Years 1980 to 1989

1980 1981 Mayor – Councillor Terry Collins.
22/02/1980 British ice skater Robert Cousins won the gold medal for figure skating in Lake Placid Olympics.
30/03/1980 Jesse Owens, winner of four Olympic golds in Berlin in 1936, died.
30/04/1980 The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
05/05/1980 The Iranian embassy siege , in London, ended dramatically after a raid by SAS commandos.
18/05/1909 Mount St Helen’s volcano in the American state of Washington erupted, killing 100 people. A cloud of ash 2,500 miles long and 1,000 miles wide was created.
1980 First oil arrived in a 220 mile pipe line to the River Tees from Ekofisk Field. It was loaded aboard the ship ‘Ross Head’ at a new Phillips Terminal costing £120m. The ship was loaded with 80,000 tons of crude oil.
1980 Teesside got its first international air terminal service Air Anglia. Services to Amsterdam, Norwich, and Aberdeen.
1980 Middlesbrough Docks closed. Area to be redeveloped.
1980 Zetland Museum closed, re-opened by volunteers.
02/09/1980 John Archer, BBC cricket commentator, called his last game, England v Australia at Lord’s, before retiring after 35 years broadcasting.
1980 Following just a year the Wurlitzer Organ was removed from the pier.
1980 Zetland Museum closed then re-opened by volunteers.
1980 Zetland lifeboat and museum ran by a volunteer group.
1980 Fish and chips served by topless staff from a shop in Redcar.
1980 From Christmas of this year demolition of Redcar Pier started.
17/10/1980 Queen Elizabeth II met Pope John Paul at the Vatican. The first state visit by a British monarch to the Vatican City.
04/11/1980 Ronald Regan was elected 40th President of the USA.
23/11/1980 In Southern Italy approximately 4,800 people were killed in a series of earthquakes.
08/12/1980 John Lennon was shot dead in New York by Mark David Chapman
1981 1982 Mayor – Councillor Naorman Lantsbery.
05/01/1981 The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper who killed 13 women over four years, ended when lorry driver Peter Sutcliffe was charged with murder.
09/02/1981 Rock ‘n’ roller Bill Haley died. He spearheaded the 1950’s rock revolution with Rock Around The Clock.
20/03/1981 Britain reintroduced the £50 note
23/03/1981 Englishman Mike Hailwood, nine times world motor cycling champion, died two days after a car crash in which his nine-year old daughter was also killed.
29/03/1981 The first London Marathon was won by Norwegian Inge Simonsen and American Dick Beardsley – crossing the tape hand in hand
30/03/1981 US president Ronald Regan was wounded in an assassination bid outside Washington’s Hilton Hotel.
11/05/1981 Reggae singer Bob Marley died of cancer.
03/06/1981 Acclaimed racehorse Shergar, ridden by jockey Walter Swinburn, won the Epson Derby by a record 10 lengths. The fastest ever recorded in its 226 year history.
24/08/1981 Mark Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of John Lennon.
10/09/1981 Picasso’s anti-war mural Guernica returned to Spain after 40 years custodianship in the US. Picasso refused to allow the painting to be shown in Spain until the restoration of democracy.
21/09/1981 Belize is granted full independence from the United Kingdom.
1981 Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum opened.
06/10/1981 Egypt’s President Sadat was assassinated.
23/12/1981 Geoffrey Boycott took his score to 86 not out against India at Delhi to become the (then) most prolific run-scoring batsman in Test history.
12/01/1982 Mark Thatcher disappeared in the Sahara while on the Paris-Dakar rally. He was later spotted by a search plane and rescued.
30/02/1982 Comedy actor Stanley Holloway dies at the age of 91. Starred in films like The Lavender Hill Mob, and The Titfield Thunderbolt.
03/03/1982 The Barbican Arts Centre in London was opened.
02/04/1982 Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic
02/05/1982 British submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine Navy Cruiser the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War.
19/05/1982 Italian actress Sophia Loren was jailed for a month for tax evasion.
14/09/1982 Princess Grace of Monaco, sometimes known as Grace Kelly, died in a Monaco hospital without regaining consciousness after a car crash the day before.
24/09/1982 Swedish tennis star Bjorn Borg retired at the age of 26 after winning five consecutive Wimbledon championships.
08/10/1982 CATS the musical opened on Broadway, and ran for 18 years closing 10/09/2000 after 7,485 performances.
October 1982 The Redcar RAOB moved into the former Zetland Club in Nelson Terrace in October 1982. The club closed its doors six month previously because of dwindling support and soaring overheads – but members embarked on a do it yourself scheme to get the club up and running again.
02/11/1982 Television Chanel 4 began transmitting.
12/12/1982 30,000 women encircled Greenham Common air base Berkshire in protest of British Government decision to allow US cruise missiles to be based there.
15/12/1982 Spain opened its border with Gibralter
1982 Last shop in Warrenby closed about this time. Owner Gloria Chigthai.
1982 1983 Mayor – Councillor William Herlingshaw. MBE.
08/03/1983 President Regan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.
21/04/1983 One pound coins went into circulation in Britain, replacing paper notes in England and Wales but not in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
19/03/1984 Mayor – Councillor Ron Jones. JP. BA.
09/04/1983 Jenny Pitman became the first woman trainer to have a horse win the Grand National. Ben de Haan rode Corbiere to victory at Aintree.
23/04/1983 First televised snooker break of 147 achieved by Cliff Thorburn at the World Snooker Champions in Sheffield
25/04/1983 Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto’s orbit.
18/06/1983 Sally Ride became the first US woman in space.
17/08/1983 Ira Gershwin, lyricist to his brother died. Both composed many of the world’s greatest songs.
1983 Tees Coastguard Control Centre at South Gare closed.
1983 Rex Masterman HUNT received a Knighthood 20/07/83
22/10/1983 Michael Foot Labour leader was amongst a 1 million-strong CND peace march in London against plans to site nuclear missiles at Greenham Common. Key founder of CND in 1958.
10/11/1983 Bill Gates introduces Window 1.0
21/11/1983 USA military campaign in Grenada ends.
25/09/1983 38 prisoners escaped from the high-security Maze jail in Northern Island.
26/11/1983 Gold bars worth £26 million wre stolen form the Brinks Mat security warehouse at London’s Heathrow Airport by and armed gang. Britain’s largest-ever robbery, the gang getting away with gold, diamonds and cash. Haul never recovered.
1984 1985 Mayor – Councillor Steve Kay MA. AKC.
1984 Creator of Uncle Tom’s Corner, Thomas (Tom) Thompson) a regular feature on Redcar Beach died.
15/04/1984 FEZ-LOVING comedian Tommy Cooper died at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack on live television.
10/06/1984 Ivan Lendl beat top seed John McEnroe to win his first tennis Gram Slam title.
30/06/1984 Last sixpence minted in Great Britain (in use since 1551).
09/07/1984 York Minster struck by lightening, destroying the West end transept. 150 firefighter took part taking 2 hours for the fire to get under control. Repairs took 4 years and £2.25m
05/09/1984 STS – 41 – D: The Space Shuttle Discovery lands after her maiden voyage.
12/10/1984 Five people died, and 34 injured in an IRA bomb attack on the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where the Conservative Party conference was being held.
13/10/1984 John Lowe achieved the first televised 501 score in nine darts in a major event in the quarter finals of the World Match Play. championships in Slough.
12/11/1984 Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson announced the discontinuation of the £1 notes in England and Wales. £1 coin introduced.
25/11/1984 Britain’s top rock stars, responding to a call by Bob Geldof, gathered together under the name of Band Aid to record Do They Know It’s Christmas, in aid of the Ethiopian famine appeal.
10/12/1984 and Aid charity record Do They Know IT’s Christmas was the fastest selling single in UK chart history.
24/12/1984 British born film star Peter Lawford died aged 61 Los Angelis/The Oceans 11 actor was a member of the Hollywood’s famous Rat Pack. Last person to speak to Marilyn Munroe before her death.
1985 1986 Mayor – Councillor Arthur S Seed.
19/02/1985 ‘EastEnders’ BBC’s flagship soap opera, broadcasts for the first time
28/04/1985 Dennis Taylor won the Embassy World Snooker Championship after a spectacular final frame against Steve Davis.
11/05/1985 A fire broke out in the main stand of Bradford City football club ground and 56 died. spectators died
07/07/1985 Boris Becker became the youngest player to ever win Wimbledon, aged 17 years.
10/07/1985 Greenpeace ship ‘Rainbow Warrior. destroyed by two explosions in New Zealand.
13/07/1985 The “Live Aid” benefit concert took place in London, and at other worldwide venues.
