Hundreds of thousands of people flee Vietnam by sea after 1975; many die at sea and others are resettled, mostly in Western countries.
Beginning with the attack on Buôn Ma Thuột, North Vietnamese forces advance across the South, leading to South Vietnam's collapse on 30 April 1975.
A multi-sided civil war devastates Lebanon for fifteen years, with intervention by Syria, Israel and other foreign forces.
The Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh and forcibly empty the cities; Pol Pot's regime causes the deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people.
North Vietnamese forces enter the Independence Palace; the Republic of Vietnam surrenders, ending the Vietnam War.
Following Portugal's Carnation Revolution, Mozambique and Angola became independent, ending over four centuries of Portuguese presence; both soon fell into long civil wars.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a national emergency, suspending elections and civil liberties until 1977.
Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia, becoming one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
Dictator Francisco Franco dies; Juan Carlos I becomes king and Spain begins its transition to democracy.
Indonesia invades East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, beginning a 24-year occupation.
A conflict between North Vietnam and the Viet Cong on one side and South Vietnam, backed by the United States and its allies, on the other; it ends with the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Mao Zedong launches a decade-long political movement that brings social upheaval, persecution and the destruction of cultural heritage.