January
January 20 – The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon makes its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
January 26 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP forms the new government of Turkey (37th government, partner MSP).
February
February 1
Fire breaks out in the Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil; 177 die, 293 are injured, 11 die later of their injuries.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is declared a Federal Territory.
February 8 – After a record 84 days in orbit, the crew of Skylab 4 returns to Earth.
February 17 – A soccer stampede occurs in Cairo, killing 49.
March
March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 travelling from Paris to London crashes in a wood near Paris, killing all 346 aboard.
March 4
Following a hung parliament in the United Kingdom general election, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath resigns and is succeeded by Labour's Harold Wilson, who previously led the country from 1964 to 1970.[1]
People magazine's first issue released in the U.S. Mia Farrow is on the cover.
March 8 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
March 10 – Japanese holdout: A Japanese World War II soldier, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, surrenders in the Philippines.
March 18 – End of 1973 oil crisis: Most OPEC nations end a 5-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.
March 29 – The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang is discovered at Xi'an, China.[2]
April
April – The world population reaches 4 billion people estimated by the United States Census Bureau.
April 2 – French president Georges Pompidou, dies of cancer at 63. Alain Poher succeeds him immediately; Valéry Giscard d'Estaing wins the presidential contest in May 1974.
April 3–4 – An enormous tornado outbreak strikes the central parts of the United States, killing around 319 people. Known as the "Super Outbreak", the event is the largest and deadliest of its kind until the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak.
April 4 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth for the all-time home run record with his 714th at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
April 5 – Stephen King publishes Carrie, his first novel.
April 6
Swedish pop group ABBA win the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo.
California Jam is held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, attracting 250,000 fans.
April 8 – Hank Aaron became the all-time MLB home run leader with his 715th at Atlanta in front of a national television audience.
April 11 – The Kiryat Shmona massacre takes place in Israel.
April 15 – As "Tania", Patty Hearst is photographed wielding an M1 carbine while robbing the Sunset District branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco.
April 25 – Carnation Revolution: A left-wing military coup in Portugal restores democracy, ending 48 years of Estado Novo and Ditadura Nacional dictatorship in the country. Portuguese Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano flees to Brazil and is granted political asylum by Brazilian military president Emílio Garrastazu Médici.
May
May 4
An all-female Japanese team summits Manaslu in Nepal, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000 metre peak.
The Expo '74 world's fair opens in Spokane, Washington.
May 17 – Dublin and Monaghan bombings: The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), explode four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks kill 33 civilians and wound almost 300, the highest number of casualties in any single day during "The Troubles".
May 18
Nuclear test: Under Project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the 6th nation to do so.
The Warsaw radio mast is completed, the second tallest structure ever built (it collapses on August 8, 1991).
May 19 – The Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Boston Bruins to become the first team from the 1967 NHL expansion class to win the Stanley Cup in the North American National Hockey League.
May 30 – NASA's ATS-6 satellite is launched.
June
June 13 – The 1974 FIFA World Cup begins in West Germany.
June 26 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
June 29
Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina, replacing her sick husband Juan Perón, who dies 2 days later.
America Sings attraction opens to the public for the first time at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
July
July 7 – West Germany beats the Netherlands 2–1 to win the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The West German football team are awarded the new FIFA World Cup Trophy.
July 8 – Two weeks after the attraction's opening, an 18 year old employee is crushed to her death while working on America Sings at Disneyland. This is the first casualty to occur to an employee at a Disney Park.
July 15 – News anchor Christine Chubbuck commits suicide during a live broadcast on WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida.
July 19 - Railcar explosion in Decatur, Illinois. A tanker car collides with a Norfolk & Western boxcar. Seven people are killed, 349 are injured and $18 million in property damage.[3]
July 20 – The Turkish invasion of Cyprus occurs.
July 23 – The Greek military junta is replaced by a civilian government in Greece concluding the seven-year military rule.
August
38th US President Gerald R. Ford
August 4 – A bomb explodes in a train between Italy and West Germany, killing 12 and wounding 48. Italian neo-fascists take responsibility.
August 8 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (effective August 9).
August 9 – Vice President Gerald Ford succeeds Richard Nixon as the 38th President of the United States of America.
