New research from Ancestry®, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, reveals the 1966 World Cup Final is the historical event the British public would most like to have a family connection to, coming out top in a nationwide poll with 17% of the vote.
The iconic encounter saw the Three Lions, led by Bobby Moore, famously beat Germany 4-2 to lift the iconic Jules Rimet trophy on home soil.
Live Aid and the Christmas Day football game during WWI in No Man’s Land also prove to be events of huge significance to the nation – being the second and third most popular choices with 15% and 13% of the vote respectively. Unsurprisingly, the Suffragette Movement is a top choice for women alongside Live Aid, each with 18% of the vote.
The top 10 historic moments from the past 250 years Brits wish they had a family connection to were revealed as follows:
The 1966 World Cup Final – 17%
Live Aid – 15%
Christmas Day Football Game in no-man’s land – 13%
Suffragette Movement – 13%
The Beatles at The Cavern Club – 12%
Coronation of Elizabeth II – 11%
VE Day – 11%
The Blitz – 8%
Coronation of Queen Victoria – 8%
The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace – 7%
The dizzying changes in society and the fun-loving hedonism of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ inspired a fifth of Brits to say they this was the decade they would most like to re-visit since 1900 – with The Beatles and the 1966 World Cup driving popularity. The 1980s (15%) and 1970s (11%) come in second and third place.
The study also revealed the people of generations gone by that Brits would most like to meet – including those who helped shape our ancestors’ lives – with Winston Churchill (20%), Florence Nightingale (19%) and William Shakespeare (18%) all featuring in the top list. However, it was Diana, Princess of Wales (27%) who the public would most like to meet followed by singer superstar, Freddy Mercury (20%).
But it’s not just famous events or faces from decades past that piqued our interest, as 62% of Brits claim they would like to go back in time to meet a past family member. A desire to find out more about family history was cited as the key motivation for doing so (59%). A further 44% of the population expressed a desire to understand how their family used to live and a quarter (25%) would like to have a drink with their late relative of choice.
