| Selected historical milestones |
Year
| AO milestones
| The world at large |
|---|
1958
| AO is established in Biel, Switzerland
| First crossing of Antarctica by Sir Vivian Fuchs |
|---|
| 1959 | Establishment of the Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and AO
Documentation
| Invention of the Microchip |
|---|
| 1960 | First AO Course in Davos | Introduction of the birth control pill |
|---|
| 1961 | Establishment of AO Technical Commission
| Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is the first human in space |
|---|
| 1963 | First AO ORP Course held in Switzerland | Martin Luther King delivers his famous “I Have A Dream” speech |
|---|
| 1969 | First AO Course in North America
Establishment of AO Vet | The Woodstock Festival marks the climax of the hippie era |
|---|
1972
| First AO Course in Latin America
Establishment of AO International | Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka |
|---|
| 1974 | First AO CMF Course held in Davos | The oil embargo crisis shakes the Western world |
|---|
| 1977 | First AO Course in Asia Pacific | The first home computers and game consoles go on sale |
|---|
| 1979 | First AO Vet Course held in Spain | Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize |
|---|
| 1983 | Establishment of the AO Research Fund
First AOSpine Course held in Davos
| Invention of the CD-ROM |
|---|
| 1984 | The Charter of the AO Foundation is signed | The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is discovered |
|---|
| 1989 | AO Alumni Association is established | The Berlin Wall falls marking the end of the Cold War |
|---|
| 1992 | Opening of AO Center in Davos
Establishment of the AO Development Institute
| Voters in South Africa vote to end apartheid |
|---|
2003
| Establishment of AOSpine and the AO Biotechnology Advisory Board
| The human genome is completely sequenced for the first time |
|---|
| 2004 | The Academic Council launches the four Clinical Priority Programs | A tsunami hits Southeast Asia, an unparalleled global relief effort
begins |
|---|
| 2006 | AO and Synthes, Inc. renew their cooperation agreements | 715 million people worldwide watch as Italy wins the 2006 FIFA World Cup in
Germany |
|---|
2008
| 50th anniversary of AO | France celebrates the 50th anniversary of its constitution |
|---|
