By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent
The World Wide Web, smart phones, online banking – and the Super Mario Brothers have been named among the greatest things from the past 30 years.
Online shopping, WiFi, Google, digital cameras, text messaging, emailing and flat screen TV’s are also considered to be the greatest things to have come from the past three decades.
The smoking ban, Harry Potter, Margaret Thatcher, William and Kate’s wedding and Take That also made the top 100.
The research was conducted by the UK’s first budget hotel brand, Travelodge, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, surveyed 2,000 British adults to seek their views on the greatest things of the past 30 years.
But while technology dominates the top 100 listing of ‘30 years of Greatness’, in an era where Britons were hit by the credit crunch and a recession, budget operators also featured highly.
Low cost supermarkets, airlines, and hotels are all considered great things to come out of the past 30 years.
Travelodge spokeswoman, Shakila Ahmed, said: “The last 30 years has seen a huge shift in the way we live our lives with technology especially completely changing many things.
“The internet has certainly accelerated the growth of budget travel and made going away a key part of our modern lifestyle.”
“The ease of not only being able to book online, but also researching where you are visiting and staying has made travelling a much smoother experience than it might have been before the 1980s.”
“Over the last 30 years, Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel chain, which has over 500 UK sites, has made staying in a hotel accessible to everyone.
“Today over 17 million people annually stay in a Travelodge hotel for work and leisure”.
The triumphant 2012 Olympics was considered to be the biggest sporting event of the last three decades, followed by Andy Murray’s 2013 Wimbledon win, England’s 5-1 football win over Germany in 2001 and Euro 96.
A few sportspeople even got standalone mentions within the top 100 list which included David Beckham, Usain Bolt, Roger Federer and Alan Shearer.
Other popular things from the past 30 years which have become firm favourites for women include: GHD straighteners, skinny jeans, the Wonderbra and Spandex.
Memorable TV shows include The Simpsons, Friends, EastEnders, Big Brother, The X Factor and Sex and the City.
Unsurprisingly, the internet has influenced many of the things that we consider to be great from the past three decades, such as fibre optic broadband, online check-in, Spotify and Netflix.
The top 100 listing also features several websites which have become essential to modern day life including: You Tube, price comparison sites, eBay and Wikipedia.
Social media is also a popular choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram getting separate mentions.
Apple is also a recurring brand with several items in the list, including the iPad, iPhone, iPod and iTunes.
Digital TV, DVD, Sky+ and several games consoles such as the Playstation, X-Box, Nintendo Wii, Game Boy and the classic Sega Megadrive also make the list.
Whilst technology is a major feature of the past 30 years, the research also revealed that historical events like the Berlin Wall coming down and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee are also considered to be among the greatest things.
The top 100 greatest things of the past 30 years
1. World Wide Web
2. Smartphones
3. Online banking
4. Online shopping
5. WiFi
6. Google
7. Digital cameras
8. Text messaging
9. Email at fingertips
10. Flat screen televisions
11. Berlin Wall coming down
12. Super Mario Brothers
13. GHD Straighteners
14. Satellite navigation
15. Fibre optic broadband
16. Digital TV
17. DVD
18. The Smoking ban
19. YouTube
20. 2012 Olympics
21. Tablet computer
22. Price comparison websites
23. iPad
24. Sky+
25. Budget supermarkets
26. eBay
27. Andy Murray winning Wimbledon
28. Wikipedia
29. Online check-in
30. Budget airlines
31. E-Book readers
32. Facebook
33. iPhone
34. Microsoft Office
35. Budget hotels
36. Skinny jeans
37. Networked computers
38. Sunday opening hours
39. Harry Potter
40. Social Media
41. England beating Germany 5-1
42. Live Aid
43. iPod
44. Wonderbra
45. Power showers
46. HTML
47. Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
48. Mobile apps
49. Bluetooth
50. Mass-produced mobile phones
51. MP3
52. Spandex
53. Eurostar
54. Margaret Thatcher
55. The Premier League
56. William & Kate’s wedding
57. The National Lottery
58. Sony Playstation
59. Barack Obama
60. Rollaboard suitcase
61. David Beckham
62. Hybrid cars
63. The Simpsons
64. Friends (TV show)
65. Michael Jackson
66. iTunes
67. X-Box
68. Spray tanning
69. Usain Bolt
70. Nintendo Wii
71. Twitter
72. Take That
73. Roger Federer
74. Spotify
75. Euro 96
76. Netflix
77. EastEnders
78. Italia 90
79. Macbook
80. George Foreman grill
81. The Rachel cut
82. Nintendo Game Boy
83. Oasis
84. Online dating
85. Jose Mourinho
86. Sega Megadrive
87. X Factor
88. Big Brother
89. Nintendo NES
90. Sex and the City
91. Instagram
92. Alan Shearer
93. Gazza
94. Botox
95. David Cameron
96. Tony Blair
97. Blogging
98. Nutribullet
99. Red Bull
100. The Selfie
