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Zahir Shah becomes king
Zahir Shah becomes king, he will stay in this position for the next 40 years -
Mohammed Daoud Khan becomes prime minister
Mohammed Daoud Khan is now elected prime minister, looking for help from the communists and he also introduces a number of social reforms. -
Daoud’s creates two new reforms
Mohammed Dauod made a helpful move to Afghanistan, trying to level out the playing field for men and women as he allows women to attend university and enter the workforce. -
Hassan is born
"It was there, in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964."(6) -
Baba hires a woman to raise Hassan and Amir
Baba hired a Hazara woman to raise Hassan and Amir which helps them form a tight bond, "There's a kinship between people who have been fed from the same breasts" (11) -
Khan overthrows Zahir Shah
In one of the first of many power shifts in Afghanistan Mohammed Dauod Khan overthrows Mohammed Zahir Shah in a military coup. Khan’s regime. Khan also abolishes the monarchy and names himself president. -
Amir writes his first short story
Amir was always extremely creative and loved writing. It was about a man who finds a magic cup and suddenly has the ability to cry pearls, "This story's special.I wrote it myself."(32) -
Hassan gets surgery on his lip
Hassan was born with a cleft lip. For his birthday Baba gives him a gift of surgery, "The surgery went well. We were all a little shocked when they first removed the bandages."(46) -
Assef rapes Hassan
In the winter of 1975 Amir competes in a kite competition. Hassan is Amir's kite runner. After Amir wins, Hassan runs the last kite for Amir. Amir starts to become worried after Hassan doesn't come back for awhile. Amir finally finds Hassan with Assef. Amir is on the ground being raped because he is a Hazara, "He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn't struggle. Didn't even whimper." (75) -
Amir wins the kite tournament
One of Amir's pastime was flying kites in tournaments. One time, while Baba is watching Amir has a chance to finally win one, "I didn't need to hear the crowd's roar to know. I didn't need to see either. Hassan was screaming and his arms were wrapped around my neck." (66) -
Kamal's father shoots himself
While Baba and Amir are on their way to Jalalabad Kamal suddenly, "won't breathed! Allah, him him breathe!" When Kamal eventually dies his father, "shoved the barrel in his own mouth. I'll never forget the echo of that blast."the (124) -
Millions of Afghans flee
The situation in Afghanistan is getting worse and worse everyday, at this point around 2.8 million Afghans flee to Pakistan -
Amir and Soraya marry
Amir meets his wife, Soraya in America. They have a very traditional Afghan wedding, "We did Ayena Masshaf, where they gave us a mirror and threw a veil over our heads..."(171) -
Baba is diagnosed with cancer
Amir and Baba have now been in America for a couple of years. While in the flea market, Baba collapses. After making it to the hospital, "the cancer's metastasized" (pg. 159) -
Amir finishes his first novel
Ever since he was a boy Amir loved to write. He finally gets a chance to continue his love of writing as he gets older, "In the summer of 1988, about six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, I finished my first novel..."(182)
