1970 in the United Kingdom explained
Events from the year 1970 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
Events
January
- 1 January
- 18 January – The grave of Marxist philosopher Karl Marx at Highgate Cemetery in London is vandalised.
- 21 January – Fraserburgh life-boat Duchess of Kent, on service to the Danish fishing vessel Opal, capsizes with the loss of five of the six crew.
- 22 January – A Boeing 747 lands at Heathrow Airport, the first jumbo jet to land in Britain.[5]
- 26 January – Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger is fined £200 (equivalent to £2,662.43 in 2024) for possession of cannabis.
February
- February
- 13 February
- 19 February – The Prince of Wales (future King Charles III) joins the Royal Navy.
- 23 February – Rolls-Royce ask the Government for £50,000,000 towards the development of the RB 211-50 Airbus jet engine.
- 27 February–1 March – First National Women's Liberation Conference held, at Ruskin College, Oxford.[9]
March
- 2 March – Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic, breaking all ties with the British Crown four years after the declaration of independence on 11 November 1965. The UK Government refuses to recognise the new state as long as the white minority Rhodesian Government opposes majority rule.[10]
- 6 March – The importation of pets is banned after an outbreak of rabies in Newmarket, Suffolk.[11]
- 12 March
- The Bridgwater by-election becomes the first election in which eighteen-year-olds are entitled to vote. Tom King of the Conservative Party is elected.[12]
- The quarantine period for cats and dogs is increased to one year as part of the Government's anti-rabies measures.
- 17 March – Martin Peters, who scored for England in their 1966 World Cup final win, becomes the nation's first £200,000 footballer in his transfer from West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur.[13]
- 23 March – Eighteen victims of thalidomide are awarded a total of nearly £370,000 in compensation.
April
May
- 19 May – The Government makes a £20,000,000 loan available to help save the financially troubled luxury car and aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce.
- 22 May – A tour of England by the South African cricket team is called off after several African and Asian countries threaten to boycott the Commonwealth Games.[18]
- 23 May – A fire occurs in the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait near Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales, causing its partial destruction and amounting to approximately £1,000,000 worth of fire damage.[19]
- 27 May – A British expedition climbs the south face of Annapurna I.
- 28 May – Bobby Moore, captain of the England national football team, is arrested and released on bail in Bogotá, Colombia, on suspicion of stealing a bracelet in the Bogotá Bracelet incident.
- 29 May – Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act abolishes actions for breach of promise and the right of a husband to claim damages for adultery with his wife.[20]
June
- 1 June – Prime Minister Harold Wilson is hit in the face with an egg thrown by Richard Ware, a Young Conservative demonstrator.[21]
- 2 June – Cleddau Bridge, in Pembrokeshire, collapses during erection, killing four, leading to introduction of new standards for box girder bridges.[22] [23]
- 4 June – Tonga becomes independent from the UK.[2]
- 10 June – Just a few months after the Conservatives had enjoyed opinion poll leads of more than 20 points, the polls are showing Labour several points ahead of the Conservatives with eight days to go before the general election. If Labour were to win the election, it would be a record third consecutive win for them and would probably result in the end of Edward Heath's five-year reign as Conservative leader.[24]
- 13 June
- 14 June – England's defence of the FIFA World Cup ends when they lose 3–2 to West Germany at the quarter-final in Mexico.
- 17 June
- 18 June – 1970 general election: the Conservative Party wins and Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister, ousting the Labour government of Harold Wilson after nearly six years in power. The election result is something of a surprise, as most of the opinion polls had predicted a third successive Labour win.[28] This is the first general election in which eighteen-year-olds are entitled to vote. Among the new Members of Parliament are future Labour party leaders Neil Kinnock and John Smith; and Kenneth Clarke, Kenneth Baker, Norman Fowler and Geoffrey Howe for the Conservatives.[29]
- 21 June – British golfer Tony Jacklin wins the U.S. Open.[2]
- 22 June – The Methodist Church allows women to become full ministers for the first time.
- 26 June – Riots break out in Derry over the arrest of Mid-Ulster MP Bernadette Devlin.[30]
- 29 June – Caroline Thorpe, 32-year-old wife of Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe and mother of their two-year-old son Rupert, dies in a car crash.
