Temples cross oceans. Switzerland, England, New Zealand and Japan all receive one, missionary work expands sharply, and correlation reshapes how the Church teaches and publishes. In 1978 Official Declaration 2 extends the priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy members without regard to race.
1,187 entries in this era, shown 200 to a page. This is page 5 of 6, covering 1974 to 1976. See the same material on the moving timeline.
April conference sustains Neal A Maxwell as Assistant to the Twelve, first general authority who previously worked for U.S. Government's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Maxwell becomes member of the twelve in 1981.
Argentina Buenos Aires North mission is created
Argentina Buenos Aires South mission is created
Argentina Cordoba mission is created
Argentina Rosario mission is created
Arizona Holbrook mission is created
Arizona Tempe mission is created
Australia Adelaide mission is created
Australia Brisbane mission is created
Australia Melbourne mission is created
Australia Sydney mission is created
Austria Vienna mission is created
Belgium Brussels mission is created
Bolivia La Paz mission is created
Brazil Porto Alegre mission is created
Brazil Rio de Janeiro mission is created
Brazil Sao Paulo North mission is created
Brazil Sao Paulo South mission is created
California Anaheim mission is created
California Arcadia mission is created
California Los Angeles mission is created
California Oakland mission is created
California Sacramento mission is created
California San Diego mission is created
Canada Calgary mission is created
Canada Halifax mission is created
Canada Montreal mission is created
Canada Toronto mission is created
Canada Vancouver mission is created
Chile Santiago mission is created
CHRISTIANITY TODAY article: "Why Your Neighbor Joined the Mormon Church." Although the article denounces Mormonism as a "concept Christians must reject," it does concede that the Church's tremendous growth resulted from "people seeing in it the very points of appeal that the Word of God says a church should have!"
Church College of Hawaii became a branch of Brigham Young University and was renamed Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus.
Church divested fifteen hospitals to Intermountain Health Care.
Church traded the Brigham Young Forest Farm home to the state of Utah.
Colombia Bogota mission is created
Colorado Denver mission is created
Congress establishes Mount Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City as only civilian cemetery ever created by federal government. Although some civilians are buried in Washington, D.C.'s Arlington Cemetery, it is military cemetery. Congressmen do not trust Mormons to give proper respect to graves of non-Mormons.
Costa Rica San Jose mission is created
Denmark Copenhagen mission is created
Ecuador Quito mission is created
England Birmingham mission is created
England Bristol mission is created
England Leeds mission is created
England London mission is created
England London South mission is created
Fiji Suva mission is created
Finland Helsinki mission is created
First Presidency announcement of intention to legally divest church of fifteen hospitals in three western states. Most maintaintheir "LDS Hospital" titles despite ownership by "non-Mormons" and non-profit corporation, Intermountain Healthcare. This move also representes First Presidency's decision to publicly disengage church from hospital ownership following 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision ROE VS. WADE which legalized abortion s on demand, Although Presiding Bishop signs final divestiture agreement on April 1, 1975, Intermountain Healthcare is listed among "Associated Businesses" of LDS church in GENERAL CHURCH OFFICES TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, JANUARY 1996.
Florida Fort Lauderdale mission is created
Florida Tallahassee mission is created
France Paris mission is created
Georgia Atlanta mission is created
Germany Dusseldorf mission is created
Germany Frankfurt mission is created
Germany Hamburg mission is created
Germany Munich mission is created
Gordon B. Hinckley hosts special guests, including First Lady Betty Ford, at the Washington D.C. Temple open house.
Guatemala Guatemala City mission is created
Hawaii Honolulu mission is created
Idaho Pocatello mission is created
Illinois Chicago mission is created
In 1974 there were 9,811 missionaries called to serve.
In an exchange of pioneer homes, the Church traded the Brigham YoungForest Farm home in Salt Lake City to the state of Utah for use in the state's Pioneer State Park. The Church acquired the Brigham Young winter home in St. George and the Jacob Hamblin home in nearby Santa Clara, Utah, for use as visitor and information centers.
