1971 CE

The Bangladesh Liberation War leads to the independence of Bangladesh amid the deadly Bangladesh genocide; the Pentagon Papers reveal secret U.S. Vietnam War policies; the Attica Prison riot ends in a violent crackdown; Apollo 14 lands on the Moon; the 1971 JVP insurrection erupts in Sri Lanka; the 1971 Moroccan coup attempt fails to depose King Hassan II; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake causes major damage in Southern California; the Daeyeonggak Hotel fire kills over 160 in Seoul; and Walt Disney World opens in Florida, becoming a major tourist destination.

In the 1970s, the 20th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 5 – The first ever One Day International cricket match is played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.source
January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices; February 14 they sign a treaty with 6 Arab states of the Persian Gulf.source
January 25 – Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state.source
February 11 – The US, UK, USSR and others sign the Seabed Treaty, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor.source
February 16 – In Italy, a local parliament elects the city of Catanzaro as the capital of Calabria; residents of Reggio di Calabria riot for 5 days because of the decision.source
20 February – Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah was installed as the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong.Malaysia source
March 1 – Canadian John Robarts ends his term of office as the 17th Premier of Ontario.source
March 26 – Nihat Erim (a former CHP member) forms the new government of Turkey (33rd government, composed mostly of technocrats).source
March 27 – East Pakistan's independence is declared by army major (later president of Bangladesh) Ziaur Rahman from Kalurghat Radio Station.source
April 17 – The People's Republic of Bangladesh forms under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Mujibnagor.source
April 21 – Siaka Stevens is sworn in as the first president of Sierra Leone.source
April 27 – Presidential election, Park Chung-hee reelected.South Korea source
May 9 – Arsenal FC beats Liverpool F.C. 2–1 to win the English FA Cup, thus completing the league and cup 'double'.source
12 May - UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying: Albania ties with Poland 1-1 at Qemal Stafa Stadium, TiranaAlbania source
May 18 – The U.S. Congress formally votes to end funding for the American Supersonic Transport program.source
June 11 – Neville Bonner becomes the first Indigenous Australian to sit in the Australian Parliament.source
July 5 – Right to vote: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, formally certified by President Richard Nixon, lowers the voting age from 21 to 18.source
July 11 – The nationalization of all large copper mines in Chile is completed.source
July 14 – Libya severs its diplomatic ties with Morocco.source
July 15 – American President Richard Nixon announces his 1972 visit to China.source
August 30 – The Progressive Conservatives under Peter Lougheed defeat the Social Credit government under Harry E. Strom in a general election, ending 36 years of uninterrupted power for Social Credit in Alberta.source
1 September: 1971 Syrian Federation of Arab Republics referendumSyria source
September 2 – The United Arab Republic is renamed to the Arab Republic of Egyptsource
October 21 – U.S. President Richard Nixon nominates Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.source
October 25 – The United Nations General Assembly admits the People's Republic of China and expels the Republic of China (or Taiwan).source
November 23 – The People's Republic of China takes the Republic of China's seat on the United Nations Security Council (see China and the United Nations).source
December 2 - Six of the emirates of the Trucial States form the United Arab Emirates.United Arab Emirates source
9 December – Chandpur and Daudkandi liberated.Bangladesh source
December 11 – Nihat Erim forms the new government of Turkey (34th government; Nihat Erim has served two times as prime minister).source
20 December – Yahya Khan resigns and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto becomes new president.Pakistan source
December 24 – Giovanni Leone is elected President of the Italian Republic.source
Greece resumed diplomatic relations with Albania.Greece source

