1979 in the United Kingdom explained
Events from the year 1979 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
Events
January
- 1 January – French carmaker Peugeot completes its takeover of the European division of financially troubled American carmaker Chrysler, which was agreed last year and includes the British operations of the former Rootes Group and the French Simca brand. The company’s cars continue to be sold under these brands, but are expected to be rebranded in the near future.
- 5 January – Lorry drivers go on strike, causing new shortages of heating oil and fresh food.
- 10 January – Prime Minister James Callaghan returns from an international summit to a Britain in a state of industrial unrest. The Sun newspaper reports his comments with a famous headline: "Crisis? What Crisis?"[1]
- 15 January – British Rail workers begin a 24-hour strike.
- 22 January – Tens of thousands of public-workers strike in the beginning of what becomes known as the Winter of Discontent.[2]
February
- 1 February – Grave-diggers call off a strike in Liverpool which has delayed dozens of burials.
- 2 February – Sid Vicious, the former Sex Pistols guitarist, is found dead in New York after apparently suffocating on his own vomit as a result of a heroin overdose. 21-year-old London-born Vicious was on bail for the second degree murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, who was found stabbed to death in a hotel room on 12 October last year.
- 9 February – The England international striker Trevor Francis signs for Nottingham Forest from Birmingham City in British football's first £1 million deal.[3]
- 12 February – Over 1,000 schools close due to the heating oil shortage caused by the lorry drivers' strike.
- 14 February – "Saint Valentine's Day Concordat" between Trades Union Congress and Government, The Economy, the Government, and Trade Union Responsibilities, marks an end to the Winter of Discontent.[4]
- 15 February – Opinion polls show the Conservatives up to 20 points ahead of Labour, whose popularity has slumped due to the Winter of Discontent. With a general election due this year, a Conservative victory is now widely expected, just months after prime minister James Callaghan had decided against calling a general election which the opinion polls suggested Labour would have won.[5]
- 22 February – Saint Lucia becomes independent of the United Kingdom.[6]
- 26 February – Death of the last Muggletonian.
March
April
- April – Statistics show that the economy shrank by 0.8% in the first quarter of the year, largely due to the Winter of Discontent, sparking fears that Britain could soon be faced with its second recession in four years.
- 4 April – Josephine Whitaker, a 19-year-old bank worker, is murdered in Halifax; police believe that she is the 11th woman to be murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper.
- 7 April – The last RT type buses run in London, on route 62.
- 23 April – Anti-Nazi League protester Blair Peach is fatally injured after being struck on the head probably by a member of the Metropolitan Police's Special Patrol Group.[12]
May
June
July
- 5 July – Queen Elizabeth II attends the millennium celebrations of the Isle of Man's Parliament, Tynwald.[22]
- 12 July – Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands) becomes independent of the United Kingdom.[6]
- 17 July – Athlete Sebastian Coe sets a record time for running a mile, completing it in 3 minutes 48.95 seconds, in Oslo.[6]
- 23 July – The government announces £4 billion worth of public spending cuts.
- 26 July – Education Act repeals the 1976 Act, allowing local education authorities to retain selective secondary schools.[23]
August
- 1 August – Following the recent takeover of Chrysler's European division by French carmaker Peugeot, the historic Talbot marque is revived for the range of cars previously sold in Britain as Chryslers, also taking over from the Simca brand in France.[24]
- 9 August – Establishment of a public naturist beach in Brighton is agreed.[25]
- 10 August–23 October – The entire ITV network in the UK is shut down by a technicians' strike (Channel Television remains unaffected).
- 14 August
- 24 August – The Ford Cortina, Britain's best selling car, enters its fifth generation when a restyled version of the 1976 model is launched.[28]
- 27 August
- 30 August – Two men are arrested in Dublin and charged with the murder of Lord Mountbatten and the three other victims of the bombing.
