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1971 - 19801971 January 1: Divorce Reform Act (1969) comes into force January 3: Open University starts February 15: Decimalisation of coinage in Britain Aug 9: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland October 28: Parliament votes to join Common Market 'Greenpeace' founded Intel builds the microprocessor, "a computer on a chip." 1972 February 9: Power workers crisis October 5: United Reformed Church founded out of Congregational and
Presbyterian Churches in E&W 1973 January 1: Britain enters Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark) January 27: Vietnam ceasefire agreement signed April 1: VAT introduced in Britain December 31: Energy crisis – Three-day week (till 9 March 1974) to
conserve power 1974 Aug 8: President Nixon resigns over Watergate scandal 1975 February 11: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in
opposition) April 30: End of Vietnam war June 5: Suez canal reopens (after 8 years closure) November 3: First North Sea oil comes ashore [some say 11 June] December 27: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force First personal computers (PC) introduced 1976 January 21: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service Aug 6: Drought Act 1976 comes into force Deaths exceeded live births in England & Wales for first time since
records began in 1837 Viking 1 & Viking 2 landed on Mars 1977 March 23: Lib-Lab pact June 1: Road speed limits: 70mph dual roads; 60mph single June 7: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London 1978 April 8: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts May 1: First May Day holiday in Britain July 25: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham October 15: Pope John Paul II, first non-Italian for 450 years November 30: Publication of The Times suspended – industrial relations
problems (until 13 November 1979) 1979 February 1: Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran March 1: 32.5% of Scots vote in favour of devolution (40% needed) –
Welsh vote overwhelmingly against March 31: Withdrawal of Royal Navy from Malta May 4: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman Prime Minister Aug 27: Lord Mountbatten killed in bomb blast of coast of Sligo September 18: ILEA voted to abolish corporal punishment in its schools November 13: The Times returns to circulation 1980 May 5: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages December 8: John Lennon assassinated in New York
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