Motoring Memory Lane
In a decade that introduced us to The Godfather, Jaws and Star Wars, the 70s was bursting with game-changing firsts.
Granted, the era did kick off with a pretty significant last; The Beatles, the most celebrated band in the world, called it a day. But we prefer to focus on the good stuff! We’re talking about the likes of Maccies opening its first UK restaurant, ABBA’s debut rocketing up the charts and the release of the impossibly innovative PONG.
First time drivers certainly had their pick of motors, too – both the Vauxhall Astra and Ford Fiesta (the latter of which is still the most popular car in the country) began their interminable reigns of the UK car industry way back in the 70s.
The 80s was a decade dominated by Royal Family fever, Merseyside football and American mega blockbusters. Harrison Ford, in particular, enjoyed a very lucrative decade, starring as the inimitable Han Solo and Indiana Jones to take the box office by storm.
In the charts, Come On Eileen confirmed its status as a certified wedding party banger, while Rick Astley unleashed the song that would ‘Rick Roll’ millions of unwitting YouTubers in the future.
If the 70s was the decade of firsts, then the 90s was all about long overdue returns.
Under the unerring guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United reclaimed dominance at the top of the newly-named Premier League (and then refused to let go for 20-odd years). Disney also enjoyed something of a renaissance, releasing such instant classics as Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan. Even Star Wars returned to the big screen after a 16-year hiatus with, let’s say, mixed reactions.
The turn of the millennium was a very exciting time for the UK, bringing new hopes, endless possibilities and, erm, Crazy Frog.
Still, despite the best effort of a certain annoying amphibian, the 00s UK charts gave us instant hip hop classics from The Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and Rihanna. At the box office, the magic of movies reigned supreme with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Shrek bewitching audiences in their millions.
When a decade starts with a royal wedding and ends with Piers Morgan decrying Greggs’ vegan sausage roll on tele, you know you’re in for a rollercoaster of an era.
Our personal favourite moments include London hosting the 2012 Olympic games, same-sex marriage being legalised and the world humming Happy by Pharrell Williams in 2014.
The 10s was also the decade that everyone went superhero-mad. Movie audiences flocked in droves to watch Marvel’s serialised franchise on the big screen, culminating with Avengers: Endgame becoming the highest grossing film of all time and Tony Stark becoming more famous than the prime minister.