Indiana Indianapolis mission is created
Ireland Belfast mission is created
Italy Milan mission is created
Italy Rome mission is created
Japan Fukuoka mission is created
Japan Kobe mission is created
Japan Nagoya mission is created
Japan Sapporo mission is created
Japan Sendai mission is created
Japan Tokyo mission is created
Kentucky Louisville mission is created
Korea Seoul mission is created
Louisiana Shreveport mission is created
Massachusetts Boston mission is created
Mexico Hermosillo mission is created
Mexico Mexico City mission is created
Mexico Monterrey mission is created
Mexico Torreon mission is created
Mexico Veracruz mission is created
MIA is discontinued as the name for church youth programs.
MIA was dropped from the name of Church youth programs.
Michigan Lansing mission is created
Minnesota Minneapolis mission is created
Missionary companions Gary S. Darley and Mark F. Fischer are murdered in Texas by LDS convert who had returned to Pentecostal church. In its most sensational coverage ever, CHURCH NEWS reports that "body parts" of the missionaries are discovered on Nov. 13 and that murderer is sentenced to death in 1975 for killing the missionaries and "cutting up their bodies with a saw." In 1977, murderer successfully appeals his conviction due to illegal search, but remains in prison on other charges until his parole in 1988.
Missouri Independence mission is created
Montana Billings mission is created
Netherlands Amsterdam mission is created
New York New York mission is created
New York Rochester mission is created
NEW YORK TIMES reports lawsuit by NAACP against LDS church. Since church's Boy Scout program gives troop and post leadership to only boy-leaders in LDS Aaronic Priesthood, this discriminates against African-American Boy Scouts, who are denied preisthood ordination by LDS policy. LDS Scout policy changes within months, and lingering discrimination question becomes moot in four years.
New Zealand Auckland mission is created
North Carolina Greensboro mission is created
Norway Oslo mission is created
Ohio Columbus mission is created
Oklahoma Tulsa mission is created
Oregon Portland mission is created
Pennsylvania Harrisburg mission is created
Peru Lima mission is created
Philippines Cebu City mission is created
Philippines Manila mission is created
Portugal Lisbon mission is created
President Spencer W. Kimball dedicated the Washington Temple at Kensington, Md. Visitors during pre-dedication tours September through November totaled 758,327, topping the previous record of 662,401 at the Los Angeles Temple in 1956.
Samoa Apia mission is created
Sandra Haggerty, a black columnist and a frequent contributor to the LOS ANGELES TIMES writes: "Although I have met a few Mormons who attempt to use their religious stance to justify outright racist attitudes and actions, others are somewhat embarrassed by that portion of the doctrine and feel it should be reversed."
Scotland Edinburgh mission is created
Seventies quorums were authorized in all stakes and all quorums in the Church were renamed after the stake.
Singapore mission is created
South Africa Johannesburg mission is created
South Dakota Rapid City mission is created
Spain Madrid mission is created
Announced plans for temple construction in Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and Washington State; rededicated the renovated Mesa Arizona and St. George Utah Temples.
Spencer W. Kimball administers second anointing to his heart surgeon Russell M. Nelson and wife Dantzel in Holy of Holies of Salt Lake temple. Nelson becomes member of Twelve in 1984. There is a dramatic increase of second anointings during Kimball's presidency.
Spencer W. Kimball dedicated the Washington Temple at Kensington.
Sweden Stockholm mission is created
Switzerland Geneva mission is created
Switzerland Zurich mission is created
Tahiti Papeete mission is created
Taiwan Taipei mission is created
Texas Dallas mission is created
Texas San Antonio mission is created
Thailand Bangkok mission is created
1974 Church Membership 3,409,987
The church divests its 15 hospitals into a non-profit organization.
The Conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Chior is Jerold Ottley. Directed the choir for numerous commercial recordings, including one with The United States Air Force Band that required special legislation in Congress to permit the Band to be published.
The First Presidency announced that the Church was divesting itself of its 15 hospitals in three western states and turning them over to a non-Church, non-profit organization, Intermountain Health Care. The Church completed the legal steps for divesting the hospitals on March 21, 1975.
The First Presidency writes in a letter: " For your information we may say that individual saints are free to make such alterations in the garment as may be dictated by unusual physical handicaps or disabilities. Where there is a problem such as the one being experienced by Sister Temesevi, we have taken the position that such modification as may be necessary to accommodate the wearing of the garment to the special physical disability or handicap is permissible."
