The M1 at 50

1959: Ernest Marples (centre), then transport minister, at the opening of the M1 motorway. The first section of the M1, between junctions 5 (Watford) and 18 (Crick) was opened on 2 November, 1959. It was Britain's first motorway linking cities: the country's first stretch of motorway, part of the M6 Preston bypass, opened the previous year Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1959: A workman sweeps part of the new London-Yorkshire motorway on the longest straight section, six miles long, near Dunstable Photograph: PA

1959: Britain's new London to Birmingham motorway, the M1, as seen from the Luton spur Photograph: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1960: A car turns off the empty M1 motorway towards a Fortes service station, one of the first in the UK Photograph: Allan Cash Picture Library / Ala/www.alamy.com

1968: Granada's M1 motorway service station at Toddington has been redecorated in horizontal stripes. Granda explained that it has been specifically designed to give motorists a relaxing and enjoyable break after motorway driving Photograph: PA/PA Archive

1971: Wrecked vehicles litter the M1 at Luton after a multiple crash involving over 100 cars, which killed seven people and injured more than 50 Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images

1989: An aerial view of the wreckage of the British Midland Boeing 737 plane which crashed on the M1 at Kegworth Photograph: Claire Mackintosh/Empics Sports Photo Agency

1997: Princess Diana's funeral cortege on the M1 at Toddington, Bedfordshire on route to Althorp Photograph: Michael Stephens/PA

2004: Junction 26 heading north Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

2000s: Demolition of bridge over the M1 at the junction with the A42, Nottinghamshire Photograph: Tony Waltham/Robert Harding/Rex Features

2003: Junction 15a of the M1 is nominated for an architectural award Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

2004: Traffic on the M1 at junction 24 at night Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

2005: The M1 motorway is closed to traffic as a huge plume of smoke billows from Buncefield oil terminal in Hemel Hempstead, north of London. A series of explosions at one of Britain's largest oil depots shook the area, shattering windows and sending billowing clouds of smoke and flames high into the sky Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

2006: Aerial view of the junction of the North Circular road in north London and the start of the M1 motorway Photograph: David Levene

2007: Heavy traffic on the M1 in Hertfordshire Photograph: Tim Graham/Getty Images

2007: An aerial view of the widening of the M1 motorway between junctions 6 to 10 Photograph: Ben Cawthra/Rex Features

2009: Part of the M1 near Watford, south of Junction 17 Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

A sign at Junction 26 of the M1 pointing north and south. Watford Gap first opened on 2 November 1959, the same day as the M1. The owners of Watford Gap, Roadchef, are lobbying the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary to include Watford Gap as a recognised phrase, highlighting where the south ends and the north begins Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian