My cultural timeline of the world continues:

1976 – 2000 AD

1976 AD — The first outbreak of the Ebola virus occurs.

1976 AD — Mao Zedong dies.

1976 AD — Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs establish Apple Computer.

1976 AD — The CN (Canadian National) Tower is erected in Toronto, Canada. At the time, it was the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It remains the third tallest even today and has become a symbol of the city. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Toronto, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

It dominates the skyline of Toronto and attracts more than 2 million visitors per year.

1977 AD — Personal Computers (PCs) are first mass-produced.

1977 AD — The launch of Voyager I occurs.

1977 AD — Elvis Presley dies.

1978 AD — The first test-tube baby is produced.

1978 AD — Artificial insulin is produced.

1979 AD — Smallpox, once a scourge of mankind, is eradicated.

1979 AD — The Iran hostage crisis occurs.

1979 AD — Margaret Thatcher becomes British Prime Minister.

1980 AD — Mount St Helens erupts in Washington state.

1980 AD — John Lennon is assassinated.

1981 AD — The royal wedding between Prince Charles and Princess Diana occurs in England.

1981 AD — MTV is launched.

1981 AD — The Crystal Cathedral is built in Garden Grove, California. It is the largest glass building in the world.

1982 AD — The first ever execution by lethal injection was performed in Texas.

1982 AD — SONY releases its first Compact Disc (CD) player.

1982 AD — Princess Grace of Monaco dies in an automobile accident.

1982 AD — The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was designed and built by Maya Lin. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Washington, DC, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1983 AD — Global Positioning Satellites become available for use by the public.

1983 AD — The United States invades Grenada.

1983 AD — Terrorists bomb the US Embassy in Beirut, killing 307 people.

1984 AD — HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is recognized as the cause of AIDS.

1984 AD — Indira Ghandi is assassinated.

1985 AD — DNA Fingerprinting is first used to solve a crime in England.

1985 AD — Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Premier of Russia.

1985 AD — Construction begins on the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. The building was designed by noted architect, I.M.Pei. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Hong Kong, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1986 AD — The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes upon launch, killing seven (7) including the first-ever private citizen, Krista McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire.

1986 AD — The Chernobyl Nuclear Plant ruptured in Russia causing explosions and the release of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere.

1986 AD — The MIR space station was launched by the USSR.

1986 AD — Halley’s Comet returns again.

1987 AD — Prozac, a potent anti-depressant, becomes available.

1987 AD — World Population reaches 5 Billion

1988 AD — Pan-Am Flight 103 crashes in Lockerbie, Scotland due to explosions on board caused by two (2) terrorists from Libya.

1989 AD — The Berlin Wall falls as part of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

1989 AD — The Tienanmen Square massacre occurs in Beijing, China.

1989 AD — The Exxon-Valdez oil spill occurs in Alaska.

1989 AD — The Louvre Museum Pyramid was completed, becoming the new entrance to the museum. I.M. Pei designed the distinctive structure. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Paris, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1990 AD — Sir Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web and the internet becomes a part of the daily life of humans.

1990 AD — German reunification occurs.

1990 AD — The Hubble Space Telescope is launched.

1990 AD — The Gulf War begins.

1992 AD — The European Union is established through the Maastricht Treaty.

1992 AD — The Bosnian War begins.

1992 AD — Riots occur in Los Angeles, California after those responsible for the beating of Rodney King were acquitted.

1993 AD — The World Trade is bombed

1993 AD — A siege of the Branch-Dividian compound in Waco, Texas, by the FBI and other law enforcement units resulted in 86 people killed, including David Koresh, the leader of the group.

1993 AD — The Tian Tan Buddha, a huge bronze sitting statue of Buddha is completed on the grounds of the Po Lin Monastery, just outside of Hong Kong, China.

1993 AD — The Luxor Hotel opens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its Egyptian theme makes it one of the most distinctive of the properties in Las Vegas. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Las Vegas, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1994 AD — The end of Apartheid in South Africa results in the election of Nelson Mandela as president.

1994 AD — The Channel Tunnel (sometimes referred to as the Chunnel) opens connecting France and England.

1994 AD — The Oriental Pearl Tower is completed in Shanghai, China. It is the fifth tallest tower in the world and is a distinctive addition to the skyline of the Pudong, the business section of the city.  This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Shanghai, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1995 AD — The bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma occurs. The perpetrator, Timothy McVeigh, was eventually put to death for the crime. 168 people were killed in the explosion.

1995 AD — The Bosnian War ends.

1995 AD — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum is dedicated in a ceremony attended by many icons of music in Cleveland, Ohio.

1996 AD — Dolly the sheep is cloned, the first of a number of animals to be created this way.

1997 AD — Hong Kong sovereignty is transferred back to China.

1997 AD — Diana, Princess of Wales, is killed in an automobile accident in Paris.

1997 AD — The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is built in Bilbao, Spain.

1998 AD — The Google Company is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

1998 AD — The Bellagio Hotel and Casino opens in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the classiest properties on The Strip, the Bellagio is known for its “Dancing Fountains.” This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Las Vegas, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.

1998 AD — The Petronas Towers are built in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, becoming the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 until 2004.

1999 AD — The Euro is introduced as the official currency of the European Union.

1999 AD — World Population reaches 6 Billion.

2000 AD — The International Space Station (ISS) begins operation.

2000 AD — The USS Cole is bombed by Al Quaida.

2000 AD — The Oklahoma City National Memorial is completed, dedicated to those who lost their lives in the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Building. This and many other major tourist attractions here have been incorporated into Gary’s Walking Tour of Oklahoma City, available for sale on the website for just $1.49.