July
- 3 July
- 8 July – Roy Jenkins becomes Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
- 12 July – Jack Nicklaus wins the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, defeating fellow American Doug Sanders in an eighteen-hole play-off.
- 14 July – 5 speedway riders die in Lokeren, Belgium when a minibus carrying members of the West Ham speedway team crashes into a petrol tanker after a brief tour. One of those killed is Phil Bishop, a founding member of the team from before World War II.
- 15 July – Dockers vote to strike, leading to the docks strike of 1970.[32]
- 16 July – A state of emergency is declared to deal with the dockers' strike.[32]
- 16–25 July – The British Commonwealth Games are held in Edinburgh.
- 17 July – Lord Pearson proposes settlement of the docks strike.[32]
- 23 July
- 30 July – The docks strike is settled.[32]
- 31 July – The last issue of grog in the Royal Navy is distributed.[33]
August
- 9 August – Police battle with rioters in Notting Hill, London.
- 20 August – England national football team captain Bobby Moore is cleared of stealing a bracelet while on World Cup duty in Colombia.[34]
- 21 August – The moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party is established in Northern Ireland.[35]
- 26–31 August – The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 begins on East Afton Farm. Some 600,000 people attend the largest rock festival of all time. Artists include Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Moody Blues and Jethro Tull.[36]
- 27 August – The Royal Shakespeare Company's revolutionary production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Peter Brook, opens at Stratford.[37]
September
October
- 3 October – Tony Densham, driving the "Commuter" dragster, sets a British land speed record at Elvington, Yorkshire, averaging 207.6 mph over the flying kilometre course.[39]
- 5 October – BBC Radio 4 first broadcasts consumer affairs magazine programme You and Yours; it will still be running forty years later.
- 10 October – Fiji becomes independent from the United Kingdom.[40]
- 12 October – After a failed launch only eighteen months previously, British Leyland announce a much improved Austin Maxi featuring a new gearchange, increased engine size and much improved trim, answering many of the critical points raised by the motoring press at the car's original launch.
- 15 October
- 19 October – BP discovers a large oil field in the North Sea.[43]
- 23 October – The Mark III Ford Cortina goes on sale.[44] At launch a full range of models is offered including two-door and estate variants. Unlike previous models, this Cortina has been developed as a Ford Europe model sharing the floor-pan with the similar German Ford Taunus.
- 25 October – The Canonization of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI takes place.
November
December
Undated
Publications
Births
January – March
- 1 January – Stephen Kinnock, politician
- 6 January – Courtney Eaton, actress
- 7 January – Andy Burnham, politician
- 8 January – Nick Miller, weather forecaster
- 19 January – Tim Foster, rower
- 20 January – Mitch Benn, comedian and songwriter
- 24 January – Maria Balshaw, art curator
- 31 January – Minnie Driver, actress
- 3 February – Warwick Davis, actor and television presenter
- 4 February – Gabrielle Anwar, actress
- 10 February – Rob Shearman, television and radio scriptwriter
- 14 February – Simon Pegg, comedian, writer and actor
- 17 February – Thomas Heatherwick, designer
- 21 February – Jay Blades, furniture restorer and television presenter
- 25 February – Ian Walker, sailboat racer
- 26 February – Mark Harper, politician
- 1 March – Tina Cullen, field hockey player
- 2 March – James Purnell, politician
- 7 March
- 9 March – Simon Monjack, screenwriter, film director (died 2010)[56]
- 10 March – Peter Wright, darts player[57]
- 11 March – Jane Slavin, actress and author
- 12 March – Wayne McGregor, choreographer
April – June
- 14 April – Matt Allwright, television presenter and journalist
- 19 April – Kelly Holmes, athlete
- 27 April – Kylie Travis, actress and model
- 6 May – Chris Adams, cricketer
- 15 May
- 17 May – Jeremy Browne, politician, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
- 20 May – Louis Theroux, television personality and author
- 21 May – Jason Lee, field hockey player and coach
- 22 May – Naomi Campbell, model and actress
