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Events from the year 1968 in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Incumbents
[edit] Events
- February 29 - announcement of the discovery of the first pulsar by astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell at University of Cambridge.[1]
- March 12 - Mauritius achieves independence from British Rule.[2]
- March 15 - George Brown, British Foreign Secretary, resigns.
- March 17 - A demonstration in London's Grosvenor Square against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War leads to violence - 91 police injured, 200 demonstrators arrested.
- April 1 - Thames Valley Police is formed by the amalgamation of Berkshire Constabulary, Buckinghamshire Constabulary, Oxford City Police, Oxfordshire Constabulary and Reading Borough Police.
- April 7 - Motor Racing world champion Jim Clark, 32, is killed when his car leaves the track at 170mph and smashes into a tree during a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim.
- April 20 - Enoch Powell makes his controversial Rivers of Blood Speech.
- April 22 - Enoch Powell is dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet by Opposition leader Edward Heath.
- May 29 - Manchester United become the first English winners of the European Cup after beating Benfica 4-1 in extra-time at Wembley Stadium. [1]
- June 20 - Austin Currie, Member of Parliament (MP) at Stormont in Northern Ireland, along with others, squats a house in Caledon to protest discrimination in housing allocations.
- August 11 - The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain. A British Rail steam locomotive makes the 314-mile journey from Liverpool to Carlisle and returns to Liverpool before being dispatched to the wrecking yard or preservation (the train was hauled by several engines along its route).
- September 26 - Theatres Act 1968 ends censorship of the theatre.[2][3]
- October 5 - A civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland, which included several Stormont and British MPs, is batoned off the streets by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
- December 17 - Mary Bell, an 11-year-old girl from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is sentenced to life detention for the manslaughter of two small boys. [2]
[edit] Births
[edit] January - April
- 12 January - Heather Mills, British campaigner and estranged wife of the former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney
- 27 January - Tricky (born Adrian Thaws), English rapper and musician
- 16 February - Warren Ellis, British comic-book and graphic-novel writer
- February 18 - Tommy Scott, British musician and frontman of 1990s' Britpop group Space
- March 2 - Daniel Craig, British actor
- March 4 - Patsy Kensit, English actress
- 5 March - Theresa Villiers, British Conservative politician and MP for Chipping Barnet
- 18 March - Paul Marsden, British Labour/Liberal Democrat politician
- 21 March - Jaye Davidson, British actor
- March 23 - Mike Atherton, English cricketer
- March 23 - Damon Albarn, English musician (Blur and Gorillaz)
- 26 March - Chris Ward, British chess Grandmaster, chess coach, and author
- March 28 - Nasser Hussain, English cricketer
- 8 April - Jenny Powell, British television presenter
- 22 April - Amanda Mealing, British actress
- 23 April - Ricky Groves, English actor
[edit] May - August
- 4 May - Julian Barratt, English comedian and actor
- 8 May - Rachel Jordan, British artist
- 9 May - Ruth Kelly, British Labour politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and MP for Bolton West
- 12 May - Catherine Tate, comedienne
- 27 May - Rebekah Wade, British journalist and editor of The Sun
- 29 May - Torquhil Ian Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish peer
- 29 May - Jessica Morden, British Labour politician and MP for Newport East
- June 2 - John Culshaw, English comedian and impressionist
- 5 June - Edward Vaizey, British Conservative politician and MP for Wantage
- June 13 - Marcel Theroux, British novelist and broadcaster, and son of American writer Paul Theroux
- June 26 - Iwan Roberts, Welsh footballer
- June 28 - Adam Woodyatt, British actor
- 20 July - Julian Rhind-Tutt, English film, television and radio actor
- 22 July - Rhys Ifans, Welsh actor
- August 14- Darren Clarke, Northern Irish golfer
- 26 July - Olivia Williams, English actress
- 5 August - Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (d. 2007)
- 14 August - Adrian Lester, British actor
- August 22 - Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian-born business executive
- 26 August - Chris Boardman, English racing cyclist
[edit] September - December
- 9 September - Julia Sawalha, English actress
- 9 September - Anas Altikriti, British Anti-War activist
- 14 September - Grant Shapps, British Conservative politician and MP for Welwyn Hatfield
- September 20 - Phillipa Forrester, British TV presenter
- September 28 - Naomi Watts, English-born actress
- 1 October - Mark Durden-Smith, British television presenter
- October 2 - Victoria Derbyshire, British Radio presenter
- October 3 - Paul Crichton, English footballer
- October 7 - Thom Yorke, British singer/songwriter
- October 14 - Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer
- 14 October - Roger Moorhouse, British historian and author
- 27 October - Martin Clark, English snooker player
- November 10 - Steve Brookstein, British singer
- November 18 - Barry Hunter, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
- 22 November - Andrew Gilligan, British journalist
- 20 December - Phil Andrews, British race car driver
- 23 December - Siôn Simon, British Labour politician and MP for Birmingham Erdington
[edit] Unknown dates
[edit] Deaths
[edit] January-March
[edit] April-June
[edit] July-December
[edit] References
