By the Numbers in 1970
World Population
3.7B
UK Life Expectancy
56.1 years
US Life Expectancy
56.7 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$36.34
Dow Jones Index
839
US National Debt
370.5B
Sovereign Nations
127
How Much Did Things Cost in 1970?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £4,975 | $23,400 |
| Average salary | £1,560 | $8,730 |
| Pint of milk | 4p | $0.33 |
| Loaf of bread | 9p | $0.24 |
| Dozen eggs | 25p | $0.61 |
| Pint of beer | 12p | $0.65 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | 33p | $0.36 |
| Cinema ticket | 30p | $1.55 |
Technology and Inventions in 1970
Colour television was rapidly spreading in UK homes after BBC2's full colour launch. Pocket calculators were still exotic luxuries, and the floppy disk was invented by IBM this year. Most offices relied on typewriters, carbon paper, and telex machines.
- ● IBM introduces the 8-inch floppy disk
- ● First commercial Boeing 747 flight (Pan Am, JFK to Heathrow)
- ● Concorde makes its first supersonic flight
- ● The first Earth Day is celebrated on 22 April
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