1973

January

January 1

The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.

CBS sells the New York Yankees for $10 million to a 12-person syndicate led by George Steinbrenner (3.2 million dollars less than CBS bought the Yankees for).

January 5 – American rock band Aerosmith releases their debut album.

January 7 – Mark Essex kills 9 people at the Howard Johnson's hotel in downtown New Orleans.

January 14

Elvis Presley's concert in Hawaii is the first worldwide telecast by an entertainer, that is watched by more people than watched the Apollo moon landings.

American football: The Miami Dolphins complete the first (and through 2015, only) perfect season in National Football League history by defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.

January 16 – Anna Christian Waters, 5 years old, disappears from her home in Purisima Canyon, near Half Moon Bay, California.

January 17 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President for Life of the Philippines.

January 18 – Eleven Labour Party councillors in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, England, are ordered to pay £6,985 for not enforcing the Housing Finance Act.

January 20 – Richard Nixon is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.

January 21 – The Communist League is founded in Denmark.

January 22

Roe v. Wade: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns state bans on abortion.

George Foreman defeats Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight world boxing championship.

A Royal Jordanian Boeing 707 flight from Jeddah crashes in Kano, Nigeria; 176 people are killed.

Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson dies at his Stonewall, Texas, ranch, leaving no former U.S. President living until the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.

January 23

Eldfell on the Icelandic island of Heimaey erupts.

U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.

January 25 – English actor Derren Nesbitt is convicted of assaulting his wife Anne Aubrey.

January 27 – U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ends with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

January 31 – Pan American and Trans World Airlines cancelled their options to buy 13 Concorde airliners.

February

February 6 – Toronto: Construction on the CN Tower begins.

February 8 – A military insurrection in Uruguay poses an institutional challenge to President Juan María Bordaberry.

February 11 – Vietnam War: The first American prisoners of war are released from Vietnam.

February 12 – Ohio becomes the first U.S. state to post distance in metric on signs (see Metrication in the United States).

February 13 – The United States dollar is devalued by 10%.

February 16 – The Court of Appeal of England and Wales rules that The Sunday Times can publish articles on thalidomide and Distillers Company, despite ongoing legal actions by parents (the decision is overturned in July by the House of Lords).

February 21 – Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 (Boeing 727) is shot down by Israeli fighter aircraft over the Sinai Desert, after the passenger plane is suspected of being an enemy military plane. Only 5 (1 crew member and 4 passengers) of 113 survive.

February 22 – Sino-American relations: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to mainland China, the United States and the People's Republic of China agree to establish liaison offices.

February 26 – Edward Heath's British government publishes a Green Paper on prices and incomes policy.

February 27 – The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

February 28

The Republic of Ireland general election is held. Liam Cosgrave becomes the new Taoiseach.

The landmark postmodern novel Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is published.

March

March 1

Charlotte's Web, the animated movie based on the same name of the children's book is released.

Dick Taverne, having resigned from the Parliament of the United Kingdom on leaving the Labour Party, is re-elected as a 'Democratic Labour' candidate.

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, one of rock's landmark albums, is released in the US. It is released in the UK on March 24.

March 2 – Wellington Street bus station in Perth, Australia, is opened by western Australia's premier John Tonkin

March 3 – Tottenham Hotspur wins the Football League Cup final at Wembley, beating Norwich City 1–0.

March 7 – Comet Kohoutek is discovered.

March 8

Northern Ireland sovereignty referendum (the "Border Poll"): 98.9% of those voting in the province want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Turnout is 58.7%, although less than 1% for Catholics. This is the first referendum on regional government in the U.K.

Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs explode in Whitehall and the Old Bailey in London.

March 10 – Sir Richard Sharples, Governor of Bermuda, is assassinated in Government House.

March 12 – Last episode of original Laugh-In airs on NBC. The show will continue with re-runs until May 14, 1973.

March 17

Elizabeth II opens the modern London Bridge.

Many of the few remaining United States soldiers begin to leave Vietnam. One reunion of a former POW with his family is immortalized in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy.

March 20 – A British government White Paper on Northern Ireland proposes the re-establishment of an Assembly elected by proportional representation, with a possible All-Ireland council.

March 21 – The Lofthouse Colliery disaster occurs in Great Britain. Seven miners are trapped underground; none survive.

March 23 – Watergate scandal (United States): In a letter to Judge John Sirica, Watergate burglar James W. McCord, Jr. admits that he and other defendants have been pressured to remain silent about the case. He names former Attorney General John Mitchell as 'overall boss' of the operation.

March 26 – TV soap opera The Young and the Restless debuts on CBS.

March 27 – At the 45th Academy Awards, The Godfather wins best picture.

March 29 – The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam.

April

April 2 – The LexisNexis computerized legal research service begins.

April 3 – The first handheld mobile phone call is made by Martin Cooper of Motorola in New York City.

April 4 – The World Trade Center officially opens in New York City with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

April 5

Fahri Korutürk becomes the sixth president of Turkey.

Pioneer 11 is launched on a mission to study the Solar System.

April 6 – Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becomes the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball.

April 7 – Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (music by Claude Morgan, text by Vline Buggy) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 for Luxembourg.

April 8 – Artist Pablo Picasso dies at his home in France.

April 10 – Israeli commandos raid Beirut, assassinating 3 leaders of the Palestinian Resistance Movement. The Lebanese army's inaction brings the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Saeb Salam, a Sunni Muslim.

April 11 – The British House of Commons votes against restoring capital punishment by a margin of 142 votes.

April 12 – The Labour Party wins control of the Greater London Council.

April 15 – Naim Talu, a former civil servant, forms the new government of Turkey (36th government).

April 17

The German counter-terrorist force GSG 9 is officially formed in response to the Munich massacre.

Federal Express officially begins operations, with the launch of 14 small aircraft from Memphis International Airport. On that night, Federal Express delivers 186 packages to 25 U.S. cities from Rochester, New York, to Miami, Florida.

The Morganza Spillway on the Mississippi River is opened for the first time in order to prevent catastrophic flooding of New Orleans.

April 20 – An Indian Pacific train en route to Perth derails near Broken Hill, New South Wales, destroying a quarter mile of track.

April 26 – The first day of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

April 28

The last section of the IRT Third Avenue Line from 149th Street to Gun Hill Road in The Bronx is closed.

Six Irishmen, including Joe Cahill, are arrested by the Irish Naval Service off County Waterford, on board a coaster carrying 5 tons of weapons destined for the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

April 30 – Watergate scandal: President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that Attorney General Richard Kleindienst has resigned along with staffers H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman.

May

May 1 – An estimated 1,600,000 workers in the United Kingdom stop work in support of a Trades Union Congress "day of national protest and stoppage" against the Government's anti-inflation policy.

May 3 – The Sears Tower in Chicago is finished, becoming the world's tallest building at 1,451 feet.

May 5

Shambu Tamang becomes the youngest person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

Sunderland A.F.C. defeats Leeds United A.F.C. in the 1973 FA Cup Final.

Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby in a dramatic come from behind victory and setting a new Derby record of 1:59 2/5ths.

Led Zeppelin plays before 56,800 persons at Tampa Stadium on the band's 1973 North American Tour, thus breaking the August 15, 1965, record of 55,600 set by The Beatles at Shea Stadium.

May 8 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and American Indian Movement activists who were occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, ends with the surrender of the militants.

May 10

The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup 4 games to 2 over the Chicago Blackhawks, Yvan Cournoyer was voted MVP.

The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi movement dedicated to the independence of Spanish Sahara, is formed.

The New York Knicks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 102–93 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the NBA title.

May 13

Bobby Riggs challenges and defeats Margaret Court, the world's #1 women's player, in a nationally-televised tennis match set in Ramona, CA northeast of San Diego. Riggs wins 6-2, 6-1 which leads to the huge Battle of the Sexes match against Billie Jean King later in the year on September 20.

May 14

Skylab, the United States' first space station, is launched.

The British House of Commons votes to abolish capital punishment in Northern Ireland.

May 17 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.

May 18 – Second Cod War: Joseph Godber, British Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, announces that Royal Navy frigates will protect British trawlers fishing in the disputed 50-mile limit round Iceland.

May 19 – Secretariat wins the Preakness Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over the amazingly quick 2nd placed Sham. A malfunction in the track's timing equipment prevented a confirmed new track record.

May 22 – Lord Lambton resigns from the British government over a 'call girl' scandal.

May 23 – Royal Canadian Mounted Police celebrate 100 year anniversary.

May 24 – Earl Jellicoe, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords in Britain, resigns over a separate prostitution scandal.

May 25

Skylab 2 (Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz, Joseph Kerwin) is launched on a mission to repair damage to the recently launched Skylab space station.

Héctor José Cámpora becomes democratic president of the Argentine Republic ending the 1966 to 1973 Revolución Argentina military dictatorship.

May 27 – By virtue of the non-retroactivity of Soviet copyright laws, all works published before this date are public domain. This applies worldwide.^{Confirmation needed}

May 30–Gordon Johncock wins the Indianapolis 500 in the Patrick Racing Special Eagle-Offenhauser, after only 133 laps, due to rain. (The race was begun May 28 but called due to rain.)

June

June 1 – The Greek military junta abolishes the monarchy and proclaims a republic.

June 3 – A Tupolev Tu-144 crashes at the Paris air show; 15 are killed.

June 4 – A patent for the ATM is granted to Donald Wetzel, Tom Barnes and George Chastain.

June 9 – Secretariat wins the Belmont Stakes shattering the record by an unbelievable 2 3/5ths seconds, becoming the first Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winner since 1948.

June 10 – Henri Pescarolo and co-driver Gérard Larrousse (both France) win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Equipe Matra MS670B.

June 17 – The submersible Johnson Sea Link becomes entangled on the wreckage of the USS Fred T. Berry off Key West, Florida. The submersible is brought to the surface the following day, but 2 of the 4 men aboard die of carbon dioxide poisoning.

June 18 – U.S. President Richard Nixon begins several talks with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

June 20 – The Ezeiza massacre occurs in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Snipers shoot at left-wing Peronists, killing at least 13 and injuring more than 300.

June 22 – W. Mark Felt ("Deep Throat") retires from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

June 23 – A house fire in Kingston upon Hull, England, which kills a 6-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 fire deaths caused over the next 7 years by arsonist Peter Dinsdale.

June 24 – Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev addresses the American people on television, the first to do so.

June 25

Erskine Hamilton Childers is elected the 4th President of Ireland.

Watergate scandal: Former White House counsel John Dean begins his testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee.

June 26 – At Plesetsk Cosmodrome, 9 persons are killed in the explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.

June 27 – Coup d'état in Uruguay: pressed by the military, President Juan María Bordaberry dissolves Parliament; a 12-year-long civic-military dictatorship begins.

June 28 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.

June 30 – A very long total solar eclipse occurs. During the entire 2nd millennium, only 7 total solar eclipses exceeded 7 minutes of totality.

July

July 1 – The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is founded.

July 2 – The United States Congress passes the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) mandating Special Education federally.

July 3 – Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

July 4 – MLB: The New York Mets fall 12½ games back in last place of the National League Eastern Division.

July 5

The Isle of Man Post begins to issue its own postage stamps.

The catastrophic BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) occurs in Kingman, Arizona, following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, killing 11 firefighters. This explosion becomes a classic incident, studied in fire department training programs worldwide.

July 6 – St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore is gazetted as a national monument.

July 10

The Bahamas gains full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations.

The grandson of J. Paul Getty is kidnapped in Rome.^{Confirmation needed}

July 11 – Varig Flight 820 crashes near Orly, France; 123 are killed.

July 12 – National Personnel Records Center fire: A major fire destroys the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

July 16 – Watergate scandal: Former White House aide Alexander Butterfield informs the United States Senate Watergate Committee that President Richard Nixon had secretly recorded potentially incriminating conversations.

July 17 – King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan while in Italy undergoing eye surgery.

July 20 –

France resumes nuclear bomb tests in Mururoa Atoll, over the protests of Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce Lee, American actor, philosopher, founder of Jeet Kune Do, dies in Hong Kong of cerebral edema (six days later his final film, Enter the Dragon, is released).

July 23 – The Avianca Building in Bogotá, Colombia suffers a serious fire.

July 25 – The Soviet Mars 5 space probe is launched.

July 27 – The New York Dolls release their debut album.

July 28

The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, a massive rock festival featuring the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band and The Band, attracts over 600,000 music fans.

Skylab 3 (Owen Garriott, Jack Lousma, Alan Bean) is launched, to conduct various medical and scientific experiments aboard Skylab.

July 29 – Formula One racing driver Roger Williamson dies in an accident, witnessed live on European television, during the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix.

July 30 – An 11-year legal action for the victims of Thalidomide ends.^{Confirmation needed}

July 31

Militant protesters led by Ian Paisley disrupt the first sitting of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

A Delta Air Lines DC-9 aircraft flying as Delta Air Lines Flight 173 lands short of Boston's Logan Airport runway in poor visibility, striking a sea wall about 165 feet (50 m) to the right of the runway centerline and about 3,000 feet (914 m) short. All 6 crew members and 83 passengers are killed, 1 of the passengers dying several months after the accident.

August

August 1 – Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) inaugurated.

August 2 – A flash fire kills 51 at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man.^{Confirmation needed}

August 5 – Black September members open fire at the Athens airport; 3 are killed, 55 injured.

August 8

South Korean politician Kim Dae-jung is kidnapped in Tokyo by the KCIA.

The death of Dean Corll leads to the discovery of the Houston Mass Murders: a minimum of 28 boys were killed by Corll and his two teenage accomplices.

August 15 – The U.S. bombing of Cambodia ends, officially halting 12 years of combat activity in Southeast Asia according to the Case–Church Amendment-an act that prohibites military operations in Laos, Cambodia, and North and South Vietnam as a follow up of the Paris Peace Accords.

