1.   At five past two Franco took the unprecedented step of refusing to serve him any more wine.

2.   He took the unprecedented step of stating that the rumours were false.

3.   In the summer, the two sides took the unprecedented step in the Warsaw Pact of recalling their two ambassadors.

4.   The authorities were taken aback, and took the unprecedented step of cordoning off the painting.

5.   Although Cossiga was not empowered to remove Galloni from office, he took the unprecedented step of declaring that Galloni could no longer exercise powers delegated by the President.

6.   As NATO worked to tighten the military and economic noose, the alliance took the unprecedented step of extending security guarantees to the seven non-NATO members.

7.   Backers are calling for unprecedented steps to negate term limits or postpone the election for a year.

8.   After the crash last Saturday, the vice admiral commanding Pacific naval air forces took the unprecedented step of ordering the entire air wing off the carrier.

9.   By taking the unprecedented step of releasing an audio recording of the argument as soon as it ended, the court provided Americans with an invaluable civics lesson.

10.   During his first year in Atlanta, Shaw took the unprecedented step in a city still largely segregated of establishing a weeklong residency at historically-black Spelman College.