uganda declares that he will expel 50,000 Asians to Britain within three months. The Israeli compound at the Munich Olympics is stormed. Harry S Truman, former US President, dies.

1973

Britain, Ireland and Denmark become members of the EEC. Pan Am and TWA scrap plans to buy 13 Concorde airliners. Former US President Lyndon B Johnson dies of a heart attack. Value Added Tax is introduced in Britain. President Nixon admits to a White House cover-up of Watergate. America's Skylab space station is launched. The Russian Tupelov-144 supersonic airliner crashes at the Paris Air Show. Egypt and Syria launch a two fronted attack on Israel. The oil states impose a 70% hike in oil prices in protest at US support for Israel in 'The Yom Kipper' war. A State of Emergency is declared in the UK as power workers and miners begin industrial action. Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips. An army coup puts Greek colonels in power. Britain goes on a three day week.

1974

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs is arrested in Brazil. Miners vote for an all out strike. Heiress Patty Hearst is kidnapped in the US. Architect John Poulson is jailed for seven years for corruption. The price of Four-star petrol rises to 50p a gallon. Alexander Solzhenitsyn is sent into exile. President Nixon is implicated in the Watergate cover-up. The miners return to work after the General Election and the nation returns to a five day week. An attempt is made to kidnap Princess Anne in the Mall. Patty Heart turns bank robber.   French President Georges Pompidou dies of a mystery illness. Sir Alf Ramsey is sacked as England manager. The 500th episode of TV's Z-Cars. A huge explosion occurs at a chemical works in Flixborough, Humberside. The new Labour government announce 'The Social Contract' with the TUC. Argentinean President Juan Peron dies aged 78. President Nixon resigns to avoid impeachment.   Inflation increases the cost of a Mini to £1,000. The first transmission of BBC-TV's Ceefax Teletext information service. Britain's first McDonald's restaurant opens in south London. Lord Lucan disappears after the alleged murder of his children's nanny. Labour MP John Stonehouse disappears leaving his clothes on a Miami beach only to turn up in Australia.

1975

Charles Chaplin and P.G. Wodehouse are knighted. An underground train rams into the end of a tunnel at Moorgate. Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of the Conservative Party. Unemployment in the UK passes the one million mark. The Government passes a bill to nationalise the shipbuilding and aircraft industries. Inflation reaches 25%. The House of Commons is broadcast live by radio for the first time. Oil starts to flow from the North Sea. The 'tera-cotta army' is discovered in China. 18 year old Czechoslovakian tennis star Martina Navratilova request political asylum in the US. Patty Hearst is arrested. Spain's General Franco dies. Former World Champion Graham Hill dies in a plane crash near Elstree Airport. The Balcombe Street siege.

1976

Agatha Christie dies aged 85. Concorde enters commercial service. The National Exhibition Centre is opened in Birmingham. The Tate Gallery newest exhibit is a pile of bricks. British actor Sid James collapses and dies. Temperatures in London reach 95^oF. Israeli commandos rescue over 100 hostages held in a plane at Entebbe Airport. Niki Lauda is seriously injured in an accident at the Nurburgring during the German Grand Prix. The Pound falls to $1.64. Chairman Mao dies. James Hunt becomes F1 World Champion. TV presenter Bill Grundy is suspended after hosting the Sex Pistols on ITV's 'Today' programme.

1977

The IMF approves a £2,300 million loan to Britain to halt the falling value of Sterling. Clive Sinclair introduces his £175 2" screen TV. Former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden dies aged 79. The Space Shuttle makes its maiden flight on top of a Boeing 747. Two jumbo jets collide on the ground in Tenerife with severe loss of life. British Aerospace is formed to run Britain's nationalised aviation industry. Red Rum completes a hat-trick of Grand National wins. Australian Kerry Packer signs up 35 of the best cricketers to play in a series of internationals. Star Wars hits the big screen. The Queens Silver Jubilee is celebrated. The average house price in London and the south-east is £16,731.   A colour TV licence is now £21 whilst a Black and White licence is £9. Virginia Wade wins the 'Silver Jubilee' Wimbledon. Elvis Presley dies age 42. Freddie Laker launches his Skytrain service to New York. Britons are buying more imported cars than British made ones. Maria Callas, 53 and Bing Crosby, 75 both die of heart attacks. Michael Edwards is appointed chief of British Leyland. Sir Charles Chaplin dies aged 88.