The Washington D.C. Temple was dedicated by Spencer W. Kimball.
This evening Judiciary Committee of U.S. House of Representatives votes to approve first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon. Only Mormon on committee, Democrat Wayne Owens of Utah, votes for all three. As final act of Watergate break-in scandal, Nixon resigns within days rather than wait for certain impeachment by entire house and conviction-expulsion by Senate. Mormon D. Todd Christofferson is clerk for Watergate trial judge John J. Sirica throughout Watergate proceedings, and becomes general authority in 1993.
Tonga Nukualofa mission is created
Unified Magazine changes its name to International Magazines.
Uruguay Montevideo mission is created
Venezuela Caracas mission is created
Virginia Roanoke mission is created
Washington D.C. mission is created
This temple announcement has been suspended by First Presidency
Washington Seattle mission is created
A supervisory program for missions in the United States and Canada was announced, along with the assignment of members of the Quorum of the Twelve as advisers and other General Authorities as supervisors of the 12 areas.
Area supervisory program creation announced for worldwide growth.
Arkansas Little Rock mission is created
Article "The Man With Ten Wives" in ROLLING STONE tells of former mainstream Mormon and now fundamentalist Mormon Alex Joseph and his ten wives. The author, feminist journalist Sara Davidson, admits that her original intent was to "seek out the Josephs and find the flaw in their story." However she ends up realizing that "the marriage works for these people . . . each wife adds a new dimension to the family." Her admiration for certain of the wives battles with her assumption that no emotionally healthy woman could elect to become a polygamous wife.
Association of Catholic Communications gives "Gabriel" award to LDS church for "Homefront" public-service advertising which soon receives this award almost yearly.
Australia Perth mission is created
Bay Area Broadcasting Company formed as a subsidiary of Bonneville International.
Belgium Antwerp mission is created
Brigham Young University observed its 100th anniversary during homecoming week.
BYU's DAILY UNIVERSE reports that at a Marriott Center concert of the rock band "Tower of Power" they played "with enough volume to shake the rafters," The article reports that the audience went "almost out of control," with people dancing in the aisles. Several fans had to be escorted out by BYU security officers. One group of students writes a letter to the editor calling the event "the finest and most enjoyable concert of the year" However BYU president Dallin Oaks responds by vowing "there will be no more 'rock concerts at BYU." For 1977 homecoming the featured performer is Andy Williams who fills less than half of the seats in the Marriott Center.
California Fresno mission is created
Chile Concepcion mission is created
CHURCH NEWS article about Kathy Devine, LDS shotputter and Olympic aspirant who criticizes those who "think all girls should be out baking cookies somewhere."
Church Office Building dedicated by Spencer W. Kimball.
Citing accelerated growth of the Church worldwide, the First Presidency announced the creation of an area supervisory program and the assignment of six Assistants to the Twelve to oversee Church activities while residing outside the United States and Canada. The number of these foreign areas was increased to eight later in the year.
Colombia Cali mission is created
Conclusion of last Relief Society conference. Primary and Young Women's organizations held their last conferences the previous Apr. and June. Beginning Sept. 1978, there are annual meetings for women, but these lack the several days of training workshops previously directed by women.
Fifteen stakes created in Mexico City in one weekend.
First Presidency circular letter authorizes stake presidents to ordain bishops. Previously this was restricted to general authorities.
First Presidency letter instructs that those Mormons who refuse to pay federal income taxes are violating the law and the church's 12th Article of Faith.
Regional representatives are reorganized into a quorum of seventies, allowing leaders to serve nearer the members they oversee.
France Toulouse mission is created
In 1975 there were 14,446 missionaries called to serve.
Incident to the rapid growth of the Church in Mexico, 15 stakes were created in Mexico City in one weekend.
Indonesia Jakarta mission is created
Iran Tehran mission is created
Italy Padova mission is created
Korea Pusan mission is created
LDS church and its Bonneville Productions receive national advertising award ("Clio") for its "Homefront" advertising on television. Church also receives Clio awards in 1979, 1980, 1984, 1992, and 1993.
