istoryworld
All Events
Muhammad Ali is the first boxer to become world heavyweight champion three times, defeating Leon Spinks in a return match a year after losing the title
Shining Path and Tupac Amaru emerge as left-wing guerrilla groups in Peru
Douglas Adams creates Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a science fiction comedy series for BBC's Radio 4
Czech-born US tennis player Martina Navratilova wins the first of nine singles titles at Wimbledon
English cricketer Ian Botham sets a new Test record, scoring a century and taking eight wickets against Pakistan at Lord's
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