- 26 May – Alex Garland, writer and filmmaker
- 27 May – Joseph Fiennes, actor
- 5 June – John Marquez, actor and cinematographer
- 6 June – Angad Paul, businessman and film producer (died 2015)
- 7 June – Helen Baxendale, actress
- 18 June – Katie Derham, TV and radio presenter
- 19 June – MJ Hibbett, singer-songwriter
- 20 June – Russell Garcia, field hockey player
- 22 June – Christine Cook, field hockey player
- 24 June – David May, footballer
- 25 June – Lucy Benjamin, actress
- 27 June – Jo Frost, nanny and television host
- 29 June – Marcus Wareing, chef
July – September
- 2 July – Steve Morrow, footballer
- 4 July – Doddie Weir, rugby union player (died 2022)
- 5 July – Toby Whithouse, actor, screenwriter and playwright
- 6 July
- 7 July – Wayne McCullough, boxer
- 10 July
- 11 July – Sajjad Karim, politician
- 12 July – Conrad Coates, English-Canadian actor and teacher
- 13 July – Sharon Horgan, actress and screenwriter
- 14 July – Seb Fontaine, electronic music producer & DJ[58]
- 16 July – Matt Healy, actor
- 19 July – Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish politician
- 25 July – Julien Fountain, English cricket coach
- 29 July – Andi Peters, television presenter and producer
- 30 July – Christopher Nolan, film director
- 31 July – Ben Chaplin, actor
- 1 August – David James, footballer
- 13 August – Alan Shearer, footballer
- 27 August – Peter Ebdon, snooker player
- 5 September – Johnny Vegas, entertainer
- 8 September – Michael Matheson, Scottish politician
- 18 September – Darren Gough, cricketer
- 21 September – Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
- 29 September – Emily Lloyd, actress
- 30 September – Mark Smith, actor and bodybuilder
October – December
- 4 October
- 5 October – Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP politician and Member of Parliament[59]
- 8 October
- 10 October – Sir Matthew Pinsent, Olympic winning rower
- 11 October – Andy Marriott, footballer
- 21 October – Tony Mortimer, singer
- 29 October – Toby Smith, musician (died 2017)
- 2 November – Matthew Syed, journalist
- 7 November – Neil Hannon, chamber pop musician (The Divine Comedy)
- 12 November – Harvey Spencer Stephens, child actor
- 13 November – Verity Snook-Larby, race walker
- 22 November – Stel Pavlou, novelist and screenwriter[60]
- 23 November – Zoe Ball, television and radio presenter
- 28 November – Richard Osman, television presenter and writer
- 6 December – Lewis MacLeod, Scottish actor and voice actor
- 7 December – Andrew Gilding, darts player
- 10 December – Susanna Reid, television presenter and journalist
- 11 December – Matthew Strachan, composer and singer-songwriter (died 2021)
- 13 December – Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter
- 17 December – Stella Tennant, model (died 2020)
- 20 December – Alister McRae, Scottish rally driver
- 29 December – Aled Jones, singer and television presenter
- 31 December – Louise Rickard, Welsh rugby union player
Undated
Deaths
January – March
- 7 January – Allan Wilkie, Shakespearean actor noted for his career in Australia (born 1878)
- 13 January – Jimmy Hanley, actor (born 1918)
- 23 January – Ifan ab Owen Edwards, Welsh youth worker, founder of the Urdd (born 1895)
- 26 January
- 29 January – Basil Liddell Hart, military historian (born 1895)
- 30 January – Malcolm Keen, actor (born 1887)
- 2 February – Bertrand Russell, logician and philosopher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (born 1872)[61]
- 14 February – Herbert Strudwick, cricketer (born 1880)
- 15 February – Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (born 1882)
- 28 February – Arthur Henry Knighton-Hammond, painter (born 1875)[62]
- 15 March – David Horne, actor (born 1898)
- 29 March – Vera Brittain, writer (born 1893)
April – June
- 20 April – Thomas Iorwerth Ellis, academic (born 1899)
- 7 May – Jack Jones, novelist (born 1884)[63]
- 20 May – Sir John Whiteley, general (born 1896)
- 26 May – R. V. C. Bodley, army officer, traveller and writer (born 1892)
- 2 June – Bruce McLaren, racing car driver and designer, racing accident (born 1937 in New Zealand)
- 7 June – E. M. Forster, novelist (born 1879)[64]
- 15 June
- 27 June – Edwin La Dell, artist (born 1914)
- 30 June – Githa Sowerby, dramatist (born 1876)
July – September
October – December
See also
Notes and References
- News: The Key of the Door. The Times. 31 December 1969.
