1987 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1987 in the United Kingdom. At the beginning of the year, the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Lebanon and remained a hostage until 1991. The major political event of this year was the re-election of Margaret Thatcher in June, making her the longest continuously serving Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in the early 19th century. The year was also marked by a number of disasters — the sinking of the ferry MS "Herald of Free Enterprise", the Hungerford massacre, the "Great Storm", the Remembrance Day Bombing in Northern Ireland and the King's Cross fire.

Incumbents

*Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II
*Prime Minister - Margaret Thatcher, Conservative

Events

* 13 January - Prince Edward quits the Royal Marines just three months after joining.
* 20 January - Terry Waite, the special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lebanon, disappears in Beirut while negotiating for the release of hostages.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 11 February
** British Airways is privatised and listed on the London Stock Exchange. [cite web|url=http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory80-90.html |title= The History Of The British Airways Museum - 1987|accessdate=2007-07-02]
** Cynthia Payne is acquitted of controlling prostitutes in her London home. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/11/newsid_2539000/2539565.stm|title=Mrs Payne is no brothel Madam|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 26 February - Church of England's General Synod voted to allow ordination of women. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/26/newsid_2516000/2516299.stm|title=Synod says 'yes' to women priests|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 6 March - British ferry MS "Herald of Free Enterprise" capsized while leaving the harbour of Zeebrugge, Belgium, killing 193 on board. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/6/newsid_2515000/2515923.stm|title=Hundreds trapped as car ferry capsizes|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 30 March - Christie's auction house in London sells one of Vincent Van Gogh's iconic "Sunflowers" paintings for £24,750,000.
* 3 April - The jewellery of the late Wallis, Duchess of Windsor sold at auction for £31 million, six times the expected value.
* 16 April - Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appeared in Court charged with gross indecency. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/16/newsid_2524000/2524727.stm|title=MP on gay sex charges|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 8 May - Soldiers of the SAS kill eight members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army at Loughgal, County Antrim.cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan & Veronica |year=1992 |title= The Chronology of British History|publisher= Century Ltd|location=London|pages= 453-454|isbn= 0-7126-5616-2]
* 11 June - The 1987 General Election sees Margaret Thatcher secure her third term in office. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/11/newsid_2511000/2511095.stm|title=Thatcher wins record third term|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 12 July - £60 million stolen during the Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3723839.stm|title=Flying Squad foils £80m robbery|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-08-04]
* 22 July - Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali is murdered in London. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/22/newsid_2516000/2516089.stm|title=Cartoonist shot in London street|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 24 July - Novelist and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer wins a libel case against "The Daily Star" over allegations that he was involved in a vice ring. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/24/newsid_2514000/2514059.stm|title=Archer wins record damages|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 31 July
** Attorney General instituted legal proceedings against "The Daily Telegraph" to prevent it publishing details from the book "Spycatcher". [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/31/newsid_2492000/2492169.stm|title=Newspaper caught in Spycatcher row|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
** The Queen opens the Docklands Light Railway, the first driverless railway in Great Britain, in London. [cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/dlr/history/2982.aspx|title=DLR history timeline|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 6 August - Dr David Owen resigns as leader of the Social Democratic Party after its members vote to merge with the Liberal Party.cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|pages=614–616]
* 19 August
** Order of the Garter is opened to women. [cite web|url=http://www.qmmemorial.gov.uk/output/Page4878.asp|title=Information about the Order of the Garter, the most senior British order of chivalry|publisher=The Official website of the British Monarchy|accessdate=2007-07-02]
** Michael Ryan shoots dead 15 people in the Berkshire town of Hungerford before taking his own life with a rifle. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/19/newsid_2534000/2534669.stm|title=Gunman kills 14 in Hungerford rampage|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 21 August - The Hungerford Massacre claims its 16th victim when pensioner Mrs Myrtle Gibbs, whose husband Jack died in the shootings, dies in hospital from her injuries.
* 27 August - Robert Maclennan replaces David Owen as leader of the Social Democratic Party. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_2535000/2535933.stm|title=Maclennan replaces Owen in SDP|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 9 September - 25 Liverpool football fans are extradited to Belgium to face charges of manslaughter in connection with the Heysel Stadium disaster more than two years ago. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/9/newsid_2503000/2503885.stm|title=Liverpool fans to stand trial in Belgium|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 23 September - An Australian court lifts the ban on the publication of "Spycatcher". [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/23/newsid_2528000/2528695.stm|title=Ban lifted on MI5 man's memoirs|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 11 October - £1 million pound "Operation Deepscan" in Loch Ness fails to locate the legendary Loch Ness Monster. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/11/newsid_3166000/3166741.stm|title=Search ends for Loch Ness monster|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 15 October - Following a coup, Fiji becomes a republic with the resignation of the Governor-General. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/15/newsid_2533000/2533183.stm|title=Fiji one step closer to a republic|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 15 October–16 October - Hurricane force winds batter much of south-east England, killing 23 people and causing extensive damage to property. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/16/newsid_2533000/2533219.stm|title=Hurricane winds batter southern England|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 19 October - Black Monday Wall Street crash leads to £50billion being wiped of the value of shares on the London stock exchange. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/19/newsid_3959000/3959713.stm|title=Shares plunge after Wall Street crash|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 23 October - Retired English jockey Lester Piggott is jailed for 3 years after being convicted of tax evasion. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/23/newsid_3755000/3755282.stm|title=Lester Piggott jailed for three years|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 25 October - Peugeot begins production of its second car - the 405 four-door saloon - at the Ryton plant near Coventry. The first customers are set to take delivery of their cars after Christmas. A French-built estate version will be launched next year.
* 5 November - London City Airport opens.
* 8 November - Enniskillen bombing: Eleven people killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb at a Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/8/newsid_2515000/2515113.stm|title=Bomb kills 11 at Enniskillen|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* 18 November - A fire at Kings Cross on the London Underground kills 31 people. [cite news|http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/18/newsid_2519000/2519675.stm|title=King's Cross station fire 'kills 27'|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-02]
* December - The British-built Peugeot 405 is European Car of the Year, and Peugeot's first winner of the award for nearly 20 years.
* 9 December - The England cricket team's tour of Pakistan is nearly brought to a premature end when captain Mike Gatting and umpire Shakoor Rana row during a Test Match.
* 15 December - Channel Tunnel construction is initiated, with completion targeted within seven years. [cite web|url=http://ww2.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcAboutUs/ukcOurHistory/ukpHistory.htm|title=Our history|publisher=Eurotunnel|accessdate=2007-07-02]