August 14 – Turkey invades Cyprus for the second time, occupying 37% of the island's territory.
August 30 – An express train bound for Germany from Belgrade derails in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), killing more than 150 passengers.
September
September 8 – TWA Flight 841 crashes into the Ionian Sea 18 minutes after take off from Athens, after a bomb explodes in the cargo hold, and kills 88 people.
September 10 – The Portuguese military junta grants independence to Guinea-Bissau.
September 12 – Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed by the Derg, bringing an end to the Solomonic dynasty's rule since 1270. The Ethiopian Civil War begins.
September 13 – Japanese Red Army members seize the French Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands.
September 20 – The Kootenai War is declared, and 10-cent tolls are charged on U.S. Highway 95.
September 23 – Ceefax (one of the first public service information systems) is started by the BBC.
October
October 11 – The UK Labour government of Harold Wilson wins the second general election of the year, forming a three-seat majority. Wilson, who has led the party for a total of 11 years, has now won four of the five general elections he has contested.[4]
October 30 – The Rumble in the Jungle takes place in Kinshasa, Zaire, where Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in 8 rounds to regain the Heavyweight title, which had been stripped from him 7 years earlier.
November
November 1
The World Tourism Organization (WTO or WToO) is established.
The German electronic band Kraftwerk releases their studio album Autobahn.
November 13 – Ronald DeFeo, Jr., murders his entire family in their home in Amityville on Long Island, an event that inspires the story of The Amityville Horror.
November 16 – Arecibo message: The radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory on Puerto Rico sends an interstellar radio message towards Messier 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. The message will reach its destination around the year 27,000.
November 21 – Birmingham pub bombings: In Birmingham, England, two pubs are bombed, killing 21 people in an attack widely believed at the time to be linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The Birmingham Six are later sentenced to life in prison for this, but their convictions are quashed after a lengthy campaign.[5]
November 18 – The International Energy Agency is founded.
November 22 – The United Nations General Assembly grants the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status.
November 24 – A skeleton from the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is discovered and named Lucy.
November 28 – In a rare public performance, former Beatle John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
December
December 1 – A Boeing 727 carrying TWA Flight 514 crashes 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Dulles International Airport during bad weather, killing all 92 people on board.
December 9 – The Paris summit, reuniting the European Communities' heads of state and government, commences.
December 13 – Malta becomes a republic.
December 17 – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations.
December 24–25 – Darwin, Australia is almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy.
December 30 – Japanese holdout: The last Japanese World War II soldier, Taiwan-born Private Teruo Nakamura, surrenders on the Indonesian island of Morota, 34 years after beginning service in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Date unknown
Rubik's Cube puzzle is invented by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik.[6]
Dungeons & Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game, designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, is first released, in the United States.
PepsiCo becomes the first American company to sell products in the Soviet Union.[7]
Births
January
Christian Bale
January 1 – Carlos Humberto da Silva Ferreira, Portuguese footballer who plays for A.D. Limianos as a goalkeeper
January 3 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian professional road cyclist
January 10 – Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood actor
January 12
Melanie Chisholm, English singer-songwriter (Spice Girls)
Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian cross-country skier
January 16 – Kate Moss, English model
January 17 – Danny Bhoy, Scottish stand-up comedian
January 18 – Maulik Pancholy, American actor
January 18 – Gustavo Kupinski, Argentine guitarist (d. 2011)
