6 June 1963, martial law ordered as riots follow the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
16 January 1979, shah left the country after turmoil.
1 February 1979, revolutionary forces under Khomeini seize power after his return to the country (He had gone into exile after arrest in 1963.).
31 March 1979, referendum approved the establishment of an Islamic republic with Khomeini in de facto control.
7 April 1979, prominent Iranians executed.
4 November 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran and held sixty-six occupants hostage, demanding the return of the shah from the U.S. After the shah's death in 1980 in Egypt, an agreement was negotiated that freed the hostages on 20 January 1981.
2 December 1979, Khomeini became absolute ruler for life.
27 July 1980, shah died.
November 1980, the First Gulf War broke out between Iran and Iraq.
Evans, CT. "1979: Iranian Revolution." NVCC. December 27, 2011.