August 23 – The Norrmalmstorg robbery occurs, famous for the origin of the term Stockholm syndrome.

September

September 3 – The British Trades Union Congress expels 20 members for registering under the Industrial Relations Act 1971.

September 9 – Jackie Stewart places fourth at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, becoming World Drivers' Champion, in the Tyrrell 003-Cosworth.

September 11

Chile's democratically elected government is overthrown in a military coup after serious instability. President Salvador Allende allegedly commits suicide during the coup in the presidential palace, and General Augusto Pinochet heads a U.S.-backed military junta that governs Chile for the next 16 years.

Art Garfunkel finally releases his solo debut album Angel Clare, 17 years after starting his career.

September 15 – Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden dies. His grandson, Carl XVI Gustaf, becomes king.

September 18 – The two German Republics, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), are admitted to the United Nations.

September 20 – The Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in a televised tennis match, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. With an attendance of 30,492, this remains the largest live audience ever to see a tennis match in US history. The global audience that viewed on television in 36 countries was estimated at 90 million.

September 20 – Singer-songwriter Jim Croce dies following a gig at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Croce boarded a small chartered plane that crashed on takeoff. All six people aboard were killed.

September 22 – Henry Kissinger, United States National Security Advisor, starts his term as United States Secretary of State.

September 23 – The Oakland Raiders defeat the Miami Dolphins 12-7, ending the Dolphins' unbeaten streak at 18. It is the Miami Dolphins' first loss since January 16, 1972 in Super Bowl VI.

September 27

Soviet space program: Soyuz 12, the first Soviet manned flight since the Soyuz 11 tragedy in 1971, is launched.

Luís Cabral declares the independence of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau from the Estado Novo regime in Portugal. It is later granted in September 1974.

September 28 – The ITT Building in New York City is bombed in protest at ITT's alleged involvement in the September 11, 1973, coup d'état in Chile.

September 30 – Yankee Stadium, known as "The House That Ruth Built", closes for a two-year renovation at a cost of $160 million. The New York Yankees play all of their home games at Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975.

October

October 6

Yom Kippur War begins: The fourth and largest Arab–Israeli conflict begins, as Egyptian and Syrian forces attack Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights on Yom Kippur.

French Formula One driver François Cevert is killed in the Tyrrell 003-Cosworth during the U.S. Grand Prix. Cevert's teammate, World Champion Jackie Stewart, announces his retirement after the event.

October 8 – LBC Radio begins broadcasting on 97.3 FM in London.

October 10

Spiro T. Agnew resigns as Vice President of the United States and then, in federal court in Baltimore, pleads no contest to charges of income tax evasion on $29,500 he received in 1967, while he was governor of Maryland. He is fined $10,000 and put on 3 years' probation.

October 14 – Thai popular uprising Students revolt in Bangkok – In the Thammasat student uprising over 100,000 people protest in Thailand against the Thanom military government, 77 are killed and 857 are injured by soldiers, Thailand.

October 15 – Typhoon Ruth crosses Luzon, Philippines, killing 27 people and causing $5 million in damage.

October 17 – An OPEC oil embargo against several countries supporting Israel triggers the 1973 energy crisis.

October 20

The Saturday Night Massacre: U.S. President Richard Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to dismiss Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refuses and resigns, along with Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in line at the Department of Justice, then fires Cox. The event raises calls for Nixon's impeachment.

The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction work.

October 25 – The Yom Kippur War ends.

October 26 – The United Nations recognizes the independence of Guinea-Bissau.

October 27 – The Canon City meteorite, a 1.4 kilogram chondrite type meteorite, strikes Earth in Fremont County, Colorado.

October 30 – The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time in history.

October 31 – Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape: Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escape from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, Republic of Ireland after a hijacked helicopter lands in the exercise yard.

November

November 1 – Watergate scandal: Acting Attorney General Robert Bork appoints Leon Jaworski as the new Watergate Special Prosecutor.^{Confirmation needed}

November 3

Pan Am cargo flight 160, a Boeing 707-321C, crashes at Logan International Airport, Boston, killing 3 people.

Mariner program: NASA launches Mariner 10 toward Mercury (on March 29, 1974, it becomes the first space probe to reach that planet).

November 7 – The Congress of the United States overrides President Richard Nixon's veto of the War Powers Resolution, which limits presidential power to wage war without congressional approval.

November 8 – Millennium '73, a festival hosted by Guru Maharaj Ji at the Astrodome, is called by supporters the "most significant event in human history".

November 11 – Egypt and Israel sign a United States-sponsored cease-fire accord.

November 14 – In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey (they divorce in 1992).

November 16

Skylab program: NASA launches Skylab 4 (Gerald Carr, William Pogue, Edward Gibson) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on an 84-day mission.

U.S. President Richard Nixon signs the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of the Alaska Pipeline.

November 17

Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook."

The Athens Polytechnic uprising occurs against the military regime in Athens, Greece.

November 21 – U.S. President Richard Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, reveals the existence of an 18½-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.

November 25 – Greek dictator George Papadopoulos is ousted in a military coup led by Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannidis.

November 27 – The United States Senate votes 92–3 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States.

November 29 – 104 people are killed in a Taiyo department store fire in Kumamoto, Kyūshū, Japan.

December

December – Chile breaks diplomatic contacts with Sweden.^{Confirmation needed}

December 1 – Papua New Guinea gains self-government from Australia.

December 3 – Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.

December 6 – The United States House of Representatives votes 387–35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States; he is sworn in the same day.

December 14 – Rhodesia executes two Blacks at Salisbury Central Prison for murder

December 15 – Gay rights: The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its DSM-II.

December 16 – O. J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills became the first running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a pro football season.

December 18 – The Islamic Development Bank is created as a specialized agency of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) (effective 12 August 1974).

December 19 – Namco releases Mach Storm, a planetarium-like flight simulator simulating a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in which players can bomb rail yards, seaports, fuel tanks, power stations, supply depots, NVA and Viet Cong military camps, and airfields around Hanoi while fighting off enemy NVAF MiG-17s, MiG-21s, Shenyang J-5s, Shenyang J-6s, Mil Mi-8 gunships, Antonov An-2 biplanes, SA-2 surface-to-air missiles, and Soviet naval vessels in the Vietnam War during Operation Linebacker and the Christmas bombing of North Vietnam.

December 20 – Spanish prime minister Luis Carrero Blanco is assassinated in Madrid by the separatist organization ETA.

December 23 – OPEC doubles the price of crude oil.^{Confirmation needed}

December 25 – The movie premiere of The Sting, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, is held in Manhattan.

December 26 – The movie premiere of The Exorcist starring Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair is opened in the United States.

December 28 – The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States.

December 30 – Terrorist Carlos fails in his attempt to assassinate British businessman Joseph Sieff.^{Confirmation needed}

December 31 – In the United Kingdom, due to coal shortages caused by industrial action, the Three-Day Week electricity consumption reduction measure comes into force.

