90 years of the Good Housekeeping Institute
1920s - The launch of Good Housekeeping
The First World War changed life irrevocably for middleclass housewives, with many no longer able to afford domestic staff. This, together with a boom in household appliances, led to a new magazine – Good Housekeeping – and, two years later, the original consumer champion, the Good Housekeeping Institute.
1922
British Good Housekeeping was launched in March. Its print run of 150,000 sold out and by its third issue it was making a profit. It was bought by women making homes for heroes for the cover price of one shilling.
In London, the first telephone exchange opened and the British Broadcasting Company was formed, making regular radio broadcasts. The Law of Property Act enabled husband and wife to inherit property equally and the first electric-powered dishwasher in Britain was developed.
1923
The Matrimonial Causes Bill was passed. For the first time a wife was eligible to petition for divorce on account of her husband’s adultery. The Swan kettle was invented, the first to have a separate element, and the first electric fridge was sold in the UK.
1924
The Good Housekeeping Institute opened its doors off The Strand in London at 49 Wellington Street WC2. It included a modern kitchen and bathroom, with a laundry and research laboratories, offices and a terrace for photography. It was modelled on the American pattern, and introduced the UK to The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval – which has gone into the English language to mean trusted, reliable and of good quality. While the Seal is no longer used in the UK, today’s GHI Approved and Reader Recommended schemes carry the same meanings in the mind of the consumer. In charge of it all back then was Dorothy Daisy (DD) Cottington – ‘a perfect dynamo of energy’ – who, intriguingly, never had her full name printed in the magazine.
In this year, the Ministry of Health banned preservatives in cream, butter, margarine and other foodstuffs and Pyrex glassware was introduced in Britain. The Electrical Association for Women was founded by Dame Caroline Haslett to encourage the use of electricity in the home
1925
Good Housekeeping recipes were collected together in the first GH cookbook.
The Guardianship of Infants Act gave parents equal claims over their children.
1926
The National Grid was established, a General Strike immobilised the nation and the all-electric gramophone was developed. In fashion, Coco Chanel introduces her Little Black Dress and, for the first time, hemlines are on the knees. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was born.
1927
Good Housekeeping opened a restaurant opposite Selfridges in London’s Oxford Street. Meanwhile wireless made its way into three-million homes and gramophones were all the rage, too.
1928
All women over the age of 21 were given the vote. The first TV went on sale in the US and the first talking picture was shown in the UK.
1929
Ramsay MacDonald was elected Prime Minister, while the Wall Street Crash triggered worldwide depression. The first public telephone boxes appeared, and the Aga was invented in Sweden.
1930s - War is declared
Depression hit Britain hard, but the standard of living continued to rise for the middle classes. Home ownership was made more affordable with building society mortgages, and widespread hire-purchase schemes made labour-saving appliances more accessible to more people. Women were desperate to learn how to use the new technology, and readers persuaded the GHI to hold courses on the use of domestic equipment. One bizarre innovation that passed GHI tests, but not the test of time, was the Atmos: a ‘mechanical housemaid’ that claimed to be a ‘clothes washer; rinser; wringer; drier; ironer – and vacuum cleaner’.
1930
Fibreglass was made in Britain.
1931
There was a political crisis in Britain as the gold standard was abandoned, Sterling was devalued and unemployment reached a record high. The Baby Belling cooker came onto the market and Creda produced the first electric cooker with thermostatic control
1932
The Mars bar and a plastic radio set – the Ekco SH25 with a Bakelite case – both went on sale. In line with the teaching profession and the Civil Service, the BBC introduced a marriage bar, no longer employing married women, except under exceptional circumstances.
1933
Tampons were invented in the US and the first Anglepoise lamp was sold.
1934
Driving tests were introduced and the SNP was founded to fight for an independent Scotland. Clingfilm, the Vent-Axia extractor fan and Goblin Teasmade all made an appearance.
1935
Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister. House building peaked at 350,000 homes a year and cities expanded into the suburbs. Penguin paperbacks went on sale and Perspex became available in the UK.
