•  born in 1942
• born in a desert tent near the town of Surt
• attended LIbyan military academy in Benghazi
• also attended royal military academy at Sandhurst England
• took over Libya's leadership in 1969
• military overthrow of Libya's monarchy (came into power)
• Colonel And commanders and chief of Libyan armed forces
• outspoken, radical leader
• strong belief in Arab unity under Islam
• sought to spread influence
• gave military and financial aid to revolutionaries and terrorists all over the world
• denounced by other countries for interfering in other nations affairs
• U.N. suspended it's sanctions on Libya
• encourages strict obedience to Islam laws
• "Oil enabled Quadhafi to build many schools , houses, and hospitals and his government provides free social services for all citizens."
• downturn in oil prices in the 1980/1990's and UN sanctions signified reduced Libya's prosperity

• "in 1992/1993, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Libya for refusing to turn over Libyans suspected of placing bombs onto international civil flights.  In 1999, Libya handed over to the UN officials two men suspected of planting the bomb on one of the flights."

• 1969 September 1: Qadhafi, now a captain in the army, performs a bloodless coup, and overthrows king Idris 1.

•    1970: He removes the US and British military bases from Libya. � Most members of the native Italian and Jewish communities are  expelled from Libya.

•    1973: All foreign owned petroleum assets are nationalized.� Territorial dispute with Chad, which involved invasion of northern Chad.

•    1976: Qadhafi publishes his Green Book. Its second volume is published in 1980.

•    1977: Qadhafi introduces the term jamahiriyya, which is to be translated with 'state of the masses', a system of people's congresses, labour unions and other mass organizations.

•    1979: Qadhafi resigns from all official posts, but remain as the  effective ruler of Libya.

•    1986 April 15: US air force attacks Tripoli and Benghazi where around  20 people are killed, among them Qadhafi's own adopted infant daughter.

•    1990: Qadhafi remains neutral following Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

•    1993 October: Unsuccessful attempt by 2,000 members of the army on Qadhafi's life.

•    1994 May: Libyan troops withdraw from Chad, and returns to the original borders.

•    1995 August: A new attempt on his life, but this has never been confirmed by Libyan authorities.

� September: Expulsion of Palestinian refugees from Libya. This was
   an attempt from Qadhafi to address the political problems coming from
   the unresolved Palestinian claims on lands annexed with the
   establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. It was also a protest to
   the peace process that had started 2 years earlier.

•    1996 July: Bloody riots following a football match, which is actually a protest against Qadhafi.

•    1999 February 13: Qadhafi accepts to extradite the two men accused of being responsible for the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.

                                 "We are capable of destroying America and breaking its
                                        nose."
                    Moammar Qadhafi, Libyan head of state, in an address two months after U.S.
                               bombing raid on Tripoli, June 15, 1986