King Faisal is assassinated. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal is shot dead by his nephew, Prince Faisal Ibn Musaid. Son of King Ibn Saud, Faisal had fought in the military campaigns of the 1920s and 1930s that gave rise to modern Saudi Arabia. He later served as his country’s ambassador to the United Nations and in 1953, upon the accession of his elder brother Saud, was appointed prime minister. In 1964, King Saud was forced to abdicate, and Faisal became absolute monarch of Saudi Arabia. He sought to modernize the nation and offered financial and moral support to anti-Israeli forces in the Middle East. In 1975, Faisal was assassinated for reasons that remain unclear. He was succeeded by Crown Prince Khalid.
