Timeline: Vernon Leroy ASHBRIDGE: Thrale & Thrall family history

Thrale history

1972 - 2007 (35 years)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1972	1972—1972: Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland 1972—1972: Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports 1972—1972: Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK 1972—1972: Domestic video cassette recorders introduced 30 Jan 1972—30 Jan 1972: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland 28 May 1972—28 May 1972: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
2	1973	1 Jan 1973—1 Jan 1973: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark) 17 Mar 1973—17 Mar 1973: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen 1 Apr 1973—1 Apr 1973: VAT introduced in Britain 26 Sep 1973—26 Sep 1973: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time 14 Oct 1973—14 Oct 1973: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey 31 Dec 1973—31 Dec 1973: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to conserve power
3	1974	1974—1974: New counties formed in Britain after re-organisation of some county boundaries 1 Jun 1974—1 Jun 1974: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people 7 Nov 1974—7 Nov 1974: Lord Lucan disappears 21 Nov 1974—21 Nov 1974: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
4	1975	1975—1975: Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2 11 Feb 1975—11 Feb 1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition) 28 Feb 1975—28 Feb 1975: Moorgate tube crash in London - over 43 deaths, greatest loss of life on the Underground in peacetime. The cause of the incident was never conclusively determined 4 Mar 1975—4 Mar 1975: Charlie Chaplin knighted 5 Jun 1975—5 Jun 1975: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community 29 Oct 1975—29 Oct 1975: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder 3 Nov 1975—3 Nov 1975: First North Sea oil comes ashore 29 Nov 1975—29 Nov 1975: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the following year) 27 Dec 1975—27 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
5	1976	1976—1976: 'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland 1976—1976: Deaths exceeded live births in E&W for first time since records began in 1837 1976—1976: James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister 1976—1976: National Theatre opens in London 21 Jan 1976—21 Jan 1976: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service 1 Apr 1976—1 Apr 1976: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 6 Aug 1976—6 Aug 1976: Drought Act 1976 comes into force ? the long, hot summer
6	1977	2 Mar 1977—2 Mar 1977: 'Red Rum' wins a third Grand National 25 May 1977—25 May 1977: George Lucas' film Star Wars' released 5 Jun 1977—5 Jun 1977: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale 7 Jun 1977—7 Jun 1977: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London 22 Nov 1977—22 Nov 1977: Regular supersonic Concorde service between London and NY inaugurated
7	1978	8 Apr 1978—8 Apr 1978: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts 1 May 1978—1 May 1978: First May Day holiday in Britain 25 Jul 1978—25 Jul 1978: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham 30 Nov 1978—30 Nov 1978: Publication of The Times suspended - industrial relations problems (until 13 Nov 1979)
8	1979	1 Mar 1979—1 Mar 1979: 32.5% of Scots vote in favor of devolution (40% needed) - Welsh vote overwhelmingly against 30 Mar 1979—30 Mar 1979: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster 31 Mar 1979—31 Mar 1979: Withdrawal of the Royal Navy from Malta 4 May 1979—4 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister 1 Jul 1979—1 Jul 1979: Sony introduces the Walkman 27 Aug 1979—27 Aug 1979: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland 18 Sep 1979—18 Sep 1979: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
9	1980	5 May 1980—5 May 1980: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages 8 Dec 1980—8 Dec 1980: John Lennon assassinated in New York
10	1981	25 Jan 1981—25 Jan 1981: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain 29 Mar 1981—29 Mar 1981: First London marathon run 11 Apr 1981—11 Apr 1981: Brixton riots in South London - 30 other British cities also experience riots 25 Apr 1981—25 Apr 1981: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain 27 Apr 1981—27 Apr 1981: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system) 29 Jul 1981—29 Jul 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996) 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches the first PC 12 Aug 1981—12 Aug 1981: IBM launches its PC ? starts the general use of personal computers
