1960 | Macmillan Wind of Change speech Cyprus and Nigeria become independent EFTA established |
1961 | South Africa leaves Commonwealth JF Kennedy US President |
1962 | National Economic Development Council is formed Cuban Missile Crisis Death of Marilyn Monroe |
1963 | Profumo Affair Macmillan resigns as PM due to ill-health The Earl of Home renounces peerage and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister Kennedy assassinated |
1964 | Labour wins General Election Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister |
1965 | Death of Winston Churchill Edward Heath succeeds Douglas-Home as Tory leader Rhodesia declares independence |
1966 | Barclay's introduces first British credit card |
1967 | Sterling is devalued Six Day Arab-Israeli War |
1968 | Commonwealth Immigration Act is passed Anti Vietnam War riots throughout Europe |
1969 | Charter given to Open University Start of present "Troubles" in Ulster Prince Charles becomes Prince of Wales Knox-Johnston, first non-stop single handed circumnavigation |
1970 | Tories win General Election Edward Heath PM |
1971 | Decimal Currency introduced Industrial Relations Act is passed |
1972 | Northern Irish Parliament is replaced by Westminster |
1973 | Britain joins EEC VAT introduced Yom Kippur War |
1974 | Labour win General Election Harold Wilson is Prime Minister again |
1975 | British EEC Referendum Sex Discrimination Act |
1976 | Race Relations Act Concorde makes its first passenger flight Wilson retires and Callaghan becomes Prime Minister |
1977 | Nationalisation of aircraft industry Jimmy Carter becomes President of the USA |
1978 | Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II |
1979 | Tories win General Election Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman PM Lord Mountbatten assassinated by IRA |