Historical Events
- 40th Orange Bowl: #6 Penn State beats #13 LSU, 16-9
- 60th Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #7 Southern California, 42-21
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Jimmy Connors wins his only Australian title; beats home favourite Phil Dent 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
- Ernie DiGregorio of Buffalo hands out 25 assists in the Braves' 120-119 win over Portland, establishing an NBA single-game record for assists by a rookie
Sports History
Lee MacPhail takes over as AL president, succeeding Joe Cronin
- NBC radio begins on the hour news 24 hours a day (following CBS lead)
- With effect from this date the New Zealand government terminates all tariff preferences previously granted to South Africa
- World Population Year begins
About January 1, 1974
Day of the Week: Tuesday
How Long Ago? 49 years and 5 months
Leap Year: No
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Capricorn
Holidays: New Year's Day (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States)
Music Charts
#1 Song: Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce
#1 Song: Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
