May 11
Coalition Government Formed
David Cameron and Nick Clegg formed a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition — the first since WWII. 'The Big Society' and austerity were coming.
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 10s
Coalition and Austerity
Cameron and Clegg, the iPad, and the age of austerity begins.
What happened
4 milestones of 2010
Nov 10-Dec 9
Student Protests Against Tuition Fees
50,000 students marched against the tripling of tuition fees to £9,000. Charles and Camilla's car was attacked. The Lib Dems' broken promise defined a generation.
Apr-Jul
Deepwater Horizon — BP's Disaster
BP's oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 workers killed. The worst environmental disaster in US history — and a British company was responsible. BP's shares halved.
Apr 14-20
Volcanic Ash Cloud Grounds Europe
Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted. Ash cloud grounded all flights across Europe for 6 days. 10 million passengers stranded.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
The King's Speech
Tom Hooper — Colin Firth as George VI. Best Picture. Very British Oscar bait — and brilliant.
Inception
Christopher Nolan — Dreams within dreams. British director's mind-bending masterpiece.
Toy Story 3
Lee Unkrich — Andy goes to university. Everyone who grew up with Woody cried.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
David Yates — Major UK release — TMDB 7.7
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Chris Columbus — Major UK release — TMDB 6.2
What was on TV
Sherlock
2010-2017 — Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Modern Holmes. Britain's coolest detective.
Downton Abbey
2010-2015 — Julian Fellowes' period drama. The Crawley family. Maggie Smith's one-liners.
The Great British Bake Off
2010-present — Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, a tent. The most wholesome show on television.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk44p
Pint of bitter£2.80
Average house£167,802
Litre of petrol£1.20
Inflation: 3.3%
Austerity begins. 'We're all in this together' (narrator: they were not). Benefits cut, libraries closed, councils gutted.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
2010 (GBP)
44p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
2010 (GBP)
£2.80
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
2010 (GBP)
£167,802
→
Today's value (£)
--
Litre of petrolRAC
2010 (GBP)
£1.20
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
iPad (UK launch)
Apple's tablet arrived. Queues outside the Apple Store.
Photo-sharing app launched. British users flooded in.
4G trials
Next-generation mobile internet being tested.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Hipster chic — thick-rim glasses, vintageJack Wills for studentsOnesies at homeFestival wellies (Hunter boots)
Slang
Banter— Became the defining word of the decade
Hashtag— # — Twitter made it universal
Austerity— Government spending cuts — the word of the era
Behavior
- Students felt betrayed by the Lib Dems
- Bake Off made baking the new national hobby
- Austerity divided the country — cuts vs. necessity debate
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