🇬🇧United Kingdom · 20s
The Queen Dies
Elizabeth II died, three Prime Ministers served in one year, and the cost of living crisis hit hard.
5 milestones of 2022
Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral aged 96, after 70 years on the throne. The Queue stretched for miles. 4 billion watched the funeral. 'London Bridge is down.' Charles became King. An era ended.
National mourning — acknowledge deep emotion while noting republican perspectives exist
Inflation hit 11.1% — the highest in 41 years. Energy bills doubled. Food banks overwhelmed. The energy price cap rose to £2,500 then £3,000. Millions chose between heating and eating. Britain was poorer.
Poverty — acknowledge real suffering
Boris Johnson resigned over Partygate. Liz Truss lasted 49 days — the shortest-serving PM in history — after her mini-budget crashed the pound. Rishi Sunak became the first British Asian PM. Three PMs in seven weeks.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrated 70 years on the throne. Street parties, a pageant, and Paddington Bear had tea with the Queen. 'Thank you, Ma'am. For everything.' Three months later, she was gone.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest conflict in Europe since 1945. Britain sent weapons, trained Ukrainian soldiers, and took in refugees through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Energy prices soared.
War — acknowledge civilian suffering, avoid triumphalism
70% local · 30% international
Living
Oliver Hermanus — Bill Nighy in a Kurosawa remake. London bureaucracy. Quietly devastating.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh — Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Irish island. Friendship ended.
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
Anthony Fabian — Lesley Manville and a Dior dress. Feel-good British charm.
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells — Paul Mescal on holiday. Memory and loss. Scottish director's stunning debut.
Top Gun: Maverick
Joseph Kosinski — Tom Cruise returned. The biggest cinema event since the pandemic. Audiences cheered.
The Queue
Sep 2022 — People queued for up to 24 hours to see the Queen lying in state. Very British mourning.
Stranger Things Series 4
2022 — Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' went to number 1 — 37 years after release.
Happy Valley Series 3
2022-2023 — Sarah Lancashire returned as Sergeant Cawood. The final series. Unmissable.
Lionesses Win Euro 2022
Jul 2022 — England Women won the European Championship at Wembley. Chloe Kelly's celebration. Historic.
World Cup in Qatar
Nov-Dec 2022 — A winter World Cup. England lost to France in the quarter-final. Harry Kane missed a penalty.
Currency: GBP
Inflation: 9.1%
Cost of living crisis. Inflation at 41-year high. Energy bills doubled. Food bank demand surged. Liz Truss's mini-budget crashed markets.
Inflation-adjusted values
ChatGPT
OpenAI's chatbot launched in November — AI went mainstream overnight.
Crypto crash
Bitcoin collapsed. FTX went bankrupt. The crypto bubble burst.
Mastodon
Elon Musk bought Twitter — users fled to decentralised alternatives.
BeReal
Anti-Instagram app — one unfiltered photo per day.
Mini LED TVs
Display technology improved — 4K streaming now standard.
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