Important Events in 1971
- Jan 25 Military coup in Uganda under Major General Idi Amin
- Feb 2 Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President (dictator) of Uganda
- Feb 8 Nasdaq Composite stock market index debuts with 50 companies and a starting value of 100
- Feb 14 Richard Nixon installs secret taping system in the White House
- Mar 26 Bangladesh (East Pakistan) under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declares its independence from Pakistan
- Jul 9 Henry Kissinger visits the People's Republic of China to negotiate a detente between the US and China
- Oct 25 United Nations votes to expel the Chinese Nationalist ruled Taiwan and admit the Communist People's Republic of China
- Nov 21 Battle of Garibpur: Indian troops aided by the Mukti Bahini, Bengali guerrillas, defeat the army of Pakistan
More Historical Events
1971 in Film & TV
- Feb 9 Probably 1st gay theme TV episode - All in the Family
- Oct 7 "The French Connection" directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider and Fernando Rey premieres in the US (Academy Awards Best Picture 1972)
- Dec 19 Stanley Kubrick's X-rated film "A Clockwork Orange" based on the book by Anthony Burgess and starring Malcolm McDowell premieres
1971 in Music
- Jan 20 Single "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye about police brutality is released
- Mar 5 "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin first played live at Ulster Hall, Belfast by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones
- Apr 4 Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 524 performances, then most expensive broadway musical
- Jun 17 Carole King's album "Tapestry" goes to #1 on US album charts and stays there for 15 weeks
1971 in Sport
- Feb 28 PGA Championship Men's Golf, PGA National East: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire for his 2nd career grand slam; wins by 2 from Billy Casper
- Mar 8 Joe Frazier ends Muhammad Ali's 31-fight winning streak at Madison Square Garden, NYC; retains heavyweight boxing title by unanimous points decision over 15 rounds in the "Fight of the Century"
- Jul 10 100th British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale: Lee Trevino wins the first of his consecutive Open Championships, a stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan of Taiwan
- Aug 26 Bobby Orr signs a five-year contract with the Boston Bruins worth one million dollars, the first million dollar contract in NHL history
Did You Know?
Did You Know?Crew of Russian space mission Soyuz 11 found dead upon arrival on earth (only people to die in space)
On June 30, 1971
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Elon Musk
Idina Menzel
Julian Assange
Mariah Carey
Tupac ShakurFamous People in 1971
Gene Hackman
Oscar for Best Actor- Jane Fonda
Oscar for Best Actress - Richard Nixon
Time Person
of the Year
Gene Hackman
Jane Fonda
Richard NixonWorld Leaders in 1971
- Leonid Brezhnev
Soviet General Secretary - Mao Zedong
Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist Party - Richard Nixon
37th US President
Leonid Brezhnev
Mao ZedongWould You Believe?
American "Dan Cooper" hijacks plane, extorts $200,000 ransom before jumping out of plane over Washington State, never seen again
On November 24, 1971
Famous Weddings in 1971
- Jan 7 American horror, sci-fi and fantasy author Stephen King marries Tabitha Spruce, author and activist
- Feb 5 Actress Judi Dench (36) weds actor Michael Williams (35) at St Mary's Catholic Church in Hampstead, London
- Mar 4 Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau (51) weds author/actress Margaret Joan Sinclair (23) at a private ceremony in North Vancouver, Canada
Famous Divorces in 1971
- Jan 11 1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK
- Jun 18 Aviator Howard Hughes divorces 2nd wife Jean Peters after 14 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Bobby Jones
Coco Chanel
James Cash Penney
Jim Morrison
Louis Armstrong
Nikita Khrushchev1971 in Articles and Photos
Sinatra Snaps the Fight of the Century
Sinatra does it his way and secures a ringside seat as a photographer for the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
March 8, 1971Scrabble Creator Stuck for Words
The inventor of a new word game just could not think what to call it. Then a bright friend came up with the name – no points for guessing – Scrabble.
June 28, 1971A Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange"
December 19, 1971
