Contributor(s): Dominic Sandbrook | The beginning of the 1970s saw Britain tottering on the brink of an abyss. Yet this time of immense unrest was also one of astonishing creativity and innovation, which helped shape society as we know it today. For perhaps the last time in our history Britain experienced the shock of the new, from celebrity footballers and the pornography boom to high street curry houses and foreign holidays. Dominic Sandbrook was born in Shropshire in 1974, an indirect result of the Heath government's three-day week giving couples more leisure time. Formerly a history lecturer at Sheffield and fellow of the Rothermere Institute, University of Oxford, he is now a well-known author, commentator and broadcaster. This event celebrates the publication of his new book, 'State of Emergency: The Way We Were, Britain 1970-1974'.