- Book: Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 0-14-102715-0. 2006.
- National Westminster Bank Act 1969 and National Westminster Bank Act 1969 (Appointed Day) Order 1969; registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985, No. 929027
- Book: Baker, Michael H. C.. London Transport since 1963. Shepperton. Ian Allan. 1997. 0-7110-2481-2.
- News: Heathrow welcomes first 'jumbo jet'. 2008-02-02. 22 January 1970. BBC News. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080116223929/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/22/newsid_3725000/3725963.stm. 16 January 2008 .
- Book: Branson, Richard. Losing My Virginity
the autobiography
. London. Virgin. 1998. 1-85227-684-3.
- William Ham. Bevan. Riot aGarden House. Cam. University of Cambridge. 61. 2010. 22–7.
- Web site: Black Sabbath Biography. 2014-02-13. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 21 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150921203531/https://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/. dead.
- News: Forty years of women's liberation. Kira. Cochrane. Kira Cochrane. The Guardian. London. 2010-02-26. 2016-04-06.
- News: Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic . 2008-02-02. 2 March 1970 . BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133422/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/2/newsid_2514000/2514683.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Rabies ban on British pet imports . 2008-02-02. 6 March 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080306222205/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/6/newsid_2515000/2515497.stm. 6 March 2008 . live.
- News: Conservative victory in first teen election. 2008-02-02. 13 March 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080225220132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/13/newsid_2826000/2826787.stm. 25 February 2008 . live.
- Web site: Martin Peters . Smith . Tony . sporting-heroes.net . 18 September 2012.
- http://www.nsno.co.uk/201p-100-Great-Everton-moments.html
- Book: Schaffner, Nicholas. The Beatles Forever. New York. Cameron House. 1977. 135.
- News: Paisley victory rattles NI parliament. 2008-02-02. 16 April 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133234/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/16/newsid_2487000/2487907.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: Malcolm Allison. Mirror Football. 2014-02-13.
- News: South Africa cricket tour called off. 2008-02-02. 22 May 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133241/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/22/newsid_2504000/2504573.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Book: Stanley C. Jenkins. Martin Loader. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Volume One Chester to Holyhead. 2015. Amberley Publishing Limited. 978-1-4456-4416-5. 193.
- Web site: Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1970. legislation.gov.uk.
- News: British Prime Minister hit by flying egg. 2008-02-02. 1 June 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133514/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/1/newsid_3995000/3995083.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Book: Department of the Environment (Merrison Committee of Inquiry). Inquiry into the Basis of Design and Method of Erection of Steel Box Girder Bridges. HMSO. London. 1973.
- News: How safe are our bridges?. BBC News Online. BBC. 3 August 2007. 2008-01-30.
- News: Public opinion polls show greater influence in Britain. Marvin. Lipton. The Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon. 1970-06-10. 25. 2014-02-13.
- News: Laurence Olivier Attains Peerage; Burton Honored. The Palm Beach Post-Times. Florida. 3. 42. 1970-06-13. A3. 2014-02-13.
- News: 1970: 'Babes in the wood' bodies found . 2008-02-13. 17 June 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/17/newsid_4306000/4306139.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: The History of the Range Rover Marque. Land Rover Centre. 2010-07-19. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060303170527/http://www.landrovercentre.com/history/history_range_rover.htm. 3 March 2006.
- News: Shock election win for Heath. On This Day. 19 June 2016. BBC. 10 April 2016.
- News: BBC Politics 97. BBC News. 11 September 2011.
- News: Violence flares as Devlin is arrested. 2008-02-02. 26 June 1970. BBC News. 2 September 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070902031046/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/26/newsid_2519000/2519711.stm. dead.
- News: 1970: Holiday jet goes missing over Spain . 2008-02-02. 3 July 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080204053825/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/3/newsid_2492000/2492087.stm. 4 February 2008. live.
