1970s

The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979

It was the decade of the Space Hopper, the Ford Cortina, Raleigh Chopper bikes, the record player and cassette recorder.

Events

It was a decade of strikes - postal workers, miners and dustmen. It ended with the 'winter of discontent' in 1979 when ITV went off the air for five months. A three-day week was imposed during February 1972 to save on electricity at the start of the miners strike.

During the summer of 1976 the weather turned so dry that water supplies reached critical low levels.

In 1977, the whole nation celebrated the Queen's Silver Jubilee with street parties.

Household Goods

64% of homes had a washing machine

1974 - First domestic microwave cooker was sold

1978 - VHS video recorder went on sale

1979 - Sony began selling the Walkman personal stereo

Television

People could now watch television programmes in colour. Three stations had began broadcasting in colour between 1967 and 1969.

1971 - 91% of families had a TV

1972 - Newsround started

Money

In 1971 Britain went decimal. Before this there was 12d in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound.
Find out more about old money

Population

1971 - Population of Britain = 54 million

70s Fashion

Platform shoes and flared trousers.

In the early 1970s hot pants for women were popular.

1970 Hippie chic
1971 Platform boots
1972 Quiffs
1973 Glam rock
1974 Birthday suits
1975 Perms
1976 Punk
1977 Flares
1978 Lycra
1979 Designer jeans

More information on the 70s fashion

70s Toys

Barbie, Sindy and Action Man dolls became very popular.

1970 The Stylophone
1971 The Space Hopper
1972 Roller Skates
1973 The Chopper bike
1974 Pong
1975 Monopoly game
1976 Stunt Kites
1977 Skateboards
1978 Star Wars figures
1979 Trivial Pursuit

70s Music

The first big new sound of the 1970s was “Glam Rock”, the main figures of this were David Bowie, Elton John and of course Gary Glitter. In the bleak political backdrop, these larger that life British bands and characters brought a welcome relief with their platform boots, sequins, nail varnish and colourful hair.

Punk
The punk movement of the late 1970s began in England. Great British bands of this scene were The Sex Pistols and The Clash. The Punk style was Mohicans, bondage clothes, safety pins, piercings and bovver boots.

1970 Edison Lighthouse
1971 T Rex
1972 The New Seekers
1973 Slade
1974 Abba
1975 David Bowie
1976 Abba
1977 Donna Summer
1978 Boomtown Rats
1979 Art Garfunkel

Transport

The era of global travel began in 1970 when the first Pan Am Boeing 747 jet landed at Heathrow. Air travel became cheaper and now it is easy to take a holiday in almost any part of the world.

After years of trials, the fastest passenger aeroplane in the world called Concorde, came into service in 1976. It was built by Britain and France. It could fly at about 2,100 kilometres per hour.

Popular cars were the Aston Martin, Triumph TR7, two door Capri and MGB GT (1978)

Coal / Electricity

Many coal mines closed because the need for coal in Britain was no longer as great as it had once been. Electricity was now generated by power stations burning oil or gas from the North Sea or in some cases by the use of nuclear energy.

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