Date unknown

ODECA functions are suspended.

Economist E. F. Schumacher publishes his book Small Is Beautiful.

The New York Bible Society International's New International Version of the New Testament translated into modern American English is published.

The National House Building Council is formed in the United Kingdom.

The COSC The Swiss Official Chronometer testing Institute is founded in Switzerland by 5 Watch Cantons & Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.

The title Queen of Australia is created by the Royal Style and Titles Act.

A large Song dynasty trade ship of c. 1277 A.D. is dredged up from the waters near the southern coast of China with 12 compartments in its hull. It confirms the descriptions of bulkheaded hull compartments for junks in Zhu Yu's Pingzhou Table Talks of 1119.

The Sentosa Musical Fountain opens alongside the Fountain Gardens in Sentosa, Singapore.

5 teams tie for the rugby championship: Wales, England, France, Ireland, and Scotland.

Lite Beer is introduced in the U.S. by the Miller Brewing Company.

January

January 1

Danny Lloyd, American actor

Bryan Thao Worra, Lao writer

Jimi Mistry, English actor

January 4 – Greg de Vries, Canadian ice hockey player

January 5

Uday Chopra, Indian actor

January 6 – Scott Ferguson, Canadian ice hockey player

January 7 – Jonna Tervomaa, Finnish singer

January 9 – Sean Paul, Jamaican singer

January 12

Joseph M. Smith, American actor, writer and producer

Hande Yener, Turkish singer

January 13

Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian hockey player

Gloria Yip, Hong Kong actress

January 14

Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver

Katie Griffin, Canadian actress and singer

January 15

Tomáš Galásek, Czech football player

Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian goalkeeper

Maksim Martynov, Russian engineer

January 16

Josie Davis, American actress

Scott Greenall, musician, recording engineer, producer, and performance artist

January 17 – Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican football player

January 18

Burnie Burns, American filmmaker

Crispian Mills, British musician (The Jeevas, Kula Shaker)

January 19

Ann Kristin Aarønes, Norwegian footballer

Wang Junxia, Chinese long-distance runner

Karen Lancaume, French actress (d. 2005)

Antero Manninen, Finnish cellist

Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer

Aaron Yonda, American YouTube celebrity

January 21 – Chris Kilmore, American rock DJ (Incubus)

January 22 – Abi Tucker, Australian actor and singer

January 26 – Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish football manager

January 27 – Shadmehr Aghili, Iranian pop singer, musician and composer

January 29

Louise Hindsgavl, Danish artist

Jason Schmidt, American baseball player

January 30 – Jalen Rose, American basketball player

January 31

Shingo Katayama, Japanese golfer

Portia de Rossi, American actress

February

February 1

Yuri Landman, Dutch artist and musician

Nick Mitchell, American wrestler

Makiko Ohmoto, Japanese voice actress

Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican football goalkeeper

February 2 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower

February 3 – Ilana Sod, Mexican journalist

February 4

James Hird, former Australian rules footballer for Essendon

Brett Hestla, American musician and record producer.

Oscar De La Hoya, American boxer

February 5

Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch pop singer

Deng Yaping, Chinese table tennis player

February 7

Turki Al-Dakhil, Saudi journalist

Juwan Howard, American retired professional basketball player

Angel Aquino, Filipina model, actress and host

Mie Sonozaki, Japanese voice actress

Kate Thornton, British television presenter

February 8 – Sonia Deol, British-Asian presenter

February 9 – Svetlana Boginskaya, Soviet gymnast

February 10

Gunn-Rita Dahle, Norwegian mountain biker

Núria Añó, Spanish writer

February 11

Jeon Do-yeon, South Korean actress

Mishal Husain, British news presenter for the BBC

Craig Jones, American rock sampler (Slipknot)

Varg Vikernes, Norwegian rock musician

February 12 – Tara Strong, Canadian-American voice actress

February 14 – Steve McNair, American football player (d. 2009)

February 15

Anna Dogonadze, German trampoline gymnast

Amy Van Dyken, American swimmer

February 16 – Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete

February 18 – Claude Makélélé, French footballer

February 20 – Kimberley Davies, Australian actress

February 21 – Heri Joensen, Faroese musician (Týr)

February 22

Shota Arveladze, Georgian football player

Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Brazilian guitarist

Scott Phillips, American rock drummer

February 24

Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey player

Yordan Yovchev, Bulgarian gymnast

February 26

ATB, German DJ and music producer

Anders and Jonas Björler, guitarists

Marshall Faulk, American football player

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer

Jenny Thompson, American swimmer

February 27 – Peter Andre, English singer and television personality

February 28

Eric Lindros, Canadian hockey player

Masato Tanaka, Japanese professional wrestler

March

March 1

Jack Davenport, English actor

Anton Gunn, American politician

Ahmed El Sakka, Egyptian action actor

Kathrine Lee-Hinton, American flight attendant

Chris Webber, American basketball player

March 3 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player

March 4 – Jennifer Cole, American actress, model and game show hostess

March 5 – Ryan Franklin, American baseball pitcher

March 6

Peter Lindgren, Swedish musician

Rumi Ochiai, Japanese voice actress

March 7 – Rick Emerson, American talk show host and author

March 9 – Aaron Boone, American baseball player

March 10

Eva Herzigová, Czech model and actress

John LeCompt, American musician

Dan Swanö, Swedish musician

March 13

Edgar Davids, Dutch footballer

David Draiman songwriter and lead singer for the band Disturbed

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Icelandic actor

March 15 – Lee Jung-jae, South Korean actor and model

March 17 – Caroline Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs)

March 18 – Luci Christian, American voice actress

March 19

Magnus Hedman, Swedish footballer

Simmone Jade Mackinnon, Australian actor

March 20 – Arjun Atwal, Indian golfer

March 23 – Jason Kidd, American basketball player

March 24

Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer

Jim Parsons, American actor and comedian

March 25 – Anders Fridén, Swedish musician

March 26

T. R. Knight, American actor

Larry Page, American entrepreneur, founder of and former CEO of Google (2011-2015)

March 27 – Sayaka Aoki, Japanese comedian

March 28

Matt Nathanson, American singer-songwriter

Umaga, American wrestler (d. 2009)

March 29

Marc Overmars, Dutch footballer

Brandi Love, American porn actress

March 30 – Adam Goldstein, American DJ (d. 2009)

April

April 1

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricket captain

Rachel Maddow, American political commentator

Kris Marshall, British actor

April 2 – Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress

April 3

Jamie Bamber, English actor

Matthew Ferguson, Canadian actor

April 4

David Blaine, American magician

Loris Capirossi, Italian motorcycle racer

April 5

Élodie Bouchez, French actress

Cho Sung-min, South Korean baseball pitcher (d. 2013)

Pharrell Williams, American musician and producer (The Neptunes)

