A country of 47 million people, living along a territory roughly the size of Utah and Arizona combined, Spain has lost a lot of world-power status since the days of the Spanish Armada. In the 18th century it was conquered by Napoleon; a century later it went into internal strife between monarchists and supporters of a free republic. An American victory in the Spanish-American war deprived Spain of the last of its major possessions in Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico, muddled the affairs even more, and following the Spanish Civil War just prior to WW II (which the major European powers used as a testing ground for their new weapons.)

On this day, December 27, in 1978, after four decades of dictatorial and isolationist rule by General Francisco Franco, a national referendum approved a new constitution for Spain.

Although still headed up by a king, the Spanish constitution gave lawmaking powers to the Parliament and established certain inherent rights for all citizens. Women are given equal political and civil rights – and the old law making adultery a severely punishable offense was abolished. Marriage and divorce laws granted equal status to men and women, and birth control for the first time was allowed.