1986: Suckling Airways - putting Ipswich on the map.
#OnThisDay 1986: A husband and wife run airline took its first flight, connecting Ipswich in Suffolk with Manchester and Amsterdam. The independent company had just one plane, served home-made meals, and employed a stewardess who wasn’t tall enough to work for the major airlines.
Clip taken from News, originally broadcast on BBC One, 16 May 1986.
#BBCArchive #Airlines #Ipswich
1980: A new salon for black hair.
#OnThisDay 1980: A new hairdressing salon called Soul Scissors was opened in Birmingham specialising in black hair. Pioneering American hair stylist Art Dyson explained why there was a need for dedicated hair stylists, explaining the methods used when caring for the delicate hair of his clients.
Clip taken from Midlands Today, originally broadcast on BBC One (Midlands), 15 May 1980.
#BBCArchive #SoulScissors #BlackHair
As Eurovision celebrates 70 years, we look back at how the sparkly music contest has evolved over the years.
To read more about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, check out /esc70/
Image 1 - Jacqueline Boyer of France, singer of the winning song 'Tom Pillibi' in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix, 1960.
Image 2 - Katie Boyle hosting during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968.
Image 3 - ABBA members Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog, Frida Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 along with conductor Sven-Olof Walldoff.
Image 4 - Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran, the United Kingdom's 1977 Eurovision Song Contest entry, on an open top bus outside BBC Television Centre. Lynsey and Mike's song, 'Rock Bottom', finished 2nd in the competition with 121 points.
Image 5 - Terry Wogan, much loved commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest coverage for the UK, photographed in 1993.
Image 6 – Memo from 1968 when the BBC first broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in colour. Guidance is given on what performers should wear to show up best on the screen… imagine Eurovision without the sparkle!
1974: Manchester's new brutalist housing estates.
#OnThisDay 1974: When large areas of terrace houses in Manchester were cleared to make way for modern new housing estates in Hulme and Ardwick, the Tuesday Documentary made a film about the conflict which was arising between residents and the council. People found themselves in poorly constructed housing schemes which were unsuitable for families, where the outdoor space was off-limits for children to play in.
Clip taken from Tuesday Documentary: The Corporation and the People, originally broadcast on BBC One, 14 May 1974.
The whole documentary is available to watch on the BBC Archive YouTube channel.
#BBCArchive #HulmeCrescents #FortArdwick
1990: Are adults better at general knowledge than kids?
#OnThisDay 1990: That’s Life took a copy of the Daily Mirror’s quiz out onto the streets of Romford to find out whether adults were better informed than children when it came to subjects including politics, science and showbiz.
Clip taken from That’s Life, originally broadcast on BBC One, 13 May 1990.
#BBCArchive #GeneralKnowledge #VoxPops
Long before the current trend for tiny resin animals, artists like Bill Axcell, known locally as the ‘Glass Animal Man’, transfixed children with his beautifully crafted creations. In 1974, Look Stranger had the joyful job of visiting his shop in Brighton to film his work coming to life.
Clip taken from Look Stranger: The Glass Animal Man, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 20 April 1974.
#BBCArchive #GlassAnimals #Brighton
2001: Teenage Susie Wolff on her driving ambitions.
#OnThisDay 2001: Former professional racing driver Susie Wolff is known for helping young women get into motorsport through her work managing the F1 Academy. But back in 2001, when she was a teenager and known as Susie Stoddart, she had recently graduated from driving karts to single seater Formula Ford cars. Speaking to BBC Scotland, she talked about her love of motor-racing and her hopes to achieve a career in Formula 1.
Clip taken from Friday Sportscene, originally broadcast on BBC One (Scotland), 11 May 2001.
#BBCArchive #SusieWolff #SusieStoddart #F1
1979: Stan Lee on inventing the Incredible Hulk.
#OnThisDay 1962: The Incredible Hulk made his Marvel comics debut in a story written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby. The hugely popular character went from comic books onto the screen, and in 1979 Stan Lee spoke about his monstrous creation, as part of a documentary which looked at how characters were marketed to children.
Clip taken from The Persuaders: Rolling the Bandwagon, originally broadcast on BBC One, 16 August 1979.
#BBCArchive #StanLee #IncredibleHulk
1979: The home with its own cinema organ.
#OnThisDay 1979: A homeowner from Stoney Stanton in Leicestershire invited Midlands Today round, along with half his neighbours, to hear a recital on the cinema organ he had squeezed into his house.
Clip taken from Midlands Today, originally broadcast on BBC One (Midlands), 9 May 1979.
#BBCArchive #CinemaOrgan #unusalinteriors
As Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday, we look back across the decades at some of the moments throughout his career as a producer and broadcaster.
See more on Sir David Attenborough’s work in natural history at /attenborough100archive
Image 1: David Attenborough discusses plans for the Trans-Antarctic Expedition with Dr. V.E Fuchs. 1955
Image 2: Harry Hastings (Production Assistant), David Attenborough (Editor of Unit) and Brian Branston (Producer), from the BBC Travel & Exploration Unit, working with film. 1962
Image 3: David Attenborough with a lively Ring-Tailed Lemur during the Annual Christmas Lecture to Young People at the Royal Institution in London. 1973
Image 4: David Attenborough experiencing weightlessness in NASA’s astronaut training aircraft whilst filming for ‘The Living Planet: The Sky Above’. 1984
Image 5: Sir David Attenborough swimming underwater in 'The Trials of Life' - a twelve-part series outlining the natural history of animal behaviour. 1990
Image 6: Sir David Attenborough combining his love of music and natural history in a search for the origins of human music for the programme ‘The Song of the Earth’. 2000
#BBCArchive #DavidAttenborough #Attenborough
1980: Sir David Attenborough answers children’s questions.
“I think we’re all interested in wildlife because we are part of nature.”
It's Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday and in 1980 he faced questions from an audience of young viewers about his life and television career. Former Blue Peter presenter Lesley Judd hosted the show, and Attenborough talked about making a connection with wild gorillas, and his concerns for the environment.
Clip taken from In the Limelight with Lesley, originally broadcast on BBC One, 9 May 1980.
See more on Sir David Attenborough’s lifelong career in Natural History at /attenborough100archive
#BBCArchive #DavidAttenborough #Attenborough