Conflict & Security

January 18 – A South Korean marine kills 6 people in a mass shooting in Kimpo.South Korea source
January 24 – The Guinean government sentences to death 92 Guineans who helped Portuguese troops in the failed landing attempts in November 1970; 72 are sentenced to hard labor for life; 58 of the sentenced are hanged the next day.source
8 February-25 March - Operation Lam Son 719Laos source
17 February - UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying: Albania is defeated by West Germany 0-1 at Qemal Stafa Stadium, TiranaAlbania source
March 1 – Pakistani president Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan indefinitely postpones the pending National Assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.source
March 1 – A bomb explodes in the men's room at the United States Capitol; the Weather Underground claims responsibility.source
March 8 – "Fight of the Century": Boxer Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in a 15-round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden.source
22 March: 1971 Syrian presidential electionSyria source
March 25 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistani army starts Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) at midnight after President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, a military ruler, voids election results that gave the Awami League an overwhelming majority in the parliament; start of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. That ended the non-cooperation movement.source
April 5 – In Ceylon, a group calling themselves the People's Liberation Front begins a rebellion against the Bandaranaike government.source
April 8 – A right-wing coup attempt is exposed in Laos.source
April 26 – The government of Turkey declares a state of siege in 11 provinces, including Ankara, in response to violent demonstrations.source
May 18 – The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup against the Chicago Black Hawks. The Canadiens became only the second team in NHL history to win the Cup in Game 7 on the road, and did so after the home team had won each of the previous six games in the series. This also marked Jean Béliveau's last NHL game.source
June 13 – Vietnam War: The New York Times begins to publish the Pentagon Papers.source
July 10–11 – Coup attempt in Morocco: 1,400 cadets take over the king's palace for three hours and kill 28 people; 158 rebels die when the king's troops storm the palace (ten high-ranking officers are later executed for involvement).source
July 13 – Reggie Jackson's long home run, which hits a transformer on the roof of Tiger Stadium, helps the American League defeat the National League 6–4 in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit.source
July 22 – A BOAC flight from London to Khartoum is ordered to land at Benghazi, Libya, where two leaders of the unsuccessful Sudanese coup, travelling as passengers, are forced to leave the plane and are subsequently executed.source
August 9 – Internment in Northern Ireland: British security forces arrest hundreds of nationalists and detain them without trial in Long Kesh prison; 20 people die in the riots that follow.source
August 20 – The USS Manatee spills 1,000 US gallons of fuel oil on President Nixon's Western White House beach in San Clemente, California.source
August 21 – A bomb made of two hand grenades by alleged communist rebels explodes in the Liberal Party campaign party in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila the Philippines, injuring several anti-Marcos political candidates.source
August 21 - coup d'etat removes President Torres from office and Junta of Commanders of the Armed Forces 1971 (Bolivia) rules the countryBolivia source
September 1– Operation Sourisak Montry VIII opens when forces of the Royal Thai Army recapture several positions in the territory of Laos on the south bank of the Mekong in response to an encroaching Chinese presence to the north.source
September 9–13 – Attica Prison riot: A revolt breaks out at the maximum-security prison in Attica, New York. In the end, state police and the United States National Guard storm the facility; 42 are killed, 10 of them hostages.source
October 4–7 – Pink Floyd record their groundbreaking film, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii.source
October 29 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: The total number of American troops still in Vietnam drops to a record low of 196,700 (the lowest since January 1966).source
November 12 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon sets February 1, 1972, as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam.source
November 30 – Iranian forces occupy the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa (joint occupation by agreement with Sharjah) and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs (taken by force from Ras Al Khaimah).source
Erin Pizzey establishes the world's first domestic violence shelter in Chiswick, London.source
December 3 – The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 begins with Operation Chengiz Khan as Pakistan launches preemptive attacks on nine Indian airbases. The next day India launches a massive invasion of East Pakistan.source
3 December – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 breaks out. Bangladesh Air Force destroys Pakistani oil depots.Bangladesh source
3 December – Start of Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.Pakistan source
December 7 – Battle of Sylhet rages between the Pakistani military and the Indian Army.source
December 16 – Victory Day of Bangladesh: The Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) surrenders to the joint forces of India and the Bengali nationalist separatists, ending the Bangladesh Liberation War.source
6–13 December – 1971 Southeast Asian Peninsular GamesMalaysia source

