In a year otherwise lacking in street cred, the ultimate "cool" sport of snowboarding was born and the car to drive was the Austin Allegro, preferably in brown, with velour trim and square "quartic" steering wheel.

Daredevil motorcycle stunt rider Evel Knievel was the man of the moment. Chopper even launched a Knievel push-bike, complete with fake exhaust pipe.

Making good use of the things that they find, the Wombles emerged from their Wimbledon Common burrow for the first time to tidy Britain (and eat Madame Cholet�s cakes).

Women were allowed onto the floor of the Stock Exchange in London for the first time on the 1st of February.

Priests were called out to calm audiences as the most reviled horror movie of all time, The Exorcist, opened in cinemas.

Never again would absent-minded smokers return home from the pub gutted, after lending their brand new Zippo to "that bloke on the pool table". The Bic disposable lighter was born.

Not quite a crisp, not quite an alien spaceship. Not even a drummer in a band. Golden Wonder introduced Ringos.