January 19 – Éva Novodomszky, Hungarian journalist and presenter
January 20 – Rae Carruth, former NFL wide receiver
January 22 – Joseph Muscat, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
January 23 – Tiffani Thiessen, American actress
January 24 – Ed Helms, American actor and stand-up comedian
January 27 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norwegian biathlete
January 28 – Kari Traa, Norwegian freestyle skier
January 29 – Michael Andersen, Danish basketball player
January 30
Christian Bale, English actor
Olivia Colman, English actress
February
James Blunt
Seth Green
Mr Lordi
February 4 – Urmila Matondkar, Indian actress
February 7
Cheryl Cosim, Filipina journalist, news anchor, TV host
J Dilla, also known as Jay-Dee, African-American hip-hop producer (d. 2006)
Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
Jun Seba, also known as Nujabes, Japanese hip-hop producer (d. 2010)
February 8
Seth Green, American actor
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French musician and record producer (Daft Punk)
February 10
Elizabeth Banks, American actress
Ivri Lider, Israeli singer
February 13 – Robbie Williams, English rock singer
February 14 – Philippe Léonard, Belgian footballer
February 15
Miranda July, American author, director, actor, musician and spoken-word artist
Mr Lordi, Finnish rock singer (Lordi)
Alexander Wurz, Austrian racing driver
February 17 – Jerry O'Connell, American actor
February 22 – James Blunt, English singer
February 24
Chad Hugo, American rock musician and producer
Bonnie Somerville, American actress
February 26 – Sébastien Loeb, French rally driver
February 27 – Hiroyasu Shimizu, Japanese speed skater
March
Alyson Hannigan
March 1 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, American actor
March 3 – David Faustino, American actor
March 4
Karol Kučera, Slovakian tennis player
Ariel Ortega, Argentine football player
March 5
Jens Jeremies, German footballer
Matt Lucas, British comedian
Eva Mendes, American actress
Hiten Tejwani, Indian model and actor
March 6 – Anthony Carelli, Canadian professional wrestler
March 7
Jenna Fischer, American actress
Antonio de la Rúa,
March 14 – Grace Park, American born Canadian actress
March 15 – Percy Montgomery, South African rugby union player
March 20 – Carsten Ramelow, German footballer
March 21 – Bassem Youssef, Egyptian journalist
March 22 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
March 24 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
March 25 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer
March 28
Daisuke Kishio, Japanese voice actor
Scott Mills, British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor
March 29 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian photographer
March 30 – Miho Komatsu, Japanese pop singer and songwriter
April
Penélope Cruz
April 1 – Marcos Balter, Brazilian composer
April 2 – Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician
April 9 – Jenna Jameson, American pornographic actress
April 8 – Chris Kyle, most lethal sniper in American military history (d. 2013)
April 11
Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model
Alexander Kuoppala, Finnish guitarist (ex-Children of Bodom)
April 12 – Marley Shelton, American actress
April 15
Danny Pino, Cuban American actor
Tim Thomas, American ice hockey goaltender
April 16 – Xu Jinglei, Chinese actress and director
April 17
Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish musician (Opeth)
Victoria Beckham, English singer (Spice Girls)
April 18 – Edgar Wright, English film director
April 20 – Tina Cousins, English singer
April 21 – Faust, Norwegian drummer
April 22 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-born rock bassist (System of a Down)
April 23 – Barry Watson, American actor
April 28 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
April 29 – Anggun, Indonesian-French singer-songwriter
May
Breckin Meyer
May 7 – Breckin Meyer, American actor
May 16
Laura Pausini, Italian singer
Adam Richman, American actor and television personality
May 17 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer
May 23 – Jewel, American singer
May 26 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
May 28 – Mikael Stanne, Swedish singer
May 30 – Big L, American rapper (d. 1999)
May 28 – Kenan Doğulu, Turkish pop musician
June
Derek Jeter
June 1 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer
June 2 – Gata Kamsky, American chess player
June 7
Mahesh Bhupathi, Indian tennis player
Bear Grylls, British survivalist
June 9 – Samoth, Norwegian musician
June 13
Katharina Bellowitsch, Austrian radio and TV presenter.