September
- 2 September – Police discover a woman's body in an alleyway near Bradford city centre. The woman, 20-year-old student Barbara Leach, is believed to be the 12th victim of the mysterious Yorkshire Ripper mass murderer.[31]
- 5 September
- 8 September – Wolverhampton Wanderers set a new national transfer record by paying just under £1,500,000 for Aston Villa and Scotland striker Andy Gray.[33]
- 10 September – British Leyland announces that production of MG cars will finish in the autumn of next year, in a move which will see the Abingdon, Oxfordshire, plant closed.
- 14 September – The government announces plans to regenerate the London Docklands with housing and commercial developments.
- 21 September – A Royal Air Force Harrier jet crashes into a house in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire killing two men and a boy.[34]
- 25 September – Margaret Thatcher opens the new Central Milton Keynes shopping centre, the largest indoor shopping centre in Britain, after its final phase is completed six years after development of the complex first began.[35]
October
November
- November – British Leyland chief executive Michael Edwardes wins the overwhelming backing of more than 100,000 of the carmaker's employees for his restructuring plans, which over the next few years will result in the closure of several plants and the loss of some 25,000 jobs.[39]
- 1 November – The government announces £3.5 billion in public spending cuts and an increase in prescription charges.
- 5 November – The two men accused of murdering Lord Mountbatten and three others go on trial in Dublin.
- 9 November – Four men are found guilty over the killing of paperboy Carl Bridgewater, who was shot dead at a farmhouse in the Staffordshire countryside 14 months ago. James Robinson and Vincent Hickey receive life sentences with a recommended minimum of 25 years for murder, 18-year-old Michael Hickey (also guilty of murder) receives an indefinite custodial sentence, while Patrick Molloy is guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years.[40]
- 11 November – Last episode of the first series of the sitcom To the Manor Born on BBC One receives 23.95 million viewers, the all-time highest figure for a recorded programme in the UK.[41]
- 13 November
- The Times is published for the first time in nearly a year after a dispute between management and unions over staffing levels and new technology.[42]
- Miners reject a 20% pay increase and threaten to go on strike until they get their desired pay rise of 65%.
- 14 November – General Motors begins UK sales of the new front-wheel drive Opel Kadett, which is currently produced in the combine’s West German and Belgian factories, and will also be sold from March 1980 as the Vauxhall Astra.
- 15 November
- 21 November – Six months after winning the general election, the Conservatives are five points behind Labour (who have a 45% share of the vote) in an MORI opinion poll.[46]
- 23 November – In Dublin, Ireland, Irish Republican Army member Thomas McMahon is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten.
December
- 4 December – The Hastie Fire in Hull leads to the deaths of 3 boys and begins the hunt for Bruce George Peter Lee, the UK's most prolific killer.
- 7 December – Lord Soames appointed as the transitional governor of Rhodesia to oversee its move to independence.[47]
- 10 December
- 14 December
- Doubts are raised over the convictions of the four men in the Carl Bridgewater case after Hubert Vincent Spencer is charged with murdering 70-year-old farmer Hubert Wilkes at a farmhouse less than half a mile away from the one where Carl Bridgewater was murdered.[7]
- The Clash release post-punk album London Calling.
- 20 December – The government publishes the Housing Bill which will give council house tenants the right to buy their homes from the following year. More than 5 million households in the United Kingdom currently occupy council houses.[50]
- 21 December – Lancaster House Agreement, an independent agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London.[51]
Undated
- Inflation rises to 13.4%.[52]
- The largest number of working days lost through strike action since 1926.
- Dame Josephine Barnes becomes first woman president of the British Medical Association.[53]
- The first JD Wetherspoon pub is established by Tim Martin in the London Borough of Haringey.[54]
- New plant species, Senecio eboracensis, the York groundsel, is discovered.[55] [56]
- Common crane returns to The Broads.
- A record of more than 1.7 million new cars are sold in the United Kingdom this year, with the best selling car, the Ford Cortina, selling more than 190,000 units. Ford Motor Company enjoys the largest share of the new car market, followed in second place by British Leyland, with the former Chrysler Europe brands (now owned by Peugeot) in third place, and Vauxhall in fourth. Foreign brands including Datsun, Renault and Volkswagen also prove popular.
