1973 in the United Kingdom explained
Events from the year 1973 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
Events
January
February
- 16 February – The Court of Appeal of England and Wales rules that The Sunday Times can publish articles on thalidomide and Distillers Company, despite ongoing legal actions by parents (the decision is overturned in July by the House of Lords).
- 20 February – Two Pakistanis are shot dead by police in London after being found in the Indian High Commission carrying pistols, which are later established to have been fake.
- 26 February – Edward Heath's government publishes a Green Paper on prices and incomes policy.
- 27 February – Rail workers and civil servants go on strike.
March
April
May
June
- 6 June – St Mary's Church, Putney in London is gutted by fire, later revealed to be arson.
- 23 June – A fire at a house in Hull which kills a six-year-old boy is initially thought to be an accident but later emerged as the first of 26 fire deaths caused over the next seven years by arsonist Peter Dinsdale.
July
August
- 8 August – Gordon Banks, the Stoke City and England goalkeeper, announces his retirement from football having lost the sight in one eye in a car crash in October last year.[21]
- 20 August – Football League president Len Shipman calls for the government to bring back the birch as a tactic of dealing with the growing problem of football hooliganism.
- 21 August – The coroner in the Bloody Sunday inquest accuses the British army of "sheer unadulterated murder" after the jury returns an open verdict.[22]
September
October
- 8 October
- London Broadcasting Company, the United Kingdom's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, begins broadcasting.[26]
- Prime Minister Edward Heath announces government proposals for its counter-inflationary Price and Pay Code Stage Three (continuing to July 1974), including limiting pay rises to 7%, restricting price rises, and paying a £10 Christmas bonus to pensioners – a move which would cost around £80,000,000 funded by a 9p rise in National Insurance contributions.
- 16 October
- 20 October – The Dalai Lama makes his first visit to the UK.[28]
- 26 October – Firefighters in Glasgow stage a one-day strike as part of a pay dispute; troops are drafted in to cover the fire stations.
- 31 October – The sixth series of BBC television sitcom Dad's Army opens with the episode "The Deadly Attachment" containing the "Don't tell him, Pike!" exchange which will become rated as one of the top three greatest comedy moments of British television.[29]
November
- 8 November
- The Second Cod War between the United Kingdom and Iceland ends.[7]
- The government makes £146,000,000 compensation available to three nationalised industries to cover losses resulting from the price restraint policies.
- 12 November
- 14 November
- 26 November – Peter Walker, the Secretary for Trade and Industry, warns that petrol rationing may have to be introduced in the near future as a result of the oil crisis in the Middle East which is restricting petrol supply.
- November – Unemployment in the United Kingdom reaches a low of 3.4%; it goes no lower for at least 40 years.
December
Undated
Publications
Births
January - March
- 1 January - Jimi Mistry, actor
- 18 January
- 29 January - Miranda Krestovnikoff, née Harper-Jones, archaeologist and television host
- 7 February - Kate Thornton, television presenter[43]
- 8 February - Sonia Deol, presenter
- 10 February - Martha Lane Fox, businesswoman and life peer
- 13 February - Ian Duncan, Baron Duncan of Springbank, English politician
- 27 February - Peter Andre, singer
- 2 March - Trevor Sinclair, football player and commentator
- 3 March - Matthew Marsden, actor and martial artist
- 4 March - Penny Mordaunt, politician
- 10 March - Chris Sutton, football player and commentator
- 28 March - Scott Mills, radio disc jockey
April - June
- 1 April - Kris Marshall, actor
- 2 April - Simon Farnaby, actor, writer and comedian
- 3 April - Jamie Bamber, actor
- 7 April - Christian O'Connell, radio DJ and presenter
- 11 April - Amanda Staveley, business executive
- 21 April
- 24 April - Gabby Logan, sports presenter
- 26 April - Geoff Lloyd, radio host
- 26 April - Chris Perry, English footballer
- 8 May
- 10 May
- 14 May - Fraser Nelson, political journalist
- 17 May - Tamsier Joof Aviance, dancer, choreographer and entrepreneur (of Senegalese and Gambian descent)
- 19 May
- 21 May - Noel Fielding, English comedian
- 24 May
- 28 May - Nathan Jones, Welsh football player and manager
- 30 May - Leigh Francis, British comedian
- 9 June - Iain Lee, British comedian and radio and television presenter
- 24 June - Charles Venn, English actor
- 25 June - Jamie Redknapp, English footballer
- 27 June
July - September
- 2 July - Peter Kay, comedian[44]
- 3 July - Emma Cunniffe, actress
- 6 July - Bradley Dredge, golfer
- 8 July - Viv Groskop, journalist and comedian
- 10 July
- 19 July - Wayne Rigby, British boxer
- 23 July - Fran Healy, singer (Travis)
- 25 July
- 26 July - Kate Beckinsale, actress
- 27 July - Tom Kerridge, chef
- 28 July (possible date) - Banksy, graffiti artist
- 3 August - Stephen Graham, actor
- 6 August - Iain Morris, screenwriter and producer
- 12 August - Richard Reid, terrorist
- 20 August - Stephen Nolan, Northern Irish radio presenter
- 24 August - Dave Brown, English comedian
