This week, it’s 2001.
Round-up
- Average house price: £93,544
- Base rate at year-end: 4.0%
- House Price Inflation: 13.8%
- General inflation: 1.8%
- Oscar Best Picture Winner: Gladiator
- Best-selling album: No Angel, Dido
- Must-have Christmas toy: Lego Bionicle
- Christmas number one: Something Stupid, Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
Mortgage/housing market highlights
Tracker mortgages became more widely sought after as the base rate fell six times during 2001, effectively handing control of interest rate movements to the Bank of England.
The buy-to-let market became increasingly popular as new landlords looked to invest in bricks and mortar rather than stocks and shares which were still falling in value.
The year’s highlights
January – Apple announces iTunes at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. It was described as a way of organising and playing digital music and videos.
February – A foot and mouth scare is revealed in a UK abattoir leading to an outbreak which causes devastating effects on the rural economy.
May – Former Labour deputy Prime Minister John Prescott punches a protester who throws an egg at him during a visit to North Wales.
April – The Mars Odyssey, a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars, is launched.
July – Goran Ivanišević beats Pat Rafter in the 115th Wimbledon men’s tennis, Venus Williams beats Justine Henin in the 108th Wimbledon women’s tennis.
July – Jurassic Park III starring Sam Neill and William H Macy premieres in the US.
September – America comes under attack as planes are hijacked by terrorists and driven into the World Trade Centre in New York, the Pentagon was severely damaged and a plane crashes in a field near Pittsburgh.
November – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first film adaptation of the books by J. K. Rowling, are released starring Daniel Radcliffe.
… and that was the year that was.
