A Great and Marvelous Work—
Part Five: 1951–1995

Images of an Era:

Making Ready for a Worldwide Church

9 Apr. 1951: David O. McKay became ninth President of the Church.

25 Nov. 1952: Elder Ezra Taft Benson, an Apostle, appointed U.S. secretary of agriculture by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

12 Feb. 1955: Groundbreaking for Church College of Hawaii.

11 Sept. 1955: Swiss Temple dedicated.

11 Mar. 1956: Los Angeles Temple dedicated.

20 Apr. 1958: New Zealand Temple dedicated.

7 Sept. 1958: London Temple dedicated.

Oct. 1961: All-Church Coordinating Council established to correlate curriculum and activities for children, youth, and adults.

17 Nov. 1964: Oakland Temple dedicated.

Jan. 1965: Home evening manual placed in homes.

1 Jan. 1966: All Church auxiliary organizations began curriculum year at same time.

1 Jan. 1968: Regional representatives began service.

18 Jan. 1970: President David O. McKay died.

23 Jan. 1970: Joseph Fielding Smith became 10th President of the Church.

Jan. 1971: New English Church magazines began publication: Ensign, New Era, and Friend.

27–29 Aug. 1971: First area conference held, Manchester, England.

18 Jan. 1972: Ogden Temple dedicated.

9 Feb. 1972: Provo Temple dedicated.

2 July 1972: President Joseph Fielding Smith died.

7 July 1972: Harold B. Lee became 11th President of the Church.

Apr. 1973: Welfare Services Department formed.

26 Dec. 1973: President Harold B. Lee died.

30 Dec. 1973: Spencer W. Kimball became 12th President of the Church.

Aug. 1974: First branch for single adults organized.

19 Nov. 1974: Washington D.C. Temple dedicated.

24 July 1975: The 28-story Church Office Building dedicated, Salt Lake City.

3 Oct. 1975: First Quorum of Seventy organized.

3 Apr. 1976: Two revelations added to Pearl of Great Price that later became D&C 137 and D&C 138.

1 Oct. 1976: Assistants to the Twelve called to the First Quorum of the Seventy.

8 June 1978: First Presidency announced revelation granting the priesthood to all worthy male members. Sustained by Church on 30 Sept. Became D&C—Official Declaration 2.

16 Sept. 1978: First annual women’s meeting held.

30 Sept. 1978: Except for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, emeritus status was announced for the General Authorities of the Church.

30 Oct. 1978: São Paulo Temple dedicated.

Aug. 1979: New Latter-day Saint edition of English King James Bible published with Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, and other study aids.

2 Mar. 1980: Three-hour Sunday meeting schedule began in United States and Canada.

27 Oct. 1980: Tokyo Temple dedicated.

17 Nov. 1980: Seattle Washington Temple dedicated.

1981: Satellite receiving dishes installed at stake centers for receiving Church broadcasts.

26 Sept. 1981: New English editions of Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price published with improved indexing, cross-referencing, and other study aids.

16 Nov. 1981: Jordan River Temple dedicated.

1 June 1983: Atlanta Georgia Temple dedicated.

5 Aug. 1983: Apia Samoa Temple dedicated.

9 Aug. 1983: Nuku‘alofa Tonga Temple dedicated.

15 Sept. 1983: Santiago Chile Temple dedicated.

27 Oct. 1983: Papeete Tahiti Temple dedicated.

2 Dec. 1983: Mexico City Temple dedicated.

Apr. 1984: Personal Ancestral File• for home computers made available for family history work.

4 Apr. 1984: Museum of Church History and Art dedicated.

25 May 1984: Boise Idaho Temple dedicated.

June 1984: Area Presidencies established, with members called from the First Quorum of the Seventy.

20 Sept. 1984: Sydney Australia Temple dedicated.

25 Sept. 1984: Manila Philippines Temple dedicated.

19 Oct. 1984: Dallas Texas Temple dedicated.

17 Nov. 1984: Taipei Taiwan Temple dedicated.

14 Dec. 1984: Guatemala City Temple dedicated.

29 June 1985: Freiberg Germany Temple dedicated.

2 July 1985: Stockholm Sweden Temple dedicated.

2 Aug. 1985: Revised LDS hymnbook published.

9 Aug. 1985: Chicago Illinois Temple dedicated.

24 Aug. 1985: Johannesburg South Africa Temple dedicated.

23 Oct. 1985: The Family History Library dedicated.

5 Nov. 1985: President Spencer W. Kimball died.

10 Nov. 1985: Ezra Taft Benson became 13th President of the Church.

14 Dec. 1985: Seoul Korea Temple dedicated.

10 Jan. 1986: Lima Peru Temple dedicated.

17 Jan. 1986: Buenos Aires Argentina Temple dedicated.

4 Oct. 1986: Seventies quorums in stakes discontinued.

24 Oct. 1986: Denver Colorado Temple dedicated.

15 Feb. 1987: Tabernacle Choir performed 3,000th radio broadcast.

28 Aug. 1987: Frankfurt Germany Temple dedicated.

1 Apr. 1989: Second Quorum of Seventy organized.

16 May 1989: BYU Jerusalem Center dedicated.

19 Aug. 1989: Portland Oregon Temple dedicated.

16 Dec. 1989: Las Vegas Nevada Temple dedicated.

2 Apr. 1990: FamilySearch® software released for use in Family History Centers™.

25 Aug. 1990: Toronto Ontario Temple dedicated.

25 Apr. 1993: San Diego California Temple dedicated.

30 May 1994: President Ezra Taft Benson died.

5 June 1994: Howard W. Hunter became 14th President of the Church.

9 Oct. 1994: Orlando Florida Temple dedicated.

8 Jan. 1995: Bountiful Utah Temple dedicated.

3 Mar. 1995: President Howard W. Hunter died.