1936
The first TV broadcast by the BBC was made from Alexandra Palace, north London. But at 100 guineas, a TV set was more expensive than a small car. More and more families moved to the new suburbs. Meanwhile 200 men from Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, marched to London to petition Parliament about unemployment. The speaking clock made its first appearance and almost 250,000 calls were made in its first week. In January, King George V died to be succeeded by Edward VIII. In December, he abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson.
1937
George VI was crowned and Palestine partitioned. Kit Kats and the 999 emergency service were launched and Nylon was patented. Smedley’s asparagus became the first frozen food in Britain.
1938
Men’s Y-fronts went on sale (left handers were advised to wear them inside out) and instant coffee was developed. Doctors reported the phenomenon of ‘suburban neurosis’ experienced by housewives cut off from their extended families and old communities. But by the end of the decade, as preparation for war started and Good Housekeeping swung its weight behind the war effort, the psychological troubles of housewives were long forgotten.
1939
Germany invaded Poland and war was declared on 3 September. Evacuated from central London, GH staff produced the magazine from St Donat’s Castle in Wales. Colour TVs and a fridge with freezer compartments went on sale.
1940s - Victory in Europe
With Britain now at war and many items in short supply, the Institute turned its attention to helping people make do with less. Printed in a smaller format because of paper shortages, GH was full of energy-saving ideas, nutritious recipes and patriotic articles. Women became good at improvising, even in their beauty regimes: using beetroot juice for lipstick and soot instead of eye shadow. Towards the end of the war, GH joined the Government in promoting the idea of ‘jam tomorrow’ – promising a good life ahead. Advances in aviation, communications and the manufacture of man-made materials did set the stage for economic growth. However, post-war financial crisis meant food rationing continued until the end of the decade.
1940
Food rationing was introduced, along with a Government ban on buying and selling new cars and a 24% tax on luxury goods. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister, and an electric shaver for women was marketed. Wartime measures included food rationing, a Government ban on buying and selling new cars, and a 24% tax on luxury goods. Parliament reduced the pensionable age for women from 65 to 60 years and in the USA nylon stockings went on sale for the first time.
1941
Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, America joined the Allies and clothing coupons were introduced. In the UK, rationing was extended to clothes. The National Service Act introduced conscription for women. All unmarried women aged between the ages of 20 and 30 were called up for war work.
1942
American troops arrived in Britain. Fuel rationing and driving for pleasure was prohibited. The first sell-by date appeared – on Lyons Coffee. And Walt Disney released Bambi. Meanwhile, the Church of England relaxed its rule, which insisted that women wore hats to church.
1943
All women aged between 18 and 43 were now obliged to take on part-time work, though pregnant women and those with young children could be exempt.
1944
The introduction of free secondary education for all, and the school leaving age was raised to 15.
1945
Peace. Britain celebrated Victory in Europe Day and Labour, led by Clement Attlee, won the general election by a landslide. Atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and the United Nations was established. Fluorescent light arrived, as did Tupperware (in the US) and the first microwave was developed.
1946
Tide was the first detergent specifically for washing machines. The Government announced a plan to spend £380 million on new towns to house one million people and the marriage bar is abolished in the Post Office and Civil Service. Instant mashed potato was born and TV licences were issued.
1947
The Government began a nationalisation programme, starting with the coal mines. The Kenwood Chef was developed and the first microwave oven went on sale.
1948
The Welfare State was established and immigration from the Commonwealth began. The introduction of the National Health Service gave everyone free access to health care. Previously it was only the insured, usually men, who had benefited from this.
1949
George Orwell’s 1984 published. The introduction of 7in records signalled the end for old 78s. Britain’s first launderette opened and clothes rationing ended – but food rationing continued.
1950s - Queen Elizabeth II takes to the throne
The decade started optimistically, with the Festival of Britain and post-war building programmes to build new homes.
