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Kaddafi is born on June 7, 1942 in Qasr Abu Hadi, a rural farming area.
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Studies here until 1966. Becomes enthused by Arab nationalism. Influenced by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
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A small group of junior military officers led by Gadaffi revolted against the King Idris of Libya. They abolished the monarchy and created the Libyan Arab Republic.
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Expels Italians and begins "Arabification" of Libya
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He establishes unelected revolution committees to govern locally and suppress opposition. Mainly pro-western people.
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The Green Book was Gaddafi's political philosophy with oppostion towards democracy, capitalism, and free media.
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Renames Libya the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Its slogan is "God! Muammar! Libya! Enough!"
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Violently suppresses and army mutiny in Tobruk and begins policy of assassinating Libyan opponents abroad. Twenty five are killed between 1980-87.
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Libyan agents bomb the La Belle nightclub in Berlin, killing three Americans and injuring 229 others. Ronald Reagan describes Gaddafi as a "mad dog" and orders air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi killing up to 35 people.
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Gaddafi loses a war with Chad.
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Pan Am flight 103 from Heathrow to New York is brought down by an on-board bomb over Lockerbie killing 270 people. Libyan agents are blamed.
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Magreb pact is agreed, provisionally providing closer ties between Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, though never the sort of unity Gaddafi hopes for.
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Gaddafi expels 30,000 Palestinians from Libya over Israel-PLO peace negotiations.
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Gaddafi is one of the first to issue an arrest warrant for Osama bin Laden. Accepts Libyan responsibility for Lockerbie. Meets with Tony Blair and George Bush.
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Gaddafi agrees to pay $2.7bn compensation to relatives of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing.
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Visits the US for first time to address the UN general assembly. It is meant to last 15 minutes but he blusters on for an hour and a half, Intrigues Americans during visit by bring his bedouin tent to sleep in.
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Libyans in Benghazi begin to rise up against his regime. He threatens opponents with death and advances on rebel stronghold, triggering intervention from Nato.
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The international criminal court at The Hague indicts him, his son Saif Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi for crimes against humanity.
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During the battle of Sirte Gaddafi is wounded and then captured by Libyan rebel forces. They torture and parade him around until later he finally bleeds to death from gunshot wounds on an ambulance.