1972 in the United Kingdom explained
Events from the year 1972 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
Events
January
- 4 January - Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey.
- 9 January – The National Union of Mineworkers holds a strike ballot in which 58.8% vote in favour of industrial action.[1] Coal miners begin a strike which will last for seven weeks,[2] including picketing of Saltley coke depot in Birmingham.
- 19 January – The government announces the lifting of all restrictions on broadcasting hours on television and radio. Daytime television hours will be extended in October.
- 20 January – Unemployment exceeds the 1,000,000 mark for the first time since the 1930s,[3] almost double the 582,000 who were unemployed when Edward Heath's Conservative government came to power less than two years ago.[4]
- 30 January – 'Bloody Sunday' in Northern Ireland: fourteen Catholics are killed when troops open fire on unarmed demonstrators in Derry.
February
March
April
- 1 April – William Whitelaw is appointed as the first Northern Ireland Secretary.[5]
- 6 April – As announced in March, Ford launches its new executive model, the Granada, available as a saloon, coupé or estate, which replaces the Zephyr on the UK market and will be produced at the Dagenham plant as well as Ford's Cologne plant in West Germany.[15] It is designed to compete with the likes of the Rover P6 and Vauxhall Victor and will also be sold as the Ford Consul in mainland Europe.
- 11 April – The BBC Radio 4 parodic panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is broadcast for the first time.
- 19 April – A report into the Bloody Sunday shootings by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery, exonerates the British troops of blame because the demonstration had been illegal.[16] This report will be completely discredited by the Saville Inquiry published on 15 June 2010, on which day the British prime minister David Cameron will acknowledge in the House of Commons, among other things, that the paratroopers had fired the first shot, had fired on fleeing unarmed civilians, and shot and killed one man who was already wounded; he will then apologise on behalf of the British Government.
- 22 April – Sylvia Cook and John Fairfax finish rowing across the Pacific.
- 30 April – The Brighton Belle Pullman car train makes its final journey from London to Brighton.[17]
May
June
July
August
- 6 August – Expulsion of Asians from Uganda: Idi Amin, dictator of Uganda, announces that 50,000 Asians with British passports will be expelled from Uganda to the United Kingdom within the next three months as they have been (according to him) "sabotaging the Ugandan economy".
- 9 August – The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar makes its West End debut.[17]
- 26 August–10 September – Great Britain and Northern Ireland compete at the Olympics in Munich, West Germany, and win 4 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals.
- 28 August – Prince William of Gloucester, a cousin of the Queen, is killed in an air crash near Wolverhampton. He is thirty years old, a bachelor and ninth in line to the British throne at this time. This means that Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester's only other son, automatically becomes heir to the dukedom.[36]
September
- 1 September – Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales from fifteen to sixteen for pupils leaving school at the end of the academic year begins. Many temporary new buildings are erected in secondary modern and comprehensive schools to accommodate the older pupils, while some authorities raise the secondary school transfer age from 11 to 12 or 13.[37] [38] The age is also raised in Scotland and Northern Ireland.[39]
- 11 September – The BBC One television quiz programme Mastermind is broadcast for the first time.[17]
- 12 September – The sinking of two British trawlers by an Icelandic gunboat triggers the second Cod War.[17]
- 13 September – Hypermarkets make their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after their appearance in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opens one in Caerphilly, South Wales.[40]
- 18 September – Thousands of Ugandan Asians arrive in the UK after being deported by Idi Amin.[41]
- 19 September – A parcel bomb kills a diplomat at the Israeli embassy in London. It is one of 8 such bombs delivered to diplomats, the others being discovered in time to avoid injury.[42]
October
- Three previously all-male Colleges of the University of Cambridge begin admitting female undergraduates.
- 2 October – Following January's lifting of restrictions on broadcasting hours, daytime television is extended. BBC1's afternoon schedule launches with the first edition of a new lunchtime magazine programme Pebble Mill at One from its Birmingham studios.
- 5 October – United Reformed Church is formed by merger of most of the Congregational Church of England and Wales with the Presbyterian Church of England.[43]
- 10 October – Sir John Betjeman's appointment as Poet Laureate in succession to Cecil Day-Lewis is announced.[17]
- 13 October – Bank rates are abolished and replaced with the Minimum Lending Rate.[17]
- 16 October
- As part of ITV's new afternoon service, the first episode of Emmerdale Farm, a soap opera set in rural Yorkshire, is broadcast on ITV produced by Yorkshire Television.[44]
- Rioting Maze Prison inmates in Northern Ireland cause a fire that destroys most of the camp.
