January 6
January 6
“Wheel of Fortune” premieres
Wheel of Fortune, one of the the longest‑running syndicated game shows in American television, premieres on NBC on January 6, 1975. Created by television legend Merv Griffin and hosted since…
A Year In History: 1975
This Year in History:
1975
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 6
January 6
Two thousand Led Zeppelin fans trash the Boston Garden
On January 6, 1975, a crowd of 2,000‑plus lines up outside Boston Garden to buy tickets to the rock band Led Zeppelin. Some in the crowd then entered into the…
January 18
January 18
“Mandy” is Barry Manilow’s first #1 pop hit
Barry Manilow’s scores his first #1 single with “Mandy” on January 18, 1975. He would go on to sell more than 75 millions records over the course of his career.…
March 25
March 25
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia assassinated
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal is shot to death by his nephew, Prince Faisal. King Faisal, son of King Ibn Saud, fought in the military campaigns in the 1920s…
April 4
April 4
“Operation Babylift,” transporting South Vietnamese children, starts in tragedy
The American airlift of Vietnamese children deemed war orphans to the U.S. and other Western nations begins disastrously on April 4, 1975, when an Air Force cargo jet crashes shortly…
April 4
April 4
Microsoft founded
On April 4, 1975, at a time when most Americans used typewriters, childhood friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft, a company that makes computer software. Originally based in…
April 8
April 8
Frank Robinson makes debut as first Black manager in MLB
On April 8, 1975, against the New York Yankees in Cleveland, the Indians’ Frank Robinson becomes the first African American to manage a game in Major League Baseball. Robinson, who…
April 10
April 10
Lee Elder becomes first Black golfer to play in Masters
On April 10, 1975, 41‑year‑old Lee Elder becomes the first Black golfer to play in the Masters, considered the most prestigious event in the sport. Elder shoots 37 on the…
April 12
April 12
U.S. Embassy in Cambodia evacuated
In Cambodia, the U.S. ambassador and his staff leave Phnom Penh when the U.S. Navy conducts its evacuation effort, Operation Eagle. On April 3, 1975, as the communist Khmer Rouge…
April 17
April 17
Cambodia falls to the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge troops capture Phnom Penh and government forces surrender. The war between government troops and the communist insurgents had been raging since March 1970, when Lt. Gen. Lon Nol…
April 23
April 23
President Ford says that war is finished for America
At a speech at Tulane University, President Gerald Ford says the Vietnam War is finished as far as America is concerned. “Today, Americans can regain the sense of pride that…
April 30
April 30
Fall of Saigon: South Vietnam surrenders
The South Vietnamese stronghold of Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City) falls to People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong on April 30, 1975. The South Vietnamese…
May 12
May 12
American freighter ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian navy
The American freighter Mayaguez is captured by communist government forces in Cambodia, setting off an international incident. The U.S. response to the affair indicated that the wounds of the Vietnam…
May 19
May 19
New York City’s Chinatown shuts down to protest police brutality
New York City’s Chinatown is almost entirely shut down on May 19, 1975, with shuttered stores displaying signs reading “Closed to Protest Police Brutality.” The demonstration is a reaction to…
June 12
June 12
Indira Gandhi convicted of election fraud
Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India, is found guilty of electoral corruption in her successful 1971 campaign. Despite calls for her resignation, Gandhi refused to give up India’s top…
June 20
June 20
“Jaws” released in theaters
On June 20, 1975, Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opens in theaters. The story of a great white…
June 21
June 21
A teenage girl’s boyfriend murders her parents
On June 21, Jim and Naomi Olive are brutally killed by their high school‑aged daughter’s boyfriend, a waterbed salesman. Their bodies are later cremated in a barbeque pit. Police were…
June 26
June 26
Sonny and Cher’s divorce becomes final
After 13 years together as a couple and six years of marriage—the last three for the cameras—pop singers and TV entertainers Sonny and Cher are legally divorced on June 26,…
July 5
July 5
Arthur Ashe becomes the first Black man to win Wimbledon
On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe defeats the heavily favored Jimmy Connors to become the first Black man ever to win Wimbledon, the most coveted championship in tennis. Arthur Ashe…
July 17
July 17
Superpowers meet in space
As part of a mission aimed at developing space rescue capability, the U.S. spacecraft Apollo 18 and the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 19 rendezvous and dock in space. As the hatch…
