1966 in the United Kingdom

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Years in the United Kingdom:	1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years:	1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1966 in the United Kingdom: Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Sport and Music
British and Irish current events
1966 English cricket season
Football Image:Flag of England.svg England \| Image:Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland
1966 in British music

Events from the year 1966 in the United Kingdom.

1 Incumbents
2 Events
- 2.1 Unknown dates
3 Births
4 Deaths
5 References

[edit] Incumbents

Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister - Harold Wilson, Labour

[edit] Events

January 12 - Three British MPs visiting Rhodesia (Christopher Rowland, Jeremy Bray and David Ennals) assaulted by supporters of Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith.^[1]
January 31 - United Kingdom ceases all trade with Rhodesia.
February 9 - a Prototype Fast Reactor nuclear reactor opens in Dounreay on the north coast of Scotland.^[2]
February 19 - Naval minister, Christopher Mayhew, resigns.
March 1 - Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan announces decision to embrace decimalisation of the pound (which was effected on 15 February 1971).^[3]
March 4 - The Beatles: In an interview published in The Evening Standard, John Lennon comments, "We're more popular than Jesus now,".
5 March - BOAC Flight 911 crashes near Mount Fuji in Japan killing 124 passengers and crew.^[4]
March 8 - Ronald Kray, one of the Kray twins, shoots rival gangster George Cornell; the incidents leads to the brothers' incarceration.
20 March - Theft of the football World Cup whilst on exhibition in London.^[4]

Image:P6anglican.jpg

Archbishop of Canterbury meeting the Pope

March 23 - Pope Paul VI and Arthur Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, meet in Rome — the first official meeting for 400 years between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches.
March 31 - The Labour Party under Harold Wilson win the general election.^[5]
April 7 - The United Kingdom asks the UN Security Council authority to use force to stop oil tankers that violate oil embargo against Rhodesia. Authority is given April 10.
April 9 - Footballer Barry Butler, the 31-year-old Norwich City F.C. captain, is killed in a car accident.
April 21 - The opening of Parliament of the United Kingdom is televised for the first time.
April 30 - regular hovercraft service begins over the English Channel (discontinued 2000 due to Channel Tunnel.)
May 3 - Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio commence broadcasting on AM with a combined potential 100,000 watts from the same ship anchored off the south coast of England in international waters.
May 6 - The Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley sentenced to life imprisonment for three child murders committed between November 1963 and October 1965.^[6]
May 12 - African members of the UN Security Council say that British army should blockage Rhodesia.
May 16–July 1 - Seamen's strike in Britain.^[7]
26 May - Guyana achieves independence from the United Kingdom.^[8]
June 29 - Sailors' strike, organised by the National Union of Seamen ends.
July 3 - 31 arrests made after a protest against the Vietnam war outside US embassy turns violent.^[9]
July 12 - Zambia threatens to leave the Commonwealth of Nations because of British peace overtures to Rhodesia.
July 14 - Gwynfor Evans becomes member of Parliament for Carmarthen, the first ever Plaid Cymru MP after his victory at the Carmarthen by-election.
July 15 - a ban on black workers at Euston railway station overturned.^[10]
July 16 - Prime Minister Harold Wilson flies to Moscow to try to start peace negotiations about Vietnam War — Soviet Government refutes his ideas.
July 26 - Lord Gardiner issues the Practice Statement in the House of Lords stating that the House is not bound to follow its own previous precedent.
July 30 - England beat West Germany 4-2 to win the 1966 World Cup at Wembley.^[11]
August 2 - Spanish government forbids overflights of British military aircraft.
August 5 - The Beatles released Revolver (album). [1]
August 29 - The Beatles play their very last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
September 19 - Scotland Yard arrests Ronald Edwards suspected of being involved of the great train robbery.
30 September - Botswana achieves independence.^[12]
October 4 - Basutoland becomes independent and takes the name Lesotho.^[12]
October 21 - Aberfan disaster in South Wales, 144 (including 116 children) killed by collapsing coal slag heap.^[13]
October 22 - British spy George Blake escapes from Wormwood Scrubs prison; he is next seen in Moscow.^[14]
October 22 - Spain demands that United Kingdom stop military flights to Gibraltar — Britain says no the next day.
October 25 - Spain closes its Gibraltar border against non-pedestrian traffic.
November 5 - 38 African states demand that the United Kingdom use force against Rhodesian government.
November 15 - Harry Maurice Roberts, who had killed three policemen in August, is caught near London.
November 30 - Barbados achieves independence.^[15]
December 1 - Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Rhodesian Prime minister Ian Smith negotiate on HMS Tiger in Mediterranean.
December 20 - Harold Wilson withdraws all his previous offers to Rhodesian government and announces that he agrees to the independence only after the founding of black majority government.
December 22 - Rhodesian Prime minister Ian Smith declares that he considers that Rhodesia is already a republic.
December 31 - Thieves steal millions worth of paintings from Dulwich Art Gallery in London.