- 17 October – Elizabeth II visits the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- 19 October – Royce Ryton's play about the Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII, Crown Matrimonial, premieres at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London, for the first time including the portrayal of a living member of the Royal Family (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother as The Duchess of York) on the legitimate stage.
- 22 October – Gordon Banks, the England national football team goalkeeper, suffers a serious eye injury in a car crash in Staffordshire.[45]
- 23 October – Access credit cards are introduced.[17]
November
December
- 7 December – Murder of Jean McConville: Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers, including women, take a recently-widowed mother-of-10, who they claim to be an informer, in Belfast at gunpoint. She is shot in the head and buried secretly across the Irish border. There is no police investigation of the crime until 1995.
- 10 December
- December – White Paper Education: A Framework for Expansion is published by Margaret Thatcher, Secretary of State for Education, announcing planned increases in nursery provision and of polytechnics and other higher and further education institutions.
Undated
- Inflation falls slightly during the year to 6.4% from 8.6%.[50]
- Marriage rates peak.[51]
- British car production peaks at more than 1,900,000 units, despite regular strikes and increasing competition from overseas.
- Honda, the Japanese manufacturer whose motorcycles are already popular with British buyers, begins importing passenger cars to the United Kingdom, beginning only with its recently launched small Civic hatchback, one of the first medium-sized cars sold in Europe to feature this bodystyle which competes with similar sized saloons including the Ford Escort.[52] A larger hatchback and saloon model is due within the next four years to compete with the likes of the Ford Cortina.[53]
- Japanese carmaker Nissan enjoys a surge in sales of its Datsun badged cars, with more than 30,000 cars sold in Britain this year compared to less than 7,000 in 1971. Popularity of imported Japanese products from Mazda and Toyota is also rising.
- Aardman Animations is founded.[54]
- The United Kingdom begins to train Special Air Service for anti-terrorist duties in response to the Munich massacre.
Publications
Births
January–March
politician
- 23 January - Lisa Snowdon, English television & radio presenter and fashion model
- 27 January
- 9 February – Darren Ferguson, Scottish-born footballer and manager
- 11 February – Steve McManaman, footballer
- 16 February – Vicki Butler-Henderson, motoring journalist (Auto Express, What Car?), TV presenter (Fifth Gear) and racing driver
- 19 February – Malky Mackay, footballer
- 20 February – Gareth Unwin, film producer[57]
- 22 February – Keir Simmons, journalist
- 6 March – Terry Murphy, snooker player
- 20 March – Alex Kapranos, rock singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
- 24 March – Charlie Creed-Miles, actor
- 28 March – Nick Frost, actor
- 29 March – Priti Patel, politician
April–June
- 3 April – Catherine McCormack, actress
- 7 April – Tim Peake, astronaut
- 16 April – John McGuinness, motorcycle racer
- 17 April – Vicky Lupton, English racewalker
- 21 April – Liz Carr, actress and disability rights activist
- 22 April – Sarah Patterson, actress
- 1 May – Patrick Grant, fashion designer and broadcaster
- 2 May – Paul Adcock, footballer
- 3 May
- 5 May – James Cracknell, Olympic winning rower
- 9 May – Martin Lewis, financial journalist and broadcaster
- 15 May – Richard Blackwood, comedian, actor and rapper
- 23 May – Martin Saggers, cricketer and umpire
- 27 May – Maggie O'Farrell, Northern Irish novelist
- 31 May – Archie Panjabi, screen actress
- 1 June – Daniel Casey, actor
- 3 June – Steve Crane, footballer
- 4 June – Debra Stephenson, actress
- 7 June – Curtis Robb, athlete
- 27 June – Marc Iliffe, strongman (died 2003)
- 30 June – James Martin, chef
July–September
- 1 July – Christopher Smith, film director and screenwriter
- 6 July – Mark Gasser, concert pianist[58]
- 10 July – Peter Serafinowicz, actor, voice actor, comedian and writer
- 12 July – Jake Wood, actor
- 19 July – David Lammy, politician
- 21 July
- 6 August
- Darren Eales, footballer and lawyer
- Geri Halliwell, singer (Spice Girls)
- 7 August – Sarah Cawood, television presenter
- 10 August – Lawrence Dallaglio, rugby union player
- 15 August – Jonathan Slinger, actor
- 16 August – Frankie Boyle, Scottish comedian and writer
- 17 August – David Ralph, Scottish field hockey forward
- 18 August – Victoria Coren Mitchell, writer, presenter and champion poker player
- 27 August – Denise Lewis, athlete and sports presenter
- 6 September
- 9 September – Natasha Kaplinsky, newsreader
- 15 September – Jimmy Carr, comedian
- 18 September – David Jefferies, motorcycle racer (died 2003)
- 21 September
- 24 September – Conor Burns, politician
- 29 September – Robert Webb, comic actor
October–December
- 20 October – Debbie McLeod, Scottish field hockey goalkeeper
- 27 October – Lee Clark, English footballer
- 2 November – Samantha Janus, actress
- 7 November – Danny Grewcock, rugby player
- 6 November – Thandiwe Newton, actress
- 30 November – Dan Jarvis, army officer and politician
- 6 December – Ewan Birney, scientist
- 12 December – Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach
- 14 December
- 20 December – Sarah Jones, politician
- 21 December – Gloria De Piero, English journalist and politician, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
- 29 December – Jude Law, actor
Deaths
January–March
April–June
- 11 May – E. V. Rieu, poet and editor (born 1887)
- 22 May
- 28 May – the Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII, born 1894)
July–September
October–December
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Becket, Andy. When the Lights Went Out. 63.
