Jul 29
Royal Wedding: Charles and Diana
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral. 750 million watched worldwide. The fairy tale captivated the world. The reality would be very different.
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 80s
Royal Wedding and Riots
Charles married Diana, cities burned, and the SDP was born from Labour's wreckage.
What happened
5 milestones of 1981
Apr-Jul
Brixton and Toxteth Riots
Riots erupted in Brixton, Toxteth, Moss Side, and other inner cities. Young Black communities clashed with police after years of discrimination and heavy-handed policing. The Scarman Report acknowledged 'institutional racism.'
Racial injustice and police brutality — acknowledge systemic causes, not just violence
Mar 26
SDP Founded
The 'Gang of Four' — Jenkins, Owen, Williams, Rodgers — broke from Labour to form the Social Democratic Party. They promised to 'break the mould' of British politics. For a moment, they nearly did.
May 5
Bobby Sands Hunger Strike
IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands MP died after 66 days without food in the Maze Prison. Nine more hunger strikers followed. 100,000 attended his funeral. The Troubles took on a new, desperate intensity.
Hunger strikes — deeply divisive. Present factually, acknowledge suffering on all sides
Jan 26
Unemployment Hits 3 Million
Unemployment passed 3 million for the first time since the 1930s. Manufacturing was devastated by Thatcher's monetary policy. The North, Wales and Scotland bore the brunt. UB40 named their band after the unemployment form.
Mass unemployment — empathetic to those who lost livelihoods
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Chariots of Fire
Hugh Hudson — Vangelis music. Olympic runners on the beach. British Oscar winner.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Steven Spielberg — Harrison Ford. Filmed at Elstree Studios. Adventure perfection.
Gregory's Girl
Bill Forsyth — Scottish teenager falls in love. Charming, funny, perfect.
An American Werewolf in London
John Landis — Horror on the London Underground. Revolutionary special effects.
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Karel Reisz — Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. Harold Pinter's screenplay.
What was on TV
Brideshead Revisited
1981 — Jeremy Irons at Oxford and Castle Howard. ITV's greatest drama.
Only Fools and Horses
1981-2003 — Del Boy and Rodney. Peckham. 'This time next year...' National treasure.
Royal Wedding Coverage
Jul 1981 — 750 million worldwide. The biggest TV event since the Coronation.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV)
1981 — BBC TV adaptation. '42.' 'Don't Panic.'
MTV launches
Aug 1981 — Music Television launched in America — would transform British pop.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk17p
Loaf of bread37p
Pint of bitter52p
Average house£24,188
Gallon of petrol£1.45
Cinema ticket£1.50
Inflation: 11.9%
Recession biting hard. 3 million unemployed. Thatcher's monetarism causing pain. 'There is no alternative.'
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
1981 (GBP)
17p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Loaf of breadONS
1981 (GBP)
37p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
1981 (GBP)
52p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
1981 (GBP)
£24,188
→
Today's value (£)
--
Gallon of petrolAA
1981 (GBP)
£1.45
→
Today's value (£)
--
Cinema ticketBFI
1981 (GBP)
£1.50
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
IBM PC
IBM launched the personal computer — the template for decades.
ZX81
Sinclair's £69.95 computer. A million sold. Britain's computing revolution.
Space Shuttle
Columbia launched — reusable spaceflight became reality.
Walkman
Sony Walkman spreading — personal portable music everywhere.
Ceefax/Oracle
Teletext services growing — information on screen, page by page.
Pop Culture
Fashion
New Romantic — frilly shirts, eyeliner, androgynous glamourAdam Ant's pirate look inspired a generationPunk giving way to post-punk monochrome minimalism
Slang
Wicked— Excellent
Mint— Perfect, excellent
Dole— Unemployment benefit (on everyone's lips)
Behavior
- Ghost Town by the Specials perfectly soundtracked riots and unemployment
- The Royal Wedding offered escapist joy amid economic misery
- Home computing began — bedroom programmers typing BASIC on Sinclairs
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