1. February: The Jamaica Stock Exchange is officially opened and transactions begin.

2. February: Norman Washington Manley steps down as the leader of the then opposition, People’s National Party (PNP) and gives helm to son Michael Manley.

3. April 1: Air Jamaica officially starts new operations. The old, was formed between the Government of Jamaica and Air Canada.

4. April 15: Jamaica signed on to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty or NPT, which main objectives are to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.

5. June 27: Jamaica becomes a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the world’s oldest regional organisation.

6. July 18: The Governor General signs the National Honours and Awards Act, which establishes the National Honours of Jamaica, which recognise those Jamaicans or foreign nationals who have made a meaningful and significant contribution to national development through their service.

7. September 2: Norman Washington Manley dies only six months after his resignation as leader of the opposition. He is later buried in the National Shrine of the King George Vl Park.

8. September 8: Jamaica decimalises its currency, and changes from pounds, shillings and pence to the Jamaican Dollar.

9. October 18: Jamaica, along with the other members of the 18 member-territories, signs the Charter of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at the Sheraton-Kingston Hotel.

10. October 20: National Heroes Day is established and is to be celebrated on the third Monday in October each year. The first National Heroes to be designated were the Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Norman Washington Manley and Sir William Alexander Bustamante.