Exploration & Expansion

March 2 – All-Pakistan Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched the non-cooperation movement in East Pakistan.source
March 25 – The North East Mall opens in Hurst, Texassource
May 5 – FedEx, the logistics and delivery service, founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States.source
June 14 – Norway begins oil production in the North Sea.source
June 18 – Southwest Airlines, a low-cost carrier, begins its first flights between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.source
July 17 or 18 – A group consisting of anthropologists and journalists, and being led by Elizalde, makes an interview with 25 of about 100 members of the "Tasadays" in the southern Mindanao.Philippines source
July 20 - A first McDonald's fast food outlet open in Japan at Ginza, Tokyo.Japan source
August 16 – Hastings Banda, President of Malawi, becomes the first black president to visit South Africa.source
September 27–October 11 – Japanese Emperor Hirohito travels abroad.source
12 October – U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew visits Ankara.Turkey source
9 November – Six small ships constitute the first fleet of Bangladesh Navy.Bangladesh source
November 20 - Fidel Castro visits Punta Arenas.Chile source
Henry Kissinger secretly visits BeijingChina source
December 8 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the 7th Fleet to move towards the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.source
December 15 – The 1971 Intercontinental Cup took place in Greece.Greece source
December 30 – The first McDonald's in Australia opens in Yagoona, Sydney.source
India defeat West Indies in Port of Spain Trinidad for the first time ever to clinch the rubber 1-0. Sunil Gavaskar creates world record for scoring 774 runs in four tests. Ajit Wadekar was the Captain.India source

Religion & Belief

February 7 – Władysław Gomułka is expelled from the Central Council of the Polish Communist Party.source
13 February – Jean Hengen replaces the retiring Léon Lommel as Bishop of Luxembourg.Luxembourg source
21 April – The Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda (Icelandic:Konungsbók Eddukvæða) and the Codex Flateyensis (Icelandic:Flateyjarbók) is returned from Denmark.Iceland source
28 August – Reuvein Margolies (born 1889), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli author and Talmudic scholar.Israel source
17 September – Formation of Malik ministry in East Pakistan.Pakistan source
27 September – Prime ministers Edward Heath, Jack Lynch and Brian Faulkner meet at Chequers to discuss the Northern Ireland situation.Northern Ireland source
November 14 – Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is enthroned.source
Municipality of Santa Cruz on the island of Santiago establishedCape Verde source
Leslie Claudius (field hockey player) is awarded the Padma Shri.India source
Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tuanku JaafarMalaysia source