1978

Oxford wins the Boat Race after the Cambridge boat sinks. The Amoco Cadiz tanker breaks up in the English Channel causing massive pollution. Aldo Moro, former Italian prime minister, is kidnapped and murdered. In Iran, there is growing opposition to the Shah. Britain's North Sea oil fields make it the 16th biggest oil producing nation. Christopher Reeve stars in 'Superman'.    Louise Brown, the world's first 'test-tube' baby, is born.   Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov is killed after being stabbed with a poisoned umbrella point. Pope John Paul dies of a heart attack after only 33 days in office. Publication of The Times and Sunday Times newspapers are suspended indefinitely due to an industrial dispute. Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir dies at 80.

1979

The Shah of Iran is driven into exile by supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini. Rubbish piles up in the streets in the 'winter of discontent'. Trevor Francis becomes Britain's first million-pound footballer. Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 14 years in exile. British politician Airey Neave is killed by a bomb as he drives out of the underground car park at the House of Commons. Idi Amin flees Uganda as Tanzanian backed rebels besiege Kampala. A faulty cooling valve causes a major problem with a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island. The last Royal Navy warship leaves Malta. Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime Minister. Rhodesia renames itself Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and then simply Zimbabwe. Muhammad Ali announces his retirement. US actor John Wayne, born Marion Morrison, dies aged 72. Lord Mountbatten is killed by a bomb. British Leyland announces the end of production for all MG models. The Government announces that the postal service is to be split from the telephone network.   Plans are announced for the revitalisation of London's Docklands. Pope John Paul II visits Ireland. British air engineer, Sir Barnes Wallis dies. Iranians storm the US Embassy in Tehran and take the occupants hostage. The Times makes its reappearance.   Sir Anthony Blunt is named as the 'fourth man' in the Burgess, MacLean and Philby affair and Buckingham Palace announces that he has been stripped of his knighthood.    Mrs Thatcher demands a large EEC rebate to offset Britain's unfairly high subscription.   The Soviets invade Afghanistan.

1980

Robert Mugabe becomes Prime Minister of the new state of Zimbabwe. An American attempt to rescue the hostages held in Tehran ends in failure when a helicopter crashes. Sir Alfred Hitchcock dies at the age of 80. A diplomatic row breaks out with Saudi Arabia over the ITV film 'Death of a Princess'. British Leyland shop steward 'Red Robbo' Robinson is sacked. Inflation rises to 21.8%. Mount St Helens erupts in north west USA. The World Health Organisation declares that smallpox has been eliminated as a human disease. The SAS storm the Iranian embassy in Knightsbridge. Britain wins a reduction in its annual EEC subscription. It is announced that Cruise missiles will be based in the UK. Sixpence pieces cease to be legal tender. Sir Billy Butlin dies aged 80. Aston Martin fail to raise the necessary finance to buy British Leyland's MG offshoot. A fire causes huge damage to the Alexandra Palace in London. Workers at the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk go on strike. Hostilities erupt between Iraq and Iran. In Poland, the 'Solidarity' union is formed. The London Evening news closes. The Housing Act comes into force given tenants the right to buy. BL launches the Mini Metro. US actor Steve McQueen dies.   We find out 'who shot JR'. Former actor Ronald Reagan becomes President of the USA. John Lennon is shot dead outside his New York home.

