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
Chinese leader Zhou Enlai dies
Zhou Enlai, premier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since 1949, dies of cancer at age 77. Zhou was second to Mao Zedong, the leader of the revolution that…
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 10
January 10
“Convoy,” by C.W. McCall, is the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts
It was a song that celebrated the exploits of a rebellious trucker with a reckless disregard for human life and highway safety codes. It gave the gravelly‑voiced C.W. McCall 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 4
February 4
Earthquake rocks Guatemala City
In the very early morning of February 4, 1976, a 7.5‑magnitude earthquake levels much of Guatemala City, killing 23,000 people and leaving one million others homeless. It was 3:04 a.m.…
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…
February 20
February 20
SEATO disbands
After operating for 22 years, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization concludes its final military exercise and quietly shuts down. SEATO had been one of the bulwarks of America’s Cold War…
March 24
March 24
Peyton Manning born
On March 24, 1976, Peyton Manning is born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Archie and Olivia Manning. Archie had been a star quarterback for the University of Mississippi (1968‑1970) and…
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…
April 17
April 17
Mike Schmidt hits four consecutive homers
On this day in 1976, Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies hits four consecutive home runs in a game against the Chicago Cubs. Schmidt was only the fourth player 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 4
June 4
Celtics battle Suns through three overtimes in NBA Finals
On June 4, 1976, in Game Five of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeat the Phoenix Suns 128–126 in three overtimes. The game is considered by many to be…
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…