Economy & Finance

1 January – The Monetary Authority of Singapore was established to regulate the financial sector and as Singapore's central bank.Singapore source
February 4 – The Nasdaq stock exchange is founded in New York City.source
February 4 – In Britain, Rolls-Royce goes bankrupt and is nationalised.source
February 8 – A new stock market index called the Nasdaq Composite debuts in the United States.source
February 15 – Decimal Day: The United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency (see also decimalisation).source
15 February – Decimal Day: The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland both switch to decimal currency.Northern Ireland source
23 March – All-Pakistan Awami League proposes Confederation of Pakistan.Pakistan source
March 30 – Starbucks coffee shop is founded in the U.S. state of Washington.source
11 April – Members of the IBPP stage a hunger strike at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to demand meetings with government officials over poverty, housing inequality, and social discrimination.Israel source
May 5 – The U.S. dollar floods the European currency markets and especially threatens the Deutsche Mark; the central banks of Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland stop the currency trading.source
11 July – The Malaysian New Economic Policy was launched.Malaysia source
July 13 – The Yugoslavian government begins allowing foreign companies to take their profits from the country.source
August 15 – President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will no longer convert dollars to gold at a fixed value, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. He also imposes a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.source
December 4 – The Montreux Casino burns down during a Frank Zappa concert (the event is memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water"). The casino is rebuilt in 1975.source
December 18 – The U.S. dollar is devalued for the second time in history.source
1-7 November: 6th Congress of the Party of Labour of AlbaniaAlbania source
Aeronáutica Agrícola Mexicana SA formed.Mexico source
33rd government of Turkey (26 March 1971 – 11 December 1971)Turkey source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 1 — Veronika Mavrikievna and Avdotya Nikitichna, a comic variety duet of actors, appear in the telecast 'Terem-Teremok'.Soviet Union source
3 January – Jurong Bird Park opens to the public.Singapore source
January 15 – The Aswan High Dam officially opens in Egypt.source
January 25 – Intelsat IV (F2) is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean March 26.source
February 20 – The U.S. Emergency Broadcast System sends an erroneous warning across the nation's radio and television stations, meant to be a standard weekly test conducted by NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. Some stations cease broadcasting until the message is rescinded, as required by federal rules, while most ignore it.source
March 7 – The British postal workers' strike, led by UPW General Secretary Tom Jackson, ends after 47 days.source
March 7 – Die Sendung mit der Maus airs its first episode on Das Erste.source
3 April – Malaysia Airlines Systems (MAS) was founded.Malaysia source
April 20 – National Public Radio (NPR) airs its first broadcast.source
May 1 – Amtrak begins intercity rail passenger service in the United States.source
4 June – Israel announces the exposure of a Syrian espionage network in the Golan Heights.Israel source
June 13 – Racing drivers Gijs van Lennep of the Netherlands and Helmut Marko of Austria win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Martini Racing Porsche 917K.source
July 4 – The first plane lands at Seychelles International Airport in Victoria, Seychelles (Mahe).source
July 10 – Gloria Steinem makes her Address to the Women of America.source
July 19 – The South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City tops out at 1,362 ft, making it the second-tallest building in the world after the North Tower that had topped out in December 1970.source
August 5 – The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 enters service with American Airlines.source
August 10 – Mr. Tickle, the first book in the Mr. Men series is first published, in the U.K.source
August 11 – Construction begins on the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.source
August 15 – Jackie Stewart becomes Formula One World Drivers' Champion in the Tyrrell 003-Cosworth.source
September 30 - U.S Steel Tower opens in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.source
November 15 – Intel releases the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004.source
November 17 - Fidel Castro visits the municipal stadium and the huachipato plant in Concepción, ChileChile source
3 December – The establishment of China Steel in Taipei.Taiwan source
6 December – India becomes the first country to recognize the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra radio station becomes Bangladesh BetarBangladesh source
December 18 – The world's largest hydroelectric plant in Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union, begins operations.source
December 19 – Intelsat IV (F3) is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean February 18, 1972.source
Bulanti motorcar built in Australia.source
Ray Tomlinson sends the first ARPANET e-mail between host computers, in late 1971.source
1970–71 Mexican Primera División season.Mexico source

Science & Discovery

January 29 – The last of its many UFO sightings is made at Pudasjärvi, Finland.source
January 31 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 (carrying astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell) lifts off on the third successful lunar landing mission.source
February 5 – Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.source
February 9 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third human Moon landing.source
February 10 – A total lunar eclipse is visible from Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa, and is the 50th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 123.source
February 25 – A partial solar eclipse is visible from Europe, Africa and Asia, and is the 18th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 149.source
February 26 – Secretary General U Thant signs the United Nations proclamation of the March equinox (March 21) as Earth Day.source
February 28 – Evel Knievel sets a world record and jumps 19 cars on a motorbike in Ontario, California.source
6 April – Mona Grudt, model and 1990 Miss UniverseNorway source
April 19 — The Soviet Union launches Salyut 1.Soviet Union source
May 19 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.source
May 30 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars.source
June 6 – Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 (Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev) is launched.source
June 10: Opening of the Metro Observatorio.Mexico source
June 11 – Jack Davis becomes Canada's first Minister of the Environment, heading the new department of Environment CanadaCanada source
June 30 – After a successful mission aboard Salyut 1, the world's first human-occupied space station, the crew of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft die after their air supply leaks out through a faulty valve.source
June – Massachusetts passes its Chapter 766 laws enacting special education.source
July 25–30 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli records two Debussy works in Munich for Deutsche Grammophon, his fifth recording.source
July 26 – Apollo 15 (carrying astronauts David Scott, Alfred Worden and James Irwin) is launched.source
July 29 – The United Kingdom opts out of the Space Race with the cancellation of its Black Arrow launch vehicle.source
July 31 – Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin become the first to ride in the Lunar Roving Vehicle, a day after landing on the Moon.source
August 6 – A total lunar eclipse lasting 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 4 seconds is observed, visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, and is the 38th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 128.source
August 7 – Apollo 15 returns to Earth.source
August 20 – A partial solar eclipse is visible from Southern Ocean, and is the 4th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 154.source
October 1 – Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida.source
October 21 - Pablo Neruda receives the nobel prize for literature.Chile source
23 October – The Sentosa Satellite Earth Station is officially launched, making it Singapore's first Satellite Earth Station.Singapore source
October 28 – The United Kingdom becomes the sixth nation successfully to launch a satellite into orbit using its own launch vehicle, the Prospero (X-3) experimental communications satellite, using a Black Arrow carrier rocket from Woomera, South Australia.source
November 6 – Operation Grommet: The U.S. tests a thermonuclear warhead at Amchitka Island in Alaska, code-named Project Cannikin. At around 5 megatons, it is the largest ever U.S. underground detonation.source
November 13 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to enter Mars orbit successfully.source
December 2 – The Soviet Mars 3 lander reaches the surface of Mars, transmits for a few seconds and then goes silent. It is the first spacecraft to reach the planet.source
Hillel Oppenheimer (born 1899), German-born Israeli professor of botany.Israel source
In 1971 there was a major breakthrough for international news when the Warkworth Satellite station was opened.New Zealand source