1950
The first successful kidney transplant was performed in the US and, in the UK, the first episodes of Listen With Mother and The Archers were heard on the radio.
1951
A study showed the average British housewife worked a 75-hour week – spending a quarter of her time in the kitchen. After the independence of the war years, women found themselves imprisoned in their homes once more.
Winston Churchill became Prime Minister again and The British Standards Institute Kite Mark was introduced.
1952
Tetleys introduced teabags and the telephone answering machine was invented.
1953
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Watson and Crick published their work on the structure of DNA. Equal pay was introduced for women teachers.
1954
Rationing ended, while IBM launched an ‘electronic brain’ – a forerunner of the computer. In sport, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile.
1955
Sir Anthony Eden was elected Prime Minister. ITV made its first broadcast and Wimpy opened a hamburger chain. In fashion, Mary Quant opened her shop Bazaar on the King's Road, London.
1956
The Suez crisis threatened Britain’s stability, and Teflon coated non-stick frying pans were made in the US. In the UK, The National Childbirth Trust was founded to prepare couples for childbirth and parenting.
1957
Combined washer/spin dryers appeared in launderettes and the first microwave came to Britain.
1958
Stereo hi-fi equipment and records were launched, and the first domestic tumble dryer produced. Preston bypass became Britain’s first motorway. For the first time ultrasound was available to examine unborn babies.
1959
Mini radios made with transistors went on sale. Velcro, the cassette tape and the Barbie doll were invented.
1960s - The decade of optimisim
It was an optimistic decade for the UK as people felt a confidence that life was getting better all the time. Prime Minister Harold Wilson boasted of a country fuelled by the ‘white heat of technological revolution’. Thanks to mass production, the price of TV sets, fridges, washing machines and cars all fell. But there was a reaction against the trend – Terence Conran’s Habitat, launched in 1964 to sell more individual and ethnic furnishings, was greeted enthusiastically. In the kitchen, the trend was still for fitted units, and it became popular to have the oven at eye-level. Homes became more colourful, and a huge range of bright and patterned Formica was available.
There was an array of goods to buy and credit cards to pay for them – and shopping became a favourite pastime. The self-service supermarket, made feasible by developments in plastic packaging and freezing, made food shopping simpler. And thanks to foreign package holidays and an interest in new tastes, the variety available increased. More and more women were going out to work. GH published many articles on working and running a home. There was also a backlash against the 1950s image of the ideal wife and hostess, and family life was becoming less formal.
1960
National Service ended. Miele introduced an automatic dishwasher and plastic carrier bags and rubbish sacks started to appear.
1961
The Berlin Wall was erected in Germany and Russian Yuri Gagarin is sent into space. Electric toothbrushes and fruit-flavoured yogurt were introduced.
1962
Transatlantic TV broadcasts were made via US satellites. Aluminium foil and flavoured crisps reached Britain.
1963
The Beatles recorded their first LP. Martin Luther King made his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech and President Kennedy was assassinated. In the UK John Profumo, the Minister of War, resigned over the Christine Keeler affair.
1964
Harold Wilson became Prime Minister and Beeching’s massive closure of railway lines was announced. BBC2 went on air and the first portable TV was launched. In politics, the Married Women's Property Act entitled a woman to keep half of any savings she had made from the allowance she was given by her husband.
1965
The UK abolished the death penalty. Mary Whitehouse set up the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association. And model Jean Shrimpton shocked the world when she appeared at the Melbourne races wearing a short skirt and no gloves. Metrication began moving us from ounces and pounds to grams and kilograms.
1966
Labour won the General Election and Harold Wilson was again Prime Minister. Barclaycard became the first British credit card and the conversion to natural gas began. The first push-button phones appeared and Twiggy made her first appearance at a photo shoot.
1967
The BBC made its first colour TV transmission. Barclays introduced a cash-dispensing machine and Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest with Puppet On A String.
1968
Creda’s self-cleaning oven went on sale.