April 6

Lori Heuring, American actress

Franck Marchis, American astronomer

Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress and singer

April 7 – Christian O'Connell, British radio DJ and presenter

April 8 – Emma Caulfield, American actress

April 10 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer

April 11 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress

April 12 – Amr Waked, Egyptian film, television, and stage actor

April 13 – Sergey Shnurov, Russian singer

April 14 – Adrien Brody, Academy Award-winning American actor

April 15 – Emanuel Rego, Brazilian beach volleyball player

April 16 – Akon, Senegalese American rapper, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer

April 18 – Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian long-distance runner

April 19 – George Gregan, Australian rugby union footballer

April 21

Mark Dexter, British actor

Katsuyuki Konishi, Japanese voice actor

April 22 – Christopher Sabat, American voice actor

April 24

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer

Lee Westwood, English golfer

April 25 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish rock musician (Millencolin)

April 27 – Sharlee D'Angelo, Swedish guitarist

April 28

Melissa Fahn, American actress

Elisabeth Röhm, German-American actress

April 29 – David Belle, French actor

April 30 – Jeff Timmons, American singer

May

May 1

Paul Burke, Irish rugby player

Diana Hayden, former Miss World and Indian actress

Oliver Neuville, German footballer

May 2 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director

May 3

Brad Martin, American musician

Michael Reiziger, Dutch footballer

May 4 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentine footballer

May 5 – Johan Hedberg, Swedish retired hockey goaltender also known as "Moose"

May 7 – Paolo Savoldelli, Italian professional road racing cyclist

May 8

Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese manga artist

Marcus Brigstocke, British comedian

May 9 – Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan long-distance runner

May 10

Gareth Ainsworth, English footballer

Rüştü Reçber, Turkish football goalkeeper

May 12

Forbes March, American actor

Robert Tinkler, Canadian voice actor

May 14

Natalie Appleton, Canadian singer (All Saints)

Shanice, African-American singer

May 16

Jason Acuña, American skateboarder and actor

Tori Spelling, American actress

Kōsuke Toriumi, Japanese voice actor

Muna AbuSulayman, Influential Arab and Muslim Media personality

May 17

Sasha Alexander, American actress

Joshua Homme, American musician

Tamsier Joof, British dancer, choreographer and entrepreneur (of Senegalese and Gambian descent)

May 18 – Kaz Hayashi, Japanese professional wrestler

May 19 – Dario Franchitti, former Scottish racecar driver

May 20 – Kaya Yanar, German comedian

May 21 – Noel Fielding, British comedian

May 23

Emperor Magus Caligula, Swedish Musician

Jacopo Gianninoto, Italian musician

May 24

Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player

Dermot O'Leary, British TV presenter

Ruslana, Ukrainian pop star, activist, Eurovision Song Contest 2004 winner

May 25

Jean-Pierre Canlis, American glass artist

Demetri Martin, American comedian

May 30 – Leigh Francis, British comedian

May 31

Cadaveria, Italian singer (Opera IX)

Dominique van Roost, Belgian tennis player

June

June 1

Fred Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer

Adam Garcia, Australian actor and singer

Heidi Klum, German model

Derek Lowe, American baseball player

June 2

Carlos Acosta, Cuban-born ballet dancer

Kevin Feige, American film producer and president of Marvel Studios

June 8 – Lexa Doig, Canadian actress

June 9 – Tedy Bruschi, American football player

June 10 – Faith Evans, American singer

June 12

Mitsuki Saiga, Japanese voice actress

Darryl White, Australian footballer

June 13 – Sam Adams, American football player

June 14 – Ceca Raznatovic, Serbian folk singer

June 15

Dean McAmmond, Canadian hockey player

Neil Patrick Harris, American actor, comedian, singer, presenter, and host

Greg Vaughan, American actor

June 18 – Yumi Kakazu, Japanese voice actress

June 19 – Yuko Nakazawa, Japanese singer

June 20 – Chino Moreno, American musician

June 21 – Juliette Lewis, American actress

June 22 – Carson Daly, American television personality, host of NBC's The Voice and Last Call with Carson Daly

June 23 – Marija Naumova (Marie N), Latvian singer, Eurovision Song Contest 2002 winner

June 24 – Alexander Beyer, German actor

June 25 – Jamie Redknapp, English footballer

June 26 – Paweł Małaszyński, Polish actor

June 27 – Olve Eikemo, Norwegian musician

June 28

Adrián Annus, Hungarian athlete

Frost, Norwegian musician

Andre Lange, German Olympic bobsledder

June 30

Robert Bales, United States Army staff-sergeant and suspect of the Kandahar massacre

Chan Ho Park, Korean Major League Baseball player

July

July 2 – Peter Kay, British comedian

July 3

Emma Cunniffe, British actress

Patrick Wilson, American actor

July 4 – Gackt, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor

July 6 – Charizma, African-American rapper (d. 1993)

July 7 – Natsuki Takaya, Japanese manga artist

July 9 – Kelly Holcomb, American football player

July 11 – Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek athlete

July 12 – Christian Vieri, Italian footballer

July 13 – Roberto Martínez, Spanish football manager

July 14 – Halil Mutlu, Bulgaria-born Turkish weightlifter

July 15

John Dolmayan, Lebanese-born rock drummer for the band System of a Down

Brian Austin Green, American actor

July 16

Stefano Garzelli, Italian professional road racing cyclist

Graham Robertson, American filmmaker and author

July 17

Daimaou Kosaka, Japanese comedian

Eric Moulds, American football player

Liam Kyle Sullivan, American comedian

July 19

Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, Brazilian football player

July 20

Peter Forsberg, Swedish hockey player

HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

July 22

Daniel Jones, Australian musician and record producer

Rufus Wainwright, American-Canadian musician

July 23

Omar Epps, American actor

Nomar Garciaparra, American baseball player

Fran Healy, Scottish singer-songwriter

Monica Lewinsky, American former White House intern

July 25

Dani Filth, British vocalist

Kevin Phillips, English footballer

Tony Vincent, American actor and singer

July 26 – Kate Beckinsale, English actress

July 27 – Gorden Tallis, Australian rugby league player

July 28 – Steve Staios, Canadian ice hockey player

July 29 – Wanya Morris, American singer

July 30

Markus Näslund, Swedish ice hockey player

Sonu Nigam, Indian singer

July 31 – Jacob Aagaard, Danish-Scottish chess player

August

August 1 – Edurne Pasaban, Basque Spanish mountaineer

August 2

Miguel Mendonca, Anglo-Azorean writer

Susie O'Neill, Australian swimmer

August 6

Asia Carrera, American actress

Vera Farmiga, American actress

August 8

Jessica Calvello, American voice actress

Scott Stapp, American singer and songwriter (Creed)

August 9

Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer

Oleksandr Ponomariov, Ukrainian singer

August 11 – Carolyn Murphy, American model

August 12 – Richard Reid, English terrorist

August 13 – Ryoko Shinohara, Japanese actress

August 14

Jared Borgetti, Mexican footballer

Jay-Jay Okocha, Nigerian footballer

Kieren Perkins, Australian swimmer

August 15

Adnan Sami, Turkish music composer, pianist, singer

Kris Mangum, Professional football player

August 16 – Damian Jackson, American baseball player

August 19

HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Marco Materazzi, Italian football player