1981

Iran released the American hostages. The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, is arrested. The 'gang of four' break with the Labour Party to form the Social Democratic Party. Rupert Murdock buys The Times and Sunday Times. The engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer is announced. The first London Marathon takes place. An assassination attempt is made on President Reagan. The first Space Shuttle launch.    The Brixton riots. Ken Livingstone is elected leader of the GLC. The Pope is shot. Europe's tallest building, the Nat West Tower, is opened. Blank shots are fired at the Queen as she rides on horseback down the Mall. The Royal Wedding - Charles and Diana marry at St Paul's Cathedral. Garages in the UK begin selling petrol by the litre. London's Royal Docks are axed. Egyptian statesman Anwar Sadat is assassinated.

1982

Unemployment tops the three million mark. Mark Thatcher goes missing on the Paris-Dakar rally. Erika Roe displays her wares at the England v Australia rugby match. Laker Airways collapses. Mercury wins a licence to operate in competition with British Telecom. De Lorean cars are placed in receivership. The Government gives the go-ahead to satellite television. An Argentinean scrap metal dealer lands on South Georgia and plants an Argentinean Flag.   The Barbican arts centre is opened. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The Task Force sets said for the South Atlantic. The Falklands War: The RAF bomb Stanley Airport. The General Belgrano is sunk. HMS Sheffield is sunk by an Exocet missile. A beachhead is established in San Carlos bay. The Atlantic Conveyor is sunk. Sir Galahad and St Tristram are attacked in Bluff Cove. Argentina surrenders. The Pope visits Britain. Prince William is born. Michael Fagan breaks into the Queens bedroom. Princess Grace of Monaco is killed in a car crash. British Telecom scraps the telegram. Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, is raised from the waters of the Solent. Channel Four is launched. ET and Ghandi hit the cinemas.

1983

Early morning television starts with BBC's 'Breakfast time'. Seat belts become compulsory in the front seats of cars. The Thames Flood Barrier is raised for the first time in a flood alert. Shergar is kidnapped. The £1 coin comes into circulation. David Niven dies aged 73. The Soviets shoot down a South Korean airliner. Yorkshire Cricket Club sacks Geoff Boycott.    The US invades Grenada. Cruise missiles arrive at Greenham Common. The Brinks-Mat gold bullion robbery. The Compact Disc is launched.

1984

Tommy Cooper dies of a heart attack on a London stage. Torville and Dean get nine maximums as they skate to Olympic Gold. The miners go on strike. In the Boat race, Cambridge hit a moored barge. Scientists warn of the greenhouse effect. Police woman Yvonne Fletcher is killed outside the Libyan Peoples Bureau. Eric Morecombe suffers a fatal heart attack at the age of 58. The new GCSE exam replaces the 'O' Levels and CSEs. Solicitors are given the go-ahead to advertise their services and charges. The magazine Titbits closes after 104 years. Indian troops storm the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The dog licence is abolished. Robert Maxwell buys the Mirror newspaper group. York Minster is devastated by fire after a lightening strike. The BMX bike cult hits Britain. Richard Burton dies after at stroke at the age of 58. Mary Decker trips over Zola Budd's heel in the Olympic 3,000 metres final. China and the UK agree a deal on the Hong Kong handover. The Grand Hotel at Brighton is blown apart by a bomb during the Tory Party conference. Mrs Indira Ghandi, Prime Minister of India, is assassinated. The one pound note is abolished. 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' becomes No 1 for Band Aid. The Bhopal disaster in India.

1985

Sir Clive Sinclair unveils the C5. The Dorchester Hotel is bought by the Sultan of Brunei. The £ closes at a record low of $1.0765. Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader. The Al-Fayed brothers win control of House of Frasier, owners of Harrods. The miners strike comes to an end. Fire rips through the main stand at Bradford City football ground with many fatalities. Fans rampage at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels leaving 41 fans dead. Live Aid concerts take place in Wembley and Philadelphia. Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior is badly damaged by explosions in Auckland harbour. Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at the age of 17. The Virgin Atlantic Challenger sinks two hours short of a record Atlantic crossing. Amstrad launches its PCW8256 word processor. A British Airtours Boeing 737 bursts into flames on the runway at Manchester Airport with the loss of 55 lives. Madonna has a hit with 'Like a Virgin'. The wreck of the Titanic is found. PC Keith Blakelock dies during rioting in Broadwater Farm.

