| 10th January 1982 | The lowest ever United Kingdom temperature of -27.2°C is recorded at Braemar, in Aberdeenshire. This equals the record set in the same place in 1895. |
| 11th January 1982 | Mark Thatcher, son of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, disappears in the Sahara during the Paris-Dakar Rally. He is rescued three days later. |
| 26th January 1982 | Unemployment in the United Kingdom increases by 129,918 to 3,070,621, a post-war record. |
| 19th February 1982 | The DeLorean Car Factory in Belfast is put into receivership. |
| 25th February 1982 | The European Court of Human Rights rules that teachers who cane or belt children against the wishes of their parents are in breach of the Human Rights Convention. |
| 3rd March 1982 | The Queen opens the Barbican Centre in London. |
| 2nd April 1982 | Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. |
| 2nd May 1982 | The nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, killing 323 sailors. |
| 26th May 1982 | Aston Villa wins the European Cup in Rotterdam, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 with a 69th minute goal by Peter Withe. |
| 29th May 1982 | Battle of Goose Green: British paratroopers defeat a larger force of Argentine troops in the first land battle of the Falklands War. |
| 14th June 1982 | A formal surrender is agreed, ending the Falklands War. |
| 21st June 1982 | Prince William is born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, West London. |
| 9th July 1982 | Intruder Michael Fagan breaks into Buckingham Palace and enters the Queen’s bedroom, evading both security guards and electronic alarms. |
| 11th July 1982 | Italy beats West Germany 3-1 to win the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. |
| 1st October 1982 | Sony launches CDP-101, the first consumer compact disc player model. |
| 11th October 1982 | The Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII that sank in 1545, is raised. |
| 13th October 1982 | The Ford Sierra is launched in Europe, replacing the Ford Cortina. |
| 2nd November 1982 | Channel 4, the fourth terrestrial television channel, is launched in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The first program broadcast is the game show “Countdown“. |
| 30th November 1982 | Michael Jackson releases "Thriller", the biggest-selling album of all time. |