The world in
What happened in 1977?
18 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Outbreak of the Ogaden WarIn 1977, Somalia and Ethiopia went to war over the disputed Ogaden region. Somalia, supporting the Western Somali Liberation Front, launched an invasion, leading the Soviet Union to shift its backing from Somalia to Ethiopia.
Beginning of the South African Border WarIn 1966, the South African Border War broke out across Namibia, Zambia, and Angola. It was fought between the South African Defence Force and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, the armed wing of SWAPO. The conflict, closely tied to the Angolan Civil War, became one of Africa's largest wars since World War II.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: No machine-readable author provided. Ceresnet assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
- Ethiopian Red Terror Begins
From 1976 to 1977, the Ethiopian military junta, the Derg, launched a violent political purge known as the 'Red Terror' to suppress rival Marxist-Leninist groups. Under Chairman Mengistu Haile Mariam, the campaign primarily targeted the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party, forming a core part of the Derg's efforts to consolidate power amid civil war.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- University of Juba founded
In 1975, the University of Juba was established to meet the higher education needs of southern Sudan, and it admitted its first students in 1977. As the first institution of higher education in the region, its founding marked the beginning of a higher education system in South Sudan.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
1970s energy crisisBetween 1973 and 1980, the Western world experienced a severe energy crisis characterized by petroleum shortages and soaring prices. The crisis was triggered by two major events: the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1979 Iranian Revolution, both causing interruptions in Middle Eastern oil exports.
- Launch of Iran's White Revolution
On 26 January 1963, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran launched a series of far-reaching reforms known as the White Revolution. The program included land reform, women's enfranchisement, industrial growth, and public health improvements, aiming to modernize the country. The reform era ended with the Shah's overthrow in 1979.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Completion of Republic SquareThe architectural ensemble of Republic Square in central Yerevan, Armenia, was completed in 1977, culminating a project initiated in 1924 and featuring neoclassical buildings and musical fountains.
Founding of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary ArtIn 1977, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in Laleh Park, Tehran, Iran. Designed by Iranian architect Kamran Diba, the museum is primarily underground. It houses over 3,000 items, including 19th and 20th-century European and American paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures, along with a major collection of Iranian modern and contemporary art. The museum is one of the largest of its kind in Iran and holds the most significant collection of Western contemporary art outside Europe and the United States.
Europe
Cold WarAfter World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
1977 Vrancea earthquakeOn 4 March 1977 at 21:22 local time, an earthquake struck Romania with its hypocenter in the Vrancea Mountains. It caused heavy casualties: 1,578 deaths—1,424 in Bucharest—and 11,300 injuries.
North America
- Emergence of the Personal Computer Concept
In the late 1970s, a new computer concept took shape. The personal computer, designed for individual use and direct operation by an end user, stood in contrast to mainframes and time-sharing systems. Its advent contributed to the Digital Revolution, significantly affecting people's lives and work.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Opening of Studio 54On April 16, 1977, Studio 54 opened in Manhattan, New York City, founded by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. The nightclub quickly became an icon of 1970s disco culture, epitomizing American club and nightlife scenes.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Americasroof ( talk ) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
South Asia
Outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese WarIn December 1978, Vietnam launched a large-scale invasion of Cambodia, toppling the Khmer Rouge regime, which marked the outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Border clashes had occurred in preceding years. The war was part of the Third Indochina War and intertwined with the Sino-Soviet split in the Cold War.
Establishment of Khangchendzonga National ParkKhangchendzonga National Park, located in Sikkim, India, was established in 1977. Named after the third-highest mountain in the world, it spans 849.5 km². The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016 as India's first mixed heritage site.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Abhishek532 / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Central & South America
Nicaraguan RevolutionThe Nicaraguan Revolution was a revolutionary movement in Nicaragua from 1961 to 1990, led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, aiming to overthrow the Somoza family dictatorship and, after its success in 1979, to carry out social and economic reforms.
- Establishment of the National Reorganization Process in Argentina
The National Reorganization Process was established in Argentina in 1976, ruling as a military dictatorship until 1983. It seized power through a coup and implemented state terrorism, causing numerous disappearances, deaths, and exiles, marking the last military dictatorship in Argentina's modern history.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
Outbreak of the Western Sahara WarIn 1975, after Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, Morocco and Mauritania took over administration under the Madrid Accords, leading to armed conflict with the Polisario Front. Morocco organized the Green March, with tens of thousands of citizens and around 20,000 troops entering Western Sahara, meeting resistance from the Polisario Front. Fighting was minor at first but evolved into a prolonged guerrilla war. The Polisario Front fought both Morocco and Mauritania, seeking independence. Mauritania withdrew in 1979, but the war persisted until a 1991 ceasefire.
Around 1977
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Beginning of the Digital Revolution
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins
- Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'