One of the stories that shook the world in 1975 was Cambodia’s genocide. Communist forces lead by Pol Pot attempted to socially engineer a classless, peasant society. The Khmer Rouge took aim at intellectuals, city residents, ethnic Vietnamese, civil servants, and religious leaders.

1976 was marked by a dramatic hostage-rescue mission carried out by Israeli soldiers at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July the 4th.

1977 was significant in the entertainment world for two events. Star Wars hit theatres for the first time and went onto become the third highest grossing film ever. And then - sad news for rock ‘n roll fans – the premature death of Elvis Presley.

In 1978 Egypt made peace with Israel. The Camp David Accords recognized the rights of the Palestinian people, and a process was to be implemented guaranteeing their full autonomy within five years.

In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister. She served as Prime Minister until 1990 and during her time in office earned the nickname the "Iron Lady" for her uncompromising politics and leadership style.

1980 was a dark year for the world of popular music. On Tuesday the 9th of December, singer John Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment by Mark David Chapman, a mentally ill young man.

1981 was a year connected to assassinations, there was an attempt on the Pope and one on American president, Ronald Reagan. But the shots that rang loudest around the world came from Egypt, when an army officer, Khalid Isambouli, and three other soldiers set upon Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat during a victory parade, killing him and ten others.

1982 was the year that the humble smiley face emoticon first made its appearance online at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania.

In December 1983, Treasurer Paul Keating announced that the Australian dollar would be floated. Removing a fixed exchange rate meant the value of the dollar could automatically adjust in response to how it was trading on the foreign exchange market.

1984 was the year Britain and China sealed Hong Kong’s fate. Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, to return Hong Kong to China in 1997.