1976 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1976 in the United Kingdom. This year is notable for the prolonged drought and subsequent heat wave.

1976 in the United Kingdom
Other years
1974 | 1975 | 1976 (1976) | 1977 | 1978
Constituent countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture

Incumbents

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Events

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January

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Concorde

February

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March

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Bernard Montgomery

April

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June

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  • June – British Leyland launches its new Rover SD1, a large rear-wheel drive five-door hatchback featuring a 3.5 V8 Chrysler engine. Smaller engined versions are due next year, when the SD1 completely replaces the Rover P6 and Triumph 2000 ranges.
  • 1 June – The UK and Iceland end the Third Cod War, with the UK accepting Iceland's extension of its territorial waters to 200 nautical miles in exchange for defined fishing rights.[6]
  • 14 June – The trial of multiple murderer Donald Neilson, known as the "Black Panther", begins at Oxford Crown Court; he will be convicted and serve the remainder of his life in prison
  • 22 June–16 July – 1976 British Isles heat wave reaches its peak with the temperature attaining 80 °F (26.7 °C) every day of this period. For fifteen consecutive days, 23 June–7 July inclusive, it reaches 90 °F (32.2 °C) in London; and five consecutive days – the first being 26 June – see the temperature exceed 95 °F (35 °C).[21]
  • 28 June – In the heatwave, the temperature reaches 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) in Southampton, the highest recorded for June in the UK.
  • 29 June – The Seychelles become independent of the UK.[22]

July

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Low water level at Burrator Reservoir in July 1976

August

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  • August
  • 5 August – The Great Clock of Westminster (or Big Ben) suffers internal damage and stops running for over nine months.[6]
  • 6 August – John Stonehouse, the last person to have served as Postmaster General, is sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.
  • 14 August – 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland.
  • 30 August – 100 police officers and 60 carnival-goers are injured during riots at the Notting Hill Carnival.[27]

September

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October

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InterCity 125

November

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  • 12 November – Disappearance of Renee MacRae and her 3-year-old son Andrew from Inverness in Scotland; this becomes Britain's longest-running missing persons case.[37]
  • 16 November – The seven perpetrators of an £8,000,000 van robbery at the Bank of America in Mayfair are sentenced to a total of 100 years in jail.[38]
  • 22 November – Education Act gives the Secretary of State for Education the power to ask local education authorities to plan for non-selective (i.e. comprehensive) secondary education, put into effect by DES Circulars 11/76 and 12/76 (25 November).[39]

December

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Undated

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  • Inflation stands at 16.5% – lower than last year's level, but still one of the highest since records began in 1750.[42] However, at one stage during this year inflation exceeded 24%.[43]
  • Opening of Rutland Water, the largest reservoir in England by surface area (1,212 hectares (2,995 acres)).[44]
  • First purpose-built (Thai style) Buddhist temple built in Britain, the Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon, London.[45]

Publications

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Births

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Deaths

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chrysler Alpine: Remembering the most unlikely Car of the Year". The Telegraph. 8 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Those were the days". Archived from the original on 8 April 2007.
  3. ^ "Ten dead in Northern Ireland ambush". BBC News. 5 January 1976. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Iceland and Britain clash at sea". BBC News. 7 January 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  5. ^ "Emily Jackson". Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
  7. ^ "Explosions rock London's West End". BBC News. 29 January 1976. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  8. ^ "Mini Steps Backwards". Rootes-Chrysler.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 February 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Chrysler Sunbeam: rushed supermini to champion rally car". Rootes-Chrysler.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigns". BBC News. 16 March 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  11. ^ "Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon to split". BBC News. 19 March 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  12. ^ "Our History". The Body Shop. 2009. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Callaghan is new prime minister". BBC News. 5 April 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  14. ^ "Labour's PMs of the past". BBC News. 30 July 2003.
  15. ^ "1976: Young Liberal leader cleared of robbery". BBC News. 9 April 1976. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  16. ^ "May 1976". Thirty Years Ago. Bob Dunning. 3 February 2007. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Tories gain council seats". Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. 7 May 1976. p. 67. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Marcella Claxton". Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  19. ^ a b c Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 438–439. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
  20. ^ "UEFA Cup won for second time". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  21. ^ "TWO content".
  22. ^ "CIA, The World Factbook, Seychelles". Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  23. ^ "Fiesta is Ford's economy car". Glasgow Herald. 14 July 1976. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  24. ^ Magnusson, Magnus (2007) [2006]. Fakers, Forgers & Phoneys. Edinburgh: Mainstream. pp. 32–6. ISBN 978-1-84596-210-4.
  25. ^ Keats, Jonathon. "The Ultimate In Reality TV? Try Televised Art Forgery. [Book Excerpt #2]". Forbes. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  26. ^ "Fire engulfs Southend Pier". BBC News. 29 July 1976. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  27. ^ "Notting Hill Carnival ends in riot". BBC News. 30 August 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  28. ^ "Water crisis deepens". BBC News. 1 September 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  29. ^ "Hull prison riot ends". BBC News. 3 September 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  30. ^ "September 1976". Thirty Years Ago. Bob Dunning. 4 February 2007. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  31. ^ "British warship blaze kills eight". BBC News. 23 September 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  32. ^ Anderson, Gordon (29 September 1976). "New Cortina steps into sports car class". Glasgow Herald. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  33. ^ "New train speeds into service". BBC News. 4 October 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  34. ^ "UDR men jailed for Showband killings". BBC News. 15 October 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  35. ^ ""Queen opens National Theatre in London" BBC On This Day". BBC News. 25 October 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  36. ^ "Duchess opens massive Selby coalfield". BBC News. 29 October 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  37. ^ Bindel, Julie (30 April 2008). "The bone detective". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  38. ^ "Bank robbers jailed for 100 years". BBC News. 16 November 1976. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  39. ^ Gillard, Derek (2018). "Education in England: a history". HDA. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  40. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1976". Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  41. ^ Marr, Andrew (2007). A History of Modern Britain. London: Macmillan. pp. 366–8. ISBN 978-1-4050-0538-8.
  42. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.parliament.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  43. ^ Roberts, Andrew (30 June 2011), "Republicans and the Thatcher Legacy", The Wall Street Journal, New York, retrieved 7 March 2013 Republished as: "Andrew Roberts: Republicans and the Thatcher Legacy", Ruthfully Yours, Ruth King, 30 June 2011, retrieved 7 March 2013
  44. ^ "Data sheet: Rutland Water". UKLakes.net. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  45. ^ "First places of devotion". Vaguely Interesting. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  46. ^ "Chris Hoy | Biography, Medals, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  47. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch". BFI. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  48. ^ "Agatha Christie | Biography, Novels, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  49. ^ Percy Shaw