The year 1979 was the 79th year of the 20th Century and the 979th year of the 2nd Millennium. There are two occurrences in this year that were mentioned in Life on Mars:
Events[]
Inauguration of Margaret Thatcher[]
On 4 May 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Killing of Lord Mountbatten[]
Lord Louis Mountbatten's fishing boat was blown up by the IRA on August 27, 1979, killing him and three others, including his fourteen year-old grandson, and leaving several others injured for life. The casual anti-Irish racism Gene Hunt displays in Series 2: Episode 3 (Life on Mars) was once again resurgent in the wake of this widely condemned killing, which the IRA claimed was an act of war against an enemy soldier.
Sam Tyler's first record[]
At some point in 1979, 10 year old Sam Tyler bought his first record in the Vinyl Heaven Record Shop. The record was "Cars" by Gary Numan.
| Years featured and mentioned in 'Life on Mars' and 'Ashes to Ashes' |
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| UK: 1953 - 1969 - 1972 - 1973 - 1974 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1995 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 US: 1973 - 2008 - 2035 ES: 1977 - 2009 |