20th Century: An Event a Year Part 2

1950

This writer known for his explorations of Totalitarianism through Animal Farm and 1984 dies in January.

1951

The Rosenbergs are executed by electric chair on April 5th for passing secrets to this country.

1952

This 25 year old becomes Queen following death of her father George VI of lung cancer.

1953

Having seized power in 1929, this tyrant dies. His funeral boasted a six mile queue of people wishing to pay their respects.

1954

This medical student becomes the first man in athletics history to run the mile in under four minues.

1955

This amusement park opens. Its four main areas are Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

1956

An invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain Western control of the Suez Canal and to remove Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had just nationalized the canal.

1957

Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling at Central High School in this US town.

1958

The Soviet authorities force this novelist to retract his acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1959

Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba for the Dominican Republic after six years of revolutionary struggle, and his officials are given swift trials before execution. This man is named prime minister of Cuba.

1960

A peaceful protest ends in tragedy in this South African township, which saw police open fire on a black crowd, killing 67 and injuring 186.

1961

The CIA attempts -- and fails -- to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba in this plot. Masterminded by Eisenhower and reluctantly accepted by JFK.

1962

The USSR begins building missile sites in Cuba, causing this confict.

1963

Fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, who was in police custody after being charged with the assassinating U.S. President John F. Kennedy two days earlier

1964

This first prime minister of India dies. Known by childen as chachya, or 'uncle.'

1965

By July of this year, the number of US soldiers in this war reaches 175,000.

1966

Disaster strikes in this Welsh village, as 1116 school children and 28 adults are killed by a slurry after the collapse of a coilery spoil tip just hours before the school holiday.

1967

Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria go to war for less than a week. Israel were supported by the US and UK, while Arabs relied principally on Soviet weaponry.

1968

This period of attempted reforms by Alexander Dubček is brought to an end when the Soviet union ride their tanks into Prague to store their power.

1969

This cult leader gets his 'Family' to commit several murders. Among those murdered are Roman Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate; Wojciech Frykowski, a Polish writer and actor and Leno La Bianca, a grocery store owner.

1970

An Israeli school bus is attacked by this revolutionary group, killing eight children and three adults. Israel shells Lebanese villages in reprisal.

1971

This French fashion designer dies in Paris.

1972

British Prime Minister Edward Heath describes "another great step forward the removal of divisions in Western Europe" as he signs the Treaty of Accession to join this reigonal organisation.

1973

Israel is invaded by Egypt and Syria in a surprise attack, triggering this war. Israel suffers substantial losses from USSR aircraft, and is supported by tanks provided by the USA and Britain.

1974

Gerald Ford is sworn in as president after this scandal. He would later pardon Richard Nixon for his crimes.

1975

Phnom Penh is overrun by this Cambodian communist party, largely comprised of dissident Communist who had begun mounting armed opposition to the government from the countryside in the 1950s. Many Cambodians lived in fear of this genocidal group and its head Pol Pot until 1979.

1976

This Chairman of The People's Republic of China dies aged 82, sparking a bitter successional crisis where the Gang of Four (which included this Chairman's widow) were arrested for attempting to seize power.

1977

This Pakistani Army Chief of Staff and General ousts Prime Minister in a coup, declaring martial law this year. He would go on to become the country’s longest-serving de facto head of state.

1978

More than 900 people are found dead at this commune in Guyana, having committed mass suicide by drinking suicide at the behest of leader Reverend Jim Jones.

1979

On March 30 a referendum took place in Iran and as a result, the monarchy was replaced with an Islamic Republic. After the Islamic Revolution, this man became Supreme Leader of Iran.

1980

This Beatle (and walrus) is shot dead by Mark David Chapman in New york City on December 8th, leaving behind thirteen albums with the Beatles and ten solo albums.

1981

This man, otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper is arrested, pleading guilty to 13 killings and the attempted murder of 7 others. He was given twenty sentences of life imprisonment.

1982

A war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over these Islands in 1982. The British captured 11,313 soldiers, and killed about 650, while British personnel deaths numbered 258.

1983

The island was invaded by the American military in Operation 'Urgent Fury' because of Cuba's presence there.

1984

This Welsh actor, known for his memorable performances as Hamlet, dies this year. He failed to live up to expectations as the successor of Laurence Olivier because of his alcoholism.

1985

US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev meet for this summit. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race.

1986

The most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history, both in terms of cost and casualties. It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale

1987

A British roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry which capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers and crew

1988

The Scottish town came to international attention in December when the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 crashed there following a terrorist bomb attack by two Libyans aboard the flight.

1989

The government uses force to end democracy protests in this Chinese square. According to the Chinese Red Gross, this left up to 3000 dead.

1990

Iraq invades this country in the late summer following the breakdown of territorial and commercial disputes between the two countries.

1991

On December 21st, the USSR comes to an end as this Soviet President resigns.

1992

Due to rumours of affairs, alleged attempted sucides and various divorces and separations in the Windsor family, Elizabeth II uses this latinate phrase to describe 1992.

1993

Six people are killed and hundreds more injured when a bomb explodes in a car park below this building. Members of a Muslim fundamentalist group were later arrested and charged.

1994

In June, millions tune in an police pursue this former US football star, who was accused and later charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole, and a male companion.

1995

A 7.2 earthquake devastates this Japanese city. 5000 people died and 250,000 were made homeless, making it Japan's worst quake since the 1923 Tokyo earthquake.

1996

This Royal couple, who famously married in 1981, get divorced this year. One would die the following year in a motor accident in Paris.

1997

This Administrative Region gets sovereignty from the United Kingdom, returning to China.

1998

In October of this year, this Chilean leader is arrested in London.

1999

This European currency is established on January 1st of this year.

2000

This economic bubble reaches its peak.