1969
Man landed on the Moon and Concorde made its maiden flight. North Sea oil was discovered. The Representation of the People Act extended the vote to all men and women over the age of 18 years.
1970s - Strikes, terrorism, inflation and rising unemployment
Personal income fell for the first time in the mid-1970s. The oil crisis and power strikes brought a new awareness of fuel conservation – GH helped out with articles looking at issues such as insulation and recycling. Cheap, versatile, easily-washable synthetic fabrics were used for clothes and furnishings. This was the era of brushed nylon sheets, shag pile carpets and lots of static! The silicon chip, integral to the new computers, made programming on home appliances more sophisticated. They were also used in hi-fi systems and calculators.
By the end of the 1970s, video began to make its mark. The first video recorders were sold in the UK in 1978. By 1979, 230,000 homes had one – although 80% of these were rented. In 1970, only 4% of homes had a deep freezer – by 1978, 41% did. This prompted a huge increase in sales of pre-packed frozen food and a decrease in time spent preparing meals. GH provided regular advice on home freezing. Between 1971 and 1976, a million more married women joined the workforce, while the feminist movement encouraged women to fight for equal rights and equal pay at work.
1970
The age of majority was lowered from 21 to 18 and The Equal Pay Act enshrined in law the principal of equal pay for women.
1971
Decimalisation was introduced to the UK, the Government ended the supply of free school milk and the first personal computer was made in the USA.
1972
Britain joined the EEC and Access credit cards were introduced.
1973
Purchase tax was replaced by VAT and the first video game, Teletennis, went on sale. On 25 March, women were allowed on the floor of the London Stock Exchange for the first time.
1974
Free family planning on the NHS was introduced. The first transmission on Ceefax Teletext on BBC was made. Britain’s first McDonald’s hamburger restaurant opened.
1975
Several key pieces of legislation were passed: The Sex Discrimination Act, which made it illegal to discriminate against women in education, recruitment and advertising; the Employment Protection Act, which introduced statutory maternity provision and made it illegal to sack a woman because she was pregnant; and the Equal Pay Act took effect. Child Benefit replaced Family Allowances.
1976
Harold Wilson was replaced as Prime Minister by Jim Callaghan. The first camcorder was developed in Japan.
1977
Apple’s first personal computer went on sale. Freddie Laker launched Skytrain, pioneering budget travel.
1978
Louise Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, was born. Barcodes were introduced and a VHS video recorder went on sale.
1979
The Winter of Discontent and a general election. Margaret Thatcher became our first female Prime Minister. Council tenants gained the right to buy their homes.
1980s - The decade of Thatcherism
House prices and the large-scale privatisation of gas, water and telecommunications all combined to create a booming economy. ‘High-tech’ became a buzzword for everything from washing machines to camcorders. The end of the decade saw Tim Berners-Lee develop the World Wide Web, and the internet age beckoned…
1980
The Sony Walkman was introduced.
1981
Riots in Brixton. Prince Charles, 32, married Lady Diana Spencer, 20.
1982
Liquid detergent for washing machines was introduced. War was declared in the Falklands and unemployment hit 3 million for the first time since the 1930s. Channel Four was launched, increasing the choice on TV.
1983
Margaret Thatcher won a second General Election. Breakfast TV was born. Cordless phones became available and Apple introduced the computer mouse. Jenny Pitman became the first female trainer of a Grand National winner.
1984
The miners’ strike over pit closures began and would last for 12 months. IRA bombers hit the Tory conference in Brighton. Satellite TV was introduced and British Telecom was privatised. A new virus, known as AIDS, was identified.
1985
Amstrad launched its word processor. A cellular mobile phone appeared in the shops. Kim Cotton became Britain 's first surrogate mother.
1986
The Big Bang signalled deregulation and computerisation of the Stock Market. House prices soared and stock markets crashed in London and the US. More than 30 million people watched the Live Aid concert.
1987
Margaret Thatcher won a third election.
1988
All-day opening for pubs was introduced in England and Wales.
1989
Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web server. The Berlin Wall fell. By 1989, 19% of homes had a home computer.