Health & Medicine

February 9 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro league player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.source
February 21 – Between February 21 and 22, an outbreak of nineteen tornadoes rages across the Mississippi Delta in Mississippi and Louisiana, killing 123 people.source
February 21 – The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.source
February 27 – Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform abortions.source
March 6 – A fire in a mental hospital in Burghölzli, Switzerland kills 28 people.source
26 March – President Yahya Khan banned political activities in Pakistan.Pakistan source
27 April – Martial law declared; student associations banned.Turkey source
June 17 – President Richard Nixon declares the U.S. war on drugs.source
10 July – Chaim Sheba (born 1908), Austro-Hungarian (Bukovina)-born Israeli physician.Israel source
24 July - Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen declares a State of Emergency to allow the touring South African Springboks football team to play.Australia source
30 July – Singapore's first sex reassignment surgery is performed on a 24-year-old who becomes a woman after the surgery, led by Dr S. S. Ratnam. The surgery is declared a success.Singapore source
August 14 – The controversial Stanford prison experiment, led by Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, began in Palo Alto, Californiasource
August 22 – President Marcos suspends the Writ of Habeas CorpusPhilippines source
November 5 - Senior officials Cubans arrive at the Pudahuel Airport, their photography being forbidden to the media.Chile source
December 20 – Two groups of French doctors involved in humanitarian aid merge to form Médecins Sans Frontières.source
Dr. Roberto Farina performs the first male-to-female gender-affirming surgery in Brazil.Brazil source
Skittles was introduced by Wrigley in 1971.source