Publications
Births
- 20 January – Will Young, singer, winner of Pop Idol (series 1)
- 21 January – Johann Hari, disgraced journalist whose Orwell Prize is revoked following charges of plagiarism
- 13 February – Rachel Reeves, economist and politician
- 2 March – Jocelyn Jee Esien, comedian and actress
- 12 March – Pete Doherty, rock musician (The Libertines and Babyshambles)
- 7 April – Mark Goldbridge, YouTuber
- 9 April – Ben Silverstone, actor
- 10 April – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, pop singer
- 14 April – Iain Balshaw, English rugby player
- 21 April – James McAvoy, Scottish actor[58]
- 12 May – Karin Szymko, gymnast
- 12 May – Rob Key, cricketer and sportscaster
- 15 May – Rachel Walker, field hockey player
- 25 May – Jonny Wilkinson, rugby union player
- 12 June
- 19 June – Graeme Ballard, Paralympic sprinter
- 20 June – James Vowles, motorsport engineer
- 29 June – Abs Breen, English singer (5ive)
- 2 July – Nick Lloyd Webber, composer and record producer (died 2023)
- 13 July – Craig Bellamy, football player and manager
- 16 July – Douglas Murray, author and political commentator
- 25 July – Ali Carter, snooker player
- 26 July – Johnson Beharry, VC, Grenadan-born war hero
- 30 July – Graeme McDowell, golfer
- 5 August – David Healy, footballer
- 9 August – Lisa Nandy, politician
- 20 August – Jamie Cullum, singer
- 23 August – Ritchie Neville, English singer (5ive)
- 1 September – Neg Dupree, comedian
- 14 September – Stuart Fielden, rugby league player
- 15 September
- 22 September – Rebecca Long-Bailey, politician
- 28 September – Annika Reeder, gymnast
- 4 October – Stefan Booth, actor
- 12 October – Steve Borthwick, rugby union player and coach
- 8 November – Aaron Hughes, footballer
- 9 November – Caroline Flack, television presenter and actress (died 2020)
- 22 November – Scott Robinson, English pop singer (5ive)
- 29 November – Simon Amstell, comedian and television presenter
- 1 December – Lisa Wooding, field-hockey player
- 3 December – Daniel Bedingfield, New Zealand-born pop singer and songwriter
- 14 December – Michael Owen, footballer
- 17 December – Charlotte Edwards, cricketer
- 24 December – Lucilla Wright, field-hockey player
- 25 December – Robert Huff, English racing driver
Deaths
- 16 January – Peter Butterworth, actor and comedian (born 1919)
- 23 January – Frank Owen, journalist and politician (born 1905)
- 2 February – Sid Vicious (real name John Simon Ritchie), musician (Sex Pistols) (drug overdose in the United States) (born 1957)
- 14 February – Reginald Maudling, politician (born 1917)
- 19 February – Wee Georgie Wood, actor and comedian (born 1895)
- 19 March – Richard Beckinsale, actor (born 1947)
- 23 March – Ted Anderson, footballer (born 1911)
- 24 March – Sir Jack Cohen, founder of the Tesco retail chain (born 1898)
- 30 March – Airey Neave, politician (assassinated) (born 1916)
- 11 May – Bernard Kettlewell, geneticist and lepidopterist (born 1907)
- 8 June – Norman Hartnell, fashion designer (born 1901)
- 12 July – Olive Morris, social activist (born 1952 in Jamaica)
- 16 July – Alfred Deller, countertenor (born 1912)
- 8 August – Nicholas Monsarrat, novelist (born 1910)
- 9 August – Cecil Jackson-Cole, humanitarian (born 1901)
- 11 August – J. G. Farrell, novelist (born 1935)
- 12 August – Ernst Chain, biochemist, discoverer of penicillin with Fleming and Florey (born 1899, German Empire)
- 23 August – Richard Hearne ("Mr Pastry"), comic performer (born 1908)
- 27 August – Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, last Viceroy of India (victim of IRA bombing) (born 1900)
- 28 August – Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, aristocrat and socialite (victim of IRA bombing) (born 1896)
- 29 August – Ivon Hitchens, painter (born 1893)
- 26 September – Leslie Frise, aerospace engineer and aircraft designer (born 1895)
- 27 September
- 10 October – Dr Christopher Evans, psychologist and computer scientist (born 1931)
- 13 October – Rebecca Helferich Clarke, composer and violist (born 1886)
- 15 October – Leslie Grade, theatrical talent agent (born 1916)
- 30 October – Sir Barnes Wallis, aeronautical engineer (born 1887)
- 8 November – Edward Ardizzone, painter, printmaker and author (born 1900)
- 23 November – Merle Oberon, actress (born 1911)
- 30 November – Joyce Grenfell, actress, comedian and singer-songwriter (born 1910)
- 9 December – Jack Solomons, boxing promoter (born 1902)
See also
Notes and References
- News: 'No chaos here' declares Callaghan. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 10 January 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080305034843/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/10/newsid_2518000/2518957.stm. 5 March 2008 . live.
