WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO MAY 1979
Find out what all happened January to May 1979

The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. (11. February 1979)

Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community. (28. May 1979)

The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien). (31. March 1979)

The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran, Iran after nearly 15 years of exile. (1. February 1979)

Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (4. May 1979)

Pope John Paul II starts his first pastoral visit to Mexico. (28. January 1979)

In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 200. (14. March 1979)

The tanker Betelgeuse explodes in Bantry Bay, Ireland. (8. January 1979)

Don Dunstan resigns as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of sweeping social liberalisation. (15. February 1979)

Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people. (10. April 1979)

Airey Neave, a British Member of Parliament, is killed by a car bomb as he exits the Palace of Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army claims responsibility. (30. March 1979)

The Sino-Vietnamese War begins. (17. February 1979)

Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered. (7. February 1979)

An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. (13. February 1979)

The Federated States of Micronesia become self-governing. (10. May 1979)

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed. (11. April 1979)

The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers. (17. March 1979)

The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against James Callaghan's government, precipitating a general election. (28. March 1979)

A Varig 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo. (30. January 1979)

Sino-Vietnamese War: The People's Liberation Army crosses the border back into China, ends the war. (16. March 1979)