Crime & Justice

January 1 – Fifth Street Women's Building Takeover: A coalition of over 100 feminists illegally occupy an abandoned city building in New York City. They establish a women's center, homeless shelter, food co-operative, and lesbian center before being raided by police 13 days later.source
January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo, keeping him captive until September.source
January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings, and receives them the next day.source
January 25 – In Los Angeles, Charles Manson and 3 female "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.source
March 26 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is arrested by the Pakistan army.source
26 March – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the president of the All-Pakistan Awami League, is arrested by the Pakistan army.Pakistan source
March 29 – A Los Angeles jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and female followers Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten.source
April 19 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death in the United States; in 1972, the sentence for all California death-row inmates will be commuted to life imprisonment.source
April 20 – Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education: The Supreme Court of the United States rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.source
May 15 – Israeli ambassador to Turkey Efraim Elrom is kidnapped; he is found killed in Istanbul May 25.source
15 May – Three members of the Turkish Liberation Army, an underground militant organization linked to the PLO, kidnapped and executed Israeli consul-general Efraim Elrom in Ankara.Israel source
May 26 – Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to bomb hoaxer/extortionist Mr. Brown (Peter Macari), who is later arrested.source
May 27 – Six armed passengers hijack a Romanian passenger plane and force it to fly to Vienna.source
May 27 – Christie's auctions a diamond known as Deepdene; it is later found to be artificially colored.source
June 10 – Corpus Thursday: A student rally on the streets of Mexico City is roughly dispersed.source
27 June - Taça de Portugal FinalPortugal source
June 28 – Assassin Jerome A. Johnson shoots Joe Colombo, boss of his eponymous crime family, in the head during an Italian-American rally, putting him in a coma.source
July 28 – Abdel Khaliq Mahjub, Sudanese communist leader, is hanged.source
20 August – Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman attempts to defect after hijacking a fighter plane.Bangladesh source
September 24 – Britain expels 90 KGB and GRU officials; 15 are not allowed to return.source
November 8 – Army members, searching for Moslem voters in Lanao del Sur, open fire on civilians, killing 39 and injuring 36. Fourteen military personnel would later be charged of murder in April 1972.Philippines source
November 24 – During a severe storm over Washington State, a man calling himself Dan Cooper (later misreported as D. B. Cooper) parachutes from the Northwest Orient Airlines plane he had hijacked, with US$200,000 in ransom money, and is never seen again.source
November 24 – A Brussels court sentences pretender Alexis Brimeyer to 18 months in jail for falsely using a noble title; Brimeyer has already fled to Greece.source
December 19 – The controversial dystopian crime film A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick is released in New York City.source
December 26 – Former teacher Patrick Critton hijacks Air Canada Flight 932, diverting the flight from Canada to Cuba. He would remain a fugitive for almost 30 years.source
29 December – The Gold Bars triple murders saw a gold merchant and his two employees robbed and killed by a group of 10 men. Seven of the 10 men were sentenced to death for the crime; the remaining three were indefinitely detained for lengthy periods before their release.Singapore source
Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz ShahMalaysia source
Charros de Jalisco win the Mexican League.Mexico source

Disasters & Accidents

March 8 – The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI breaks into the Media, Pennsylvania offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and removes all of its files.source
March 18 – A landslide in Chungar, Peru crashes into Yanawayin Lake, killing 200.source
April 15 – A Philippine Air Force plane crashes into a rice field near an air base in Pampanga, killing all 40 people on board.Philippines source
21 May – Constitutional Court closes down National Order Party for anti-secular propaganda.Turkey source
May 23 – Aviogenex Flight 130 crashes at Rijeka Airport, Yugoslavia, killing 78 people, mostly British tourists.source
27 May – Dahlerau train disasterGermany source
June 6 – A midair collision between Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near Duarte, California claims 50 lives.source
June 27 – Concert promoter Bill Graham closes the legendary Fillmore East, which first opened on 2nd Avenue in New York City on March 8, 1968.source
July 30 - An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 collides with a Japanese fighter jet, resulting in a loss of 162 lives.Japan source
September 4 – A Boeing 727 (Alaska Airlines Flight 1866) crashes into the side of a mountain near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 people on board.source
September 19 – Trams in Ballarat (Victoria, Australia) cease to run.source
October 21 – The Clarkston explosion in Scotland, caused by a gas leak, kills 22 people.source
November 9 – A Royal Air Force C-130 crashes into the Ligurian Sea near Leghorn, Italy, killing all 51 people on board.source
November 14 - Fidel Castro visits the Chuquicamata copper mine.Chile source
November 22 – In Britain's worst mountaineering tragedy, the Cairngorm Plateau disaster, five children and one of their leaders are found dead from exposure in the Scottish mountains.source
December 3–4 – The Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi (former USS Diablo) sinks mysteriously near the Indian coast while laying mines.source
10 December – Liberation of Laksham. Two Bangladeshi ships sunk mistakenly by Indian air attack.Bangladesh source
December 24 – Juliane Koepcke survives a fall of 10,000 feet following disintegration of LANSA Flight 508.source
December 25 – Daeyeonggak Hotel fire: A fire at a 22-story hotel in Seoul, South Korea, kills 158 people.source
December 25 – Daeyeonggak Hotel fire, according to official confirmed report, 164 fatalities in Jung-gu, Seoul.South Korea source
Crude oil production peaks in the continental United States at approximately 4.5 million barrels per day.source
List of Mexican films of 1971.Mexico source

