random retro-spective
The darling of Aintree wins the Grand National
Red Rum wins the 1973 Grand National in record time
the retro hour: 1980
We've been through the archive and compiled everything we think you need to know about the year. To make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, everything is organised into categories.
the top stories
Paul McCartney was deported from Tokyo after spending nine days in jail
suspected of importing marijuana.
It was revealed that half of Britain's married women went out to work:
the highest proportion of any Common Market country.
Sixpence pieces ceased to be legal tender
A floating oil platform, used as a hotel for North Sea rig workers, capsized
with half of the 200 men aboard feared dead.
Inflation in the UK rose to 21.8 per cent whilst unemployment was at 1.6
million: the highest figure since the war.
NATO decided that Cruise missiles will be based in the UK
A team of detectives were sent to Yorkshire to assist in the search for
the Ripper
on the chart
John Lennon was shot dead outside his apartment in New York
Carly Simon collapsed on stage in Pittsburgh from nervous exhaustion
Bob Marley was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer and never performed
again
A sale was held at Abbey Road Studios. It included a four-track tape machine
used by George Martin to record The Beatles in the 1960s
The Eurovision Song Contest winner was Johnny Logan for Ireland with What's
Another Year
on the tv and at the cinema
Jeremy Isaacs was chosen to head the new fourth television channel
Dallas was the most popular TV series in the world as everyone was asking
"who shot JR".
Larry Hagman played JR Ewing.
Making their debut on British TV were Play Your Cards Right, Bergerac,
Yes Minister and
Take The High Road
The top five TV shows of the year were To The Manor Born, Dallas, This
Is Your Life, My Wife Next Door and Jim'll Fix It
Kramer versus Kramer won the Oscar for Best Film, Dustin
Hoffman took the Best Actor Oscar
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, aged 80
Top films of the year were The Empire Strikes
Back, Star Trek The Motion Picture,
Monty Python's Life Of Brian and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
sports achievements and milestones
Second Division West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 to win the FA Cup. Aston Villa
were First Division Champions.
Leonard Brezhnev opened the 22nd Olympic Games in Moscow
The Winter Olympics were held at Lake Placid in New York State
Famous cricket commentator John Arlott hung up his microphone
65 nations boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow
Ben Nevis won the Grand National at Aintree
14-year-old Nigel Short from Bolton became an International Chess Master
Alan Jones was the Formula 1 World Champion
and finally
British Leyland launched the Mini-Metro
The world's longest road tunnel opened in Switzerland
The Rubik cube was voted toy of the year
New words included car-boot sale, phonecard and ghetto-blaster
In-line roller skates were developed in America while the UK saw the camcorder
for the first time