.

1986

The Westland Helicopters affair sees both Michael Heseltine and later, Leon Brittan resign from the Government. The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes shortly after take-off. The Channel Tunnel project is confirmed by Mrs Thatcher and President Mitterrand. A green paper lays out the Government's plans top replace the rates with a 'community charge'. 5000 pickets protest outside Rupert Murdoch's printing plant in Wapping. President Marco of the Philippines is toppled from power by Mrs Corazon Aquino.   A woman dies in a fire that damages the south wing of Hampton Court Palace. 86 year old James Cagney dies. The Greater London Council is abolished together with similar authorities throughout the land. Sir Clive Sinclair sells his computer business to Amstrad boss Alan Sugar. Brewing giant Guinness takes over the Distillers group. The US launches an air strike against Libya.   Clint Eastwood is elected Mayor of Carmel. The Soviet reactor at Chernobyl explodes. Austin-Rover is renamed the Rover Group. Richard Branson crosses the Atlantic in record breaking time in the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. Estate Agent Suzy Lamplugh goes missing. Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson. Injunctions are issued to prevent newspapers publishing information received from former MI5 officer Peter Wright. Nissan opens a car plant near Sunderland. The London Stock Exchange's Big Bang heralds the start of the technological age of share dealing.   Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight boxing champion. Harold Macmillan dies. Halley's Comet makes its 75 yearly visit. The experimental Voyager plane circumnavigates the Earth non-stop.

1987

Prince Edward resigns from the Royal Marines. Terry Waite, special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is kidnapped in Beirut. The Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes off Zebrugge. The EEC agrees to sell surplus butter to the USSR at 6p a pound. 47 Liverpool councillors who failed to set a rate in 1985 are disqualified from office for five years. A new Government backed anti AIDS campaign is launched.    British Airways announces that it is to buy British Caledonian for £237 million. The SDP votes to merge with the Liberals. Rudolph Hess is found dead in Spandau prison. Gunman Michael Ryan goes on the rampage in Hungerford. Ford announces that it has bought Aston Martin. The storm of the century lashes England. Black Monday: the bottom falls out of the Stock Market. Lester Piggott is sent to jail for tax evasion. The Enniskillen bomb blast. Kings Cross underground station becomes an inferno after rubbish under an escalator catches fire.

1988

Eddie 'The Eagle' steals the limelight in the Calgary Olympic skiing. The pound note ceases to be legal tender. The SAS shoot three members of an IRA 'active service unit' in Gibraltar. The Prince of Wales's narrowly escapes death when his ski party is caught in an avalanche near Klosters.  Swiss food giant Nestle buys Yorkshire confectioners Rowntree. An A320 Airbus crashes at an air display near the French-Swiss border. The Piper Alpha oil rig disaster. Enzo Ferrari dies. Sir Alex Issigonis, designer of the Morris Minor and Mini, dies. The USAF makes public its Lockheed-F117A 'Stealth' fighter. UK junior health minister Edwina Currie says most UK egg production is infected with salmonella. The year ends with the Clapham Junction Rail Disaster and then Pan American Flight 103 is blown out of the sky and falls on Lockerbie.

1989

Japan's WWII leader, Emperor Hirohito dies aged 82.   A British Midland Boeing 737 crashes on the M1 motorway as it attempts an emergency landing at East Midland Airport. Satellite TV becomes a reality as Rupert Murdoch launches his Sky television network. Frank Bruno is defeated by Mike Tyson.   The Exxon Valdez runs aground and spills 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. 94 people die at Hillsborough during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.   Chinese troops massacre protesters in Tiananmen Square. The Marchioness disaster. Ford Motor Company buys Jaguar for £1.6 billion. The Berlin Wall is torn down as the collapse of Communism accelerates. The House of Commons is televised for the first time. The USA and USSR declare that the Cold War has ended.