1990s - The EU is formed
Despite the recession, the vast majority now had modern appliances, and there was an emphasis on intelligent machines – dishwashers could monitor the size of the load and modify the amount of water, length of wash and detergent used, for example. Takeaway food became popular, and cooking was transformed into a leisure pursuit. Delia Smith, Keith Floyd and Gary Rhodes became household names. GH cookbooks were sell-out successes. Personal computers fuelled a rise in working from home. For women, it could offer a more flexible approach to balancing a job with a family.
1990
Poll Tax riots rocked the country. TV shopping had its own channel and in-car television arrived. Margaret Thatcher stood down as the Tory leader and was replaced by John Major. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years.
1991
The Gulf War pulled British troops into Kuwait. Sunday opening for supermarkets was introduced, with limited trading hours. Electricity was privatised. The digital mobile phone was marketed.
1992
John Major became Prime Minister. The first virtual reality video games appeared and digital compact cassettes offered an alternative to CDs. The Channel Tunnel opened.
1993
The European Union was formed and the first passenger trains ran through the Channel Tunnel.
1994
‘It could be you…’ Britons were told as the National Lottery was launched. Britain’s first female vicars were ordained.
1995
Amazon.com launched as an online bookshop.
1996
After a few months of separation, Charles and Diana announced they had divorced.
1997
Tony Blair was elected Labour Prime Minister.
1998
The Good Friday Agreement established a devolved Northern Ireland Assembly.
1999
A new law on parental leave enabled both men and women to take up to 13 weeks off to care for children aged under five.
The new Millennium - Meet the iPhone, and the Euro
The rate of globalisation, which began after the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of Communism, accelerated with the internet. There was a huge jump in broadband coverage, and social networking sites took off.
Digital appliances flooded the market: hybrid cars, GPS, digital cameras and flat-screen TVs. The iPhone was launched in 2007 and other smartphones followed. But 2007 also saw the beginnings of a global financial crisis and recession. The authority of our Good Housekeeping Institute was needed more than ever as readers wanted value for money.
2000
There were worldwide celebrations for the Millennium and the Y2K Millennium bug failed to happen. Friends Reunited launched. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire was published to become the fastest selling book ever.
2001
Tony Blair won a second General Election. Wikipedia launched. 9/11 terrorist attacks hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The morning-after pill was sold for the first time over the counter.
2002
The Euro was introduced into 12 countries within the Euro-zone.
2003
Britain joined the US in invading Iraq.
2004
Facebook was born and the Licensing Act allowed 24-hour drinking.
2005
Tony Blair won a third general election. YouTube was launched. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, killing 200. Prince Charles married Camilla Parker- Bowles and the Civil Partnership Act came into force.
2006
Twitter launched.
2007
Apple released the iPhone. The UK imposed a smoking ban in pubs.
2008
Financial services firm Lehman Brothers collapsed, triggering a world financial crisis. Barack Obama was elected US President.
2009
Britain officially entered recession. Carol Ann Duffy became the first woman Poet Laureate.
2010s - Burst of technology
By March 2011, more than two billion people worldwide were using the internet and more women were working from home in order to fit work in with family life. The ageing population was a growing concern, putting pressure on pension programmes and health services.
2010
David Cameron formed a coalition government with Conservatives and Lib-Dems. Apple launched the iPad and there was an explosion of phone apps.
2011
Prince William married Kate Middleton. There were protests and demonstrations across the Arab world, known as the Arab Spring and Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. Fifty Shades Of Grey, an erotic novel by EL James, was published. This book and its sequels have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, revealing a strong demand for erotic fiction. This coincided with increased ownership of e-readers, which allowed people to read erotic fiction in public.
2012
The Diamond Jubilee marked the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s succession. The 30th Olympic Games were held in London.
2013
The birth of Prince George of Cambridge. In science, a living ear was created on a 3D printer.
2014
The Good Housekeeping Institute moved into new premises in central London.
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