An uprising organized in Ethiopia by the Dergue results in the arrest of Haile Selassie and his murder a year later

Mengistu Haile Mariam seizes control of Ethiopia's ruling Dergue (military council) in a violent coup

A disastrous famine in the northern provinces of Ethiopia is the first to be seen all round the world on television

Bob Geldof forms Band Aid and releases for Ethiopian famine relief the best-selling UK single Do they know its Christmas?

As Ethiopian and Eritrean rebels approach Addis Ababa, the leader of the Dergue, Mengistu, flees the country

The rebel Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), led by Meles Zenawi, takes control in Ethiopia

The new federalist regime in Ethiopia cedes independence to Eritrea

The fossilized skeleton of an Ardipithecus female, nicknamed Ardi and 4.4 million years old, is found in the Awash valley region of Ethiopia

Ethiopians have their first experience of democracy in a free presidential election, won by Meles Zenawi

Bitter and devastating warfare breaks out again between Eritrea and Ethiopia as the result of a border dispute

Michael Rogers, in a team led by Sileshi Semaw, discovers the world's oldest known chipped stone tool, at Gona in Ethiopia

The United Nations declares southern Somalia to be in a state of famine, with the disastrous lack of rain driving thousands of refugees into Ethiopia and Kenya

A second consecutive rainy season fails to materialize, causing severe drought in Ethiopia and elsewhere in east Africa

Saudi Arabia starts deporting thousands of Ethiopian migrant workers, eventually about 150,000, causing great public anger and a major refugee problem