August 20 – Todd Helton, American baseball player

August 21

Sergey Brin, Russian-born American entrepreneur, co-founder of Google

Steve McKenna, American hockey player

Nikolai Valuev, Russian heavyweight boxing champion

August 22

Howie D., American singer (Backstreet Boys)

Kristen Wiig, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter

August 24

Dave Brown, English comedian

Inge de Bruijn, Dutch swimmer

Dave Chappelle, African-American actor, comedian

Grey DeLisle, voice actress

Carmine Giovinazzo, American actor

August 28 – Kirby Morrow, Canadian voice actor

August 29 – Abdo Hakim, Lebanese actor and voice actor

August 30 – Lisa Ling, American journalist

September

September 1 – Ram Kapoor, Indian actor

September 3 – Jennifer Paige, American singer-songwriter

September 4

Jason David Frank, American actor and martial artist

Diosbelys Hurtado, Cuban boxer

September 5 – Rose McGowan, American actress

September 6

Carlo Cudicini, Italian footballer

Greg Rusedski, Canadian-British tennis player

September 7 – Shannon Elizabeth, American actress

September 9 – Kazuhisa Ishii, Japanese baseball player

September 12

Darren Campbell, British athlete

Paul Walker, American actor (d. 2013)

September 13 – Fabio Cannavaro, Italian footballer

September 14

Andrew Lincoln, British actor

Nas, African-American rapper

September 15

Indira Levak, Croatian lead vocalist of Colonia

Julie Cox, English actress

Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, né Olof Daniel Westling, Swedish prince, married to Crown Princess Victoria

September 17 – Ada Choi, Hong Kong actress

September 18

Paul Brousseau, Canadian ice hockey player

James Marsden, American actor

Ami Onuki, Japanese singer

Mark Shuttleworth, South African entrepreneur

September 19

José Azevedo, Portuguese cyclist

David Zepeda, Mexican actor, model and singer

September 20 – Jo Pavey, British athlete

September 21 – Oswaldo Sánchez, Mexican footballer

September 22

Craig McRae, Australian footballer

Yoo Chae-yeong, South Korean singer and actress

September 24 – Eddie George, American football player

September 25 – Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, American actress

September 26 – Lainey Lui, Canadian television personality; one of the co-hosts of etalk

September 29

Alfie Boe, English tenor

Joe Hulbig, American ice hockey player

October

October 1 – Christian Borle, American actor and singer

October 2

Melissa Harris-Perry, African-American political commentator

Lene Nystrøm, Norwegian singer (Aqua)

Verka Serduchka, Ukrainian Drag queen, comedian and singer, Eurovision Song Contest 2007 runner-up

October 3

Neve Campbell, Canadian actress

Richard Ian Cox, Welsh voice actor and radio host

October 4

Chris Parks, American professional wrestler

Craig Robert Young, British actor and singer (Deuce)

October 5 – Annabelle Chvostek, Canadian singer-songwriter

October 6 – Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor

October 8 – Kari Korhonen, Finnish cartoonist

October 9

Steve Burns, Blue's Clues actor

Fabio Lione, Italian singer

October 10 – Mario López, American actor

October 11

Takeshi Kaneshiro, Taiwanese/Japanese actor

Daisuke Sakaguchi, Japanese voice actor

October 13

Matt Hughes, American mixed martial arts fighter

Nanako Matsushima, Japanese actress

October 14 – Lasha Zhvania, Georgian politician

October 15

Susy Pryde, New Zealand cyclist

Dax Riggs, American musician

October 16 – Todd van der Heyden, Canadian journalist and news anchor

October 18

Rachel Nichols, American sports journalist

Alex Tagliani, Canadian race car driver

October 19 – Joaquin Gage, Canadian ice hockey player

October 21 – Beverley Turner, British TV and radio presenter

October 22 – Ichiro Suzuki, Japanese baseball player

October 24 – Levi Leipheimer, American professional cyclist

October 25

Lamont Bentley, American actor (d. 2005)

Maxi Mounds, American female stripper

October 26

Seth MacFarlane, American animator and voice actor; creator of Family Guy and American Dad!

Taka Michinoku, Japanese professional wrestler

October 28

Maryam Nawaz, Pakistani politician

Montel Vontavious Porter, WWE Raw wrestler

October 29 – Robert Pirès, French football player

October 30

Adam Copeland, retired Canadian professional wrestler and 4-time WWE Champion

Silvia Corzo, Colombian newsreader

November

November 1

Assia, Algerian singer

Li Xiaoshuang, Chinese gymnast

Aishwarya Rai, Indian actress, Miss World 1994

November 3

Mick Thomson, American guitarist

Kirk Jones, African-American rapper (Onyx)

November 5

Johnny Damon, baseball player

Peter Emmerich, American illustrator

November 6 – Rumi Shishido, Japanese voice actress and singer

November 8 – David Muir, American journalist and news anchor

November 9

Alyson Court, Canadian actress

Nick Lachey, American singer

Maija Vilkkumaa, Finnish pop rock singer

November 10

Jacqui Abbott, English singer

Róbert Gulya, Hungarian composer

November 14

Lawyer Milloy, American football player

Dana Snyder, American voice actor

November 19

Billy Currington, American country singer

Savion Glover, American tap dancer

November 20 – Sav Rocca, American football player and Australian rules footballer

November 22 – Cassie Campbell, Canadian ice hockey forward and CBC commentator

November 26 – Peter Facinelli, American actor

November 27 – Sharlto Copley, South African producer, actor, and director

November 28

Rob Conway, American professional wrestler

Jade Puget, American guitarist

Gina Tognoni, American actress

November 29

Ryan Giggs, Welsh footballer

Raphael Smith, South African screenwriter and songwriter

November 30

Nimród Antal, Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and actor

Im Chang-jung, South Korean actor

Jason Reso, Canadian professional wrestler

December

December 2

Monica Seles, Hungarian-Yugoslavian tennis player

Jan Ullrich, German professional road bicycle racer

December 3

Francisco Islas Rueda, Mexican professiomal wrestler

Holly Marie Combs, American actress

December 4

Tyra Banks, American supermodel, talk show host

Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player

Michael Jackson, former English football defender

December 5

Sorin Grindeanu, Prime Minister of Romania

Mikelangelo Loconte, Italian singer

Neil Codling, Member of Suede

December 7

Terrell Owens, American football player

Damien Rice, Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer

December 8 – Corey Taylor, American rock vocalist (Slipknot, Stone Sour)

December 9 – Bárbara Padilla, American operatic soprano

December 10 – Arden Myrin, American comedian

December 11 – Mos Def, African-American rapper and actor

December 14

Tomasz Radzinski, Canadian footballer

Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-born actress (d. 2001)