01/09/1985 The wreck of the RMS Titanic lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet, 237 miles,, about 370 miles south-southeast off the coast of Newfoundland.
15/09/1985 Tony Jacklin’s European team won the Ryder Cup from the US who had long dominated the competition.
30/03/1986 James Cagney, American tough-guy actor, died aged 86.
28/07/1986 US Space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off, killing seven astronauts.
08/08/1988 Princess Beatrice. Named after Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter.
25/08/1985 Michael Jackson bought ATV Music (including every Beatle song) for $47 million.
1986 1987 Mayor – Councillor Les Morgan.
1986 New hospital unit was opened as a physiotherapy centre. More than £15,000 pound was raised with Redcar’s Rotarians leading the cash raised.
1986 River and Teesport third largest river in the country in terms of tonnage shipped to all parts of the world.
1986 Redcar Racecourse invited Princess Anne as a Lady Jockey – She won the race on ‘Gulfland’.
1986 Lifeboats – Introduction of Atlantic 21’s.
16/07/1986 C&W singer Dolly Parton opened an amusement Park in Tennessee and called it Dollywood. Now one of the top attractions in the USA and covers 118 acres.
23/07/1986 Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.
15/04/1984 The wreck of the RMS Titanic lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3,800 m) (2.37 miles (3.81 km)), about 370 miles (600 km) south-southeast off the coast of Newfoundland
29/06/1986 Richard Branson’s boat Virgin Atlantic Challenger II completed the fastest Atlantic crossing in three days, eight hours and 31 minutes.
07/09/1986 Bishop Desmond Tutu appointed Archbishop of Capetown.
07/09/1986 Desmond Tutu becomes the first black man to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa.
02/08/1986 Plans revealed regarding the building of Teesside Park, on the site of the old Stockton Racecourse.
07/09/1986 Bishop Desmond Tutu appointed Archbishop of Cape Town, the first black head of the South African Anglicans.
08/09/1986 The first international broadcast of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’.
06/10/1986 More than500 Transit staff walked out on strike following a bitter row over pay. The striking busmen brought chaos to Cleveland commuters.
07/10/1986 A new newspaper, The Independent, was published.
11/10/1986 Nuclear weapons negotiations between Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev opened in a summit in Reykjavik. They ended in failure.
15/10/1986 The final ship launched from the shipyard of Smith’s Dock. The ship was for Cuba and named North Islands, 15,000 tonne
29/12/1986 Lord Stockton, the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, died aged 92.
02/01/1987 Noddy’s publishers gave witer Enid Blyton’s creation a politically correct revamp – golliwogs were abolished and replaced by gnomes and goblins..
03/01/1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into Rock and Roll’s Hall of Fame.
12/01/1987 Prince Edward resigned from the Royal Marines.
1987 1988 Mayor – Councillor Neil L Loughran.
04/02/1987 Flamboyant pianist and entertainer Liberace died at the age of 67. At the height of his career his TV shows were watched by 35 million viewers.
03/03/1987 Final Day of Smith’s Dock, Ship Building Yard.
19/03/1987 Prince Charles and Princess Dianna visited Teesside visited Nino’s Restaurant Redcar for a private lunch, during their two days (18/19) Teesside visit.
23/03/1987 Cheltenham Gold Cup brought £55,000 prize money to Cleveland after a racehorse The The Thinker romped home. The horse was owned by Tom McDonagh, manager of civil engineering firm T P McDonagh, Middlesbrough
19/04/1987 The Simpsons premieres as a short cartoon on the Tracey Ullman Show.
21/04/1987 Five children and two adults escaped with their lives following the alert given to Redcar Lifeboat, and were trapped under Saltburn Cliffs. With only 15 feet of beach left were the we stranded, and an incoming tide they were plucked to safety by men from the lifeboat.
09/05/1987 The Monster Loony Party gained its first local government sea in Ashburton in Devon.
11/06/1987 Having been a member of the Labour Party since 1969, Mowlam was elected Labour MP for Redcar, North Yorkshire in 1987. It was a position she held for 14 years, until 2001. (Member of Parliament James Tinn decided to quit)
11/06/1987 Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term.
16/06/1987 Marjorie Mowlam MP swept to victory in the Redcar constituency in the Government elections.
28/07/1987 Laura Davies became the first Briton to win the US Women’s Open
01/08/1987 Dire Straits song Money for Nothing became the first music video to be played on MTV Europe.