- News: Public sector strike paralyses country. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 22 January 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131333/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/22/newsid_2506000/2506715.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Forest break football transfer record. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 9 February 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080129104204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/9/newsid_2538000/2538513.stm. 29 January 2008 . live.
- Book: Marr, Andrew. Andrew Marr. A History of Modern Britain. London. Macmillan Publishers. 2007. 978-1-4050-0538-8. 376.
- News: PM desperate to save Labour. Geoffrey. Barker. The Age. Melbourne. 27 February 1979. 7. 18 March 2013.
- Book: Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 0-14-102715-0. 2006.
- https://www.expressandstar.com/days/1976-2000/1979.html Those were the days
- News: Three die in Golborne mine blast. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 18 March 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131720/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/18/newsid_4226000/4226271.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: British ambassador assassinated in Holland. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 22 March 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080104225033/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/22/newsid_2543000/2543867.stm. 4 January 2008. live.
- News: Early election as Callaghan defeated. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 28 March 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131506/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531007.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Car bomb kills Airey Neave. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 30 March 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131310/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/30/newsid_2783000/2783877.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: Blair Peach killed by police at 1979 protest, Met report finds. The Guardian. 9 November 2013. 27 April 2010.
- Web site: Jubilee line facts. Transport for London. 27 January 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080212182726/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/?line=jubilee. 12 February 2008. dead.
- News: Election victory for Margaret Thatcher. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 4 May 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20071219230053/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/4/newsid_2503000/2503195.stm. 19 December 2007 . live.
- Web site: John Major. John Major. 4 February 2015. 16 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150216010255/http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/bio.html. dead.
- News: Liverpool's 11th title. Sydney Morning Herald. 11 May 1979. 24. 18 March 2013.
- News: 1979 FA Cup Final. BBC Sport. 4 February 2015.
- Book: Palmer. Alan. Palmer . Veronica. 1992. The Chronology of British History. Century Limited. London. 442–443. 0-7126-5616-2.
- News: Price of milk shoots up. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 25 May 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080119051309/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/25/newsid_2991000/2991847.stm. 19 January 2008 . live.
- Web site: European Parliament elections: 1979 to 1994. House of Commons. 2 June 1999. 4 February 2015.
- News: Thorpe cleared of murder charges. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 22 June 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131348/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/22/newsid_2518000/2518667.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- News: Queen oversees Manx millennium. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 5 July 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131708/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/5/newsid_2494000/2494861.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: Education in England: a history. Derek. Gillard. 2018. HDA. 2020-10-24.
- Web site: The world car that wasn't. Rootes-Chrysler.co.uk. 18 March 2013.
- News: Brighton bares all. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 9 August 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/9/newsid_3906000/3906605.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: Freak storm hits yacht race. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 14 August 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080101095627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/14/newsid_3886000/3886877.stm. 1 January 2008 . live.
- News: Disgraced ex-MP released from jail. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 14 August 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131454/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/14/newsid_2534000/2534073.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: James. Caven. It's a £50m new-look. Evening Times. Glasgow. 24 August 1979. 22 September 2011.
