Timeline: Ross Benton Rokey: Gerber Family of Langnau

1976 - 1984 (7 years)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1976	1976: Mars - NASA's Viking Lander lands, starts looking for alien life 1976: UK - Long hot summer leads to water shortages. Parliament introduces Drought Act 1976: UK - Nadia Comaneci Given Seven Perfect Tens 1976: Vietnam - North and South Vietnam Join to Form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 1976: UK - Tangshan Earthquake Kills Over 240,000 1976: UK - The ink-jet printer invented. 1976: Paris, France - The Centre National d'Art et de la Culture Georges-Pompidou (Pompidou Centre or 'Beaubourg'), a Hi-Tech metal-framework building designed by Richard Rogers, is completed in Paris and proves immensely popular.
2	1977	1977: UK - UK road speed limits set at 70mph for dual roads; 60mph single 1977: UK - Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Silver Jubilee 1977: UK - Star Wars fever invades Britain as thousands flock to cinemas to watch the long-awaited sci-fi blockbuster 1977: USA - Elvis Found Dead 1977: USA - Mini-series Roots Airs 1977: South Africa - Anti-Apartheid Leader Steve Biko Tortured to Death 1977: USA - Jimmy Carter president 1977-1981. 1977: USA - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) invented by Raymond V. Damadian. 1977: Oldham, Lancashire, UK - World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born
3	1978	1978: London, UK - Writer and broadcaster Georgi Markov dies after an assassin stabs him with a poisoned umbrella at a London bus stop. 1978: Rome, Italy - Pope John Paul II elected by cardinals: first non-Italian for 450 years 1978: UK - Jonestown Massacre 1978: UK - The artificial heart Jarvik-7 invented by Robert K. Jarvik. 1978: UK - Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister to 1990 (Conservative)
4	1979	1979: UK - Public sector strike paralyses country 1979: Tehran, Iran - Ayatollah Khomeini Returns as Leader of Iran 1979: Tehran, Iran - Iran Takes American Hostages in Tehran 1979: Stockholm, Sweden - Mother Theresa Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1979: NY, USA - Nuclear Accident at Three Mile Island 1979: Japan - Sony Introduces the Walkman 1979: UK - Cellular phones invented. 1979: USA - Cray supercomputer invented by Seymour Cray. 1979: USA - Scott Olson invents roller blades.
5	1980	1980: Tehran, Iran - Failed U.S. Rescue Attempt to Save Hostages in Tehran 1980: New York, NY, USA - John Lennon Assassinated 1980: USA - Mount St. Helens Erupts 1980: UK - Rubik's Cube Popular 1980: Atlanta, GA, USA - Ted Turner Establishes CNN 1980: UK - The hepatitis-B vaccine invented. 1980: Cape Canaveral, FL, USA - First US Space Shuttle (Columbia) launched
6	1981	1981: UK - Worst April blizzards of 20th century 1981: London, UK - Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer 1981: UK - Assassination Attempt on Pope John Paul II 1981: USA - Ronald Reagan president 1981-1989. 1981: USA - Assassination Attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan 1981: UK - AIDS Identified 1981: UK - Pac-Man is Extremely Popular 1981: USA - Personal Computer (PC) Introduced by IBM 1981: Seattle, WA, USA - MS-DOS invented. 1981: Falkland Islands - Argentina invades Falkland Islands
7	1982	1982: UK - Unemployment reaches 3 million 1982: Berkshire, UK - Women's peace protests against cruise missiles begin at Greenham Common 1982: USA - E.T. Movie Released 1982: UK - King Henry VIII's Ship the Mary Rose Raised from seabed After 437 Years 1982: New York, NY, USA - Reverend Sun Myung Moon Marries 2,075 Couples at Madison Square Garden 1982: USA - Human growth hormone genetically engineered. 1982: UK - Margaret Thatcher wins landslide second term election victory, taking 397 seats to Labour's 209
8	1983	1983: UK - £1 coin goes into circulation 1983: USA - Ronald Reagan Announces Defense Plan Called Star Wars 1983: USA - Soviet Union Shoots Down a Korean Airliner 1983: Grenada - United States Intervention 1983: UK - Soft bifocal contact lens invented. 1983: USA - First Cabbage Patch Kids sold. 1983: USA - Programmer Jaron Lanier first coins the term virtual reality. 1983: UK - Miners' strike - High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets
9	1984	1984: Bhopal, India - Huge Poison Gas Leak from Union Carbide chemical plant 1984: India - Indira Gandhi, India's Prime Minister, Killed by Two Bodyguards 1984: UK - The CD-ROM invented. 1984: CA, USA - The Apple Macintosh invented. 1984: UK - BBC launches EastEnders as soap rival to Coronation Street