December 15 – Surya Bonaly, French figure skater

December 16 – Scott Storch, American hip-hop producer

December 17 – Paula Radcliffe, British athlete

December 18 – Darryl Brown, Trinidad and West Indian cricketer

December 20 – Antti Kasvio, Finnish swimmer

December 21 – Mike Alstott, American football player

December 24

Paul Foot, English comedian

Stephenie Meyer, American novelist

Kerry Nettle, Australian politician

December 25

Shalom Harlow, Canadian model and actress

Chris Harris, American professional wrestler

December 27

Wilson Cruz, American actor

Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch composer

December 28

Seth Meyers, American actor and comedian, currently hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers

Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater

December 29

Theo Epstein, American baseball general manager

Pimp C, American rap artist

December 30

Jason Behr, American actor

Ato Boldon, West Indian athlete

December 31 – Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Russian dancer

Date unknown

Tiago Carneiro da Cunha, Brazilian artist

Eimear Quinn, Irish Celtic singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1996 winner

January

January 1

Sir Arthur Elton, pioneer of the British documentary film industry (b. 1906)

Sergei Kourdakov, former KGB agent (b. 1951)

January 2 – Eleazar López Contreras, 32th President of Venezuela (b. 1883)

January 7 – Mark Essex, American spree killer (b. 1949)

January 8 – Dudley Foster, British actor (b. 1924)

January 12 – Turk Edwards, American football player (Washington Redskins) and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (b. 1907)

January 17 – Herbert D. Riley, United States Navy admiral (b. 1904)

January 19 – Max Adrian, Northern Irish actor (b. 1903)

January 22 – Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States (b. 1908)

January 23 – Kid Ory, American musician (b. 1886)

January 24 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1897)

January 26 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (b. 1893)

January 28 – John Banner, Austrian-born actor (b. 1910)

January 29 – Ludwig Stössel, Austrian actor (b. 1883)

January 31 – Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch, Norwegian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)

February

February 11 – Hans D. Jensen, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)

February 15

Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)

Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)

February 16 – Francisco Caamaño, Dominican politician (b. 1932)

February 17 – Harold Saxton Burr, American scientist (b. 1889)

February 19 – Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)

February 22

Elizabeth Bowen, Irish novelist (b. 1899)

Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (b. 1900)

February 23 – Dickinson W. Richards, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)

February 28 – Cecil Kellaway, South African actor (b. 1893)

March

March 3 – Vera Panova, Soviet-Russian writer (b. 1905)

March 4 – Marie-Anne Desmarest, French novelist (b. 1904)

March 6 – Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)

March 8 – Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, American rock musician (Grateful Dead) (b. 1945)

March 10 – Bull Connor, Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, during the American Civil Rights Movement and member of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1920s (b. 1897)

March 10 – Robert Siodmak, German-American director (b. 1900)

March 12 – Frankie Frisch, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1898)

March 13 – Melville Cooper, British actor (b. 1896)

March 14

Rafael Godoy, Colombian composer (b. 1907)

Chic Young, American cartoonist (b. 1901)

March 18

Johannes Aavik, Estonian philologist (b. 1880)

Lauritz Melchior, Danish opera singer (b. 1890)

March 20 – Adolf Strauss, German general (b. 1879)

March 23 – Ken Maynard, American actor (b. 1895)

March 25 – Edward Steichen, American photographer (b. 1879)

March 26

Safford Cape, American composer and musicologist (b. 1906)

Sir Noël Coward, English composer and playwright (b. 1899)

George Sisler, American baseball player (St. Louis Browns) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1893)

March 30 – Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish nobleman and pioneering aviator (b. 1903)

April

April 4 – Xu Lai, Chinese actress and secret agent (b. 1909)

April 8 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist (b. 1881)

April 12

Henry Darger, reclusive American outsider artist (b.1892)

Arthur Freed, American film producer (b. 1894)

April 14 – Károly Kerényi, Hungarian philologist and mythologist (b. 1897)

April 16

Nino Bravo, Spanish singer (b. 1944)

Istvan Kertesz, Hungarian conductor (b. 1929)

April 19 – Hans Kelsen, Austrian-born legal theorist (b. 1881)

April 20 – Robert Armstrong, American actor (b. 1890)

April 21

Merian C. Cooper, American aviator, director, and producer (b. 1893)

Arthur Fadden, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)

April 25

Armand Annet, French colonial official (b. 1888)

Frank Jack Fletcher, American admiral (b. 1885)

April 26 – Irene Ryan, American actress (b. 1902)

April 28 – Jacques Maritain, Catholic philosopher (b. 1882)

April 30 – Václav Renč, Czech poet, dramatist and translator (b. 1911)

May

May 1 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter (b. 1914)

May 2 – Alan Carney, American actor and comedian (b. 1909)

May 6 – Myrna Fahey, American actress (b. 1933)

May 8 – Alexander Vandegrift, American general (b. 1887)

May 10 – Jack E. Leonard, American comedian (b. 1910)

May 11 – Lex Barker, American actor (b. 1919)

May 12 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter (b. 1888)

May 14 – Jean Gebser, German author, linguist, and poet (b. 1905)

May 16 – Jacques Lipchitz, French American sculptor (b. 1891)

May 18

Dieudonné Costes, French aviator (b. 1892)

Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1880)

May 20 – Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)

May 21

Ivan Konev, Marshal of the USSR (b. 1897)

Vaughn Monroe, American singer (b. 1911)

May 26

Jay C. Higginbotham, American musician (b. 1906)

Karl Löwith, German philosopher (b. 1897)

May 29 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer (b. 1929)

June

June 1 – Mary Kornman, American actress (b. 1915)

June 3 – Dory Funk, American professional wrestler (b. 1919)

June 4 – Arna Bontemps, African-American Harlem Renaissance writer (b. 1902)

June 5 – Max Terhune, American actor (b. 1891)

June 8 – Emmy Göring nee Sonnemann, German actress, second wife of Hermann Göring (b. 1893)

June 9 – Erich von Manstein, German field marshal (b. 1887)

June 10 – William Inge, American playwright (b. 1913)

June 18 – Roger Delgado, English actor (b. 1918)

June 23 – Fay Holden, American actress (b. 1893)

June 24 – Mary Carr, American actress (b. 1874)

June 26 – Ernest Truex, American actor (b. 1889)

June 30

Nancy Mitford, English novelist (b. 1904)

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky C.Ss.R, Ukrainian Catholic bishop and martyr (b. 1903)

July

July 1 – Yosef Alon, Israeli pilot, co-founder of the Israeli Air Force, assassinated in the United States (b. 1929)

July 2

Betty Grable, American actress (b. 1916)

Chick Hafey, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1903)

George Macready, American actor (b. 1899)

Swede Savage, American race car driver (b. 1946)

July 5 – Golwalkar, Second sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (b. 1906)

July 6

Joe E. Brown, American actor (b. 1892)

Otto Klemperer, German-born conductor (b. 1885)

July 7

Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (b. 1895)

Veronica Lake, American actress (b. 1922)

