istoryworld
Events relating to europe
A military coup in Portugal ends four decades of Salazar's and Caetano's dictatorial New State
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing defeats François Mitterrand in the French presidential election
Turkish troops invade and occupy northeast Cyprus, causing the island to be divided for decades to come
Soviet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Kirov company while on tour in Canada
Portuguese Guinea becomes independent as Guinea-Bissau, with Luís Cabral as president
The independence of Angola is established in the Alvor agreement between Portugal and three rival guerrilla groups, the MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA
Internment is ended in Ulster after the Gardiner Report states that it brings the law into disrepute
Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor for the second time, five years after divorcing
Anatoly Karpov becomes world chess champion by default when Bobby Fischer fails to defend his title
The king of Morocco sends 350,000 settlers across the border into Western Sahara
The first series of Fawlty Towers, co-written by and starring John Cleese, is broadcast on British TV
David Hockney begins a new career as a set designer, with The Rake's Progress by Stravinksky at Glyndebourne
Portuguese East Africa becomes independent as Mozambique, with Frelimo as the only political party
The Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa, become independent as the republic of Cape Verde
Astronauts Tom Stafford and Aleksei Leonov shake hands when their Apollo and Soyuz craft successfully dock in space
Czech choreographer Jiri Kylián becomes director of the Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague
Excavation of the 5200-year-old passage grave at Newgrange in Ireland is completed
The British group the Sex Pistols launch punk rock, with their first gig at St Martin's School of Art in London
Franco dies and is succeeded as Spanish head of state by Juan Carlos, heir to the Bourbon throne
English author Ruth Prawer Jhabwala wins the Booker Prize with her novel Heat and Dust
Surinam wins independence from the Dutch, with Johan Ferrier as the first president
Portugal adopts a democratic constitution after 43 years of dicatorship
Frederick Ashton creates a ballet based on Turgenev's play A Month in the Country, to music by Chopin
The UN entrusts the Western Sahara to joint administration by Morocco and Mauritania
Polish composer Henryk Górecki completes his Third Symphony
