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Key Events in History for Your Wedding Speech

Including a key historical event from the year the bride or groom was born is a great way to start your speech! Read on to find out what was happening in the world when your fave couple was born.

Stuck for ways to start your wedding speech? We love the idea of finding a link between the couple and a key event from the year they were born.

You never know, perhaps the golf-loving groom was born during the same year as golfing star Tiger Woods? Or the dance-obsessed bride made her entrance in the same year Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey wowed us all with that routine in Dirty Dancing?

To save you all the hard work of researching, we’ve gathered all of the big events from the 1960s to the 1990s, ordered them by year and popped them below – you can thank us later!

(Image: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock)

READ MORE: 9 Tips For Delivering An Amazing Wedding Speech

Key Events in the 1960s

Traditional wedding poems
Image: Sally Rawlins Photography

1960

Film Ben Hur wins a record 10 Oscars

Dr Martens boots launched in the UK

The word ‘Catsuit’ is added the English dictionary

The Royal Shakespeare Company is founded

National Service ends in the UK

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is released

1961

Eddie Murphy born

Lady Diana Spencer born

Weight Watchers is founded in the USA

The oral contraceptive is launched in the USA

Bob Dylan plays his first gig in New York

E-Type Jaguar launched

1962

Tom Cruise born

Cans that can be opened with tabs are invented by the City Beer Company

Decca records turns down signing the Beatles

Marilyn Monroe found dead

Sean Connery lands the role of James Bond

John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth

1963

George Michael born

The ‘hover’ lawnmower by Flymo is invented

President Kennedy killed in Dallas

Stevie Wonder releases first album

The ‘Great Train Robbery’ in Buckinghamshire

The equal pay law for men and women is passed in the USA

1964

Pulitzer Prize cancelled as committee announces no work is good enough

Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland are married in London

Mods and Rockers clash at seaside resorts

Top of the Pops first broadcast

The Sun is first published in the UK

The head of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is sawn off and stolen

Mary Poppins wins 8 Oscars

1965

Brooke Shields born

The Rolling Stones fined £5 for urinating against a wall

Soviet Alexei Leonov performs the first space walk

Health warnings on cigarette packs required in the USA

Post Office tower opens in London

1966

Laker Airways founded

The Rolling Stones banned from 14 New York hotels

Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow married

Cassius Clay beats Henry Cooper

Graham Hill wins Indy 500 at first attempt

The first British credit card ‘The Barclaycard’ is introduced in the UK

Star Trek premiered on NBC

1967

Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu married

Dartford Tunnel opened

The words ‘bell bottom’ introduced into the dictionary

First heart transplant

The Bee Gee’s first single is released

The Graduate film is released

1968

British decimal coins introduced

Wimbledon tennis open to professionals

Andy Warhol shot (he survived)

First Kodak Instamatic camera

Scientists devise the Epidural to ease the pain of childbirth

2001: A Space Odyssey released

1969

Man walks on the moon

US Units withdrawn from Vietnam

50p coin introduced

Test-tube fertilisation of human eggs

Pele scores 1,000th goal

Boeing 747 and Concorde first flight

Monty Python’s Flying Circus first broadcast

Woodstock Festival

READ MORE: The Traditional Wedding Speech Order Explained

Key Events in the 1970s

Key events for wedding speeches
Image: Kyryk Ivan / Shutterstock

1970

Jimi Hendrix dies

Footballer George Best banned for one month for throwing mud at a referee

Bobby Moore accused of stealing jewellery (later cleared)

1,000th episode of Coronation Street

IBM introduces floppy disks

Paul McCartney leaves The Beatles

1971

Ferrari Daytona goes on sale

US astronauts drive on the moon in a ‘Moon rover’