11	1982	26 Jan 1982—26 Jan 1982: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population) 5 Feb 1982—5 Feb 1982: Laker Airways collapses 19 Feb 1982—19 Feb 1982: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership 18 Mar 1982—18 Mar 1982: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia 2 Apr 1982—2 Apr 1982: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands 5 Apr 1982—5 Apr 1982: Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands 2 May 1982—2 May 1982: British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General Belgrano 28 May 1982—28 May 1982: First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green) 14 Jun 1982—14 Jun 1982: Ceasefire in Falklands 21 Jun 1982—21 Jun 1982: Prince William is born 20 Jul 1982—20 Jul 1982: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park) 19 Sep 1982—19 Sep 1982: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time 11 Oct 1982—11 Oct 1982: Mary Rose' raised in the Solent (sank in 1545) 31 Oct 1982—31 Oct 1982: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7) 2 Nov 1982—2 Nov 1982: Channel 4 TV station launched - first programme 'Countdown' 4 Nov 1982—4 Nov 1982: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads 12 Dec 1982—12 Dec 1982: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)
12	1983	1983—1983: First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson) 17 Jan 1983—17 Jan 1983: Start of breakfast TV in Britain 31 Jan 1983—31 Jan 1983: Seat belt law comes into force 21 Apr 1983—21 Apr 1983: £1 coin into circulation in Britain 7 Oct 1983—7 Oct 1983: Plans to abolish GLC announced 26 Nov 1983—26 Nov 1983: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly ?26 million are stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport
13	1984	6 Mar 1984—6 Mar 1984: Miners strike begins 17 Apr 1984—17 Apr 1984: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London 22 Jun 1984—22 Jun 1984: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic 9 Jul 1984—9 Jul 1984: York Minster struck by lightning - the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the Rose Window' not affected 12 Oct 1984—12 Oct 1984: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton - 4 killed 24 Oct 1984—24 Oct 1984: Miners' strike 3 Dec 1984—3 Dec 1984: British Telecom privatised - shares make massive gains on first day's trading
14	1985	3 Mar 1985—3 Mar 1985: Miners agree to call off strike 11 Mar 1985—11 Mar 1985: Al Fayed buys Harrods 13 Jul 1985—13 Jul 1985: Live Aid' pop concert raises over ?50M for famine relief 1 Sep 1985—1 Sep 1985: Wreck of Titanic' found (sank 1912)
15	1986	31 Mar 1986—31 Mar 1986: GLC and 6 metropolitan councils abolished 26 Apr 1986—26 Apr 1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident - radiation reached Britain on 2 Ma 26 May 1986—26 May 1986: The European Community adopts the European flag 23 Jul 1986—23 Jul 1986: Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey 27 Oct 1986—27 Oct 1986: 'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market 29 Oct 1986—29 Oct 1986: M25 motorway ring around London completed
16	1987	1987—1987: World population crossed the 5 billion mark 2 Feb 1987—2 Feb 1987: Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991) 6 Mar 1987—6 Mar 1987: Car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise' capsizes off Zeebrugge - 188 die 1 Jul 1987—1 Jul 1987: Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel 19 Aug 1987—19 Aug 1987: Hungerford Massacre - Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle 16 Oct 1987—16 Oct 1987: The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England 19 Oct 1987—19 Oct 1987: 'Black Monday' in the City of London - Stock Market crash 8 Nov 1987—8 Nov 1987: Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony 18 Nov 1987—18 Nov 1987: King's Cross fire in London - 31 people die
17	1988	5 Feb 1988—5 Feb 1988: First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity 6 Jul 1988—6 Jul 1988: Piper Alpha disaster - North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire killing 167 men 12 Dec 1988—12 Dec 1988: Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains 21 Dec 1988—21 Dec 1988: Lockerbie disaster - Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland
18	1989	1989—1989: Poll Tax implemented in Scotland 14 Feb 1989—14 Feb 1989: The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit 2 Mar 1989—2 Mar 1989: EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century 9 Nov 1989—9 Nov 1989: Berlin Wall torn down 21 Nov 1989—21 Nov 1989: Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live
19	1990	11 Feb 1990—11 Feb 1990: Nelson Mandela released in South Africa 31 Mar 1990—31 Mar 1990: Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England & Wales 25 Apr 1990—25 Apr 1990: Hubble space telescope launched 22 Nov 1990—22 Nov 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister) 1 Dec 1990—1 Dec 1990: Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle
20	1991	1991—1991: Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax) 1991—1991: The 'Internet' comes into existence 18 May 1991—18 May 1991: Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space Aug 1991—Aug 1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union 6 Sep 1991—6 Sep 1991: Leningrad renamed St Petersburg
21	1992	7 Feb 1992—7 Feb 1992: European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty 22 Apr 1992—22 Apr 1992: Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons 15 Aug 1992—15 Aug 1992: Football Premier League kicks off in England 16 Sep 1992—16 Sep 1992: 'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM 20 Nov 1992—20 Nov 1992: Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over ?50 million worth of damage 24 Nov 1992—24 Nov 1992: The Queen describes this year as an 'Annus Horribilis'
22	1993	1993—1993: Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000) 1993—1993: Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax Jul 1993—Jul 1993: Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)
23	1994	1994—1994: 15 million people now connected to the Internet 12 Mar 1994—12 Mar 1994: Church of England ordains its first female priests 6 May 1994—6 May 1994: Channel Tunnel open to traffic 19 Nov 1994—19 Nov 1994: National Lottery starts
24	1995	26 Feb 1995—26 Feb 1995: Nick Leeson brings down Barings Bank 15 Jul 1995—15 Jul 1995: First item sold on Amazon.com 16 Nov 1995—16 Nov 1995: The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old 22 Nov 1995—22 Nov 1995: Toy Story' released - first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery
25	1996	9 Feb 1996—9 Feb 1996: IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands - ends 17 month ceasefire 13 Mar 1996—13 Mar 1996: Dunblane massacre 15 Jun 1996—15 Jun 1996: IRA bomb explodes in Manchester 5 Jul 1996—5 Jul 1996: Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly) 28 Aug 1996—28 Aug 1996: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced
26	1997	30 Mar 1997—30 Mar 1997: Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls) 1 May 1997—1 May 1997: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as Prime Minister) 6 May 1997—6 May 1997: Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government control 11 May 1997—11 May 1997: First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry Kasparov) 1 Jul 1997—1 Jul 1997: Hong Kong returned to China 19 Jul 1997—19 Jul 1997: IRA declares a ceasefire 31 Aug 1997—31 Aug 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris 25 Sep 1997—25 Sep 1997: Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time
27	1998	10 Apr 1998—10 Apr 1998: Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland - effectively implemented in May 2007 14 Aug 1998—14 Aug 1998: Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people 27 Sep 1998—27 Sep 1998: 'Google' search engine founded
28	1999	1999—1999: World population reaches 6 billion 1 Jan 1999—1 Jan 1999: European Monetary Union begins - UK opts out - by the end of the year the Euro has approximately the same value as the US Dollar 1 Jul 1999—1 Jul 1999: The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth - powers are officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh 11 Aug 1999—11 Aug 1999: Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall 11 Nov 1999—11 Nov 1999: Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords
29	2000	1 Jan 2000—1 Jan 2000: The year in Britain started with a 'flu bug rather than a millennium bug Mar 2000—Mar 2000: London Eye opens, late but popular 22 Apr 2000—22 Apr 2000: The Big Number Change takes place in the UK - affected telephone dialling codes assigned to Cardiff, Coventry, London, Northern Ireland, Portsmouth and Southampton 4 May 2000—4 May 2000: Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord Mayor of London!) 10 Jun 2000—10 Jun 2000: Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly declared dangerous and closed - finally reopened Feb 2002 25 Jul 2000—25 Jul 2000: A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with the loss of all lives Sep 2000—Sep 2000: 'People Power' emerged suddenly as protestors against high Road Fuel Tax used mobile phones and the Internet to co-ordinate blockades on fuel depots - resulted in nationwide panic buying of fuel and service stations running out across the country Oct 2000—Oct 2000: Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many parts of Britain (Oct-Dec) 17 Oct 2000—17 Oct 2000: Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused by a broken rail
30	2001	Feb 2001—Feb 2001: Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK - lasted until October - caused postponement of local and general elections from May to June 12 May 2001—12 May 2001: FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - first time away from Wembley since 1922 7 Jun 2001—7 Jun 2001: General Election - Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time they had succeeded in gaining a second term 1 Sep 2001—1 Sep 2001: New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC] 7 Nov 2001—7 Nov 2001: Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks Dec 2001—Dec 2001: UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class definitives already on sale)
31	2002	1 Jan 2002—1 Jan 2002: Twelve major countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Holland, Irish Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and their dependents start using the Euro instead of their old national currencies; the UK stays out - the Euro worth 62?p at this time 22 Feb 2002—22 Feb 2002: Millennium Bridge over the Thames in London finally opens 30 Mar 2002—30 Mar 2002: The Queen Mother dies, aged 101 years 2 Jul 2002—2 Jul 2002: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon
32	2003	17 Feb 2003—17 Feb 2003: Start of Congestion Charge for traffic entering central London 10 Aug 2003—10 Aug 2003: Temperatures reach record high of 101 F (38.3 C) in Kent 24 Oct 2003—24 Oct 2003: Last commercial flight of Concorde 22 Nov 2003—22 Nov 2003: England wins Rugby World Cup in nail-biting final in Australia - first northern hemisphere team to do this 13 Dec 2003—13 Dec 2003: Saddam Hussein captured near his home town of Tikrit (executed 30 Dec 2006) 26 Dec 2003—26 Dec 2003: Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton from the builder's yard in France 2004
33	2004	29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Ireland becomes first country in the world to ban smoking in public places 29 Mar 2004—29 Mar 2004: Alistair Cooke dies at the age of 95 - until four weeks previously, and since 1946, he had broadcast his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio 1 May 2004—1 May 2004: Enlargement of the European Union to include 25 members by the entry of 10 new states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus
34	2005	16 Feb 2005—16 Feb 2005: Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into force 18 Feb 2005—18 Feb 2005: Ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England & Wales (had already been a similar law for about two years in Scotland) 6 Jul 2005—6 Jul 2005: London chosen as venue for the 2012 Olympic Games 7 Jul 2005—7 Jul 2005: Suicide bombers attack London for the first time 28 Jul 2005—28 Jul 2005: IRA declare an end to their 'armed struggle' 12 Sep 2005—12 Sep 2005: England regain the 'Ashes' after a gripping Test series (but are whitewashed 5-0 in the return series in Australia 2007) 9 Dec 2005—9 Dec 2005: Last Routemaster bus runs on regular service in London 11 Dec 2005—11 Dec 2005: Explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead 21 Dec 2005—21 Dec 2005: Same-sex civil partnerships begin - famously, on this day, between Elton John and David Furnish
35	2006	1 Mar 2006—1 Mar 2006: Welsh Assembly Building opened by the Queen 26 Mar 2006—26 Mar 2006: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland 21 Apr 2006—21 Apr 2006: 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II 21 Aug 2006—21 Aug 2006: UK postage rates start to be measured by size as well as by weight
36	2007	1 Jan 2007—1 Jan 2007: Further enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania 8 May 2007—8 May 2007: A Northern Ireland Executive formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein) 1 Jul 2007—1 Jul 2007: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in England (thus completing cover of the entire UK) 14 Nov 2007—14 Nov 2007: First rail service direct from St Pancras to France (replacing that from Waterloo)