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.
Region
Europe
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
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.
Contemporary
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975): The Handshake in Space
Apollo and Soyuz 19 docked for about two days, the first international crewed space mission and a symbol of US-Soviet detente.
Contemporary
1975 UK EEC Referendum: Britain's First Vote on Europe
About 67 percent of voters chose to keep the United Kingdom in the European Community (Common Market).
Contemporary
Spanish Transition to Democracy (1975–1982): After Franco
Spain became a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy under the 1978 Constitution, confirmed by the peaceful transfer of power to the Socialists in 1982.
Contemporary
Seveso Disaster (1976): The Dioxin Cloud Over Northern Italy
A cloud containing TCDD dioxin contaminated several towns; hundreds were evacuated, thousands of animals died, and Europe adopted the Seveso Directives on industrial accident prevention.
Contemporary
Louise Brown (1978): The First IVF 'Test-Tube Baby'
The first human birth after in vitro fertilisation opened the way to a treatment that has since produced millions of children worldwide.
Contemporary
Kidnapping of Aldo Moro (1978): Italy's Years of Lead
Moro was murdered after 55 days in captivity; the 'historic compromise' between Christian Democrats and Communists faded, and the state hardened its fight against terrorism.
Contemporary
John Paul II's 1979 Pilgrimage to Poland: Nine Days That Mattered
Millions of Poles gathered peacefully outside state control, a shared experience widely seen as preparing the ground for Solidarity in 1980.