Kenneth MacMillan turns a double suicide of 1889 into a ferociously dramatic ballet, Mayerling

A fire destroys St Mary's church in Barnes except for the tower and the south and east walls of the medieval chapel

John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey, with Leo McKern in the title role, begins its first series of six episodes on British TV

Iris Murdoch publishes The Sea, the Sea, and wins the 1978 Booker Prize

English author Andrew Motion publishes his first collection of poems, The Pleasure Steamers

Douglas Adams creates Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a science fiction comedy series for BBC's Radio 4

Czech-born US tennis player Martina Navratilova wins the first of nine singles titles at Wimbledon

English cricketer Ian Botham sets a new Test record, scoring a century and taking eight wickets against Pakistan at Lord's

Louise Brown, born in England, is the first test-tube baby, having been conceived by IVF (In vitro fertilization)

British author Ian McEwan publishes his first novel, The Cement Garden

David Attenborough writes and presents Life on Earth, a television series on evolution – the first of his many surveys of natural history

The Conservative party wins the general election and Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first female prime minister

Peter Shaffer's play about Mozart, Amadeus, has its premiere in London

British artist Richard Long lays out his Slate Circle at the Tate Gallery in London

A conference in London, at Lancaster House, finally achieves agreement on Southern Rhodesia

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan share a common economic viewpoint, following the policy known as monetarism

War Music is the first instalment of Christopher Logue's version of the Iliad

Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children uses the moment of India's independence to launch an adventure in magic realism

Australian entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch buys Britain's establishment newspaper, The Times, and its related titles

The Humber Bridge crosses the Humber estuary in Britain, and is the world's longest suspension bridge with a main span of 4626 feet (1410m)

Prince Charles marries Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral in London

English author Anita Brookner publishes her first novel, A Start in Life

British snooker player Steve Davis wins the first of six world championship titles

New South Stand built at Twickenham rugby ground.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, based on the Old Possum poems by T.S. Eliot, opens in London