Selma, Icelandic singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1999 runner-up
Steve-O, American actor
Takahiro Sakurai, Japanese voice actor
June 22 – Donald Faison, American actor
June 23 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
June 25 – Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
June 26
Jason Craig, American artist
Derek Jeter, American baseball player
Nicole Saba, Lebanese singer and actress
June 27 – Christopher O'Neill, British-American businessman; husband of Princess Madeleine of Sweden
June 28 – Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder
July
Jeremy Enigk
Hilary Swank
July 1 – Jefferson Pérez, Ecuadorean race walker
July 2 – Rocky Gray, American musician
July 8 – Dragoslav Jevrić, Montenegrin footballer
July 12
Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer
Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler
July 14 – David Mitchell, British comedian and actor
July 16 – Jeremy Enigk, American singer/songwriter
July 21 – Terry Coldwell, English singer (East 17)
July 22 – Franka Potente, German actress
July 23
Kathryn Hahn, American actress
Maurice Greene, American athlete
Stephanie March, American actress
Rik Verbrugghe, Belgian professional road racing cyclist
July 26 – Daniel Negreanu, Canadian poker player
July 29 – Josh Radnor, American actor
July 30 – Hilary Swank, American actress
July 31 – Emilia Fox, English actress
August
Amy Adams
Ray Park
Derek Fisher
August 5 – Kajol, a Bollywood actress
August 8 – Brian Harvey, English singer (East 17)
August 9 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player
August 12 – Karl Stefanovic, Australian TV host
August 13 – Niklas Sundin, Swedish musician
August 14 – Christopher Gorham, American actor
August 15 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model
August 16
Didier Cuche, Swiss alpine skier
Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian Olympic champion swimmer
August 20
Amy Adams, American actress
Misha Collins, American actor
Maxim Vengerov, Russian violinist
August 22
Jenna Leigh Green, American actress and singer
Lee Sheppard, Australian cartoonist
August 23 – Ray Park, Scottish actor, martial artist
Ovi, Romanian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and musician
Ray Park, Scottish actor, martial artist
August 24 Jennifer Lien, American actress
August 28 – Carsten Jancker, German soccer player
September
Jimmy Fallon
September 4 – Carmit Bachar, American singer
September 6
Tim Henman, English tennis player
Nina Persson, Swedish singer
September 7 – Glenn Ljungström, Swedish guitarist
September 10
Mirko Filipović, Croatian kickboxer; mixed martial arts fighter
Kerry Harvick, American singer
Ryan Phillippe, American actor
Ben Wallace, American basketball player
September 12 – Jennifer Nettles, American country music artist (Sugarland)
September 14 – Hicham El Guerrouj, Moroccan athlete
September 17 – Rasheed Wallace, American basketball player
September 18
Sol Campbell, English footballer
Xzibit, American rapper
September 19
Jimmy Fallon, American actor, comedian, television host and presenter
Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish model
September 23 – Matt Hardy, American professional wrestler
September 24
Niels Brinck, Danish singer and songwriter
Kati Wolf, Hungarian singer and former airline purser
September 26 – Gary Hall, Jr., American swimmer
September 30 – Yul Bürkle, Venezuelan actor and model
October
Charlotte Perrelli
Paul Kariya
Joaquin Phoenix
October 1 – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone)
October 3 – Marianne Timmer, Dutch speed skater
October 7 – Charlotte Perrelli, Swedish singer and occasional television host, Eurovision Song Contest 1999 winner
October 8 – Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
October 10
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., American race car driver
Chris Pronger, Canadian hockey player
October 11 – Jason Arnott, Canadian hockey player
October 16
Aurela Gaçe, Award-winning Albanian singer
Paul Kariya, Canadian hockey player
October 18
Jeremy Scahill, writer and documentary film maker
Zhou Xun, Chinese actress and singer
October 20 – Bashar Rahal, American actor
October 21 – Lera Auerbach, Russian composer & pianist
October 23
Aravind Adiga, Indian-Australian author
Sander Westerveld, Dutch soccer player
October 28
Nelly Ciobanu, Moldovan singer
Joaquin Phoenix, American actor
October 29
Akashdeep Saigal, Indian television actor and model
Yenny Wahid, a political activist and Islamic Indonesia
October 31 – Natasja Saad, Afro Danish rapper & reggae singer (d. 2007)
November
Leonardo DiCaprio
Stephen Merchant
November 2 – Nelly, American rapper
November 4
Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Mexican-American singer/lyricist
Louise Nurding, English singer
November 5
Ryan Adams, American singer and songwriter
Jerry Stackhouse, American basketball player
November 8
Penelope Heyns, South African swimmer
Masashi Kishimoto, Japanese manga author
Matthew Rhys, Welsh actor
November 9
Alessandro Del Piero, Italian football player
Manav Gohil, Indian television actor
November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor
November 15 – Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer
November 16 – Paul Scholes, English football player
November 18 – Petter Solberg, Norwegian rally driver
November 24 – Stephen Merchant, English writer, director, comedian and actor
November 27 – Zsófia Polgár, Hungarian-born chess player
November 29 – Ferenc Merkli, Hungarian Slovene priest, writer, translator
November 30 – Wallace Chung, Hong Kong actor and singer
December
Ryan Seacrest
Rey Mysterio
December 1 – Costinha, Portuguese footballer
December 4 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
December 7 – Nicole Appleton, Canadian singer (All Saints)
December 10 – Meg White, American rock drummer
December 11
Rey Mysterio, American wrestler
Gete Wami, Ethiopian long-distance runner
December 12 – Michelle Saram, Chindian Singaporean singer and actress
December 13 – Nicholas McCarthy, English guitarist
December 17 – Giovanni Ribisi, American actor (Gone in 60 Seconds)
December 18 – Kari Byron, American artist and television personality
December 19 – Eduard Ivakdalam, Indonesian footballer.
