Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on May 6, 2018 9:00:51 GMT
1999 to 2000 I've mentioned this on the music thread with the discussion of Prince's 1999 but a world event was the changing of the year 1999 to 2000. Remember the dire end of the world propositions and how the stock exchange and the computer business world was deemed to collapse once the clock struck midnight. We all laugh now of course but the at the start of 1999 I worked in banking (testing software, evaluating staff suggestions. Gee when I look back now that was a good job, though then I got bored with it) and the main concern was that all our systems (monthly bank transfers, loans) were set with 31.12.99 as their expiry date. No one had the foresight when they developed the software to envision the time that we would go to the year 2000. The panic and meetings with boffins about what would happen if the computer calendar moved from 99 to 00 was huge as they thought the computer system would view it as 1900 and no one knew what would happen ! The amount of work done that year to convert everything to four digit years was incredible. As we know thankfully at midnight nothing in the world collapsed. The dreaded millennium bug. I was hoping my visa bill would disappear.. .. it didn't 🤔
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Post by Arthur Pringle on May 6, 2018 15:55:23 GMT
The Millenium Bug panic came across, in the UK at any rate, as scaremongering. In the 80's there was a nuclear war panic, an AIDS panic, a video nasty panic, in the 90s it was paedophiles. I'm sure if you paid no attention to the media you wouldn't have even noticed any of these things & been better off for it. The obsession with Donald Trump strikes me as another example of the press creating a monster.
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OnTheBusesHugeFan
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Hello Im George I Love Old Programs Tv Shows Sitcoms Films Music & Cars .
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Post by OnTheBusesHugeFan on May 6, 2018 20:04:12 GMT
Who Remembers This Tragic and horrendous Event I Certainly Can I can remember thinking OMFG what sicko could do such a thing ?
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Post by Charles Bronson on May 7, 2018 7:25:10 GMT
Loads of stuff down the years, lets see..
Churchills funeral The Aberfan disaster Vietnam War being on TV every night The moon landing Watergate The Russian occupation of Afghanistan The Falklands The Miners strike The fall of the Berlin Wall 9/11 Iraq
Probably more
There's so many things one could say about these events. Regarding the tragedy at Aberfan, most or all of the 'Compensation' was diverted from the parents to the National Coal Board at that time. At least that's what I read some years ago ? As if any amount of money could compensate for the loss of a child anyway. It was a truly terrible event though. Charles.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on May 8, 2018 19:01:37 GMT
More of a British event than a World one, I remember the launch of Channel 4 on 2nd November 1982 at 4.45pm, back when we had just 3 tv channels it was quite an exciting occasion even if the choice of programmes wasn't. Paul Coia, once a regular on tv, was the first voice heard ( though not the voice at the start of the clip below before the channel aired proper ) & 'Countdown', one of the dullest shows ever with dithering host Richard Whiteley, was the first show. Later on in the day came the first Comic Strip Presents film, 'Five Go Mad In Dorset' & the depressing tv film 'Walter', staring Ian McKellen as a young man with learning difficulties who is packed off to a psychiatric hospital after the death of his mother. Btw, the first person to speak on ITV on its launch day in 1955 was Marjie Lawrence from 'The Placer' who appeared in a show called 'Round At The Redways'.
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Post by Gene Hunt on May 8, 2018 19:46:00 GMT
Yes, poor old Dick Whiteley. Dishwater was sparkling by comparison but he was still better than that ex Alan Sugar advisor Nick Hewer who hosts it now. Every time the bloke laughs a donkey dies.
I remember Coia too. Didn't he host a show called "Catchword"?
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Post by Sam Tyler on May 8, 2018 22:19:58 GMT
Aside from Aberfan and Churchill's funeral I can remember all those mentioned so far plus a few more besides:
Chernobyl
Union Carbide, Bhopal
Piper Alpha oil rig
Nelson Mandela's release from prison
Numerous royal weddings: Anne & Mark Philips, Andy & Fergie (and the toe-sucking incident), Charlie & Diana, etc etc
Lockerbie (and then taking a Pan-Am flight to USA 3 weeks later for business while my wife was at home 6 months pregnant with our twins)
7/7 tube bombings (and being on the preceding Picc Line train to one of the two damaged at Russell Square)
Boxing day 2004 tsunami
1979 Motorcycle Grand Prix at Silverstone (epic race between Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts)
I'm sure there's more...
Sam.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on May 8, 2018 22:45:21 GMT
I remember Nelson Mandela's release being televised, partly because there were hundreds of viewer complaints to the BBC as the coverage interrupted an episode of 'Antiques Roadshow'. There were complaints again about coverage of his death on BBC1 news, viewers complained that not enough time was spent on UK storms & others complained about an episode of 'Mrs Brown's Boys' being interrupted by a newsflash. www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/09/bbc-news-nelson-mandela-complaints-coverage
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Post by Arthur Pringle on May 8, 2018 22:58:35 GMT
Yes, poor old Dick Whiteley. Dishwater was sparkling by comparison but he was still better than that ex Alan Sugar advisor Nick Hewer who hosts it now. Every time the bloke laughs a donkey dies. I remember Coia too. Didn't he host a show called "Catchword"? Yes I remember Catchword on BBC2 weekday afternoons, also remember him presenting Pebble Mill & that he was married to another presenter of the time Debbie Greenwood, a former Miss Great Britain. I think Whiteley's career highlight is being savaged by that ferret.
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Bojan Scores
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Terry you’re very devious when a bird’s involved...
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Post by Bojan Scores on May 9, 2018 14:23:48 GMT
Some say the Yom Kippur war of 1973, which led to the subsequent energy crisis, was the beginning of the end for working class social mobility. It was the catalyst for changes in the economy, that meant costs went up and incomes went down. In 1976, James Callaghan became Prime Minister. He introduced two key ideas, that are always associated with Margaret Thatcher. Namely, the introduction of monetarism and the control of cash flow, and crucially the identification of the control of inflation over full employment. 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected and the post war consensus, and mixed economy were over. Britain became a different country for better or worse during the 1980s. My last event is the Miners Strike of 84/85. Whatever your opinion of it, to leave entire communities bereft of work and opportunities was nothing short of disgraceful. Coal has gone, but we still have no coherent energy supply policy and have to rely on the Russians and other foreign providers- not good.
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