- 5 September - Paddy Considine, actor
- 12 September - Darren Campbell, athlete
- 15 September - Julie Cox, English actress
- 20 September - Jason MacIntyre, Scottish racing cyclist (died 2008)
- 29 September - Alfie Boe, singer and actor
October - December
- 3 October
- 21 October - Bev Turner, British television and radio presenter
- 5 November - Danniella Westbrook, actress and television personality
- 10 November - Jacqui Abbott, English singer
- 18 November - Jonnie Irwin, English television presenter (died 2024)
- 24 November - Lucy Liemann, English actress
- 29 November - Ryan Giggs, Welsh footballer
- 1 December - Kieron Durkan, English-born Irish footballer (died 2018)[45]
- 4 December - Michael Jackson, English football defender and manager
- 17 December - Paula Radcliffe, British athlete
- 18 December - Lucy Worsley, English historian
- 24 December
- 25 December - Ewen MacIntosh, Welsh actor and comedian (died 2024)[46]
Undated
Deaths
January - March
- 15 January - Neil M. Gunn, Scottish novelist, critic, and dramatist (born 1891)
- 19 January - Max Adrian, Northern Irish actor (born 1903)
- 28 January - Francis Romney, English cricketer (born 1873)
- 16 February - Harold Gibbons, English cricketer (born 1904)
- 22 February - Elizabeth Bowen, novelist (born 1899)
- 12 March - David Lack, British ornithologist and biologist (born 1910)
- 13 March - Melville Cooper, actor (born 1896)
- 26 March - Noël Coward, English composer and playwright (born 1899)
- 30 March - Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, British politician and Conservative peer (born 1903)
April - June
July - September
- 1 July - Charles Ernest Garforth, English soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1891)
- 8 July - Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (born 1877)
- 18 July
- 29 July - Roger Williamson, British race car driver (born 1948)
- 6 August - James Beck, actor (born 1929)
- 15 August - Edward Turner, English motorcycle designer (born 1901)
- 16 August - A. K. Chesterton, South African-born far-right politician and journalist (born 1896)
- 17 August - George Benson, British Labour Party politician (born 1889)
- 18 August - Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, British Ulster Unionist politician (born 1888)
- 29 August - Stringer Davis, English actor (born 1896)
- 2 September - J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (born 1892)
- 6 September - William Henry Harris, English organist and composer (born 1883)
- 9 September - Bill Doran, English motorcycle road racer (born 1916)
- 11 September - E. E. Evans-Pritchard, British anthropologist (born 1902)
- 20 September - William Plomer, South African-born novelist, poet and literary editor (born 1903)
- 21 September - C. H. Dodd, Welsh scholar and theologian (born 1884)
- 24 September - Barbara Freyberg, Baroness Freyberg, British peeress
- 25 September - George Porter, British Labour Party politician (born 1884)
- 29 September - W. H. Auden, British-American poet, died in Austria (born 1907)[47]
October - December
- 4 October - Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, British politician and Conservative peer (born 1894)
- 6 October - Dennis Price, actor (born 1915)
- 9 October - Hilda Plowright, English actress (born 1890)
- 25 October - Sir William Whitworth, admiral (born 1884)
- 10 November - Gerald Cock, British broadcasting executive (born 1887)
- 21 November - Sir Roy Fedden, English aircraft engine designer (born 1885)
- 5 December - Sir Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish inventor (born 1892)
- 9 December - Anthony Gilbert (pen name of Lucy Beatrice Malleson), British crime fiction writer (born 1899)
- 13 December - Henry Green, novelist (born 1905)
See also
Notes and References
- News: 1973: Britain joins the EEC. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 1 January 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122307/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/1/newsid_2459000/2459167.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 300 Children Attack 6 Soldiers in Londonderry. 1973-01-04. The New York Times.
- News: 1973: First Open University degrees awarded. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 11 January 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122403/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/11/newsid_2519000/2519681.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 19 January 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122344/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/19/newsid_2530000/2530223.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 1973: Northern Ireland votes for union. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 9 March 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307053952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/9/newsid_2516000/2516477.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 1973: British officials shot dead in Bermuda. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 10 March 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080204033811/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/10/newsid_2798000/2798039.stm. 4 February 2008. live.
- Book: Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 978-0-14-102715-9. 2006.
