1958 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1958 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

Monarch – Elizabeth II
Prime Minister – Harold Macmillan

Events

6 January – Chancellor of the Exchequer Peter Thorneycroft together with junior Treasury Ministers Enoch Powell and Nigel Birch resign over Cabinet opposition to spending cuts, an event dismissed to the Press the following day by the Prime Minister as "little local difficulties".
14 January – TWW, the ITV franchise for South Wales and the West of England goes on the air.
6 February – The Manchester United F.C. team plane flying back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade crashes on take-off after refuelling at Munich Airport in West Germany. 21 of the 44 people on board are killed. Seven of them are Manchester United players: captain and left-back Roger Byrne, centre-half Mark Jones, right-half Eddie Colman, centre-forward Tommy Taylor, full-back Geoff Bent, left-winger David Pegg, and inside-forward Billy Whelan. Eight of the nine sports journalists travelling on the plane are also killed, including the former Manchester City and England national football team goalkeeper Frank Swift. Among the survivors are 10 United players and manager Matt Busby, who is reported to be seriously injured. Outside-right Johnny Berry and left-half Duncan Edwards are also reported to be in a serious condition.
20 February – The government announces plans to close the 300-year-old naval dockyards at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey which would result in more than 2,500 workers losing their jobs.
21 February – Duncan Edwards dies of his injuries in a Munich hospital fifteen days after the Munich air crash. Edwards, twenty-one years old and rated by many as the finest player in England, is the eighth Manchester United player to die.
25 February – Bertrand Russell launches the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, initiated at a meeting called by Canon John Collins on 15 January. The campaign peace symbol has been launched on 21 February by Gerald Holtom.
27 February – The final death toll of the Munich air disaster reaches 23 with the death of co-pilot Kenneth Rayment in hospital.
28 February – The Victorian Society, the pressure group for Victorian architecture, holds its first meeting.
March – Removal of Derbyshire county administrative headquarters from Derby to Matlock begins.
2 March – The British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Vivian Fuchs completes the first crossing of the Antarctic using Sno-Cat caterpillar tractors and dogsled teams in 99 days.
19 March – The official opening by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh of the London Planetarium, the first of its kind in Britain. Public presentations commence on 20 March.
24 March – Work on the M1, Britain's first full-length motorway, begins. The first stretch of the motorway, due to open next year, will run from London to the Warwickshire-Northamptonshire border. During the 1960s, the remainder of the motorway will be built to give London an unbroken motorway link with Leeds some 200 miles away.
29 March – Mary Elizabeth Wilson of Windy Nook in County Durham is convicted as a serial mariticide.
1 April – The BBC Radiophonic Workshop is created.
4–7 April – The first protest march for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament from Trafalgar Square to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, demanding a ban on nuclear weapons.
7 April – The Church of England gives its moral backing to family planning.
27 April – British Overseas Airways Corporation 's first de Havilland Comet 4 makes its maiden flight.
30 April
* The Life Peerages Act receives Royal Assent, the Act allows the creation of life peers who can sit in the House of Lords. As life peerages could be bestowed on women, this Act allows them to sit in the House of Lords for the first time.
* The musical My Fair Lady, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, opens in London's Drury Lane theatre.
3 May – Bolton Wanderers win the FA Cup for the fourth time in their history with a 2–0 win over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. Both goals are scored by centre-forward Nat Lofthouse.
21 May – United Kingdom Postmaster General Ernest Marples announces that from December, Subscriber Trunk Dialling will be introduced in the Bristol area.
27 May – 19-year-old Shelagh Delaney's "kitchen sink drama" A Taste of Honey is staged by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
May – Nuclear development: Dounreay materials test reactor in Scotland achieves criticality.
4 June – The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is presented for the first time at Buckingham Palace.
7 June – Ian Donald publishes an article in The Lancet which describes the diagnostic use of ultrasound in obstetrics as pioneered in Glasgow.
9 June – The Queen officially reopens Gatwick Airport which has been expanded at a cost of more than £7,000,000.
18 June – Benjamin Britten's one-act children's opera Noye's Fludde premieres at the Aldeburgh Festival.
3 July
* The US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement, chiefly concerning co-operation over nuclear weapons, is signed in Washington, D.C.
* The last débutante is formally presented to the Queen, at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
10 July – The UK's first parking meters are installed in the City of Westminster.
17 July – British paratroopers arrive in Jordan: King Hussein has asked for help against pressure from Iraq.
18–26 July – The British Empire and Commonwealth Games are held in Cardiff.
26 July
* The Queen gives her son Charles the heir apparent's customary title of Prince of Wales, announcing this at the Cardiff games.
* Abolition of the presentation of débutantes to the royal court.
1 August
* Blind politician Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale, becomes the first life peer to obtain his letters patent.
* Carry on Sergeant, the first Carry On film, is released.
8 August – Sociologist Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger, becomes the first female peer in her own right to obtain letters patent.
28 August – The first Miss United Kingdom beauty pageant is held on Blackpool beach; Eileen Sheridan of Walton-on-Thames is the winner.
29 August
* Project Emily: The first United States Thor missile is delivered to the UK, for operation by No. 77 Squadron RAF at RAF Feltwell.
* Cliff Richard's debut single Move It is released, reaching #2 in the chart. It is credited with being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs produced outside the United States.
30 August
* Notting Hill race riots in London.
* Southern Television, the ITV franchise for the South of England goes on the air.
1 September – The first Cod War between the UK and Iceland breaks out.
5 September – A severe storm over the South-East of England seriously disrupts communications.
16 September – Relaxation of restrictions on hire purchase.
20 September – 1958 Syerston Avro Vulcan crash: During a high-speed flyby in an air show at RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire, prototype Avro Vulcan bomber VX770 suffers total collapse of the starboard wing and crashes, killing all four crew and three people on the ground.
30 September – Britain's last flying boat is withdrawn from commercial service when Aquila Airways terminates its service on the Southampton–Funchal route, on which it has been using Short Solent planes.
1 October – The UK transfers sovereignty of Christmas Island from Singapore to Australia.
4 October – BOAC de Havilland Comet 4 G-APDB makes the first commercial transatlantic flight by a jet airliner, from London Heathrow Airport to New York International Airport, Anderson Field via Gander.
11 October – First broadcast of the long-running BBC Television sports programme Grandstand. It would run until 2007.
16 October – First broadcast of the long-running BBC Television children's programme Blue Peter.
19 October – By finishing second in the Moroccan Grand Prix, Mike Hawthorn becomes the first British racing driver to win the Formula One World Championship.
21 October – The first life peers, including the first female peers, enter the House of Lords. The Baronesses Swanborough and Wootton are the first women to take their seats as life peers, and Lord Parker of Waddington, the Lord Chief Justice of England, the first man to do so.
25 October – The Short SC.1 experimental VTOL aircraft makes its first free vertical flight.
28 October – The State Opening of Parliament is broadcast on television for the first time.
10 November – Donald Campbell sets the world water speed record at 248.62 mph on Coniston Water.
24 November – An exhibition of computers held at Earl's Court, London, the first of its kind in the world.
25 November – The Austin FX4 London taxi goes on sale, it will remain in production until 1997.
30 November – During the live broadcast of the Armchair Theatre play Underground on the ITV network, actor Gareth Jones has a fatal heart attack between scenes.
5 December
* The Preston Bypass, the UK's first motorway, is opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
* Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated by The Queen when she dials a call from Bristol to Edinburgh and speaks to Lord Provost.
* The first service by a Royal National Lifeboat Institution self-righting lifeboat, RNLB J.G. Graves of Sheffield at Scarborough.
10 December – English biochemist Frederick Sanger wins his first Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on the structure of proteins, especially that of insulin".
24 December – 1958 Bristol Britannia 312 crash: a BOAC Bristol Britannia airliner crashes near Winkton in Hampshire on a routine test flight.
25 December – Christmas Day is a public holiday in Scotland for the first time.

