NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 1980 (UPI) -- John Lennon, whose music set the beat of the turbulent 1960s, was gunned down by a suicidal fan, police said, who only hours before had been in ecstasy when the former Beatle autographed an album for him.

CAIRO, Oct. 6, 1981 (UPI) --Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated Tuesday by five rebel soldiers who broke away from a military parade and attacked his reviewing stand with Soviet-made AK47 automatic rifles and hand grenades.

NEW DELHI, Oct. 31, 1984 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated outside her home today in a volley of gunfire by Sikh members of her own security force. Other bodyguards shot one assassin to death and wounded the second.

Prime Minister Olof Palme, frequently found on the streets of Stockholm chatting with constituents, was one of the most popular politicians to ever serve Sweden -- his government marred only in recent months by a mutiny of naval officers angered by efforts to improve relations with the Soviet Union.

STOCKHOLM, Feb. 28, 1986 (UPI) - Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated Friday night on a snow-covered street a mile from his home by at least two shots fired at close range minutes after he left a movie theater with his wife.

Following is a chronological list of some major assassinations of heads of state since the end of World War II:

Capital: Stockholm Population: 8.34 million (est. 1985) Area: 173,665 square miles.