Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years as a political prisoner. The anti-apartheid campaigner's release was a high point in South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy.

Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power in Iran. Few days after Khomeini's triumphant return from French exile, the Iranian army steps aside, making way for the creation of an Islamic theocracy.

Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female leader of the British Conservative Party. Thatcher won the general elections in 1979 and became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The BBC broadcasts Karel Čapek's “R.U.R.”, the world's first science fiction TV program. The Czech play whose abbreviated title stands for “Rossum's Universal Robots” introduced the word “robot” to the English language.

Bernadette Soubirous sees a vision of the Virgin Mary near Lourdes. The small town in southern France became one of the most important Christian places of pilgrimage.