December 24
Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
Ryan Seacrest, American television personality
December 27 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
December 29 – Mekhi Phifer, American actor
January 20 – The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon makes its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
January 26 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP forms the new government of Turkey (37th government, partner MSP).
February
February 1
Fire breaks out in the Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil; 177 die, 293 are injured, 11 die later of their injuries.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is declared a Federal Territory.
February 8 – After a record 84 days in orbit, the crew of Skylab 4 returns to Earth.
February 17 – A soccer stampede occurs in Cairo, killing 49.
March
March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 travelling from Paris to London crashes in a wood near Paris, killing all 346 aboard.
March 4
Following a hung parliament in the United Kingdom general election, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath resigns and is succeeded by Labour's Harold Wilson, who previously led the country from 1964 to 1970.[1]
People magazine's first issue released in the U.S. Mia Farrow is on the cover.
March 8 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
March 10 – Japanese holdout: A Japanese World War II soldier, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, surrenders in the Philippines.
March 18 – End of 1973 oil crisis: Most OPEC nations end a 5-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.
March 29 – The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang is discovered at Xi'an, China.[2]
April
April – The world population reaches 4 billion people estimated by the United States Census Bureau.
April 2 – French president Georges Pompidou, dies of cancer at 63. Alain Poher succeeds him immediately; Valéry Giscard d'Estaing wins the presidential contest in May 1974.
April 3–4 – An enormous tornado outbreak strikes the central parts of the United States, killing around 319 people. Known as the "Super Outbreak", the event is the largest and deadliest of its kind until the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak.
April 4 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth for the all-time home run record with his 714th at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
April 5 – Stephen King publishes Carrie, his first novel.
April 6
Swedish pop group ABBA win the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo.
California Jam is held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, attracting 250,000 fans.
April 8 – Hank Aaron became the all-time MLB home run leader with his 715th at Atlanta in front of a national television audience.
April 11 – The Kiryat Shmona massacre takes place in Israel.
April 15 – As "Tania", Patty Hearst is photographed wielding an M1 carbine while robbing the Sunset District branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco.
April 25 – Carnation Revolution: A left-wing military coup in Portugal restores democracy, ending 48 years of Estado Novo and Ditadura Nacional dictatorship in the country. Portuguese Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano flees to Brazil and is granted political asylum by Brazilian military president Emílio Garrastazu Médici.
May
May 4
An all-female Japanese team summits Manaslu in Nepal, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000 metre peak.
The Expo '74 world's fair opens in Spokane, Washington.
May 17 – Dublin and Monaghan bombings: The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), explode four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks kill 33 civilians and wound almost 300, the highest number of casualties in any single day during "The Troubles".
May 18
Nuclear test: Under Project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the 6th nation to do so.
The Warsaw radio mast is completed, the second tallest structure ever built (it collapses on August 8, 1991).
May 19 – The Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Boston Bruins to become the first team from the 1967 NHL expansion class to win the Stanley Cup in the North American National Hockey League.
May 30 – NASA's ATS-6 satellite is launched.
June
June 13 – The 1974 FIFA World Cup begins in West Germany.
June 26 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
June 29
Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina, replacing her sick husband Juan Perón, who dies 2 days later.
America Sings attraction opens to the public for the first time at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
July
July 7 – West Germany beats the Netherlands 2–1 to win the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The West German football team are awarded the new FIFA World Cup Trophy.
