Welcome to the SSAT class of… series. We’re looking back at the past 27 years and paying tribute to some of our longest-serving member schools. We hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane and feel free to add your own memories in the comments below or via social media (remember to use #SSATClassOf)!
The year that was 1991…
Terry Waite released
Terry Waite, an envoy for the Church of England, is released from captivity in Lebanon on 18th November. He had been kidnapped during an attempt to secure the release of four hostages, including the journalist John McCarthy.
Freddie Mercury
On the evening of 24th November Freddie Mercury, lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen, passes away at his home in Kensington, London. Mercury would be voted as the greatest rock singer of all time by Classic Rock magazine in May 2009.
Wind me up
English inventor Trevor Baylis invents the wind-up radio, filing a patent the following year. He is awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to intellectual property.
Kevin Costner is…
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Released on 19th July, the blockbuster would become the second-highest grossing film of the year. English actor Alan Rickman would go on to win the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as George, Sheriff of Nottingham.
Yeltsin first up
Four years after becoming the first politician to resign from the politburo, Boris Yeltsin is elected on 12th June to the newly created post of President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).
Linux proposed
Finnish student Linus Torvalds announces his Linux operating system kernel on 25th August. By 2013, Google’s Linux-based Android claims 75% of the smartphone market share, in terms of the number of phones shipped.
Gazza’s moment of madness
Just minutes into the FA Cup final on 18th May between Nottingham Forest and his team Tottenham Hotspur, England’s Paul Gascoigne fouls Forest’s Gary Charles – rupturing a cruciate ligament in his right knee in the process.
SSAT class of 1991
The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, established in 1991 under the City Technology Colleges programme, joined SSAT. SSAT’s third-longest serving member!
