January 24 - A month after bringing the Emirate of Sharjah into the United Arab Emirates, the emir, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi was assassinated in a coup attempt by the previous ruler, Saqr bin Sultan al-Qasimi, whom Khalid had overthrown in 1965. Saqr failed to regain the throne, and Sharjah has been ruled since then by Khalid's brother, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi.[1]
February
February 9 - The seventh sheikhdom, Ras al-Khaimah, joins the United Arab Emirates.[2]
March
March 14 - Sterling Airways Flight 267, which was bringing Danish vacationers home from a holiday in Sri Lanka, crashed on its approach to the Dubai airport. All 112 people on board were killed.[3]
References
^Kourosh Ahmadi, Islands and International Politics in the Persian Gulf (Routledge, 2008), p108