17/08/1987 Former senior Nazi Rudolf Hess committed suicide in Spandau Prison at the age of 93.
19/08/1987 Michael Ryan shot dead 16 people in Hungerford, Berkshire massacre. He then shot himself.
17/09/1987 Former senior Nazi Rudolf Hess committed suicide in Spandau Prison at the age of 93.
15/10/1987 Hurricane-force winds swept across southern England, the worst storm since 1703. Weather forecaster on TV Michael Fish reported that a woman had rung them earlier to report that a hurricane was on the way. He said, “Well if you’re watching, don’t worry, there isn’t!”
19/10/1987 Jacqueline du Pre, British Cellist, died aged 42
19/10/1987 Black Monday on Wall Street wiped out millions on stock market around the world. Wall Street ended the day down 22%, lower than the 1929 crash.
05/11/1987 Eamon Andrews broadcaster of This Is Your Life died at the age of 64.
11/11/1987 Van Gogh’s painting fetched £29.3 million at Sotheby’s in New York.
18/11/1987 The worst fire in the history of the London Underground killed 31 people at King’s Cross.
1987 John Baycroft, born in Redcar, educated in Redcar, former pupil of Coatham Grammar became Bishop of Ontario, Canada. Married to Joan Lake former pupil of Stockton Queen Victoria High School.
1988 1989 Mayor – Councillor D.W. Lane.
10/03/1988 The Price of Wales narrowly escaped death in an avalanche at Klosters in the Swiss Alps. His friend Hugh Lindsay was killed.
19/03/1988 Michael Jackson paid $28 million for Sycamore Ranch, Santa Yuez, California then re-named it Neverland. The property went on to contain its own zoo and theme park. Following the singers death it was put up for sale for $100 million
18/04/1988 The Duke and Duchess of York announced the birth of their first child.
18/07/1988 Filming commenced on James Bond 007 Licence To Kill. Timothy Dalton’s second and final appearance as 007.
10/11/1988 George Bush was elected United State America President.
01/12/1988 Benazir Bhutto is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.
21/12/1988 Terrorists blew up a Pan-Am Jumbo jet which crashed on top of the Scottish Town of Lockerbie. The plane was on route from London to New York when it exploded, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground.
23/01/1989 The well known surrealist artist Salvador Dali died at the age of 84 year from heart failure.
05/09/1988 Britain’s longest running stage comedy No Sex please – We’re British closed after 16 years and 6,671 performances
10/09/1988 German Tennis player Steffi Graf became only the fifth person to complete the GRan Slam, winning the four top women’s tennis tournaments in the same calendar year.
10/11/1988 George Bush was elected US President.
17/11/1988 Franz Kafka’s manuscript of his classic novel The Trial (1925) was sold at Sotherby’s in London for £1m, a world record for a modern literary text, Kafka had died in poverty the year before.
03/12/1988 Edwina Currie MP and Health Minister announced that most of Britain’s egg production was affected by salmonella, causing a 60% drop in egg sales, and her resignation.
07/12/1988 Yasser Arafat recognises the right of Israel to exist.
09/12/1988 The Michael Hughes Bridge in Sligo, Ireland, is officially opened.
1989 1990 Mayor – Councillor Doug Moore.
JULY 1989 The International Guide Festival was held at Kirkleatham with guides and brownies meeting from all over the world.
07/06/1989 Peter Shilton made his record 109th appearance for England against Denmark, passing Bobby Moore’s long-standing record.
08/06/1988 Russell Harty, British broadcaster and writer died. aged 53 from hepatitis
11/07/1989 British actor Laurence Olivier died aged 82 years.
17/07/1989 First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
23/07/1989 Daniel Radcliffe movie star (Harry Potter fame) born in London.
27/07/1989 The Common Cold Research Centre in Salisbury closed after giving colds to 30,000 people over 43 years.
09/11/1989 The East German government lifted the Iron Curtain to allow free passage through the Berlin Wall. Thousands of East Berliners swarmed through.
16/11/1989 A pillar of South African apartheid crumbled when beach access restrictions were removed by president F.W. de Klerk.
01/12/1989 Pope John II and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Rome to end 70 years of hostility between USSR and the Vatican.
22/12/1989 A Romanian revolution overthrew President Ceausescu. Ceausescu’s son Nicu was arrested.

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Chris Hansom February 1, 2013 1980-1989