- News: IRA bomb kills Lord Mountbatten. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 27 August 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080121045317/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_2511000/2511545.stm. 21 January 2008. live.
- News: Soldiers die in Warrenpoint massacre. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 27 August 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131600/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_3891000/3891055.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: Ripper suspected of 12th murder. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 2 September 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080101095742/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/2/newsid_2493000/2493531.stm. 1 January 2008 . live.
- News: Mountbatten buried after final parade. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 5 September 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080101174021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/5/newsid_2499000/2499279.stm. 1 January 2008 . live.
- News: Buchanan signs on for a Danish manager. The Herald. Glasgow. 8 September 1979. 22 September 2011.
- News: Harrier crash kills three. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 21 September 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131254/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_2525000/2525419.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: The architectural secrets of Milton Keynes. How We Built Britain. BBC Three Counties Radio. 18 March 2013 . June 2007.
- Web site: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1979. 27 January 2008.
- Web site: CIA Factbook entry for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 27 January 2008.
- News: Chairman Hua arrives in London. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 28 October 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131415/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/28/newsid_4114000/4114964.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- https://www.expressandstar.com/millennium/1900/1976-2000/1979.html Our Century 1976–2000
- News: Paperboy's killers convicted. 9 November 1979. BBC News. 18 March 2013.
- Web site: Britain's Most Watched TV – The 1980s . . 4 September 2006 . 7 December 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070106191745/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mostwatched/1980s.html . 6 January 2007 .
- News: Times returns after year-long dispute. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 13 November 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131607/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/13/newsid_2539000/2539795.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- Web site: Changes in Bank Rate. Bank of England. 2 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110102100001/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/rates/baserate.pdf. 2 January 2011 . live.
- News: Professor Blunt named as spy. Stewart. Tendler. Ian. Bradley. The Times. London. 16 November 1979. 1. 60476.
- https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/nov/21/mr-anthony-blunt Mr. Anthony Blunt
- Web site: Voting Intention in Great Britain: 1976–present . Ipsos MORI . 18 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120923031349/http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=103 . 23 September 2012 .
- News: Lord Soames to govern Rhodesia. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 7 December 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131343/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/7/newsid_2535000/2535763.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
- Web site: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1979. 27 January 2008.
- News: Daredevil Kidd's 80ft river jump. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 10 December 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307131611/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_2544000/2544025.stm. 7 March 2008. live.
- News: Council tenants will have 'right to buy'. BBC News. 27 January 2008. 20 December 1979. https://web.archive.org/web/20071223083115/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20/newsid_4017000/4017019.stm. 23 December 2007 . live.
- Web site: Lancaster House Agreement. Fashion Forum. da-DK. 25 September 2021.
- Web site: Inflation Great Britain 1979. Inflation.eu. 4 February 2015.
- Max. Blythe. Barnes, Dame (Alice) Josephine Mary Taylor (1912–1999). 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/60885 . 3 February 2011.
- Web site: Refurb for Tim Martin's first outlet . https://archive.today/20120804203433/http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=2891 . dead . 4 August 2012 . Property News . . 21 January 2011 .
- A new British species, Senecio eboracensis (Asteraceae), another hybrid derivative of S. vulgaris L. and S. squalidae L.. Botany. Abbot. R.J.. Lowe. A.J.. 2003. 24. 375–388. 15 July 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20121020234958/http://archive.bsbi.org.uk/Wats24p375.pdf. 20 October 2012. dead.
- News: Blooming unexpected. 13 February 2008. Martin. Wainwright. 20 February 2003. The Guardian. London.
- News: Dan. Warburton. Viz comic all set to celebrate 30th birthday. Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. 21 October 2009. 18 March 2013.
- Web site: James McAvoy · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards . BIFA · British Independent Film Awards . 8 September 2022 . 12 October 2018.
- Web site: Glasgow 2014 - Ellen FALKNER Profile . results.glasgow2014.com . 15 March 2021.