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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 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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| 2 | 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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| 3 | 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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| 4 | 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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| 5 | 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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| 6 | 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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| 7 | 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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| 8 | 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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| 9 | 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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| 10 | 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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| 11 | 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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| 12 | 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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| 13 | 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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| 14 | 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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| 15 | 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
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| 16 | 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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| 17 | 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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| 18 | 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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| 19 | 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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| 20 | 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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| 21 | 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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| 22 | 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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| 23 | 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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| 24 | 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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| 25 | 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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| 26 | 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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| 27 | 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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| 28 | 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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| 29 | 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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| 30 | 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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| 31 | 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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| 32 | 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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| 33 | 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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| 34 | 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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| 35 | 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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| 36 | 2001 | - Feb 2001—Feb 2001: Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK - lasted until October - caused
postponement of local and general elections from May to June
- 12 May 2001—12 May 2001: FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - first time away from Wembley since 1922
- 7 Jun 2001—7 Jun 2001: General Election - Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time
they had succeeded in gaining a second term
- 1 Sep 2001—1 Sep 2001: New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC]
- 7 Nov 2001—7 Nov 2001: Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks
- Dec 2001—Dec 2001: UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class
definitives already on sale)
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English
1966 - 2001 (34 years) 