Undated

The first boutique, His Clothes, is opened in Carnaby Street, London, by John Stephen.
British Nylon Spinners introduce the name Bri-Nylon.
The first Little Chef diner is opened in Reading, Berkshire, by Sam Alper.
German-born British mathematician Klaus Roth wins the Fields Medal for his work on the Thue–Siegel–Roth theorem.
The British Rally Championship in motorsport begins its first year.

Publications

H. E. Bates' novel The Darling Buds of May, first in the Larkin family series.
John Betjeman's Collected Poems.
Michael Bond's children's story A Bear Called Paddington, introducing the character Paddington Bear .
Agatha Christie's novel Ordeal by Innocence.
Lawrence Durrell's novels Balthazar and Mountolive from The Alexandria Quartet.
Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Dr. No.
Graham Greene's novel Our Man in Havana.
Dr D. G. Hessayon's guide Be Your Own Gardening Expert, first in the best selling gardening book series in history.
Iris Murdoch's novel The Bell.
Alan Sillitoe's first novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.
T. H. White's Arthurian novel The Once and Future King.
Raymond Williams' book Culture and Society.
Michael Young's satirical essay The Rise of the Meritocracy.Bunty comic first published.

Births

2 January – Helen Goodman, English lawyer and politician
4 January – Julian Sands, English actor
9 January
* Steve Gibson, English businessman
* Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic
10 January – Caroline Langrishe, English actress
12 January – Christiane Amanpour, journalist
24 January – Jools Holland, British musician
27 January – Alan Milburn, British Labour politician and MP for Darlington
29 January – Linda Smith, comedian
1 February – Eleanor Laing, British Conservative politician, MP for Epping Forest, and Shadow Minister for Women
6 February – Tim Dakin, English bishop and missionary
7 February – Matt Ridley, English science writer
10 February – Billy Thomson, Scottish footballer
11 February – Michael Jackson, British broadcast executive
12 February – Steve Grand, English computer scientist
17 February – Steve Fox, footballer and gardener
19 February
* Helen Fielding, novelist and screenwriter
* Steve Nieve, musician
20 February – James Wilby, actor
26 February – Paul Ackford, rugby player
28 February – Ian Burnett, Lord Chief Justice
1 March – Nik Kershaw, English pop singer-songwriter
3 March – Miranda Richardson, English actress
5 March – Andy Gibb, English-born pop singer-songwriter
7 March – Rik Mayall, comedian
8 March
* Andy McDonald, politician
* Gary Numan, English new wave singer
10 March – Garth Crooks, English football player and pundit
13 March
* Caryl Phillips, Saint Kitts-born writer
* Linda Robson, actress
16 March – Chris Mole, British Labour politician and MP for Ipswich
18 March – Neil Brand, British writer and composer
21 March
* Richard Murphy, English tax campaigner
* Gary Oldman, English actor
29 March – Fiona Reynolds, civil servant and academic administrator
6 April
* Graeme Base, English-born Australian children's illustrator and author
* Jackie Gallagher, English footballer
9 April – Nadey Hakim, British-Lebanese surgeon and sculptor
11 April – Stuart Adamson, Scottish rock singer and guitarist
12 April – Will Sergeant, English rock guitarist
14 April – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor and director
15 April
* Abu Hamza al-Masri, Egyptian-born Muslim cleric convicted of inciting racial hatred and murder
* Sir Robert Smith, 3rd Baronet, British Liberal Democrat politician and MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
* Benjamin Zephaniah, Black British poet and musician
18 April – Saviour Pirotta, British/Maltese children's author
22 April – Nick Danziger, British photo journalist
24 April – Brian Paddick, Baron Paddick, British police commander
25 April – Fish, Scottish rock singer
3 May – Sandi Toksvig, Danish-born comedian, author and broadcast presenter
4 May
* Caroline Spelman, British Conservative politician, MP for Meriden, Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs
* Jane Kennedy, British Labour politician, MP for Liverpool Wavertree