Climate & Environment

February 6 – The 4.6 Mb Tuscania earthquake shakes the Italian province of Viterbo with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), causing 24 deaths, 150 injuries and extreme damage.source
February 9 – The 6.5–6.7 Mw Sylmar earthquake hits the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 64 and injuring 2,000.source
March 4 – The southern part of Quebec, and especially Montreal, receives 16 1/2" (42 cm) of snow in what becomes known as the Century's Snowstorm (la tempête du siècle).source
St Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland are listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR).South Africa source
3 April – Representing Luxembourg, Monique Melsen finishes thirteenth in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 with the song Pomme, pomme, pomme.Luxembourg source
April 5 – Mount Etna erupts in Sicily.source
May 12 – An earthquake in Turkey destroys most of the city of Burdur.source
May 28 – Portugal resigns from UNESCO.source
July 8 - Illapel earthquake, which could be perceived from Antofagasta to Valdivia. Its magnitude was 7.8 Richter Scale, 85 people died and it caused a minor tidal wave.Chile source
August 16 – Hurricane Beth hits Nova ScotiaCanada source
August 25 – Bangladesh and eastern Bengal are flooded; thousands flee the area.source
September 5–18: Hurricane Edith.Mexico source
September 29 – A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in the Indian state of Orissa, kills 10,000.source
29 October – The Odisha cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in Orissa State in India, kills 10,000.India source
24 December – Cyclone Althea hits Townsville and surrounding islands, killing 3Australia source
December – Flash floods hit Temerloh, Pahang.Malaysia source

Culture & Society

January 12 – The landmark United States television sitcom All in the Family, starring Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker, debuts on CBS.source
January 18 – Ivan Koloff defeats Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in wrestling ending a seven and two thirds years reign, the longest in the Championships history.source
2 March – First hoisting of the National flag of Bangladesh (1971) at the Dhaka University by Vice President of Dhaka University Students' Union (DUCSU) leader, A. S. M. Abdur Rab.Bangladesh source
2 March – Start of the non-cooperation movement in East Pakistan.Pakistan source
March 5 – In Belfast, a Led Zeppelin show includes the first public performance of "Stairway to Heaven," a song from the band's fourth album.source
March 11 – THX 1138, George Lucas' first full-length film, premieres in theaters.source
March 12–13 – The Allman Brothers Band plays their legendary concert at the Fillmore East.source
18 April - 1972 Summer Olympics qualifier: Albania is defeated by Romania 1-2 at Stadionul Republicii, BucharestAlbania source
April 23 - The Rolling Stones release their ninth studio album Sticky Fingers.source
April 30 – The Milwaukee Bucks sweep the Baltimore Bullets in four games to win their first NBA championship.source
May 3 – Arsenal F.C. wins the English League First Division championship at the home of their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, with Ray Kennedy scoring the winner. (Arsenal will go on to win the league and cup 'double' six days later by defeating Liverpool in the FA Cup final).source
July 4 – Michael S. Hart posts the first e-book, a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, on the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's mainframe computer, the origin of Project Gutenberg.source
15 July – The establishment of Dimerco.Taiwan source
July 24 – Georgina Rizk of Lebanon is crowned Miss Universe 1971.source
August 1 – In New York City, 40,000 attend The Concert for Bangladesh.source
August 2 – U.S. department store chain J. C. Penney debuts its trademark Helvetica wordmark which has been used ever since.source
August 15–September 5 – The 1971 Women's World Cup in Association football (an event not recognized by FIFA) is staged in Mexico: Denmark will be the winners.source
September 8 – In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass.source
September 9 – English musician John Lennon releases his second studio album Imagine. Worldwide sales of the title track will exceed 5 million.source
October 13 – The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles 4–3 in Game 4 of the World Series at home in the first ever Major League Baseball postseason game played at night. The Pirates defeat the Orioles 2–1 in the decisive Game 7 at Baltimore four days later.source
October 14 – The largest state banquet in history is held at the ancient city of Persepolis in Iran, marking the symbolic Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire.source
October 17 – The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Baltimore Orioles to win the 1971 World Series.source
October 24 – Texas Stadium opens in Irving, Texas. In the inaugural game, the host Dallas Cowboys defeat the New England Patriots 44–21.source
October 30 – Rev. Ian Paisley founds the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland.source
October 30 – Meddle, the critically acclaimed album by progressive rock band Pink Floyd, is released.source
November 8 – Led Zeppelin release their fourth studio album Led Zeppelin IV, which goes on to sell 23,000,000 copies in the United States.source
December 10 – The John Sinclair Freedom Rally in support of the imprisoned activist features a performance by John Lennon at Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan.source
16 December – The 25th anniversary of the installation of Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah as Sultan of Terengganu was celebrated.Malaysia source
December 19 – Clube Atlético Mineiro wins the Brazil Football Championship.source
CS Mindelense won the Cape Verdean Football ChampionshipCape Verde source
Akritas Chlorakas, a football team from Chloraka, Paphos, was founded.Cyprus source
Lahemaa National Park was established.Estonia source

