istoryworld
All Events
Louise Brown, born in England, is the first test-tube baby, having been conceived by IVF (In vitro fertilization)
Jomo Kenyatta dies in office as Kenya's president and is succeeded by his deputy, Daniel arap Moi
Italian cardinal Albino Luciani is elected pope and takes the name John Paul I
Sandinista guerrillas make a surprise attack on the National Palace in Nicaragua, taking more than 1000 people hostage
Anwar el-Sadat and Menachem Begin sign an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty at Camp David in the USA
British author Ian McEwan publishes his first novel, The Cement Garden
Pope John Paul I dies, after a pontificate of only 33 days
A Catholic-Orthodox joint commission acknowledges the long-term aim of re-establishing full communion between the two churches
David Attenborough writes and presents Life on Earth, a television series on evolution – the first of his many surveys of natural history
Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla is elected pope and takes the name John Paul II
Belgian cyclist Eddie Merckz retires after a 14-year career with a record 445 victories
The State Constitutional Convention introduces many reforms in the US state of Hawaii, in particular taking steps to redress the wrongs done to native Hawaiians by the overthrow of their kingdom in 1893
Demonstrations take place throughout Iran, demanding Islamic rule under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini
Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat share the Nobel Peace Prize
Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge
There are so many strikes in Britain this winter that it becomes known as the 'winter of discontent'
The first flight by a solar-powered piloted aircraft is achieved when Larry Mauro's Solar Riser is able to climb to about 40 feet and glide for half a mile
An Islamic revolution forces the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to flee from Iran
Morocco annexes the Mauritanian part of the Western Sahara, thus taking control of the entire region
Ayatollah Khomeini receives a rapturous welcome on his return to Iran to head the Islamic Revolutionary Committee
Francis Ford Coppola directs Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now
Idi Amin flees from Uganda as Tanzanian troops reach his capital, Kampala
Partial meltdown of a US nuclear power station at Three Mile Island, near Harrisburg, spreads radioactive steam over a large surrounding area
Ex-president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is executed in Pakistan for allegedly authorizing the murder of a political opponent
The first multiracial elections held in Rhodesia are won by bishop Abel Muzorewa