July 8 – Two weeks after the attraction's opening, an 18 year old employee is crushed to her death while working on America Sings at Disneyland. This is the first casualty to occur to an employee at a Disney Park.
July 15 – News anchor Christine Chubbuck commits suicide during a live broadcast on WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida.
July 19 - Railcar explosion in Decatur, Illinois. A tanker car collides with a Norfolk & Western boxcar. Seven people are killed, 349 are injured and $18 million in property damage.[3]
July 20 – The Turkish invasion of Cyprus occurs.
July 23 – The Greek military junta is replaced by a civilian government in Greece concluding the seven-year military rule.
August
38th US President Gerald R. Ford
August 4 – A bomb explodes in a train between Italy and West Germany, killing 12 and wounding 48. Italian neo-fascists take responsibility.
August 8 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (effective August 9).
August 9 – Vice President Gerald Ford succeeds Richard Nixon as the 38th President of the United States of America.
August 14 – Turkey invades Cyprus for the second time, occupying 37% of the island's territory.
August 30 – An express train bound for Germany from Belgrade derails in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), killing more than 150 passengers.
September
September 8 – TWA Flight 841 crashes into the Ionian Sea 18 minutes after take off from Athens, after a bomb explodes in the cargo hold, and kills 88 people.
September 10 – The Portuguese military junta grants independence to Guinea-Bissau.
September 12 – Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed by the Derg, bringing an end to the Solomonic dynasty's rule since 1270. The Ethiopian Civil War begins.
September 13 – Japanese Red Army members seize the French Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands.
September 20 – The Kootenai War is declared, and 10-cent tolls are charged on U.S. Highway 95.
September 23 – Ceefax (one of the first public service information systems) is started by the BBC.
October
October 11 – The UK Labour government of Harold Wilson wins the second general election of the year, forming a three-seat majority. Wilson, who has led the party for a total of 11 years, has now won four of the five general elections he has contested.[4]
October 30 – The Rumble in the Jungle takes place in Kinshasa, Zaire, where Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in 8 rounds to regain the Heavyweight title, which had been stripped from him 7 years earlier.
November
November 1
The World Tourism Organization (WTO or WToO) is established.
The German electronic band Kraftwerk releases their studio album Autobahn.
November 13 – Ronald DeFeo, Jr., murders his entire family in their home in Amityville on Long Island, an event that inspires the story of The Amityville Horror.
November 16 – Arecibo message: The radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory on Puerto Rico sends an interstellar radio message towards Messier 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. The message will reach its destination around the year 27,000.
November 21 – Birmingham pub bombings: In Birmingham, England, two pubs are bombed, killing 21 people in an attack widely believed at the time to be linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The Birmingham Six are later sentenced to life in prison for this, but their convictions are quashed after a lengthy campaign.[5]
November 18 – The International Energy Agency is founded.
November 22 – The United Nations General Assembly grants the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status.
November 24 – A skeleton from the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is discovered and named Lucy.
November 28 – In a rare public performance, former Beatle John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
December
December 1 – A Boeing 727 carrying TWA Flight 514 crashes 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Dulles International Airport during bad weather, killing all 92 people on board.
December 9 – The Paris summit, reuniting the European Communities' heads of state and government, commences.
December 13 – Malta becomes a republic.
December 17 – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations.
December 24–25 – Darwin, Australia is almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy.
December 30 – Japanese holdout: The last Japanese World War II soldier, Taiwan-born Private Teruo Nakamura, surrenders on the Indonesian island of Morota, 34 years after beginning service in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Date unknown
Rubik's Cube puzzle is invented by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik.[6]
Dungeons & Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game, designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, is first released, in the United States.
