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when baba was born and reign of Afghanistan
Not only was 1933 the year that baba was born, but it was also the year that, "Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan." (24) -
Hassan and Amir's age
Hassan and Amir are just like brothers because, "It was there in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the Winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me." (6) -
Baba builds an orphanage
Many things affected the way Amir viewed his father, for example, "In the late 1960s, my father decided to build an orphanage." (13) -
Baba's passion
Baba's passion for soccer was huge, and he desperately wanted Amir to be just like him, so, "In 1970 Baba took a break from the construction of the orphanage and flew to Tehran for a month to watch the World Cup games on television, since at the time Afghanistan didn't have TVs yet. He signed me up for soccer teams to stir the same passion in me." This shows how Baba's passion for soccer and sports in general is shared with his son. -
Amir reads to Hassan
One day, in July 1973, "[Amir] played another trick on Hassan. [I] pretended to be reading, but strayed from the book, making up a story of my own. [T]hat was the first time that I realized I had wanted to be a writer." (30) This was the start of Amir's soon-to-be career. -
First shots hear
As it turns out, ducks were not being shot at, at all that night, and "Kabul awoke the next morning to find that the monarchy was a thing of the past." (36) This shows that a republic was being born in Amir and Hassan's prescence. -
Hassan gets his lip fixed
On Hassan's birthday, Baba gets him a life-changing present, "Hassan got plastic surgery to fix his harelip." (44) This shows how Baba is caring for him, just like his own son. -
Amir's past
A lot of things shaped who Amir is when he is older because, "[He] became what [he] is today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975." (1) -
First Words
Everything that leads up to what happened was "[I]n the winter of 1975-and all that followed- was already laid in those first words." (11) -
Official end of their old life
In April 1978, "our way of life, or the one we currently know, would end very soon." This shows that Amir and Hassan were not born into the war that they will soon come to know. -
Russian Tanks rolling down their old streets
With the end coming so near, Amir did not know that in "December, 1979, [Russian] tanks would roll into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew and marking the start of an ongoing era of bloodletting." (36) This demonstrates the fact that Amir's life will never be the same again, and he does not know what the future will bring him, especially if it brings something unexpected to him and his family. -
1979 Soviet Invasion
The Soviet Union first "parachuted into Kabul on December 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal." (NYT) -
After the first shots were heard
After the first shots that Amir and Hassan had experienced/heard, "[T]he words, economic development, and reform danced on a lot of lips in Kabul." (43) Showing, that a lot of changes were being made, and quickly. -
Kabul changes to a Republic
A lot of things in Kabul changes quickly, including the fact that, "The constitutional monarchy had been abolished, replaced by a republic, led by a president of the republic." (43) This shows that things were changing, but going somewhat well considering that people were talking about modern technology, and women's rights. -
Amir marries Soraya
Amir asked Baba to ask the general if he could marry Soraya. He said "I want you to go khastegari. I want you to ask Gerneral Taheri for his daughter's hand" (161). Therefore, Amir is starting his own life, which will have a big impact on the future of his. -
Peace Talks and the Soviet Union
The U.S. had peace talks with the Soviet Union, and eventually "The last Soviet Troops left Afghanistan in February, 1989" NYT -
Amir publishes his first book
In the summer of 1988, Amir "finished his first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter the general had given [him]" (182). This is showing that he has started an important career of his life. -
The Taliban Takeover
A man part of the Taliban, "Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the Warlords North and East." (NYT) -
Pakistani Intelligence Officers
The Taliban probably would have faded out, if not for the "Pakistani Intelligence Officers [who] began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisors [a]s early as 1994." -
Taliban controls Afghanistan
Soon later, many events happened such as where, "Buoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law." (NYT) -
Taliban provides Haven for Mr. Bin Laden
Not only did the Taliban enforce new laws, but they, "[P]rovided a haven for Mr. Bin Laden who arrived on a chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Queda." (NYT) -
Amir goes back to Afghanistan
When Amir went back to Kabul, Rahim Kahn told him that "Ali was killed after stepping on a land mine, and Hassan was shot by the Taliban, and learned that Hassan was his half brother." (227). He went back to Kabul to get Hassan's son, Sohrab, and wanted to repay Hassan for his sins/mistakes when they were children, by showing his ethics, values, and morals and looking for, (and adopting) his son, Sohrab. -
9/11 invasion
Taliban "Committed something unthinkable" and attacked the U.S. Twin Towers. (NYT) -
King of Afghanistan exiled
Hamid Karzai, who exiled the former King of Afghanistan, "[T]ook office as interim president, [hoping] to secure peace, and win the country much-needed international aid" (NYT) -
Post 9/11 Invasion
After the attack, " President Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. Bin Laden, [which] was refused, and the U.S. joined forces with rebel groups, who never accepted Taliban rule." (NYT) -
Obama deploys troops
Due to this open-ended commitment to Afghanistan, "Mr. Obama announced to deploy 30,000 additional troops [because] the United States could not afford to the open-ended commitment." (NYT)