July 8

Arthur Calwell, Australian labor politician (b. 1896)

Ben-Zion Dinur, Russian-born Israeli educator, historian and politician (b. 1884)

Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (b. 1877)

July 11

Alexander Mosolov, Russian composer (b. 1900)

Robert Ryan, American actor (b. 1909)

July 12 – Lon Chaney, Jr., American actor (b. 1906)

July 13 – Willy Fritsch, German actor (b. 1901)

July 18 – Jack Hawkins, British actor (b. 1910)

July 20

Bruce Lee, Chinese-American martial artist and actor (b. 1940)

Robert Smithson, American artist (b. 1938)

July 23 – Eddie Rickenbacker, American World War I flying ace and race car driver (b. 1890)

July 25

Amy Jacques Garvey, Jamaican-born journalist and activist (b. 1895)

Louis St. Laurent, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1882)

July 29

Henri Charrière, French writer (b. 1906)

Roger Williamson, British race car driver (b. 1948)

August

August 1

Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer (b. 1882)

Walter Ulbricht, East German leader (b. 1893)

August 2 – Jean-Pierre Melville, French film director (b. 1917)

August 4 – Eddie Condon, American jazz musician (b. 1905)

August 6

Fulgencio Batista, 2-Time President of Cuba (b. 1901)

James Beck, British actor (b. 1929)

August 9 – Charles Daniels, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1885)

August 10 – Douglas Kennedy, American actor (b. 1915)

August 11 – Karl Ziegler, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)

August 12

Dayanand Bandodkar, Chief Minister of Goa (b. 1911)

Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)

August 13 – Willy Rey, American model (b. 1949)

August 16

Veda Ann Borg, American actress (b. 1915)

Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1888)

August 17

Conrad Aiken, American writer (b. 1889)

Jean Barraqué, French composer (b. 1928)

Paul Williams, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1939)

August 27 – Tol Avery, American actor (b. 1915)

August 30 – Michael Dunn, American actor (b. 1934)

August 31 – John Ford, American film director (b. 1894)

September

September 2

Diana Sands, American actress (b. 1934)

J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (b. 1892)

September 11 – Salvador Allende, 30th President of Chile (b. 1908)

September 13

Betty Field, American actress (b. 1913)

Sajjad Zaheer, Urdu writer and revolutionary (b. 1905)

September 15

King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (b. 1882)

Víctor Jara, Chilean politician and singer-songwriter (b. 1932)

Robert B. McClure, American general (b. 1896)

September 18 – Ken Harada, first diplomat from Japan to the Holy See (age 80)

September 19 – Gram Parsons, American musician (b. 1946)

September 20

Jim Croce, American songwriter (b. 1943)

Glenn Strange, American actor (b. 1899)

September 23 – Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

September 24 – Josué de Castro, Brazilian writer, physician, geographer and activist against hunger (b. 1908)

September 26

Ralph Earnhardt, American race car driver (b. 1928)

Anna Magnani, Italian actress (b. 1908)

September 28 – Norma Crane, American actress (b. 1928)

September 29 – W. H. Auden, English poet (b. 1907)

September 30 – Peter Pitseolak, Inuit photographer and author (b. 1902)

October

October 2

Paul Hartman, American dancer and actor (b. 1904)

Paavo Nurmi, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1897)

October 6

Sidney Blackmer, American actor (b. 1895)

François Cevert, French race car driver (b. 1944)

October 8 – Gabriel Marcel, French Catholic existential thinker (b. 1889)

October 10 – Ludwig von Mises, Austrian economist (b. 1881)

October 14

Edmund A. Chester, American broadcaster and journalist (b. 1897)

Ahmed Hamdi, Egyptian general who fought in Yom Kippur (b. 1929)

October 16 – Gene Krupa, American jazz drummer (b. 1909)

October 17 – Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian writer (b. 1926)

October 18

Walt Kelly, American cartoonist (b. 1913)

Crane Wilbur, American actor (b. 1886)

October 19 – Margaret Caroline Anderson, American magazine publisher (b. 1886)

October 22 – Pablo Casals, Spanish cellist and conductor (b. 1876)

October 25 – Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian Olympic athlete (b. 1932)

October 26 – Semyon Budyonny, Cossack cavalryman and Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1883)

October 27 – Allan "Rocky" Lane, American actor (b. 1909)

October 28 – Cleo Moore, American actress (b. 1928)

November

November 2 – Greasy Neale, American football coach (Philadelphia Eagles) and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (b. 1891)

November 3 – Marc Allégret, French film director (b. 1900)

November 7 – Kiyohide Shima, Japanese admiral (b. 1890)

November 9 – Apostol Karamitev, Bulgarian actor (b. 1923)

November 10

David "Stringbean" Akeman, American banjo player (b. 1915)

Morton Deyo, American admiral (b. 1887)

November 11 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)

November 13 – Lila Lee, American actress (b. 1901)

November 16 – Alan Watts, British philosopher (b. 1915)

November 20 – Allan Sherman, American comedy writer, television producer, and song parodist (b. 1924)

November 23

Sessue Hayakawa, Japanese-American actor (b. 1889)

Constance Talmadge, American actress (b. 1897)

November 25

Albert DeSalvo, American criminal (b. 1931)

Laurence Harvey, English actor (b. 1928)

November 27 – Frank Christian, American musician (b. 1887)

November 28 – John Rostill, English bassist, musician and composer (The Shadows) (b. 1942)

November 29 – Philip D. Gallery, American admiral (b. 1907)

December

December 1 – David Ben-Gurion, 1st Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1886)

December 2 – Richard G. Colbert, American admiral (b. 1915)

December 3

Emile Christian, American musician (b. 1895)

Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, 47th President of Mexico (b. 1889)

December 4

Lauri Lehtinen, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1908)

Michael O'Shea, American actor (b. 1906)

December 5 – Sir Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, radar pioneer (b. 1892)

December 20

Luis Carrero Blanco, first minister of Spain (assassinated) (b. 1904)

Bobby Darin, American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, dancer, impressionist and TV presenter (b. 1936)

December 23 – Gerard Kuiper Netherlands-born American astronomer (b. 1905)

December 24 – Fritz Gause, German historian (b. 1893)

December 25

İsmet İnönü, Turkish general and statesman, 3-Time Prime Minister of Turkey and 2nd President of Turkey (b. 1884)

Adrian Scott, American screenwriter, one of the Hollywood Ten (b. 1912)

Gabriel Voisin, French aviation pioneer (b. 1880)

December 26

William Haines, American actor (b. 1900)

Harold B. Lee, American president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)

December 30 – Marcel-Bruno Gensoul, French admiral (b. 1880)

Nobel Prizes

Physics – Leo Esaki, Ivar Giaever, Brian David Josephson

Chemistry – Ernst Otto Fischer, Geoffrey Wilkinson

Medicine – Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, Nikolaas Tinbergen

Literature – Patrick White

Peace – Henry Kissinger, Lê Đức Thọ

Economics – Wassily Leontief