3rd July 1979: President Jimmy Carter authorises $500,000 to aid the mujahideen in Afghanistan

By the time Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 1989, it had become one of the CIA’s longest and most expensive covert operations.

4th November 1979: The Iran hostage crisis begins

On the 4th November 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began when a group of Iranian students from a group called the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line stormed the American Embassy in Tehran.

17th September 1978: Egypt & Israel sign Camp David Accords

On the 17th September 1978 the Camp David Accords, which led to the first ever peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state, were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.