- News: Miners strike against government. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 9 January 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080112153230/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/9/newsid_2515000/2515917.stm. 12 January 2008. live.
- News: UK unemployment tops one million. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 20 January 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080123213244/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/20/newsid_2506000/2506897.stm. 23 January 2008 . live.
- Web site: Unemployment in the 1930s and Now. Socialist Studies. 2012-02-10.
- Book: Palmer, Alan. Palmer . Veronica. 1992. The Chronology of British History. Century Ltd. London. 433–434. 0-7126-5616-2.
- Book: Day, Alan. Political violence in Northern Ireland: conflict and conflict resolution. Praeger. Westport, CT. 1997. 9780275954147. 9.
- Book: Baumann, Michael. Wie alles anfing = How it all began: the personal account of a West German urban guerrilla. Pulp Press. Vancouver. 2000. 9780889780453. 5.
- News: 91 Hurt in London in Ulster Protest. The New York Times. 6 February 1972.
- Book: Woodmansey, Mick. Mick Woodmansey
. Spider from Mars: My Life with Bowie. Mick Woodmansey. Pan Macmillan. London. 2016. 978-0-283-07274-1. 300.
- News: IRA bomb kills six at Aldershot barracks. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 22 February 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/22/newsid_2519000/2519029.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Miners call off crippling coal strike. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 25 February 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080113011943/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/25/newsid_2516000/2516687.stm. 13 January 2008 . live.
- News: Barber's Bounty. Daily Mirror. London. 1972-03-22. 2.
- Book: King, Stanley. Bradford Trolleybuses. Glossop. Venture. 1994. 1-898432-03-1.
- News: CND begins march to Aldermaston. BBC News. 2012-02-10. 31 March 1972.
- New Big Ford the Granada. MotorSport. April 1972. 31. 2019-07-21.
- News: 'Bloody Sunday' report excuses Army. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 19 April 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080106153121/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/19/newsid_2491000/2491125.stm. 6 January 2008. live.
- Book: Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 0-14-102715-0. 2006.
- Web site: 1972 Leeds United. The FA Cup. https://web.archive.org/web/20070120170657/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1972.htm. 2019-07-21. 20 January 2007.
- News: Derby Take Title. The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 May 1972. 2012-02-10.
- Book: Mount, Ferdinand. Ferdinand Mount. Mind the Gap: the new class divide in Britain. London. Short Book. 2004. 1904095941.
- Web site: European Club Football Finals (1970s). sporting-heroes.net. 2012-02-10.
- Web site: M6 Junction 6. Route 6: The A6 and M6 Website. 2012-02-10. 21 June 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140621232412/http://route6.co.uk/m6junction6.html. dead.
- News: Thomas Cook packaged and sold. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 26 May 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080105121549/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/26/newsid_3003000/3003665.stm. 5 January 2008 . live.
- News: Official IRA declares ceasefire. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 30 May 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080102225127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/30/newsid_2973000/2973759.stm. 2 January 2008 . live.
- News: London's 'forgotten' rollercoaster disaster . BBC News . 27 April 2022.
- Book: Sir Norman Skelhorn. Public Prosecutor: The Memoirs of Sir Norman Skelhorn, Director of Public Prosecutions, 1964-1977. 1981. Harrap. 978-0-245-53763-9. 95.
- News: Protestant march ends in battle. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 3 June 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113547/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/3/newsid_2496000/2496155.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Duke of Windsor laid to rest. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 5 June 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080113163858/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/5/newsid_2496000/2496577.stm. 13 January 2008. live.
