Global Events of the 1970s
9/12/70-Palestanian group hijacks five planes
Four planes bound for New York City and one bound for London were hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The planes were diverted to the PFLP’s “Revolutionary Airport.” By the end of the incident, one hijacker had been killed and one wounded.
12/15/70-U.S. Pulls out of Vietnam
The policy to end US involvement in Vietnam was taken into effect. They tried to expand and equip the South Vietnamese forces so that they would replace the U.S. superpower. President Nixon gradually took out troops in this process. Military aid was given to civilians as well during this time.
10/10/71-London bridge brought to us
Robert P. McCulloch bought the outer granite blocks from the City of London, creating a successful sightseeing attraction in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, while reusing a historical artifact that would have been destroyed anyway due to the unsound structure.
February 1974-Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed
After a sudden economic inflation in Ethiopia, Haile Selassie dropped the price of petrol and put a freeze on the prices of basic commodities. This sated the public, but the 33% military wage hike angered the army, which mutinied. Haile Selassie tried to persuade the army to rejoin with higher pay, but the mutiny continued and Selassie was deposed and imprisoned.
3/29/74 Terracotta Army Discovered in China
Three farmers were drilling holes in the hopes of finding water to dig wells when they came upon some ancient terracotta pottery shards. They quickly communicated it to others.
What these farmers had discovered was the 2200-year-old remains of a life-sized, terracotta army which had been buried with Qin Shihuangdi, the guy who had united the varied provinces of China and was the first emperor of CHina.
Even before Qin Shihuangdi united China, he began building his own mausoleum nearly as soon as he came to power in 247 BCE at age 13. 700,000 workers were expected to build Qin Shihuangdi's army and that when it was finished, he had all 700,000 workers buried alive within it to keep a secret. The terracotta army was found just outside of this tomb complex, near modern-day Xi'an in the Shaanxi province.
4/30/75-Saigon Surrenders
The war in Vietnam ended on this day as the government in Saigon announced its unconditional surrender to North Vietnamese forces, and the US effort comes up empty.
1979-Cambodian genocide begins
A genocide led by Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979 in which 1.5 to 3 million people were massacred. The genocide ended with an invasion by Vietnam. (The Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia)
3/28/79-Nuclear accident at Three Mile Island
A partial meltdown of the reactor core led to small amounts of radioactive material being distributed across the immediate territory. Although no-one was hurt in either the short or long term situations, it was the worst nuclear disaster to occur in the Uni
11/4/79-Iranian hostage crisis
A diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States, fifty-two American citizens and diplomats were held hostage in Iran for 444 days. This was caused by the informal asylum the U.S. gave to the deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This enraged some Iranians and those that supported the revolution broke into the embassy building and took hostages. The U.S. would not yield to the blackmail, and would not return the Shah, so the standoff lasted until the Shah died from the cancer he was being treated for.
Internationally Important People:
-Anwar Sadat - The President of Egypt who signed a peace treaty with Israel.
-Shah Pahlavi - The ruler of Iran who was overthrown by the Islamic leader Ayatollah Khomeini.
-Leonid Brezhnev - Leader of the Soviet Union.
-Mao Zedong - First Communist dictator of China (Died in 1976)
-Pol Pot - Dictator of Cambodia who ultimately caused the death of approximately 25% of the Cambodian population
-Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - Ally of the United States who was deposed after a revolution. He came to the U.S. for medical treatment.
-Haile Selassie - Emperor of Ethiopia that was deposed after economic problems. He was also under scrutiny from the Human Rights Watch for governing in a repressive and
Four planes bound for New York City and one bound for London were hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The planes were diverted to the PFLP’s “Revolutionary Airport.” By the end of the incident, one hijacker had been killed and one wounded.
12/15/70-U.S. Pulls out of Vietnam
The policy to end US involvement in Vietnam was taken into effect. They tried to expand and equip the South Vietnamese forces so that they would replace the U.S. superpower. President Nixon gradually took out troops in this process. Military aid was given to civilians as well during this time.
10/10/71-London bridge brought to us
Robert P. McCulloch bought the outer granite blocks from the City of London, creating a successful sightseeing attraction in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, while reusing a historical artifact that would have been destroyed anyway due to the unsound structure.
February 1974-Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed
After a sudden economic inflation in Ethiopia, Haile Selassie dropped the price of petrol and put a freeze on the prices of basic commodities. This sated the public, but the 33% military wage hike angered the army, which mutinied. Haile Selassie tried to persuade the army to rejoin with higher pay, but the mutiny continued and Selassie was deposed and imprisoned.
3/29/74 Terracotta Army Discovered in China
Three farmers were drilling holes in the hopes of finding water to dig wells when they came upon some ancient terracotta pottery shards. They quickly communicated it to others.
What these farmers had discovered was the 2200-year-old remains of a life-sized, terracotta army which had been buried with Qin Shihuangdi, the guy who had united the varied provinces of China and was the first emperor of CHina.
Even before Qin Shihuangdi united China, he began building his own mausoleum nearly as soon as he came to power in 247 BCE at age 13. 700,000 workers were expected to build Qin Shihuangdi's army and that when it was finished, he had all 700,000 workers buried alive within it to keep a secret. The terracotta army was found just outside of this tomb complex, near modern-day Xi'an in the Shaanxi province.
4/30/75-Saigon Surrenders
The war in Vietnam ended on this day as the government in Saigon announced its unconditional surrender to North Vietnamese forces, and the US effort comes up empty.
1979-Cambodian genocide begins
A genocide led by Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979 in which 1.5 to 3 million people were massacred. The genocide ended with an invasion by Vietnam. (The Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia)
3/28/79-Nuclear accident at Three Mile Island
A partial meltdown of the reactor core led to small amounts of radioactive material being distributed across the immediate territory. Although no-one was hurt in either the short or long term situations, it was the worst nuclear disaster to occur in the Uni
11/4/79-Iranian hostage crisis
A diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States, fifty-two American citizens and diplomats were held hostage in Iran for 444 days. This was caused by the informal asylum the U.S. gave to the deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This enraged some Iranians and those that supported the revolution broke into the embassy building and took hostages. The U.S. would not yield to the blackmail, and would not return the Shah, so the standoff lasted until the Shah died from the cancer he was being treated for.
Internationally Important People:
-Anwar Sadat - The President of Egypt who signed a peace treaty with Israel.
-Shah Pahlavi - The ruler of Iran who was overthrown by the Islamic leader Ayatollah Khomeini.
-Leonid Brezhnev - Leader of the Soviet Union.
-Mao Zedong - First Communist dictator of China (Died in 1976)
-Pol Pot - Dictator of Cambodia who ultimately caused the death of approximately 25% of the Cambodian population
-Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - Ally of the United States who was deposed after a revolution. He came to the U.S. for medical treatment.
-Haile Selassie - Emperor of Ethiopia that was deposed after economic problems. He was also under scrutiny from the Human Rights Watch for governing in a repressive and
Hayward and Jack