1990

Hurricane force winds sweep Britain. Safer sex becomes fashionable in the fight against Aids. Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in jail. Violence mars Poll Tax protests. Lithuania declares itself independent. The Iraqi 'supergun' affair. 'Mad cow disease' becomes an everyday term - France bans the import of British beef. Boris Yeltsin becomes president of the Russian republic. Gazza sheds a tear as England go out of Italia '90 - football's World Cup. Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. Ernest Saunders, Gerald Ronson and Tony Parnes are given jail sentences in relation to the takeover of Distillers by Guinness fours years ago. George Best appears on Wogan - slightly the worse for drink! The government announce that Britain is to join the Exchange Rate Mechanism. Allied forces begin to gather in Saudi Arabia in response to the invasion of Kuwait.   Margaret Thatcher is forced from office and is replaced by John Major. Workmen from France and Britain meet as the two bores of the Channel Tunnel meet under the sea.

1991

Operation Desert Storm launches the Gulf War. Iraq is bombed by high tech missiles. Iraq responds by setting Kuwait's oil wells alight. Allied forces are victorious in the land war that follows and Kuwait is liberated. The Bank of Commerce and Credit International (BCCI) is forced to close because of large and extensive fraud. Former hostage John McCarthy arrives home from Beirut. President Gorbachev is toppled by a coup which subsequently collapses. The Soviet Union begins to disintegrate as more republics opt for independence. Boxer Michael Watson fights for his life after being knocked out in a fight with Chris Eubank. Publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell is found dead after disappearing from his yacht off the Canary Islands. Terry Waite is freed from Beirut. Queen singer Freddie Mercury dies of Aids. Robert Maxwell's international business empire collapses as the Serious Fraud Squad investigates transfers of over £400 million from the Mirror Group pension fund. Gorbachev resigns from office. Gerald Ratner describes the goods on sale in his stores as being 'total crap'.

1992

Moscow shoppers experience a market economy as state control on prices is lifted. Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways accuse British Airways of a dirty tricks campaign. US airline TWA seeks protection from it's creditors by seeking Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.   The Michelangelo virus hits computers. Olympia and York, owners of London's Canary Wharf hit financial problems. The humorous magazine Punch closes its doors after 150 years. Euro Disneyland, in Paris, is opened.    Comedians Frankie Howard and Benny Hill die. Betty Boothroyd is the first woman in 600 years to be Speaker of the House of Commons. Johnny Carson hosts his final 'Tonight Show' in the USA. The $750,000 Jaguar XJ220 makes its debut. Nigel Mansell becomes Formula One World Champion. War breaks out in Bosnia. An El Al Boeing 747 crashes into Amsterdam apartment blocks. Windsor Castle is badly damaged by fire. The Prince and Princess of Wales announce that they are separating after 11 years of marriage.

1993

Model, actress and UNICEF ambassador Audrey Hepburn dies at her Swiss home. Bill Clinton is inaugurated as the 42nd President of the USA. The Queen announces that she will pay income tax on her private income. Jamie Bulger is abducted from a Bootle shopping centre. The World Trade Centre is rocked by a massive bomb. Booby Moore, captain of the victorious 1966 World Cup winning football team, dies. A bloody shootout takes place in Waco, Texas at the compound of the Branch Davidians when federal agents arrive to arrest the sect leader. A bomb goes off in Warrington killing 3 year old Jonathan ball and 12 year old Tim Parry. Hoover offer two £400 air tickets with every sale over £100 and are left with a bill for over £20 million pounds. The Grand National ends in disarray after animal rights demonstrations and two false starts.   The Waco siege ends in a fiery tragedy. Tennis star Monica Seles is stabbed at Wimbledon.   Motor racing legend James Hunt dies of a heart attack. The Maastricht treaty is approved by the House of Commons. Michael Jackson faces child abuse allegations. Israel recognises the PLO. NASA's space mechanics replace solar panels and add tiny mirrors to correct the focus of the primary mirror on the Hubble telescope.

1994

Scotland celebrates 500 years of whisky. Former leaders of Westminster City Council, headed by Dame Shirley Porter, are accused of vote rigging. A major earthquake hits Los Angeles.   A student fires blanks from a starting pistol at Prince Charles as he is about to make a speech in Sydney. Sir Matt Busby dies. British Aerospace sells Rover to BMW. NATO makes its first aerial offensive into Bosnia. The most famous photograph of the Loch Ness monster is revealed as a fake. Ayrton Senna and Roland Razenburger die in separate accidents during the Imola Grand Prix weekend. The Queen and President Mitterrand inaugurate the Channel Tunnel. Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first black president. Labour leader John Smith dies of a heart attack. The 50th anniversary of D-Day is celebrated. OJ Simpson is pursued through the streets of Los Angeles by a fleet of police and media vehicles. The government announces that the royal yacht Britannia is to be decommissioned. Jordan and Israel end their state of war. Carlos the Jackal is arrested. The Queen visits Moscow.

1995

A major earthquake devastates the Japanese city of Kobe. Footballer Eric Cantona launches a kung-fu style kick at a fan after being sent off at Crystal Palace. Rover MG announces the new MGF sports car. Barings Bank collapses as rogue trader Nick Leeson goes on the run. Paul McCartney confirms reports that he and the remaining Beatles have recorded a new song for release later in the year. Comedian Kenny Everett dies of AIDS. A car bomb explodes outside federal offices in Okalahoma City. Former Labour prime minister, Lord Wilson dies. Superman actor Christopher Reeves is seriously injured after falling from a horse. Shell UK abandons plans to sink the aging Brent Spar oil platform in the North Sea. Actor Hugh Grant is arrested and charged with lewd conduct with a prostitute in a public place. Argentinean legend Juan Manuel Fangio dies aged 84. The £24 million Skye Bridge is opened. Head teacher Phillip Lawrence dies after being stabbed by a gang of youths outside his school.

1996

Protesters take to the trees to block the building of the Newbury by-pass. Tracie Andrews in arrested in connection with the murder of her fiancé Lee Harvey. An IRA bomb in London's Docklands shatters the 17 month ceasefire. Researchers succeed in cloning sheep. Maylaysia's Petronas towers, still under construction, become the world's tallest building at 451.89m. Tragedy at Dumblane in Scotland. Europe bans British beef exports as the 'mad cow' disease crisis deepens. The second Severn Crossing, a £330 million bridge, is opened between England and Wales.    TWA flight 800 explodes shortly after take off from New York's JFK International Airport. Kofi Annan becomes secretary general of the United Nations. A Learjet landing at RAF Northolt, overshoots the runway and crashes into a van on the dual carriageway. The Prince and Princess of Wales are divorced. Taleban Islamic fighters seize control of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Chelsea vice-chairman Matthew Harding dies in a helicopter crash.

1997

Yachtsman Tony Bullimore is found alive in his capsized boat in the Southern Ocean.   Sheep clone Dolly is created from a single adult cell. The comet Hale Bopp appears in the night skies. The Grand National is abandoned after an IRA bomb scare. Labour sweep to power in the General Election. Britain hands Hong Kong back to the Chinese. Princess Diana is killed in a high-speed Paris car chase - the nation comes to a halt for her funeral. In Black Rock, Nevada, RAF pilot Andy Green breaks the sound barrier in Thrust SSC at an average speed of almost 763mph. British au pair Louise Woodwood is found guilty of the second degree murder of 9 month old Matthew Eappen - later, the judge reduces the verdict to manslaughter and the sentence to that of time served.

1998

A NATO aircraft severs the lines of a cable car at an Italian ski resort. In Northern Ireland, peace talks end with the historic Good Friday Agreement. Former Cambodian dictator Pol Pot dies. India and Pakistan explode nuclear devices escalating tension in the area. The UK government imposes a total ban on land mines. The EU votes to lift the ban on the export of British beef. The United States and Britain launch Operation Desert Fox with massive air strikes against Iraq.