PepsiCo becomes the first American company to sell products in the Soviet Union.[7]
Births
January
Christian Bale
January 1 – Carlos Humberto da Silva Ferreira, Portuguese footballer who plays for A.D. Limianos as a goalkeeper
January 3 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian professional road cyclist
January 10 – Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood actor
January 12
Melanie Chisholm, English singer-songwriter (Spice Girls)
Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian cross-country skier
January 16 – Kate Moss, English model
January 17 – Danny Bhoy, Scottish stand-up comedian
January 18 – Maulik Pancholy, American actor
January 18 – Gustavo Kupinski, Argentine guitarist (d. 2011)
January 19 – Éva Novodomszky, Hungarian journalist and presenter
January 20 – Rae Carruth, former NFL wide receiver
January 22 – Joseph Muscat, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
January 23 – Tiffani Thiessen, American actress
January 24 – Ed Helms, American actor and stand-up comedian
January 27 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norwegian biathlete
January 28 – Kari Traa, Norwegian freestyle skier
January 29 – Michael Andersen, Danish basketball player
January 30
Christian Bale, English actor
Olivia Colman, English actress
February
James Blunt
Seth Green
Mr Lordi
February 4 – Urmila Matondkar, Indian actress
February 7
Cheryl Cosim, Filipina journalist, news anchor, TV host
J Dilla, also known as Jay-Dee, African-American hip-hop producer (d. 2006)
Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
Jun Seba, also known as Nujabes, Japanese hip-hop producer (d. 2010)
February 8
Seth Green, American actor
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French musician and record producer (Daft Punk)
February 10
Elizabeth Banks, American actress
Ivri Lider, Israeli singer
February 13 – Robbie Williams, English rock singer
February 14 – Philippe Léonard, Belgian footballer
February 15
Miranda July, American author, director, actor, musician and spoken-word artist
Mr Lordi, Finnish rock singer (Lordi)
Alexander Wurz, Austrian racing driver
February 17 – Jerry O'Connell, American actor
February 22 – James Blunt, English singer
February 24
Chad Hugo, American rock musician and producer
Bonnie Somerville, American actress
February 26 – Sébastien Loeb, French rally driver
February 27 – Hiroyasu Shimizu, Japanese speed skater
March
Alyson Hannigan
March 1 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, American actor
March 3 – David Faustino, American actor
March 4
Karol Kučera, Slovakian tennis player
Ariel Ortega, Argentine football player
March 5
Jens Jeremies, German footballer
Matt Lucas, British comedian
Eva Mendes, American actress
Hiten Tejwani, Indian model and actor
March 6 – Anthony Carelli, Canadian professional wrestler
March 7
Jenna Fischer, American actress
Antonio de la Rúa,
March 14 – Grace Park, American born Canadian actress
March 15 – Percy Montgomery, South African rugby union player
March 20 – Carsten Ramelow, German footballer
March 21 – Bassem Youssef, Egyptian journalist
March 22 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
March 24 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
March 25 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer
March 28
Daisuke Kishio, Japanese voice actor
Scott Mills, British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor
March 29 – Miguel Gómez, Colombian photographer
March 30 – Miho Komatsu, Japanese pop singer and songwriter
April
Penélope Cruz
April 1 – Marcos Balter, Brazilian composer
April 2 – Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician
April 9 – Jenna Jameson, American pornographic actress
April 8 – Chris Kyle, most lethal sniper in American military history (d. 2013)
April 11
Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model
Alexander Kuoppala, Finnish guitarist (ex-Children of Bodom)
April 12 – Marley Shelton, American actress
April 15
Danny Pino, Cuban American actor
Tim Thomas, American ice hockey goaltender
April 16 – Xu Jinglei, Chinese actress and director
April 17
Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish musician (Opeth)
Victoria Beckham, English singer (Spice Girls)
April 18 – Edgar Wright, English film director
April 20 – Tina Cousins, English singer
April 21 – Faust, Norwegian drummer
April 22 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-born rock bassist (System of a Down)
April 23 – Barry Watson, American actor
April 28 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
April 29 – Anggun, Indonesian-French singer-songwriter
May
Breckin Meyer
May 7 – Breckin Meyer, American actor
May 16
Laura Pausini, Italian singer
Adam Richman, American actor and television personality
May 17 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer
May 23 – Jewel, American singer
May 26 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
May 28 – Mikael Stanne, Swedish singer
May 30 – Big L, American rapper (d. 1999)
May 28 – Kenan Doğulu, Turkish pop musician
June
Derek Jeter
June 1 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer
June 2 – Gata Kamsky, American chess player
June 7
Mahesh Bhupathi, Indian tennis player
Bear Grylls, British survivalist
June 9 – Samoth, Norwegian musician
June 13
Katharina Bellowitsch, Austrian radio and TV presenter.