- News: The Lofthouse Colliery Disaster. January 2003. BBC. 28 July 2011.
- News: 1973: Stock Exchange admits women. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 26 March 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122419/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/26/newsid_2531000/2531145.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Book: Palmer, Alan. Palmer . Veronica. 1992. The Chronology of British History. Century Ltd. London. 434–435. 978-0-7126-5616-0.
- Web site: Liverpool, Celtics wrap up titles. The Windsor Star. 30 April 1973.
- News: 1973: Thousands strike over pay and prices. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 1 May 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080202150934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/1/newsid_2480000/2480141.stm. 2 February 2008. live.
- Encyclopedia: Ascent of Man. Encyclopedia of Television. 13 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20081216124424/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/A/htmlA/ascentofman/ascentofman.htm. 16 December 2008. dead.
- http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1973.htm FA Cup Final 1973
- Book: Rees, Nigel. Sayings of the Century. London. Unwin Paperbacks. 1987. 978-0-04-440080-6. 153. Nigel Rees.
- News: 1973: Royal Navy moves to protect trawlers. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 20 May 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122433/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/20/newsid_2510000/2510837.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: Mi6.co.uk. www.mi6.co.uk . https://web.archive.org/web/20081116043137/http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/movies/lald.php3 . 16 November 2008.
- News: 1973: Bahamas' sun sets on British Empire. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 9 July 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080201022831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/9/newsid_2498000/2498835.stm. 1 February 2008. live.
- News: 1973: Final deal for thalidomide victims. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 30 July 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/30/newsid_4582000/4582119.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: 1973: Chaotic meeting of Belfast Assembly. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 31 July 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122209/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/31/newsid_2491000/2491885.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: Those were the days.
- News: 1973: 'Bloody Sunday' inquest accuses Army. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 21 August 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122213/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/21/newsid_2500000/2500321.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 1973: Bomb blasts rock central London. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 10 September 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122437/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/10/newsid_2504000/2504619.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: 1973: Big Biba opens its doors . BBC News. 11 February 2008. 10 September 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122252/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/10/newsid_3914000/3914415.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- 17. Shane. Gould. The Collieries of North Somerset. Mining History. 13. 2. Winter 1996. 13 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120305022859/http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2013-2%20-%20The%20Collieries%20of%20North%20Somerset.pdf. 5 March 2012. dead.
- News: 1973: Commercial radio joins UK airwaves. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 8 October 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307010636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/8/newsid_2530000/2530721.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Book: Robertson, Patrick. Film Facts. London. Quantum Books. 2007. 978-1-84573-235-6.
- News: 1973: Dalai Lama makes first UK visit. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 20 October 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122352/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/20/newsid_2489000/2489855.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: Television's crowning moments. BBC News. 1999-08-24. 2020-01-27.
- News: 1973: IRA gang convicted of London bombings. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 14 November 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122224/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/14/newsid_4724000/4724181.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: 1973: Crowds cheer marriage of Princess Anne. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 14 November 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122244/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/14/newsid_2519000/2519003.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: Driving over 50 mph banned from tonight. 7 December 1973. The Times. London. 4.
- News: 1973: Sunningdale Agreement signed. BBC News. 11 February 2008. 9 December 1973. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/9/newsid_2536000/2536767.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973. 11 February 2008.
- Web site: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1973. 11 February 2008.
- Web site: Accident at West Ealing on 19th December 1973. Railways Archive. 24 December 2018.
- Book: A History of the British Labour Party. 29 January 1997. Macmillan International Higher Education. 978-1-349-25305-0. 184.
- Web site: Inflation: the Value of the Pound 1750-1998. 3 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20060219130455/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-020.pdf. 19 February 2006. dead.
- Web site: Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - United Kingdom. World Bank. 2022-01-15.
- Book: Davies, Glyn. A History of Money from ancient times to the present day. rev.. Cardiff. University of Wales Press. 1996. 978-0-7083-1351-0. 406–23.
- Web site: Sex ratios at birth in the United Kingdom. Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. 2022-11-10. 2023-09-29. GOV.UK.
- Web site: Our history. Pizza Hut. 2010. 4 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110207130931/http://pizzahut.co.uk/restaurants/our-history.aspx. 7 February 2011 . live.
- Web site: Kate Thornton. Biography, news, photos and videos. 8 October 2020. Hello Magazine. en.
- Web site: Index entry birth record. 5 July 2021. FreeBMD. ONS.
- Web site: SCFC Profile . 5 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101128005107/http://scfc.co.uk/profile.php?id=65 . 28 November 2010 . dead .
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68357976 Ewen MacIntosh: The Office actor dies aged 50
- Web site: W. H. Auden . www.bl.uk . 20 November 2022.