28
March
  Advertisement
Home  /  Timelines  /  United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Timeline of Events
1973
1.1.1973
Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are admitted into the European Community.
4.10.1973
A British Vanguard turboprop crashes during a snowstorm at Basel, Switzerland killing 104.
11.14.1973
In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.
1974
2.7.1974
Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.
4.1.1974
In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties come into being.
7.20.1974
Turkish occupation of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a "coup d' etat", organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios. NATO's Council praises the United States and the United Kingdom for attempts to settle the dispute. Syria and Egypt put their militaries on alert.
1975
5.27.1975
The Dibble's Bridge coach crash near Grassington, North Yorkshire, England kills 32 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
1976
6.29.1976
The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom.
7.21.1976
Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
1977
11.26.1977
'Vrillon', claiming to be the representative of the 'Ashtar Galactic Command', takes over Britain's Southern Television for six minutes at 5:12 PM.
1978
7.7.1978
The Solomon Islands become independent from the United Kingdom.
10.1.1978
Tuvalu gains independence from the United Kingdom.
11.3.1978
Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1979
8.27.1979
An IRA bomb kills British World War II admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and 3 others while they are boating on holiday in Sligo, Republic of Ireland. Another bomb near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland kills 18 British soldiers.
1981
7.27.1981
British television: on ''Coronation Street'', Ken Barlow marries Deirdre Langton, which proves to be a national event scoring massive viewer numbers for the show.
11.1.1981
Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom.
1982
3.19.1982
Falklands War: Argentinian forces land on South Georgia Island, precipitating war with the United Kingdom.
4.3.1982
The United Kingdom sends a naval task force to the south Atlantic to reclaim the disputed Falkland Islands from Argentina.
5.4.1982
Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS ''Sheffield'' (D80) is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
5.28.1982
Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
6.3.1982
The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street. He survives but is permanently paralysed.
6.14.1982
The Falklands War ends: Argentine forces in the capital Stanley unconditionally surrender to British forces.
1984
1.1.1984
3.5.1984
6,000 miners in the United Kingdom begin their strike at Cortonwood Colliery.
9.26.1984
The United Kingdom agrees to the handover of Hong Kong
11.27.1984
Under the Brussels Agreement signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain, the former agreed to enter into discussions with Spain over Gibraltar, including sovereignty.
12.19.1984
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People's Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher.
1985
1.1.1985
The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone.
1986
10.5.1986
Israeli secret nuclear weapons are revealed. The British newspaper ''The Sunday Times'' runs Mordechai Vanunu's story on its front page under the headline: "Revealed — the secrets of Israel's nuclear arsenal".
10.24.1986
Nezar Hindawi is sentenced to 45 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down by a British court, for the attempted bombing on an El Al flight at Heathrow. After the verdict, the United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, claiming that Hindawi is helped by Syrian officials.
10.27.1986
The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang.
10.29.1986
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opens the last stretch of the M25 motorway.
1987
3.6.1987
The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds killing 193.
1988
5.24.1988
Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.
1989
3.7.1989
Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a row over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel.
1990
4.11.1990
Customs officers in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, say they have seized what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
11.22.1990
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher withdraws from the Conservative Party leadership election, confirming the end of her premiership.
1991
11.14.1991
American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.
1992
4.9.1992
John Major's Conservative Party wins an unprecedented fourth general election victory in the United Kingdom.
4.27.1992
Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history.