The 1970s

1971 55 years ago

Six people were killed during an escape attempt and riot at San Quentin State Prison in California; the subsequent…

The San Quentin Six were six inmates—Fleeta Drumgo, David Johnson, Hugo Pinell, Johnny Spain, Willie Tate, and Luis Talamantez—at California's San Quentin State Prison who were ch…

Six people were killed during an escape attempt and riot at San Quentin State Prison in California; the subsequent…

1971 55 years ago

Imagine, the second solo album by John Lennon (pictured), was released.

Imagine is the second solo studio album by the English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Specto…

Imagine, the second solo album by John Lennon (pictured), was released.

1971 55 years ago

Following a failed coup attempt, Mao Zedong's second-in-command Lin Biao died in a plane crash while attempting to…

Project 571 was the code name given to an alleged plot to execute a coup d'état against Chairman Mao Zedong in 1971 by the supporters of Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the Chinese…

Following a failed coup attempt, Mao Zedong's second-in-command Lin Biao died in a plane crash while attempting to…

1971 55 years ago

Hurricane Irene (satellite image pictured) moved into the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic, making it the first…

Hurricane Irene–Olivia was the first actively tracked tropical cyclone to move into the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic basin. It originated as a tropical depression on Sep…

Hurricane Irene (satellite image pictured) moved into the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic, making it the first…

1971 55 years ago

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was re-elected unopposed as President of South Vietnam.

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who was the president of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975. He was a general in the Republic of Vietnam Armed …

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was re-elected unopposed as President of South Vietnam.

1971 55 years ago

Prospero (flight spare pictured), the first British satellite launched on a British rocket, lifted off from Launch…

The Prospero satellite, also known as the X-3, was launched by the United Kingdom in 1971. It was designed to undertake a series of experiments to study the effects of the space en…

Prospero (flight spare pictured), the first British satellite launched on a British rocket, lifted off from Launch…

1970

Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely

The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo was conceiv…

Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely

1970

The first Earth Day is celebrated

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globa…

The first Earth Day is celebrated

1970

Chicano residents in San Diego, California occupy a site under the Coronado Bridge, leading to the creation of Chicano P

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populo…

Chicano residents in San Diego, California occupy a site under the Coronado Bridge, leading to the creation of Chicano P

1970

China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster

Dong Fang Hong 1, in the western world also known as China 1 or PRC 1, was the first space satellite of the People's Republic of China (PRC), launched successfully on 24 April 1970…

China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster

1970

The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President

The Gambia, officially the Republic of the Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, the Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senega…

The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President

1970

The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force

The WIPO Convention is a multilateral treaty that established the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force

1970

ALM Flight 980 ditches in the Caribbean Sea near Saint Croix, killing 23

ALM Flight 980 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight that originated in John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, to Princess Juliana International…

ALM Flight 980 ditches in the Caribbean Sea near Saint Croix, killing 23

1970

After being appointed on May 15, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P

May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 230 days remain until the end of the year.

After being appointed on May 15, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P

1970

Qaboos bin Said al Said becomes Sultan of Oman after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur initiating massive…

Qaboos bin Said Al Said was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Said dynasty, he was the longest…

Qaboos bin Said al Said becomes Sultan of Oman after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur initiating massive…

1970

Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from…

The Venera program was a series of space probes developed by the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1984 to gather information about the planet Venus. A total of eighteen probes were se…

Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from…

1970

Vietnam War: US President Richard Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to take part in the Cambodian campaig

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Unio…

Vietnam War: US President Richard Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to take part in the Cambodian campaig

1970

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Unio…

Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an attempt

1970

Vietnam War: Protests erupt in response to U

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Unio…

Vietnam War: Protests erupt in response to U

1970

Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Unio…

Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city

1970

Salvador Allende is elected President of Chile.

Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 29th president of Chile from 1970 until his suicide in 1973. As a socialist committed to dem…

Salvador Allende is elected President of Chile.

1970

Fighting begins between Arab guerrillas and government forces in Jordan.

Black September, also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was an armed conflict between Jordan, led by King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by chairman …

Fighting begins between Arab guerrillas and government forces in Jordan.

1970

King Hussein of Jordan declares war against the Palestine Liberation Organization, the conflict came to be known as…

Hussein bin Talal was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. A member of the Hashemite dynasty, he is regarded as a 40th-generation descendant of the Islamic prophet Muh…

King Hussein of Jordan declares war against the Palestine Liberation Organization, the conflict came to be known as…

1970

The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most in…

The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be