Step back in time: to 1975
Take a trip down memory lane with a nostalgic look back at 1975.
Welcome back to the heart of the Seventies; Britain was in the midst of a double-dip recession and tension, innovation and change were present everywhere.
The 70s are marked by new opportunities for men and women and an emphasis on freedom, equality and individuality – from the rise of feminism to punk rock, in 1975 Britain was moving in a new direction and many aspects of modern life as we know it now were still new and radical in their time.
So grab a cuppa and step back in time with us to 1975…
Pop Culture
Popular Culture offers a glimpse into the lives of people and the big and little things that made up the everyday. Here’s a snapshot of life and pop culture in 1975.
4 March – Actor Charlie Chaplin is knighted by the Queen.
7 April – The Godfather Part II wins the award for best picture at the 47th annual Academy Awards. Art Carney wins Best Actor for his performance in Harry and Tonto, while Ellen Burstyn wins Best Actress for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
Sitcom Fawlty Towers is broadcast for the first time on BBC 2.
The National Railway Museum opens in York – the first national museum in the country outside London.
British punk rockers The Sex Pistols make their first public performance.
The price of things: In 1975 a loaf of bread cost just 11p. A pint of lager in a local pub was 20p, while a pack of cigarettes cost 20p for 20. The average house price in Great Britain is just £16,980.
At the cinema: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Return of the Pink Panther all debut in cinemas.
Bill Gates co-founds Microsoft at the age of 19.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton secretly remarry in Africa, just 16 months after divorcing. They were first married in 1964.
World Events
1975 wasn’t just an important year in Britain. Here’s a look at some of the most significant events that took place in 1975 around the globe.
11 February – Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become the leader of the opposition and the party’s first female leader.
21 August – Unemployment reaches an all-time high; 1.25 million people in the United Kingdom are jobless. Britain enters a double-dip recession as the economy contracts for the second and third quarters that year.
5 September – The London Hilton hotel was bombed by the IRA. Two people are left dead and 63 others injured. In October, a second IRA bomb explosion outside Green Park tube station kills one person and injures 20.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970 come into force, aiming to end unequal pay between men and women in the workplace.
Climbers Dougal Haston and Doug Scott are the first British climbers to summit Mount Everest.
The UK’s first oil pipeline is formally inaugurated by the Queen, distributing oil from the North Sea around the UK.
Sporting Moments
From big upsets to big wins, here are some of the most significant moments to take place in sport in 1975.
5 April – Manchester United are promoted back to the First Division just one season after being relegated.
26 April – Derby County wins the Football League First Division title for the second time in four seasons.
5 July – American tennis player Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon, making history as the first black player ever to win the title.
Famous Births
Some big personalities came into the world in 1975. Here’s a few of the famous faces born this year.
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- 18 February – Gary Neville
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- 2 May – David Beckham
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- 27 May – Jamie Oliver
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- 29 May – Mel B
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- 25 September – Declan Donnelly
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- 5 October – Kate Winslet
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- 27 October – Zadie Smith
Music
Nothing takes us back like music; these were some of the best-selling artists and most popular songs on the radio in 1975.
Best selling single of the year: Bye Bye Baby by Bay City Rollers
Christmas number 1: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Other popular songs
Sailing by Rod Stewart
Cant Give You Anything (But My Love) The Stylistics
Pilot by January
Space Oddity by David Bowie
How old were you in 1975? Does our timeline bring back any memories?
cover image by flickr user srv007
Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor
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