Polls
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1968
So this is where it all began. Richard's first venture 'Student' magazine went into print. Who'd have thought it would lead to the birth of one of the world's biggest brands? Erm, Richard, probably.
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1970
Virgin Mail Order was born. It made a pretty big noise. Which is why a buzzing Oxford Street shop followed a year later.
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1971
The first Virgin Record Shop opens in Oxford Street, London. This hallowed turf remains Virgin until 2008.
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1972
We built a recording studio called "The Manor" near Oxford, England where the first ever Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded Tubular Bells. You might have heard of it...
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1973
The Virgin record label is launched and the Virgin Music Publishing operation is established in the UK. Mike Oldfield releases Tubular Bells, one of the biggest selling albums of the decade and the soundtrack to 'The Exorcist'...
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1977
When Virgin signed the Sex Pistols, we went where all other major record labels feared to tread. Maybe because they did things like belting out 'God Save the Queen' on Silver Jubilee day - opposite the Houses of Parliament.
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1984
Virgin Atlantic takes off, flying to all sorts of glamorous locations. Not space though. That came later. Virgin Cargo is also born.
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1985
Virgin Holidays arrives. Not content with just getting people there in style, we wanted to keep them there in style. For two weeks, anyway.
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1987
Virgin Records America is founded. We were flying there a lot, so it made sense to expand there too.
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1988
Virgin Megastores opens new stores in Glasgow and Paris, followed by numerous other British, European, American and Pacific Basin cities...
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1990
Virgin Megastores officially arrives in Japan.
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1991
We get all literary and respectable as Virgin Books formed.
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1992
Virgin Records is sold to Thorn EMI. But the music lives on...
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1993
Virgin Radio hits the airwaves as the UK's first national, commercial rock music station. We thought we were a bit more in tune with what people want to, well, tune into.
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1994
Virgin Retail becomes the UK's largest music retailer with the acquisition of the Our Price chain...
Virgin Vodka and Virgin Cola are launched. They go together very well, as it happens.
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1995
Virgin Direct pioneers index tracking by launching the best value PEP in the market.
Virgin Cinemas launches in the UK.
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1996
Virgin Express airline takes off, operating services from the UK to Brussels and on to European cities...
V2 Music is created, comprising the UK label, V2 Records and V2 Music Publishing. The Stereophonics are one of the first bands signed to the label...
Virgin Net launches as an internet service provider...
Virgin Brides opens its doors... and Richard shaves his beard off, but his wife doesn't like it so he grows it back.
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1997
Virgin Trains wins the 15 year franchise for the Intercity West Coast line. And we've been going strong ever since - we launched our tilting Pendolino trains just five years later.
Virgin Radio is acquired by Chris Evans and Ginger Productions...
Virgin Cosmetics launches with its first four flagship stores...
Virgin Direct unveils the Virgin One Account mortgage.
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1999
Virgin Mobile changes the way people communicate. How? For one thing, we made sure there were no hidden costs (thereby making things much cheaper and fairer).
Doing our bit for couch potatoes everywhere - we launched Virgin Active, a network of health clubs.
Virgin Cinemas is sold for £215m to UGC
Ulusaba, a private game reserve near the Kruger National Park, South Africa, is acquired by Virgin Hotels.
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2000
Nine (yes nine!) new Virgin companies are launched: Virginmoney.com (a financial services supermarket); Virgin Travelstore (an impartial travel agency); Virgin Student (a student community website and marketing agency); Virgin Energy (gas and electricity sales) V.Shop (a new retail concept replacing the Our Price brand); Virgin Cars; Virgin Wines; Virgin Mobile Australia; Virgin Blue (our low cost airline in Australia which goes on to be the fastest-growing company in Virgin's history). Nine new companies? Well, it was the year 2000.
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2001
Virgin Experience Days launches, giving people to the chance to try their hand at everything from driving a Porsche through to scuba diving. And about a zillion things in between.
Virgin Trains unveils its first 140 mph tilting Pendolino train
Virgin Active launches in South Africa
Virgin Megastore welcomes its first Middle East customers
Virgin sells its shareholding of the Virgin One business to the Royal Bank of Scotland while Virgin Direct merges with virginmoney.com to become Virgin Money. Different name, same focus on offering great value.
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2002
Virgin Money introduces the Virgin Credit Card in the UK
Virgin Mobile arrives in the USA
Virgin Megastore launches in Australia
Virgin Bikes begins trading as part of the Virgin Cars group
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2003
Virgin Radio goes live in Thailand
Virgin Credit Card launches in Australia
Virgin Cars starts up its first multi-brand car retail outlet in Salford, England
V.Shops merges completely with Virgin Megastores, rebranding as Virgin Megastores Xpress
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2004
Virgin Galactic launches. At Virgin, the sky is not the limit. But space probably is.
This was also the year that we started Virgin Unite - our not-for-profit entrepreneurial foundation.
Virgin Digital is created offering a subscription music service and downloads in the US
Virgin Atlantic launches the Hong Kong to Sydney route as well as the Upper Class Suite with fully flat beds
Virgin Active launches its first clubs in Italy
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2005
Virgin Mobile launches in Canada
Virgin Nigeria begins flying
Virgin Digital launches in the UK
The Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer successfully breaks round the world record
Virgin Megastores launches new music lifestyle store in Hollywood
Virgin Active expands into Spain and Portugal
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2006
V Festival goes global and launches in Australia. Why should the UK have all the fun?
We also launched Green Fund this year - as the name suggests, it's all about investing funds into companies that are doing green things.
Virgin Money launches in South Africa
Virgin Mobile launches in China, France and South Africa while in the UK it merges with NTL/Telewest to create a new Virgin branded media giant
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2007
Virgin Media arrives as the UK's first company to offer TV, broadband, phone and mobile
Virgin America takes to the US domestic skies with their low-fare, high-quality service
Virgin Health Bank is announced
Al Gore joins Richard to announce the Virgin Earth Challenge
The Virgin 1 TV channel begins broadcasting in the UK
Virgin Money launches in the US
And we roll out our broadband service in Australia
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2008
Virgin Media turns their 4mb broadband service into a super fast 10mb service, and at no extra cost - we're nice like that. Next stop: 50mb
Virgin America goes online at 30,000 feet with airborne Wi-Fi
Virgin Charter launches an online matchmaking service between people and jets
Virgin Money launches in the USA
We set up Virgin Mobile India - you might have seen Richard dropping 220ft from the Hilton at the launch
While Virgin Radio in the UK becomes Absolute, Virgin Radio begins broadcasting in France and Canada
We team up with Hip Hotels to offer our Virgin Holidays customers something a little bit more, well, hip
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2009
So far this year...
Virgin Radio International expands with stations across Canada
Virgin Blue reaches across the Pacific with V Australia flying from Sydney and Brisbane all the way to LA. You can now fly around the world with Virgin.
We partner with Brawn GP for Formula 1 and Jenson Button takes the winner's podium
We also begin our sponsorship of the London Marathon - so get your running shoes ready for 2010...
So the rest of 2009 and beyond: Who knows? But you could be part of it�
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