London Bridge moves to Arizona

Nonuplets (9) are born in Australia

Decimal currency introduced in the UK

The first VCR is launched by Philips

1972

Liam Gallagher born

Mr Men books first published

The VW Beetle becomes the biggest selling car ever

Mark Spitz wins 7 Olympic gold medals for swimming

The pocket calculator is invented by Texas Instruments

The Godfather film is released

1973

VAT is introduced to Britain

First black newscaster in Britain – Trevor McDonald

Driving is banned on Sundays in Holland to save petrol reserves

The longest solar eclipse is visible from the Sahara desert

Only 950 windmills left in Holland

The disposable lighter is invented

1974

Kate Moss born

Disposable plastic razors invented by Gillette

Three-day working week introduced in the UK

Free family planning available on the NHS

Scientists prove that CFC’s destroy the Ozone layer

1975

Golfer Tiger Woods born

VHS and Betamax video introduced

First woman climbs Everest

Dutch Elm kills 6.5 million trees in the UK

Paul McCartney fined for growing marijuana

The phrase ‘junk food’ enters the English language

First commercial flight by Concorde (London – Bahrain)

Apple Computers founded by Steven Jobs

Viking 1 probe lands on Mars

Liverpool FC win league for record 9th time

The driest summer in the UK since 1727

The VW Golf is launched

1977

The US space shuttle prototype ‘Enterprise’ flies for the first time

Elvis Presley dies aged 42

Red Rum wins Grand National for 3rd time

Street parties in the UK for the Queen’s silver jubilee

Star Wars breaks all box office records

1978

The Smurfs appear on TV for the first time

The first multi-functional food processor launched

World’s first test tube baby born

Superman starring Christopher Reeve released

Grease starring John Travolta released

Space Invaders, the first ever arcade video game, is launched

1979

The Sony Walkman is launched

John Wayne dies

First official British nudist beach opened in Brighton

Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister

Punk rocker Sid Vicious found dead in New York

Mother Teresa wins Nobel Peace Prize

Y.M.C.A. is the top selling hit of the year in the UK

READ MORE: Wedding Speech Introduction Examples: How to Begin Your Wedding Speech

Key Events in the 1980s

funny wedding poems
Image: Jordanna Marston Photography

1980

Ronald Reagan becomes US President

‘Ghetto-blaster’ is included in the English dictionary for the first time

John Lennon shot and killed in New York

The world waits to see ‘Who shot JR’ in Dallas TV series

Dutch company Philips launch ‘Compact Disc’

Rubik’s cube is voted Toy of the Year

1981

France officially abolishes the death penalty and with it the guillotine

President Reagan shot in attempted assassination

Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles married

Pac-Man fever dominated video arcade games

IBM launches its first personal computer

NASA space shuttle makes maiden flight

1982

Graceland, home of Elvis, opened to the public

Channel Four launched in the UK

Argentina invades the Falklands

Italy win football World Cup

Michael Jackson releases ‘Thriller’ album

Rap music reaches mainstream pop music

1983

Madonna releases first record album

Richard Noble breaks land speed record

‘Hitler Diaries’ are exposed as a hoax

Karma Chameleon by Culture Club is the top selling single in the UK

Cabbage Patch Kids are the best selling toy of the year

1984

Prince Harry born

Ghostbusters and Scarface hit the cinema

Madonna’s album Like a Virgin sold over 20 million copies

Liechtenstein gives votes to women! The last country in Europe to do so

Marvin Gaye is shot dead by his father

Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ wins Record of the Year

CD-ROM is invented

The Apple Macintosh goes on sale

The 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics open

Starlight Express opens at Apollo Victoria Theatre in London

Virgin Atlantic Airways makes its inaugural flight

Space shuttle Discovery makes its maiden voyage

1985

Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet Leader

EastEnders hits the small screen

Back to the Future starring Michael J Foxx is released

For the 1st time since 1914, the USA owed more money to foreigners than it was owed

‘True Blue’ by Madonna is best selling album

The year of the fingerless glove

Live Aid concert organised by Sir Bob Geldof was held, raising money for famine relief in Ethiopia

The first British cell phone call is made (by Ernie Wise to Vodafone)

‘New York, New York’ becomes official city anthem

The 30th Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney born

Keira Knightley born

David Purley, British race driver, dies

1986

Fuji introduces the disposable camera

‘Bad’ by Michael Jackson is best selling album

Phil Collins’ ‘No Jacket Required’ wins Album of the Year at the Grammys

Annie Lennox wins Best Female Solo Artist at the BRITs

Y-fronts became a thing of the past as boxer shorts made it big

Kylie and Jason got married in Neighbours

The Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station

The 1986 FIFA World Cup takes place in Mexico

Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster

Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title, defeating Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas

British boxer Amir Khan born

Space shuttle ‘Challenger’ disintegrates 73 seconds after launch killing all 6 on board

1987

Disposable contact lenses invented

3D video games invented

Sylvanian Families are a bestseller in the toy department

Cycling shorts became a fashion item

Patrick Swayze danced his way across the big screen in Dirty Dancing while Michael Douglas had a Fatal Attraction

Karaoke was introduced – thanks to our Japanese friends

Aretha Franklin becomes first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

British Airways is privatised and listed on the London Stock Exchange

Construction of the Channel Tunnel is initiated

World population reached 5 billion people

American actress Hilary Duff is born

1988

Welcome to the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles!

Bros were the new kids on the block

The must-have car accessory was Garfield the cat

Digital cellular phones are invented

Salman Rushdie published his Satanic Verses

Formula One driver Ayrton Senna clinches his first World Championship in the Japanese Grand Prix

Adele and Rihanna are born

Andy Gibb of the Bee Gees dies

Enzo Ferrari, Italian car maker, dies

U2’s album ‘Joshua Tree’ wins a Grammy

George Bush is elected US President

1989

Shirley Valentine & When Harry Met Sally take over the big screen

Rain Man wins Academy Award for Best Picture

Sky dishes were being erected everywhere

Frank Bruno versus Mike Tyson fight

Nintendo Game Boy was born

The ever-youthful Barbie turned 30!

The Berlin Wall fell

A 300m diametre ‘near-earth’ asteroid misses earth by 500,000 km (approx. 400,000 miles)

Poll Tax is introduced into Scotland

France celebrates the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution

Grammy Award went to Bobby McFerrin for his song ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’

READ MORE: 33 Genuinely Funny Best Man Speech Jokes

Key Events in the 1990s

Key events in history wedding speech
Image: VAKS-Stock Agency / Shutterstock

1990

Nelson Mandela released from prison after 27 years

Hubble Telescope sends first photos from space

Twin Peaks premieres

Emma Watson born

1991

World Wide Web was born

Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’ spends 16 consecutive weeks at number one

Cold War between Soviet Union and the US ends

Nirvana release ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’

Ed Sheeran born

1992

European Union founded with signing of the Maastricht Treaty

Whitney Houston releases ‘I Will Always Love You’

John Major elected Prime Minister

Miley Cyrus born

1993

Jurassic Park opens to record box office takings

Bill Clinton sworn in as 42nd President of the United States

Meatloaf’s ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’ was the best-selling single of the year

Beanie Babies are created

1994

Amazon.com founded by Jeff Bezos

Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa’s first black President

Friends hits our TV screens for the first time

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction becomes a cult classic

Harry Styles born

1995

Toy Story became the first ever wholly computer-generated film

Britpop battle between Oasis and Blur at the NME Awards

O.J. Simpson found not guilty of the murder of Nicole Simpson

Mel Gibson fought for freedom in the epic film Braveheart

1996

Spice Girls release their debut single ‘Wannabe’

Trainspotting opens in UK cinemas

Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce

Dolly the sheep is the first ever successfully cloned mammal

DVDs and the Nintendo 64 launched in Japan

Britain hit by Mad Cow Disease

1997

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is published

Princess Diana and Mother Theresa die

‘Sojourner’ rover successfully lands on Mars

Titanic is released, claiming the title of highest-grossing film of all time

Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister

UK win the Eurovision Song Contest with Katrina and the Waves’ song ‘Love Shine a Light’

1998

TV series Sex and the City premieres

Search engine Google founded in California

President Clinton denies having “sexual relations” with Monica Lewinsky

Armageddon, Saving Private Ryan and Shakespeare In Love hit cinemas

David Beckham was handed a red card in the World Cup match against Argentina

1999

The world’s six billionth person is born

‘(Hit Me Baby) One More Time’ by Britney Spears became the best-selling single of the year

Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France

Pokemon fever grips children across the world

The Matrix sets a new standard for special effects on release

The Euro is created and 11 countries agree to adopt it as currency

Y2K bug causes panic ahead of the Millennium

In need of further inspiration?  Let the stars inspire you with these amazing Celebrity Weddings Speeches.