London in the Cold War
The atlas holds 92 people and 193 moments here, from 1947 to 1991. The most recorded lives are Freddie Mercury, Diana, Princess of Wales and Margaret Thatcher.
Notable people
Lawrence Bragg
from 1953 to 1961
3 moments here
Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallographer. Bragg shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his father, William Henry Bragg, for…
Lee Kuan Yew
from 1956 to 1968
3 moments here
Singaporean barrister and statesman who co-founded the People’s Action Party and served as Singapore’s first prime minister from 1959 to 1990.…
Macfarlane Burnet
from 1959 to 1966
2 moments here
Australian virologist and immunologist Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, known as Macfarlane Burnet, shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine…
Margaret Thatcher
from 1959 to 1991
6 moments here
British stateswoman Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the…
Mario Vargas Llosa
in 1969
1 moment here
Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist, and political figure. Vargas Llosa lived and worked across Peru, Bolivia, Spain, France, the United Kingdom,…
Marlene Dietrich
from 1964 to 1972
2 moments here
German-American actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (Marie Magdalene Dietrich) was born in Berlin and achieved international fame through stage,…
Maurice Wilkins
from 1950 to 1970
3 moments here
New Zealand-born British physicist and biophysicist whose career ran from solid-state physics and wartime atomic research to X-ray diffraction…
Maya Angelou
in 1988
1 moment here
American memoirist, poet, performer, educator, and civil-rights activist. Her documented life moved from Missouri and Arkansas to California and New…
Mikhail Gorbachev
from 1984 to 1991
2 moments here
Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…
Milton Obote
in 1961
1 moment here
Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1966 and as president from 1966 to 1971 and from 1980 to 1985.…
Miriam Makeba
in 1988
1 moment here
South African singer, songwriter, actor, and anti-apartheid activist known as “Mama Africa.” Makeba’s career took her from Johannesburg and Pretoria…
Muhammad Ali
in 1966
1 moment here
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) was an American boxer, activist, humanitarian, and global cultural figure.…
Mwai Kibaki
in 1957
1 moment here
Kenyan economist and politician who served as Kenya’s third president from 2002 to 2013. This chronology records documented physical presence from…
Naguib Mahfouz
in 1991
1 moment here
Egyptian novelist, screenwriter, and playwright whose fiction made Cairo a central setting of modern Arabic literature.…
Nelson Mandela
from 1962 to 1990
2 moments here
South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, lawyer and statesman. Mandela helped lead the African National Congress, co-founded its armed wing,…
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
from 1964 to 1985
2 moments here
Kenyan novelist, playwright, essayist, language advocate, and academic. Ngũgĩ’s life moved from colonial Kenya through education in Uganda and…
Olav V
in 1988
1 moment here
Olav V of Norway (born Prince Alexander of Denmark) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991.…
Olivia Hussey
from 1958 to 1966
2 moments here
British actress born in Argentina, best known for playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo and Juliet.…
Pridi Banomyong
in 1947
1 moment here
Thai lawyer, political leader, regent, prime minister, and founder of Thammasat University. A civilian leader of the 1932 Siamese Revolution, he…
Raisa Gorbacheva
in 1989
1 moment here
Soviet and Russian activist, philanthropist, lecturer, and public figure; wife of Mikhail Gorbachev.…
Rajiv Gandhi
in 1980
1 moment here
Rajiv Gandhi was an Indian aircraft pilot and politician who served as prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989.…
Ram Narayan
in 1964
1 moment here
Indian sarangi player who established the sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music.…
Ravi Shankar
from 1956 to 1971
2 moments here
Indian sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) was a leading exponent of Hindustani classical music whose performances, teaching, recordings,…
Richard Nixon
in 1969
1 moment here
Richard Milhous Nixon was an American lawyer, naval officer, congressman, senator, vice president, and the 37th president of the United States.…
Moments
- 1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference Indira Gandhi
- 1969 Beatles rooftop concert John Lennon
- 1969 Talk of the Town engagement Judy Garland
- 1969 Lecturer at King's College London Mario Vargas Llosa
- 1969 London meetings with Harold Wilson and Elizabeth II Richard Nixon
- 1969 Marriage to Mickey Deans Judy Garland
- 1969 Death at Cadogan Lane Judy Garland
- 1970 Come As You Are in London Glynis Johns
- 1970 Director of the MRC Biophysics Unit Maurice Wilkins
- 1970 Visit to London Willy Brandt
- 1970 Flew to Britain for The Persuaders! Tony Curtis
- 1970 Return engagement at Hammersmith Odeon Aretha Franklin
- 1971 Recorded demos at De Lane Lea Studios Freddie Mercury
- 1971 Doctoral work at SOAS John Atta Mills
- 1971 London recording of Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra Ravi Shankar
- 1972 Return to London for Frenzy Alfred Hitchcock
- 1972 CBS signing and United Kingdom tour Bob Marley
- 1972 Residence at Ridgmount Gardens Bob Marley
- 1972 Played Bedford College Freddie Mercury
- 1972 Arrival and meetings in London Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
- 1972 Architectural Association studies Zaha Hadid
- 1972 Theological Education Fund base near Bromley Desmond Tutu
- 1972 Receives CBE insignia J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1972 Showcase at the Pheasantry Freddie Mercury
- 1972 Filming of I Wish You Love Marlene Dietrich
- 1972 Marquee Club performance Freddie Mercury
- 1973 Island Studios overdubbing work Bob Marley
- 1973 Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama Carrie Fisher
- 1973 Visits London with Oona Charlie Chaplin
- 1973 Official visit to London Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
- 1974 Departure for London Abdus Salam
- 1974 Moved back to London Douglas Adams
- 1974 Filming Tommy Tina Turner
- 1974 Royal Albert Hall concert Lata Mangeshkar
- 1974 Met Graham Chapman at Chox opening party Douglas Adams
- 1975 Receives knighthood Charlie Chaplin
- 1977 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Carl Sagan
- 1977 London and Newcastle visit Jimmy Carter
- 1977 Rainbow Theatre concerts Bob Marley
- 1977 Earls Court Jubilee concerts Freddie Mercury
- 1978 Is This Love video recording Bob Marley
- 1979 Arrival at Downing Street Margaret Thatcher
- 1979 State visit arrival in London Daniel arap Moi
- 1979 Moved into Coleherne Court Diana, Princess of Wales
- 1979 Lancaster House negotiations Robert Mugabe
- 1979 Concert for the People of Kampuchea Freddie Mercury
- 1979 Signing the Lancaster House Agreement Robert Mugabe
- 1980 Founding her London practice Zaha Hadid
- 1980 In London when Sanjay Gandhi died Rajiv Gandhi
- 1980 Royal Variety Performance Aretha Franklin