8 May – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
18 May – Toyah Willcox, actress and singer
20 May – Paul Whitehouse, Welsh comedian and actor
22 May – Denise Welch, English actress
25 May – Paul Weller, English singer-songwriter
26 May – Howard Goodall, English composer
3 June – Simon Fraser, diplomat
5 June – Graeme Crallan, heavy metal drummer
6 June – Paul Burrell, butler to Princess Diana
7 June – Ivan Henderson, British Labour politician and MP for Harwich
11 June – Barry Adamson, English singer and bass player
14 June – Nick Van Eede, pop rock singer-songwriter, frontman for Cutting Crew
18 June – Gary Martin, voice actor and actor
23 June – John Henry Hayes, British Conservative politician, MP for South Holland and The Deepings, and Chairman of the Cornerstone Group
29 June – Peter Scudamore, National Hunt jockey
30 June – Pam Royle, British television presenter, journalist and voice coach
July – Huw Dixon, Welsh economist
1 July – Les Morton, English racewalker
4 July – Carl Valentine, footballer in Canada
5 July – Paul Daniel, English conductor
6 July – Jennifer Saunders, comedy actress
9 July – Robin Kermode, English actor, author and communications coach
11 July – Mark Lester, child actor
15 July - Monica Grady, space scientist
17 July
* Suzanne Moore, English journalist
* Nick Newman, English satirical cartoonist and scriptwriter
24 July – Joe McGann, English actor
27 July
* Christopher Dean, ice dancer, Olympic gold medallist
* Vincenzo Nicoli, actor
30 July
* Kate Bush, art pop singer-songwriter
* Daley Thompson, decathlete, Olympic gold medallist
1 August – Adrian Dunbar, actor, director and singer
3 August – Lindsey Hilsum, journalist
7 August – Bruce Dickinson, English heavy metal singer
10 August – Rosie Winterton, British Labour politician, MP for Doncaster Central and member of the Privy Council
13 August – Feargal Sharkey, Northern Irish punk rock lead singer of The Undertones
14 August – Philip Dunne, Conservative politician and MP for Ludlow
19 August – Gordon Brand Jnr, Scottish professional golfer
20 August – Nicholas Bell, English act2or based in Australia
29 August – Lenny Henry, entertainer
30 August – Muriel Gray, Scottish author, broadcaster and journalist
31 August – Stephen Cottrell, English Anglican bishop
13 September – Bobby Davro, actor, comedian and impressionist
18 September – Linda Lusardi, model, actress and television presenter
21 September – Simon Mayo, radio presenter
23 September – Danielle Dax, British experimental musician
27 September – Irvine Welsh, Scottish novelist
4 October – Anneka Rice, Welsh-born television presenter
14 October – Thomas Dolby, English musician
17 October – Craig Murray, UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan
20 October
* Dave Finlay, Northern Irish professional wrestler
* Mark King, English jazz-funk singer and slap-style bass guitarist
25 October – Phil Daniels, English actor
26 October – Shaun Woodward, British Labour politician and MP for St Helens South
27 October – Simon Le Bon, English new wave singer-songwriter
29 October – Cherry Vann, archbishop
1 November – Mark Austin, English newsreader
2 November – Mark Phillip Hendrick, British Labour Co-operative politician and MP for Preston
6 November – Cath Kidston, English fashion designer and businesswoman
19 November – Isabella Blow, British fashion journalist
22 November – Bruce Payne, English actor and producer
24 November
* Gregory Doran, theatre director
* Nick Knight, photographer
25 November – Kim Ashfield, model
1 December – Keith Chapman, English children's television programme creator
2 December – Andrew George, British Liberal Democrat politician and MP for St Ives
5 December – Dynamite Kid, English professional wrestler
6 December – Nick Park, filmmaker and animator
7 December – Tim Butler, musician
14 December
* Mike Scott, Scottish folk rock singer-songwriter
* Spider Stacy, English Celtic punk tin whistle player and singer-songwriter
18 December
* Joseph Comerford, hydraulic engineer
* Geordie Walker, rock guitarist
19 December
* Steven Isserlis, English cellist
* Limahl, English pop singer
21 December – Kevin Blackwell, English football manager