Births

January 18 – Pep Guardiola, Spanish football player and manager of Manchester City F.C.source
January 31 - Lee Young-ae, actressSouth Korea source
April 9 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian 1997 Formula 1 world champion, 1995 Indy 500 and series champion.source
April 16 – Selena, American singer (died 1995)source
May 20 – Tony Stewart, American stock car racing driver and team ownersource
May 28 – Marco Rubio, American politiciansource
May 30 – Idina Menzel, American singer, songwriter and actresssource
4 June – Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin – former Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) newscaster and current consort of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of SelangorMalaysia source
June 16 – Tupac Shakur, African-American rapper and actor (died 1996)source
June 17 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican singersource
June 28 – Elon Musk, South African-born, American entrepreneur and investorsource
July 3 – Julian Assange, Australian activistsource
July 19 – Vitali Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer and politiciansource
27 July – Sajeeb Wazed Joy, businessman and politician, son of Sheikh Hasina and grandchild of Sheikh Mujibur RahmanBangladesh source
July 28 – Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Iraqi Islamic extremist leader (died 2019)source
September 6 – Dolores O'Riordan, Irish singer (The Cranberries) (died 2018)source
13 December – Sakis Arnaoutoglou, politicianGreece source
December 25 – Justin Trudeau, 23rd Prime Minister of Canadasource

Deaths

5 January – Kuala Lumpur hit by flash floods. 22 people were killed.Malaysia source
January 10 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer (born 1883)source
January 25 – Hermann Hoth, German general (born 1885)source
10 February - Larry Burrows, British photojournalist (born 1926)Laos source
February 23 – Operation Lam Son 719: South Vietnamese General Do Cao Tri is killed in a helicopter crash en route to taking control of the faltering campaign.source
7 March – Émile Hamilius, politicianLuxembourg source
March 16 – Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York; American presidential candidate (born 1902)source
April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (born 1882)source
April - Muhammad Shafi, dentist (born 1915)Bangladesh source
May 22 – An earthquake lasting 20 seconds destroys most of Bingöl, Turkey; more than 1,000 are killed and 10,000 are made homeless.source
July 3 – Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, dies of a heart failure at the age of 27 in the bathtub of his apartment on the 3rd floor of the Rue Beautreillis 17 in Paris, France.source
July 3 – Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (born 1943)source
July 6 – Louis Armstrong, African-American jazz trumpeter (born 1901)source
July 26 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (born 1923)source
August – Camden, New Jersey erupts in race riots, with looting and arson, following the beating death of a Puerto Rican motorist by city police. Also in 1971, Philadelphia International Records is established, with Camden native Leon Huff as co-founder.source
September 11 – Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader (born 1894)source
September 17 – Hugo L. Black retires as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States after serving for 34 years, at this time a record for longevity; Black dies eight days later.source
September 25 – Hugo Black, American Supreme Court Justice (born 1886)source