Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Part 2
The Land of Hope and Glory Collection tells the story of Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee fast approaches, this blog series will revisit the historic moments during Her Majesty’s record-breaking reign that have helped define Great Britain. This week, let’s journey back to 1960s football, fashion and more.
Did you know that instant potato, the mash you buy pre-made at the supermarket, wasn’t a shop bought item until 1968? Angel Delight made its debut in 1967 and spreadable margarine wasn’t a thing before 1969!
Many do reminisce on the 60s as the time to be alive.
Swinging Sixties Fashion
In the early 60s, the emergence of supermodels like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton redefined beauty and became true fashion icons. The latest clothing styles could be found in London Boutique shops. And whilst children began to practice with makeup on their dolls, teenagers discovered false eyelashes.
Inspiration came from the likes of the mods on scooters, skinheads, and hippies with their long flowing hairstyles.
Mary Quant, the queen of the miniskirt, had a boutique on Carnaby Street in London called Bazaar. She also released her own line of cosmetics in 1966. Many began to embrace their natural curves — new trends such as wearing trouser suits and miniskirts emerged.
England wins the FIFA World Cup
The TV audience in 1966 had to follow along the England match against Germany in black and white. However, for the first time they could see slow motion replays from the live match.
Multiple towns in England hosted games for the tournament, but the final was played at Wembley Stadium on the 30th July 1966.
Although the match didn’t get off to a good start and there were a few hiccups throughout, the team managed to bring home the first World Cup title for England.
Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Philip were amongst the 93,000 spectators. The Queen then presented the trophy for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
The shot by Geoff Hurst, which hit the crossbar and landed down near the goal line, was decided by the referee as a goal — which was highly contested at the time.
Years later, technology had advanced, and the ball was never over the line.
Beatlemania
The Beatles.
Need we say more?
Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, The Beatles were managed by Brian Epstein and signed by EMI on the Parlophone Label.
Did you know that they were originally turned down by Decca, the British record label?
Changing the pop music scene forever, Please Please Me was released January 12th 1963, and was an instant favourite among the public. They remained number 1 on the charts for 6 months with their first album, which was recorded in an entire 13-hour session.
First Flight of the Concorde
Concorde was the first successful civilian aeroplane to travel faster than the speed of sound.
Built jointly between Great Britain and France, it reduced the flight time between London and New York to roughly three hours.
Eventually flown worldwide, she first took to the skies on March 2nd 1969.
Sadly, in the end it was found the aeroplane had several problems such as noise and high expenses. However, it did unify the work of different countries, ensuring that Europe paved the way for aerospace development.
The Great Train Robbery
15 men and £2,600,000. What a heist that is.
Aided by two accomplices, these fifteen men managed to stop the Glasgow–London Royal Mail Train, steal over two and a half million pounds from the front two carriages, and transport the lot with their Land Rovers to a nearby hideaway, all without the staff in the remaining ten carriages even knowing a thing.
August 8th, 1963. The day they got lucky.
It was a bank holiday so the amount they stole was much larger than they had anticipated getting.
At their hideaway they noticed low flying RAF aircraft which they assumed were on the look-out for them. They in fact weren’t. But this spooked the robbers so much that they left and hired six thieves to burn the place down.
The poor job the thieves did left fingerprint marks on a Monopoly board and a ketchup bottle.
If you’re interested…
The Land of Hope and Glory Collection celebrates Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. And today, you can start the Collection of a Lifetime. Click here to secure the first Medal, featuring the Queen’s Coronation for FREE >>
If you haven’t read the first blog in the series, click here >>