- News: UK's worst air crash kills 118. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 18 June 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113508/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/18/newsid_2515000/2515787.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Chancellor orders pound flotation. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 23 June 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113551/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/23/newsid_2518000/2518927.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: Your London. 2008-04-02.
- Book: Coogan, Tim Pat. Tim Pat Coogan
. Tim Pat Coogan. The IRA. New York. Palgrave. 2002. 392-395.
- http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch72.htm CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict – 1972
- News: National dock strike begins. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 28 July 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080111013100/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/28/newsid_2496000/2496609.stm. 11 January 2008 . live.
- News: Claudy bomb: conspiracy allowed IRA priest to go free. BBC News Northern Ireland. 24 August 2010. 2010-08-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20100825014212/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11061296. 25 August 2010 . live.
- News: 1972: Prince William killed in plane crash . BBC News . 28 August 1972.
- Web site: Attendance FAQs. DfES.gov.uk. 26 August 2009. 2010-08-25. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080511154550/http://www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance/faq/#faq18. 11 May 2008.
- Web site: Education leaving age. Politics.co.uk. 12 June 2007. 2010-08-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20071223141431/http://www.politics.co.uk/issuebrief/education/schools/school-leaving-age/education-leaving-age-%24474737.htm. 23 December 2007. dead.
- Legislation dated 20 January and 14 April respectively.
- The Hypermarket – Gold mine or white elephant. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. MCB. 1. 6. 42–44. 10.1108/eb017761. 18 April 2011 .
- News: Expelled Ugandans arrive in UK. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 18 September 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113621/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/18/newsid_2522000/2522627.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Parcel bomb attack on Israeli embassy.. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 19 September 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113613/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/19/newsid_2523000/2523027.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- United Reformed Church Act 1972.
- Web site: Emmerdale Farm Episode 1. 2002. 2012-02-10. 15 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101215215317/http://emmerdale.org/emmerdale/emguide1.htm. dead.
- Web site: Gordon Banks, englandcaps.co.uk. 2010-10-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20100928014651/http://www.englandcaps.co.uk/GordonBanks.html. 28 September 2010 . live.
- Counter-Inflation (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972. News: Pay and price freeze aims to curb inflation. BBC News. 2008-01-27. 6 November 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307113515/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/6/newsid_2538000/2538623.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Book: Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management. 2009. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1-4443-1324-6. 220.
- Web site: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1972. 2008-01-27.
- Web site: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1972. 2008-01-27.
- Web site: Inflation: the Value of the Pound 1750–1998. 2010-10-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060219130455/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-020.pdf. 19 February 2006.
- Book: Marr, Andrew. Andrew Marr. A History of Modern Britain. London. Macmillan. 2007. 978-1-4050-0538-8. 273.
- Web site: 30 Years of the Honda Civic. CarPages. 23 February 2002. 2012-02-10.
- Web site: Accord (1976–1982). www.hondaclassiccars.co.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20040219035903/http://www.hondaclassiccars.co.uk/accord.htm. 2019-07-21. 19 February 2004.
- Web site: Aardman History. Culture. 2022-01-15.
- Web site: About the Cochrane Library. The Cochrane Library. 2011-01-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20110105124021/http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/AboutTheCochraneLibrary.html#ABOUT. 5 January 2011. dead.
- Web site: About The Ecologist. The Ecologist. 2011-01-21.
- http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html 83rd Academy Awards Official Website.
- Web site: Over 200 Famous or Infamous People and Characters with Local Connections who have Contributed to Sheffield's fame and fortune. PDF. sheffield.gov.uk. sheffield.gov.uk/libraries. 27 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173739/http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/libraries/archives-and-local-studies/local-history. 20 February 2008. dead.
- Web site: Davies, Stephen Owen (1886?-1972), miners' leader and Labour politician . Dictionary of Welsh Biography .
- Book: Whitaker's Almanack. 1973. J. Whitaker & Sons. 560.
- Webster, Alan. "Fisher, Geoffrey Francis, Baron Fisher of Lambeth", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2019
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- Book: Malcolm MacDonald. The Symphonies of Havergal Brian: Symphonies 30-32, survey, and summing-up. 1983. Taplinger Publishing Company. 978-0-8008-7528-2. 63.
- Book: Orel, Harold. Popular Fiction in England, 1914-1918. 1 January 1992. University Press of Kentucky. 0-8131-1789-5. 91.
- Obituary. Variety. 13 December 1972. 63.
- Book: Jones, Edward T.. L.P. Hartley. Twayne Publishers. 1978. 978-0805767032. G.K. Hall & Co.. 13–200. registration.