1970s Timeline: Key Dates, Events And Milestones

The 1970s in order, one year at a time, from 1970 to 1979.

Each year gives the headline of the year, the news that mattered, and the music, screen and sport people remember.

Useful for quizzes, school projects, reminiscence sessions and milestone birthday cards.

1970

• England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote.
• Edward Heath won the June general election.
• The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
• The Isle of Wight Festival in August drew a crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
• 'The Wonder of You' by Elvis Presley and 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry were two of the year's biggest sellers.
• Colour television licences were still new and most viewing was in black and white.
• England were knocked out of the World Cup by West Germany in the quarter-final in Mexico.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970

1971

• Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up.
• Decimal currency was introduced on 15 February.
• The Open University took its first students.
• The Ibrox disaster in Glasgow on 2 January killed 66 people.
• 'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison was the year's best-selling single.
• The Two Ronnies began on BBC One.
• Arsenal won the league and FA Cup double.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971

1972

• Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam.
• A miners' strike in the winter led to power cuts and a state of emergency.
• Bloody Sunday in Derry on 30 January killed thirteen people, with a fourteenth dying later.
• The school leaving age was raised to sixteen from the following year.
• 'Amazing Grace' by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards was the year's best-selling single.
• Are You Being Served? and Emmerdale Farm both began.
• Leeds United won the FA Cup.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972

1973

• Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas.
• The UK joined the European Economic Community on 1 January.
• The oil crisis from October pushed up fuel prices sharply.
• VAT was introduced in April.
• Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' was the Christmas number one and the year's best-selling single.
• Last of the Summer Wine began; Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em followed in 1973.
• Sunderland beat Leeds United in the FA Cup final, one of the great upsets.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973

1974

• Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision.
• The three-day week ran from 1 January to 7 March.
• There were two general elections, in February and October; Harold Wilson returned as Prime Minister.
• The Birmingham pub bombings took place in November.
• Abba won Eurovision in Brighton on 6 April with 'Waterloo', which went to number one.
• Tiswas began on ATV; Porridge began on BBC One.
• West Germany won the World Cup; England were not there.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974

1975

• Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers.
• The referendum on 5 June voted to stay in the EEC by roughly two to one.
• Inflation reached its post-war peak during the year.
• Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party in February.
• Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went to number one in November and stayed there into the new year.
• Fawlty Towers began in September; The Good Life also started.
• West Ham United won the FA Cup.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975

1976

• The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk.
• The summer brought a long heatwave and the worst drought in living memory, with standpipes in some areas.
• The Drought Act was passed in August, and a Minister for Drought was appointed; heavy rain arrived in September.
• James Callaghan became Prime Minister in April after Harold Wilson resigned.
• 'Save Your Kisses for Me' by Brotherhood of Man won Eurovision and was the year's best-selling single.
• The Muppet Show began on ITV.
• Southampton beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976

1977

• Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground.
• The Silver Jubilee was celebrated in June with street parties across the country.
• The Grunwick dispute ran through the year.
• Firefighters went on strike in November and the army used Green Goddess engines.
• '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.
• Star Wars opened in the UK in December.
• Red Rum won a third Grand National.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977

1978

• Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent.
• Louise Brown, the first baby born after IVF, was born in Oldham on 25 July.
• The winter of discontent began in late 1978, with widespread strikes into 1979.
• The Yorkshire Ripper investigation dominated news in the north of England.
• 'Rivers of Babylon' by Boney M. was the year's best-selling single, and the Grease soundtrack was everywhere.
• Grange Hill began in February.
• Argentina won the World Cup; Scotland went and England did not qualify.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978

1979

• The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies.
• The winter of discontent ran through January and February with widespread public sector strikes.
• Margaret Thatcher won the general election on 3 May and became the first woman Prime Minister.
• Lord Mountbatten was killed by the IRA in August, on the same day as the Warrenpoint attack.
• 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel was the year's best-selling single.
• Life of Brian was released and banned by several local councils.
• Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-2 in the FA Cup final with two goals in the last five minutes.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979

How to use this timeline

• Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for what happened.
• Reminiscence: start at the year someone left school and read forwards.
• Milestone birthday: read the timeline from their birth year to the year they turned 18.
• Anyone born in 1970 turns 50 in 2020, 60 in 2030 and 70 in 2040.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Read the timeline alongside the decade history guide: one gives the order, the other gives the story.
• For a birthday card, pick the one event from their birth year that still gets a reaction.
• Years rarely change neatly at the decade line. Check the year either side before setting a quiz question.

Where to shop next

• 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
• 1970s history: events, politics and culture
• 1970s calendar: year by year
• 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
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade timelines: key dates and events by era
• 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
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• British Bulldog rules
• Kerby rules
• Sweets that disappeared
• Test card, Ceefax and three channels
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the key dates of the 1970s?

The timeline above runs from 1970 to 1979, with the headline events of each year in order. England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote.

What happened in 1970?

England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. There is a full page for 1970 at /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970.

Are the dates accurate?

Yes. Every date, name and event on this page is real and comes straight from our year-by-year pages, so the timeline and the year pages always agree.

Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?

Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards, prints and pin badges; these pages are free.