Contemporary
Roe v. Wade (1973): The Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the Constitution protects a woman's decision to have an abortion, striking down most state bans; the decision was overruled in 2022.
Era · 1945 – present
Contemporary
From the Cold War and the Space Race to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the world we live in today.
Contemporary
Yom Kippur War 1973: Surprise Attack and the Oil Embargo
Israel recovered militarily and ended the war across the Suez Canal, but Egypt's early success opened the way to US-brokered disengagement and later peace.
Contemporary
Skylab (1973-1979): America's First Space Station
Three crews spent a total of 171 days aboard, proving that astronauts could live and work in orbit for months; the empty station re-entered over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia in 1979.
Contemporary
First Handheld Mobile Phone Call (1973): Martin Cooper
Motorola showed that a cellular telephone could be carried in the hand, beginning a ten-year path to the first commercial handheld mobile phone in 1983.
Contemporary
UK Joins the EEC (1973): Britain Enters the Common Market
The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark became members of the European Communities, enlarging them from six to nine states.
Contemporary
Overthrow of Haile Selassie 1974: The Derg Seizes Ethiopia
The emperor was deposed, the monarchy was abolished in 1975 and a Marxist military regime ruled Ethiopia until 1991.
Contemporary
Arecibo Message (1974): Humanity's Radio Signal to the Stars
A three-minute coded radio message was transmitted towards the globular cluster M13 as a symbolic demonstration of the upgraded Arecibo telescope.
Contemporary
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus (1974): The Island Divided
Turkish forces took control of about 36–37 per cent of the island; Cyprus has remained divided along a UN-patrolled buffer zone ever since.
Contemporary
Carnation Revolution (1974): Portugal's Bloodless Coup
The Estado Novo dictatorship fell, Portugal's African colonies became independent within two years and a democratic constitution was adopted in 1976.
Contemporary
Helsinki Accords (1975): Detente and Human Rights in Europe
Thirty-five states signed a non-binding Final Act on security, cooperation and human rights that became a rallying point for dissidents in the Eastern bloc.
Contemporary
Fall of Saigon (1975): The End of the Vietnam War
South Vietnam surrendered unconditionally, North Vietnamese forces took Saigon, and Vietnam was formally reunified under communist rule in July 1976.
Contemporary
Icelandic Women's Day Off (1975): The Strike That Stopped a Land
About 90 per cent of Icelandic women took part, much of the country came to a standstill, and the protest helped bring a gender equality law in 1976.