Football fans crushed in stadium stampede
On January 2, 1971, 66 football (soccer) fans are killed in a stampede at a stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, as they attempt to leave a game after a late goal…
This Year in History:
1971
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
On January 2, 1971, 66 football (soccer) fans are killed in a stampede at a stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, as they attempt to leave a game after a late goal…
The Army drops charges of an alleged cover‑up in the My Lai massacre against four officers. After the charges were dropped, a total of 11 people had been cleared of…
January 20, 1971, sees the release of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” In addition to being a massive hit, the song marked a turning point in Gaye’s career and in…
In Los Angeles, California, cult leader Charles Manson is convicted, along with followers Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle, of the brutal 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate…
Apollo 14, piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a manned mission to the moon.…
One week after toppling the regime of Ugandan leader Milton Obote, Major General Idi Amin declares himself president of Uganda and chief of the armed forces. Amin, head of the…
On February 9, 1971, pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that year, Paige, a…
Four journalists, including photographer Larry Burrows of Life magazine, Kent Potter of United Press International, Henri Huett of the Associated Press and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek, die in a South…
A bomb explodes in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., causing an estimated $300,000 in damage but hurting no one. A group calling itself the Weather Underground claimed credit for…
On March 8, 1971, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier meet for the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout marked Ali’s return to…
Lt. William L. Calley is found guilty of premeditated murder at My Lai by a U.S. Army court‑martial at Fort Benning, Georgia. Calley, a platoon leader, had led his men…
On March 30, 1971, Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place market with a single employee. The store sells high‑quality roasted coffee beans, freshly brewed hot coffee…
The U.S. table tennis team begins a weeklong visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the invitation of China’s communist government. The well‑publicized trip was part of the…
As a prelude to a massive antiwar protest, Vietnam Veterans Against the War begin a five‑day demonstration in Washington, D.C. The generally peaceful protest, called Dewey Canyon III in honor…
As the Vietnam war continues, the Pentagon releases figures confirming that fragging incidents are on the rise. In 1970, 209 such incidents caused the deaths of 34 men; in 1969,…
On April 20, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declares busing for the purposes of desegregation to be constitutional. The decision in Swann v. Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Board of Education settled the constitutional…
In Sweden, Foreign Minister Torsten Nilsson reveals that Sweden has been providing assistance to the Viet Cong, including some $550,000 worth of medical supplies. Similar Swedish aid was to go…
The U.S. unmanned space probe Mariner 9 is launched on a mission to gather scientific information on Mars, the fourth planet from the sun. The 1,116‑pound spacecraft entered the planet’s…
Twenty‑three years after its 1948 premiere, “The Ed Sullivan Show” has its final broadcast on June 6, 1971. For more than two decades, Sullivan’s variety show was the premiere television…
The New York Times begins publishing portions of the 47‑volume Pentagon analysis of how the U.S. commitment in Southeast Asia grew over a period of three decades. Daniel Ellsberg, a…