1976 in the United Kingdom

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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

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

Incumbents[edit]

Events[edit]

January[edit]

Concorde

February[edit]

March[edit]

Bernard Montgomery

April[edit]

May[edit]

June[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Low water level at Burrator Reservoir in July 1976

August[edit]

  • 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[edit]

October[edit]

InterCity 125

November[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Undated[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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