1999

There is a public outcry over the growing of genetically modified foods. TV presenter Jill Dando is shot dead on the doorstep of her west London home. The frozen body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest 75 years after he and colleague Andrew Irvine disappear during an attempt on the summit. Manchester United creates history by winning the Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup in the same season. Rogue trader Nick Leeson returns home after being released from jail in Singapore. A light aircraft, piloted by John F Kennedy Jr, disappears over the sea off Martha's Vineyard. Thousands flock to south Devon and Cornwall to watch the total eclipse of the Sun. London's millennium Ferris wheel is raised.

2000

The World celebrates the New Millennium (even though, in reality, it is just the last year of the current millennium). The so-called Millennium Bug fails to create the havoc on the world's computers. The first British women to walk across Antarctica reach the South Pole. Former spy David Shayler is sued by the British Government over information leaked to a newspaper. A wartime Enigma machine is stolen from Bletchley park. Luton Airport is forced to close as blizzards and flooding cause widespread chaos - more than two weeks after the start of British Summer Time. The Ford Motor Company announces the end of car production at Dagenham. Sarah Payne is abducted from near her grandparents home in West Sussex. The new Millennium Bridge in London is closed as large crowds cause it to sway violently. An Air France Concorde crashes shortly after take off in Paris. The Queen mother celebrates her centenary. The Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea. The United Kingdom is paralysed as fuel protesters blockade the oil refineries.   British rower Steve Redgrave wins his fifth consecutive Olympic Gold medal in Sydney.

2001

The 'real' start of the new millennium. Foot and Mouth is detected at an abattoir in Essex. Twin American baby girls are taken into care in Britain amidst an Internet adoption scandal. The government declares the MMR triple vaccine is safe. At Selby, a train collides with a Land Rover and trailer which had careered off of the motorway and down an embankment onto the track. The wreck of Donald Campbell's Bluebird is raised from Coniston Water. Princess Diana's former butler is charged with theft. Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is to be charge with genocide. 9/11 - the United States is attacked leaving thousands dead and the World Trade Centre destroyed. In October the United States launches a military offensive against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan. The United Kingdom is hit by what experts describe as the worse floods in 20 years. British 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid is apprehended on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.

2002

The Euro becomes the official currency of 12 of the 15 European countries. The Queen Mother dies at the age of 101. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappear from Soham in Cambridgeshire.    A huge car bomb is exploded outside a Bali nightclub with great loss of life. A sniper brings fear to Washington as a number of people are killed at random.

2003

The Columbia space shuttle breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Missiles hit Baghdad as the US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein is launched. 29 year old conjoined Iranian twins die during surgery to separate them. The body of government scientist David Kelly, an expert on Iraq, is found the day after he is reported missing.   Comic legend Bob Hope dies. Former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin dies. Film star Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected governor of California. China sends its first man into space. Concorde makes its last commercial flights. An ex-soldier is convicted of the Washington sniper killings. England wins the Rugby World Cup after a tense match with Australia in Sydney when Jonny Wilkinson scores a drop goal with almost the last kick of the match. Saddam Hussein is captured hiding in a cellar.

2004

Fathers 4 Justice protesters attack the Prime Minister in the House of Commons with purple flour. The US hands sovereignty back to the Iraqi government. A three-day siege at a Russian school ends with more than 200 people dead.   Thousands die in the Asian tsunami after an earthquake under the Indian Ocean.

2005

MCAC Centenary year - the club celebrates with a dinner at the RAC in Pall Mall.

The vast majority of this information has come from the 'Chronicle of the 20th Century' series of books published by Longman and their successors.  From the late 1990's, when the series ceased to be published, the information has mainly come from the BBC On This Day website.   As it seems that more and more of the news over the last fifty years has concerned tragedy and loss of life, many important articles have been left out simply to avoid this being a long list of depressing reading! Again, if something important has been omitted please let me know - I will insert anything important that can be validated. Malc Farmer