- News: 1970: State of emergency called over dock strike. On this Day. 16 July 1978. 2008-04-09. BBC. https://web.archive.org/web/20080408000114/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/16/newsid_2504000/2504223.stm. 8 April 2008 . live.
- Book: Pack, A. J.. Nelson's Blood: the story of naval rum. Havant. K. Mason. 1982. 0-85937-279-0.
- News: 1970: Bobby Moore cleared of stealing . 2008-02-02. 20 August 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080208192539/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/20/newsid_4537000/4537235.stm. 8 February 2008 . live.
- Book: Palmer, Alan. Palmer . Veronica. 1992. The Chronology of British History. Century Ltd. London. 430–431. 0-7126-5616-2.
- Web site: The Isle of Wight festivals 1968–70. 2009. 2010-11-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20100929141610/http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/iow-menu.html. 29 September 2010 . live.
- Web site: Clive. Barnes. Historic Staging of Dream. The New York Times. 28 August 1970. 2010-06-23.
- News: 1970: Rock legend Hendrix dies after party. 2008-02-02. 18 September 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080202144824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/18/newsid_3528000/3528692.stm. 2 February 2008. live.
- The Guardian, 5 October 1970, p. 6; The Times, 5 October 1970.
- Web site: Fiji Independence Act of 1970. Legislation.gov.uk. 24 March 2022.
- Book: Durham, Dick. The Last Sailorman. Lavenham. Terence Dalton. 1989. 0-86138-067-3. 142.
- Peter. Oates. The Jam 'Ole Run. Southampton Canal Society Newsletter. 444. 2012-06-11. January 2010. 17 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131217224332/http://www.whitenap.plus.com/archive/pdf/JAN_10.pdf. dead.
- News: 1970: Large oil field found in North Sea. 2008-02-13. 19 October 1970. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20080215110020/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/19/newsid_3769000/3769639.stm. 15 February 2008. live.
- News: J. B.. McClaren. Strike may put brake on Cortinas. The Herald. Glasgow. 23 October 1970. 2012-06-11.
- Web site: The Iceland Story. 2023-01-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222171903/http://about.iceland.co.uk/about-iceland/the-iceland-story/. 2014-12-22. dead.
- Book: The Daily Mirror Old Codgers Little Black Book Number Two. 1976. 0-85939-076-4. 167. Codgers. Old.
- Web site: Your London . 2008-04-02.
- Web site: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1970. 2008-02-02.
- Web site: Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to dissolve The Beatles' partnership. 1970-12-31. The Beatles Bible. 2019-01-19.
- News: UK apologises for forced migration of 150,000 children. Jason. Beattie. Daily Mirror. 16 November 2009. 2010-06-15.
- Book: The Hutchinson Factfinder. Helicon. 1999. 1-85986-000-1.
- Web site: Britain Since 1948. 2014-02-13.
- Web site: The Book-Writing Machine: What was the first novel ever written on a word processor?. Slate. 2013-03-01. 2016-02-21. Kirschenbaum. Matthew.
- Book: Britannica Book of the Year. 1971. Encyclopædia Britannica. 460.
- Web site: Goldsmith: CV. Edwardgoldsmith.com. 2011-01-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20090822022558/http://www.edwardgoldsmith.com/page2.html. 22 August 2009. dead.
- Web site: England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005. 21 December 2009.
- https://www.pdc.tv/players/peter-wright PETER WRIGHT SNAKEBITE
- Web site: Index entry. 14 October 2020. FreeBMD. ONS.
- Web site: Tasmina Sheikh. politics.co.uk.
- News: Birthdays today. The Times. 23 March 2017. en. 22 November 2013.
- Book: Jagdish . Mehra . Jagdish Mehra. Helmut . Rechenberg . Helmut Rechenberg. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory. 28 December 2000. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-0-387-95178-2. 44.
- Book: Harold Oxbury. Great Britons: Twentieth-century Lives. 1985. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-211599-7. 48.
- s2-JONE-JAC-1884. Jones, Jack (1884-1970), author and playwright. Keri Edwards. 2001. 2 June 2022.
- Book: Norman Page. E-M-Forster. 22 January 1988. Macmillan International Higher Education. 978-1-349-19008-9. 16.