Here are links to some videos which we shared on Thursday June 2nd to remind us of where technology was at the time when Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor became Queen of the UK and 15 other countries.
The Great Smog of London https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xajjmbJrfEM
Great Smog of London, lethal smog that covered the city of London for five days (December 5–9) in 1952, caused by a combination of industrial pollution and high-pressure weather conditions. This combination of smoke and fog brought the city to a near standstill and resulted in thousands of deaths.
Date: December 5, 1952 – December 9, 1952
Britain explodes its first atom bomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTS-6tqJGw
Britain developed its own atom bomb to remain a great power and avoid complete dependence on the United States, which was refusing to share atomic information. In May 1952 Downing Street announced that the test would be conducted in the uninhabited Monte Bello Islands off the north-west coast of Australia
British gas turbine car holds world speed record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jhFYat9hkg
The Rover JET1 was a gas turbine car originally built in Solihull in 1949/1950 by the Rover Company, and modified to a more aerodynamic style in 1952. It held a world speed record for a gas turbine-powered car in 1952 with a speed of 152.691 mph.
Farnborough airshow tragedy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHj0FOkcE94
On 6 September 1952, a prototype de Havilland DH.110 jet fighter crashed during an aerial display at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England. The jet disintegrated mid-air during an aerobatic manoeuvre, causing the death of pilot John Derry and onboard flight test observer Anthony Richards.
British TV from the 1950s : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFGQbt7Ktrc
How Television works ... in 1952 https://youtu.be/ntVqsysgaJs
Vintage Television 1952. A great informational film explaining “HOW TELEVISION WORKS.” With some digital restoration edits, this easy-to-watch gives a nice overview of the technology behind broadcast television and early CRT based television sets. Filmed in WGN studios in Chicago. Film shows the Camera tube (Image Orthicon), CRT picture tube, TV control room, TV signal transmission and more. Run time 10 minutes. (Uploaded for educational use and historical comment, Computer History Archives Project)