1975
Khmer Rouge take Phnom Penh
Pol Pot's black-clad peasant army rolled into the Cambodian capital and, within hours, began emptying the city at gunpoint.
Microsoft and Apple begin
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded a small company to sell a BASIC interpreter for the Altair hobbyist computer.
Franco dies
After thirty-six years in power, General Francisco Franco died in a Madrid hospital at eighty-two, kept alive for weeks by a battery of machines and a regime…
Indira Gandhi imposes Emergency
Facing a court ruling against her election and mounting opposition, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi persuaded the president to declare a state…
Angola and Mozambique win independence
After Portugal's Carnation Revolution the year before, the last European colonial empire in Africa finally let go of its overseas territories.
Fall of Saigon
North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the presidential palace in Saigon as the last Americans lifted off the embassy roof in helicopters.
Jaws invents the summer blockbuster
Steven Spielberg, twenty-seven, struggled with a malfunctioning mechanical shark all summer on Martha's Vineyard and ran massively over budget.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1975?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1975. The most significant is Khmer Rouge take Phnom Penh: Pol Pot's black-clad peasant army rolled into the Cambodian capital and, within hours, began emptying the city at gunpoint.
What era was 1975 part of?
1975 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1975?
The events from 1975 span Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, South Asia and Africa.