Publications

* "London Daily News", short-lived newspaper (24 February–23 July)
* Iain M. Banks' novel "Consider Phlebas".
* Iain Banks' novel "Espedair Street".
* William Golding's novel "Close Quarters", second of the "To the Ends of the Earth" trilogy.
* Paul Kennedy's historical study "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers".
* Penelope Lively's novel "Moon Tiger".
* Ian McEwan's novel "The Child in Time".
* Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels "Equal Rites" and "Mort".

Births

* 11 April - Joss Stone, musician
* 15 May - Andrew Murray, tennis player
* 4 September - Mike O'Shea, cricketer
* 22 September - Tom Felton, actor

Deaths

* 2 February - Alistair MacLean, writer (heart attack) (born 1922)
* 4 February - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, writer and broadcaster (born 1908)
* 28 March - Patrick Troughton, actor (born 1920)
* 4 April - Richard Ithamar Aaron, philosopher (born 1901)
* 26 April - John Ernest Silkin, politician (born 1923)
* 22 May - Keidrych Rhys, poet and editor (born 1915)
* 6 June - Fulton Mackay, actor (born 1922)
* 22 June - John Hewitt, poet (born 1907)
* 4 September - Bill Bowes, cricketer (born 1908)
* 11 September - Hugh David, television director (born 1925)
* 17 September - Harry Locke, actor (born 1913)
* 25 September - Emlyn Williams, dramatist and actor (born 1905)
* 19 October - Jacqueline du Pré, cellist (born 1945)
* 22 December - Henry Cotton, golfer (born 1907)
* 27 December - Anna Eliza Williams, oldest documented person in the world (born 1873)

References

ee also