Louisiana Baton Rouge mission is created
Mexico Guadalajara mission is created
Mexico Villahermosa mission is created
Nevada Las Vegas mission is created
New Mexico Albuquerque mission is created
Organization of First Quorum of the Seventy for first time in 131 years and for first time ever as general authority quorum. Conference also sustains as general authority the first Native American, George P. Lee, a Navajo.
Pennsylvania Pittsburgh mission is created
President Kimball announced in general conference the organization of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the first three members of the quorum were sustained.
President Kimball spoke to a total of 44,500 members at five area conferences in the Far East, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea
President Kimball spoke to forty-four thousand at Far East conferences.
President Spencer W. Kimball announces his resignation from management positions of church corporations to more fully serve spiritual needs of church. His associates in Presidency and Twelve continue extensive corporate management roles until 1996.
Salt Lake City population is 169,917.
South Carolina Columbia mission is created
General Authority Area Supervisors assigned outside of United States and Canada.
Tennessee Nashville mission is created
1975 Church Membership 3,572,202
The 28-story Church Office Building in Salt Lake City was dedicated by President Spencer W. Kimball.
The Church Genealogical Department was organized with five divisions, two of which were formerly known as the Genealogical Society.
The end of auxiliary conferences was announced during the opening session of the 1975 June Conference. These conferences would be replaced with annual regional meetings for priesthood and auxiliary leaders.
Thomas Stuart Ferguson, founder of the New World Archeological Association at BYU, writes a paper for a written symposium on Book of Mormon Archaeology. He concludes: "The evidence supporting the geographical views of Norman and Sorenson, under the exacting tests laid down by the text of the Book of Mormon, is indeed very meager. We have the cylinder seal from Chiapa de Corzo, the cylinder seal from Tlatilco and the toys with wheels. That's about all. This paucity of specific support presents, at least to me, a dilemma. One way out of the dilemma is to say that everything was scrambled and lost because of the upheavals described in 3 Nephi for the time of the crucifixion. In my personal opinion, this is not a satisfactory escape hatch. . . . . I don't have the answer to the dilemma. I just call it up. I'm afraid that up to this point, I must agree with Dee Green, who has told us that to date there is no Book-of-Mormon geography. I, for one, would be happy if Dee were wrong."
Twins Daniel and David Geslison, age twenty-one, begin service as missionaries in Iceland, two days after returning from their first two-year missions, Daniel from Japan and David from Korea. On Aug. 20, 1977, CHURCH NEWS refers to their recent "return home" from missionary service in Iceland.
U.S. Soldier Ralph Cocroft is killed in Okinawa. Paul H. Dunn later admits that his buddy Harold Lester Brown didn't die in his arms on Okinawa as he said (Brown lived a long life after the war) but that Dunn took "Harold Brown's relationship and combine it with Ralph Cocroft's dying." Cocroft, however, neither lived on, wounded, through the night nor died in Dunn's arms as the story was told concerning Brown.
Utah Salt Lake City mission is created
Yugoslavia Zagreb mission is created
A total of 53,000 members in the South Pacific attended nine area conferences in American Samoa, Western Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, and Australia to hear counsel from President Spencer W. Kimball and other General Authorities.
Adoption of two previously published visions as additions to church's Standard Works. First change in church's official canon since addition of 1890 Manifesto.
African-American Robert Lee Stevenson is elected vice-president of BYU students.
At a BYU devotional address President Spencer W. Kimball preaches: "We recommend that people marry those who are of the same racial background generally . . . . and above all, the same religious background, without question." This is quoted in the June 17, 1978 issue of CHURCH NEWS in an article "Interracial Marriage Discouraged." This is the same issue which announces the lifting of the priesthood ban on Blacks.
Bay Area Broadcasting Company acquires KRON-FM (renamed KOIT-FM) in San Francisco.
Canada Winnipeg mission is created
Dissolution of First Council of the Seventy and Assistants to the Twelve, who merge in to First Quorum of the Seventy. After this date there is no permanent ranking or membership for Presidency of the Seventy. Conference also sustains first ethnic Japanese and first former Buddhist as general authority. First Quorum of Seventy's Adney Y. Komatsu, who was born in Hawaii.
El Salvador San Salvador mission is created