Unknown date

Adrian Bradshaw, army commander
Omar Bakri Muhammad, Syrian-born Muslim cleric

Deaths

4 January – John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, civil servant and politician
16 January – Aubrey Mather, actor
6 February – Manchester United F.C. players and associates in Munich air disaster:
* Roger Byrne, team captain
* Geoff Bent
* Eddie Colman
* Mark Jones
* David Pegg
* Tommy Taylor
* Billy Whelan
* Frank Swift, journalist and former Manchester City F.C. and England goalkeeper
7 February – Walter Kingsford, actor
11 February – Ernest Jones, Welsh psychoanalyst
13 February – Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragette
21 February – Duncan Edwards, Manchester United footballer, died in Munich air disaster
26 March – Phil Mead, English cricketer
16 April – Rosalind Franklin, British crystallographer
19 April – Billy Meredith, Welsh footballer
3 May – Frank Foster, English cricketer
19 May – Ronald Colman, English actor
22 May – Sir Richmond Palmer, lawyer and colonial administrator
9 June – Robert Donat, English film and stage actor
13 June – Edwin Keppel Bennett, British writer
28 June – Alfred Noyes, English poet
15 July – Julia Lennon, mother of John Lennon
20 July – Margaret Haig Thomas, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda, political campaigner and businesswoman
3 August – Peter Collins, British Formula 1 driver, died in German Grand Prix
26 August – Ralph Vaughan Williams, British composer
3 September – Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel, British army general
23 September – Alfred Piccaver, British-born American operatic tenor
25 September – Henry Arthur Evans, Welsh Conservative politician
2 October – Marie Stopes, birth control advocate, suffragette and palaeontologist
17 October – Charlie Townsend, English cricketer
24 October – G. E. Moore, philosopher, author of Principia Ethica
28 October – Stephen Butterworth, physicist and engineer
30 October – Rose Macaulay, novelist
24 November – Lord Robert Cecil, English politician and diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
30 November – Gareth Jones, Welsh-born television actor
2 December – Alan McKibbin, Northern Irish politician
5 December – Willie Applegarth, Olympic sprinter, died in United States