The world in
What happened in 1977?
14 events across 7 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Cold War
After 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 ↗
- Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR
On 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- 1977 Vrancea earthquake
On 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Outbreak of the Ogaden War
In 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Beginning of the South African Border War
In 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 ↗
- 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 crisis
Between 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Completion of Republic Square
The 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Founding of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
In 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
- Outbreak of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War
In 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Establishment of Khangchendzonga National Park
Khangchendzonga 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.
North America
- Opening of Studio 54
On 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 ↗
Central & South America
- Nicaraguan Revolution
The 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- Outbreak of the Western Sahara War
In 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
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
- 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'
- Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains