January 5
January 5
Pol Pot renames Cambodia
On January 5, 1976, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot announces a new constitution changing the name of Cambodia to Kampuchea and legalizing its Communist government. During the next three years…
A Year In History: 1976
This Year in History:
1976
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 8
January 8
“Ragtime” wins the National Book Critics Circle Award
On January 8, 1976, Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow is awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award. The book deals with race relations in the early 1900s, mixing fictional characters with…
January 9
January 9
Sylvester Stallone starts filming “Rocky”
The classic rags‑to‑riches story got a macho spin in the Oscar‑winning Rocky, which was written by its star, Sylvester Stallone, and began filming on January 9, 1976. Stallone had his…
January 21
January 21
Concorde takes off
From London’s Heathrow Airport and Orly Airport outside Paris, the first Concordes with commercial passengers simultaneously take flight on January 21, 1976. The London flight was headed to Bahrain in…
January 23
January 23
Singer, actor, athlete, activist Paul Robeson dies
The singer, actor, athlete and activist Paul Robeson dies at the age of 79 on January 23, 1976. Robeson’s physical strength, size and grace made him one of the elite…
February 12
February 12
Actor Sal Mineo is killed in Hollywood
Actor Sal Mineo is stabbed to death in Hollywood, California. Mineo was parking his car behind his apartment when neighbors heard his cries for help. Some described a white man…
April 5
April 5
Business magnate and famed aviator Howard Hughes dies
Howard Robard Hughes, one of the richest men to emerge from the American West during the 20th century, dies while flying from Acapulco to Houston. Born in Houston, Texas, in…
May 8
May 8
The theme song from “Welcome Back, Kotter” is the #1 song in America
On May 8, 1976, John Sebastian’s playfully nostalgic theme song for the TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter” becomes the number one pop single in the U.S. The previous year, Sebastian,…
May 15
May 15
Young woman and her married lover arrested for killing her family
Patricia Columbo and Frank DeLuca are arrested for the brutal slaying of Columbo’s parents and brother in Elk Grove, Illinois. Twenty‑year‑old Columbo had left her family home two years earlier…
June 4
June 4
Several dozen people witness historic Sex Pistols set
In what has later been called “the gig that changed the world,” the Sex Pistols appear at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, helping to launch the punk…
June 7
June 7
“New York” magazine publishes the story that becomes “Saturday Night Fever”
The article that inspired the blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever—”The Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” by journalist Nik Cohn—was published on this day in 1976 in the June…
June 17
June 17
NBA merges with ABA
On June 17, 1976, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announces a merger with its rival, the American Basketball Association (ABA), and takes on the ABA’s four most successful franchises: the…
June 27
June 27
Ebola breaks out in Sudan
A factory storekeeper in the Nzara township of Sudan becomes ill on June 27, 1976. Five days later, he dies, and the world’s first recorded Ebola virus epidemic begins making…
July 6
July 6
First women inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy
In Annapolis, Maryland, the United States Naval Academy admits women for the first time in its history with the induction of 81 female midshipmen. In May 1980, Elizabeth Anne Rowe…
July 7
July 7
Female cadets enrolled at West Point
For the first time in history, women are enrolled into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. On May 28, 1980, 62 of these female cadets graduated…
July 18
July 18
Gymnast Nadia Comăneci scores first perfect “10” in Olympic history
In her Olympic debut at the tender age of 14, Nadia Comăneci becomes the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in Olympic history. The young Romanian’s performance at the…
July 20
July 20
Viking 1 lands on Mars
On the seventh anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, the Viking 1 lander, an unmanned U.S. planetary probe, successfully lands on the surface of Mars. Viking 1 was launched…
July 28
July 28
One of the worst earthquakes in modern history destroys Chinese city
At 3:42 a.m. on July 28, 1976, an earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale flattens Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about…
July 29
July 29
Son of Sam’s first murder
David Berkowitz, later to be known as the “Son of Sam,” pulls a gun from a paper bag and fires five shots at Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti of the…
July 30
July 30
Caitlyn Jenner wins Olympic decathlon
On July 30, 1976, American Caitlyn Jenner—who was competing as Bruce Jenner—wins gold in the men’s decathlon at the Montreal Olympics. Jenner’s 8,617 points set a world record in the event. The…
