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1972 in the United Kingdom

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1972 in the United Kingdom
Other years
1970 | 1971 | 1972 (1972) | 1973 | 1974
Constituent countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture

Events from the year 1972 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

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Events

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January

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  • 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

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March

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April

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  • 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

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June

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July

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August

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September

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  • 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 BBC1 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

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November

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December

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Undated

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  • 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

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Births

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January–March

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April–June

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July–September

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October–December

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Deaths

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January–March

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April–June

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July–September

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October–December

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Becket, Andy. When the Lights Went Out. p. 63.
  2. ^ "Miners strike against government". BBC News. 9 January 1972. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  3. ^ "UK unemployment tops one million". BBC News. 20 January 1972. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  4. ^ "Unemployment in the 1930s and Now". Socialist Studies. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 433–434. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
  6. ^ Day, Alan (1997). Political violence in Northern Ireland: conflict and conflict resolution. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 9. ISBN 9780275954147.
  7. ^ Baumann, Michael (2000). Wie alles anfing = How it all began: the personal account of a West German urban guerrilla. Vancouver: Pulp Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780889780453.
  8. ^ "91 Hurt in London in Ulster Protest". The New York Times. 6 February 1972.
  9. ^ Woodmansey, Mick (2016). Spider from Mars: My Life with Bowie. London: Pan Macmillan. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-283-07274-1.
  10. ^ "IRA bomb kills six at Aldershot barracks". BBC News. 22 February 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  11. ^ "Miners call off crippling coal strike". BBC News. 25 February 1972. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  12. ^ "Barber's Bounty". Daily Mirror. London. 22 March 1972. p. 2.
  13. ^ King, Stanley (1994). Bradford Trolleybuses. Glossop: Venture. ISBN 1-898432-03-1.
  14. ^ "CND begins march to Aldermaston". BBC News. 31 March 1972. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  15. ^ "New Big Ford the Granada". MotorSport: 31. April 1972. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  16. ^ "'Bloody Sunday' report excuses Army". BBC News. 19 April 1972. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
  18. ^ "1972 Leeds United". The FA Cup. Archived from the original on 20 January 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Derby Take Title". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 May 1972. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  20. ^ Mount, Ferdinand (2004). Mind the Gap: the new class divide in Britain. London: Short Book. ISBN 1904095941.
  21. ^ "European Club Football Finals (1970s)". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  22. ^ "M6 Junction 6". Route 6: The A6 and M6 Website. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  23. ^ "Thomas Cook packaged and sold". BBC News. 26 May 1972. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  24. ^ "Official IRA declares ceasefire". BBC News. 30 May 1972. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  25. ^ "London's 'forgotten' rollercoaster disaster". BBC News. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  26. ^ Sir Norman Skelhorn (1981). Public Prosecutor: The Memoirs of Sir Norman Skelhorn, Director of Public Prosecutions, 1964-1977. Harrap. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-245-53763-9.
  27. ^ "Protestant march ends in battle". BBC News. 3 June 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  28. ^ "Duke of Windsor laid to rest". BBC News. 5 June 1972. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  29. ^ "UK's worst air crash kills 118". BBC News. 18 June 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  30. ^ "Chancellor orders pound flotation". BBC News. 23 June 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  31. ^ "Your London". Retrieved 2 April 2008.[dead link]
  32. ^ Coogan, Tim Pat (2002). The IRA. New York: Palgrave. pp. 392–395.
  33. ^ a b CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict – 1972
  34. ^ "National dock strike begins". BBC News. 28 July 1972. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  35. ^ "Claudy bomb: conspiracy allowed IRA priest to go free". BBC News Northern Ireland. 24 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  36. ^ "1972: Prince William killed in plane crash". BBC News. 28 August 1972.
  37. ^ "Attendance FAQs". DfES.gov.uk. 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  38. ^ "Education leaving age". Politics.co.uk. 12 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  39. ^ Legislation dated 20 January and 14 April respectively.
  40. ^ "The Hypermarket – Gold mine or white elephant". International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 1 (6). MCB: 42–44. doi:10.1108/eb017761. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  41. ^ "Expelled Ugandans arrive in UK". BBC News. 18 September 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  42. ^ "Parcel bomb attack on Israeli embassy". BBC News. 19 September 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  43. ^ United Reformed Church Act 1972.
  44. ^ "Emmerdale Farm Episode 1". 2002. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  45. ^ "Gordon Banks, englandcaps.co.uk". Archived from the original on 28 September 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  46. ^ Counter-Inflation (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972. "Pay and price freeze aims to curb inflation". BBC News. 6 November 1972. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  47. ^ Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management. John Wiley & Sons. 2009. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-4443-1324-6.
  48. ^ "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1972". Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  49. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1972". Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  50. ^ "Inflation: the Value of the Pound 1750–1998" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  51. ^ Marr, Andrew (2007). A History of Modern Britain. London: Macmillan. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-4050-0538-8.
  52. ^ "30 Years of the Honda Civic". CarPages. 23 February 2002. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  53. ^ "Accord (1976–1982)". www.hondaclassiccars.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 February 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  54. ^ "Aardman History". Culture. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  55. ^ "About the Cochrane Library". The Cochrane Library. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  56. ^ "About The Ecologist". The Ecologist. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  57. ^ 83rd Academy Awards Official Website.
  58. ^ "Over 200 Famous or Infamous People and Characters with Local Connections who have Contributed to Sheffield's fame and fortune". sheffield.gov.uk. sheffield.gov.uk/libraries. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
  59. ^ "Davies, Stephen Owen (1886?-1972), miners' leader and Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography.
  60. ^ Whitaker's Almanack. J. Whitaker & Sons. 1973. p. 560.
  61. ^ Webster, Alan. "Fisher, Geoffrey Francis, Baron Fisher of Lambeth", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2019 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  62. ^ New Scientist. Reed Business Information. 8 September 1977. p. 573.[permanent dead link]
  63. ^ Malcolm MacDonald (1983). The Symphonies of Havergal Brian: Symphonies 30-32, survey, and summing-up. Taplinger Publishing Company. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8008-7528-2.
  64. ^ Orel, Harold (1 January 1992). Popular Fiction in England, 1914-1918. University Press of Kentucky. p. 91. ISBN 0-8131-1789-5.
  65. ^ "Obituary". Variety. 13 December 1972. p. 63.
  66. ^ Jones, Edward T. (1978). L.P. Hartley. G.K. Hall & Co.: Twayne Publishers. pp. 13–200. ISBN 978-0805767032.