1970s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1970s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

1970

• 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote.
• News: Edward Heath won the June general election.
• Screen: Colour television licences were still new and most viewing was in black and white.
• Music: 'The Wonder of You' by Elvis Presley and 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry were two of the year's biggest sellers.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970

1971

• 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up.
• News: Decimal currency was introduced on 15 February.
• Screen: The Two Ronnies began on BBC One.
• Music: 'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971

1972

• 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam.
• News: A miners' strike in the winter led to power cuts and a state of emergency.
• Screen: Are You Being Served? and Emmerdale Farm both began.
• Music: 'Amazing Grace' by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972

1973

• 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas.
• News: The UK joined the European Economic Community on 1 January.
• Screen: Last of the Summer Wine began; Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em followed in 1973.
• Music: Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' was the Christmas number one and the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973

1974

• 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision.
• News: The three-day week ran from 1 January to 7 March.
• Screen: Tiswas began on ATV; Porridge began on BBC One.
• Music: Abba won Eurovision in Brighton on 6 April with 'Waterloo', which went to number one.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974

1975

• 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers.
• News: The referendum on 5 June voted to stay in the EEC by roughly two to one.
• Screen: Fawlty Towers began in September; The Good Life also started.
• Music: Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went to number one in November and stayed there into the new year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975

1976

• 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk.
• News: The summer brought a long heatwave and the worst drought in living memory, with standpipes in some areas.
• Screen: The Muppet Show began on ITV.
• Music: 'Save Your Kisses for Me' by Brotherhood of Man won Eurovision and was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976

1977

• 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground.
• News: The Silver Jubilee was celebrated in June with street parties across the country.
• Screen: Star Wars opened in the UK in December.
• Music: 'Mull of Kintyre' by Wings was the Christmas number one and the year's biggest seller - and for a while the best-selling UK single ever.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977

1978

• 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent.
• News: Louise Brown, the first baby born after IVF, was born in Oldham on 25 July.
• Screen: Grange Hill began in February.
• Music: 'Rivers of Babylon' by Boney M. was the year's best-selling single, and the Grease soundtrack was everywhere.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978

1979

• 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies.
• News: The winter of discontent ran through January and February with widespread public sector strikes.
• Screen: Life of Brian was released and banned by several local councils.
• Music: 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979

Pop culture milestones of the 1970s

• 1970 - Colour television licences were still new and most viewing was in black and white. 'The Wonder of You' by Elvis Presley and 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry were two of the year's biggest sellers.
• 1971 - The Two Ronnies began on BBC One. 'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison was the year's best-selling single.
• 1972 - Are You Being Served? and Emmerdale Farm both began. 'Amazing Grace' by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards was the year's best-selling single.
• 1973 - Last of the Summer Wine began; Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em followed in 1973. Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' was the Christmas number one and the year's best-selling single.
• 1974 - Tiswas began on ATV; Porridge began on BBC One. Abba won Eurovision in Brighton on 6 April with 'Waterloo', which went to number one.
• 1975 - Fawlty Towers began in September; The Good Life also started. Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went to number one in November and stayed there into the new year.
• 1976 - The Muppet Show began on ITV. 'Save Your Kisses for Me' by Brotherhood of Man won Eurovision and was the year's best-selling single.
• 1977 - Star Wars opened in the UK in December. 'Mull of Kintyre' by Wings was the Christmas number one and the year's biggest seller - and for a while the best-selling UK single ever.
• 1978 - Grange Hill began in February. 'Rivers of Babylon' by Boney M. was the year's best-selling single, and the Grease soundtrack was everywhere.
• 1979 - Life of Brian was released and banned by several local councils. 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel was the year's best-selling single.

Holidays and annual dates

• 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
• 25 January - Burns Night.
• 14 February - Valentine's Day.
• 1 March - St David's Day.
• 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
• Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
• Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
• 23 April - St George's Day.
• First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
• Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
• Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
• 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
• First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
• Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 31 October - Halloween.
• 5 November - Bonfire Night.
• 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
• 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
• 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
• In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

Where to shop next

• 1970s history: events, politics and culture
• 1970s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1970s films and directors
• 1970s books, films and TV
• 1970s books: novels and authors
• 1970s art: artists and styles
• 1970s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1970s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1970s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1970s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1970s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1970s games: board, card and video
• 1970s trivia: fun facts
• 1970s quiz: questions and answers
• 1970s party playlist
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1970s
• The decade before: the 1960s
• The decade after: the 1980s
• All decade guides in one place
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Look back to 1970
• Look back to 1971
• Look back to 1972
• Look back to 1973
• Look back to 1974
• Look back to 1975
• Look back to 1976
• Look back to 1977
• Look back to 1978
• Look back to 1979
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• British Bulldog rules
• Kerby rules
• Sweets that disappeared
• Test card, Ceefax and three channels
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Funny Father's Day cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1970s?

England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. The calendar above runs through every year from 1970 to 1979, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1970s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.