Selma, Icelandic singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1999 runner-up
Steve-O, American actor
Takahiro Sakurai, Japanese voice actor
June 22 – Donald Faison, American actor
June 23 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
June 25 – Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
June 26
Jason Craig, American artist
Derek Jeter, American baseball player
Nicole Saba, Lebanese singer and actress
June 27 – Christopher O'Neill, British-American businessman; husband of Princess Madeleine of Sweden
June 28 – Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder
July
Jeremy Enigk
Hilary Swank
July 1 – Jefferson Pérez, Ecuadorean race walker
July 2 – Rocky Gray, American musician
July 8 – Dragoslav Jevrić, Montenegrin footballer
July 12
Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer
Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler
July 14 – David Mitchell, British comedian and actor
July 16 – Jeremy Enigk, American singer/songwriter
July 21 – Terry Coldwell, English singer (East 17)
July 22 – Franka Potente, German actress
July 23
Kathryn Hahn, American actress
Maurice Greene, American athlete
Stephanie March, American actress
Rik Verbrugghe, Belgian professional road racing cyclist
July 26 – Daniel Negreanu, Canadian poker player
July 29 – Josh Radnor, American actor
July 30 – Hilary Swank, American actress
July 31 – Emilia Fox, English actress
August
Amy Adams
Ray Park
Derek Fisher
August 5 – Kajol, a Bollywood actress
August 8 – Brian Harvey, English singer (East 17)
August 9 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player
August 12 – Karl Stefanovic, Australian TV host
August 13 – Niklas Sundin, Swedish musician
August 14 – Christopher Gorham, American actor
August 15 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model
August 16
Didier Cuche, Swiss alpine skier
Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian Olympic champion swimmer
August 20
Amy Adams, American actress
Misha Collins, American actor
Maxim Vengerov, Russian violinist
August 22
Jenna Leigh Green, American actress and singer
Lee Sheppard, Australian cartoonist
August 23 – Ray Park, Scottish actor, martial artist
Ovi, Romanian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and musician
Ray Park, Scottish actor, martial artist
August 24 Jennifer Lien, American actress
August 28 – Carsten Jancker, German soccer player
September
Jimmy Fallon
September 4 – Carmit Bachar, American singer
September 6
Tim Henman, English tennis player
Nina Persson, Swedish singer
September 7 – Glenn Ljungström, Swedish guitarist
September 10
Mirko Filipović, Croatian kickboxer; mixed martial arts fighter
Kerry Harvick, American singer
Ryan Phillippe, American actor
Ben Wallace, American basketball player
September 12 – Jennifer Nettles, American country music artist (Sugarland)
September 14 – Hicham El Guerrouj, Moroccan athlete
September 17 – Rasheed Wallace, American basketball player
September 18
Sol Campbell, English footballer
Xzibit, American rapper
September 19
Jimmy Fallon, American actor, comedian, television host and presenter
Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish model
September 23 – Matt Hardy, American professional wrestler
September 24
Niels Brinck, Danish singer and songwriter
Kati Wolf, Hungarian singer and former airline purser
September 26 – Gary Hall, Jr., American swimmer
September 30 – Yul Bürkle, Venezuelan actor and model
October
Charlotte Perrelli
Paul Kariya
Joaquin Phoenix
October 1 – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone)
October 3 – Marianne Timmer, Dutch speed skater
October 7 – Charlotte Perrelli, Swedish singer and occasional television host, Eurovision Song Contest 1999 winner
October 8 – Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
October 10
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., American race car driver
Chris Pronger, Canadian hockey player
October 11 – Jason Arnott, Canadian hockey player
October 16
Aurela Gaçe, Award-winning Albanian singer
Paul Kariya, Canadian hockey player
October 18
Jeremy Scahill, writer and documentary film maker
Zhou Xun, Chinese actress and singer
October 20 – Bashar Rahal, American actor
October 21 – Lera Auerbach, Russian composer & pianist
October 23
Aravind Adiga, Indian-Australian author
Sander Westerveld, Dutch soccer player
October 28
Nelly Ciobanu, Moldovan singer
Joaquin Phoenix, American actor
October 29
Akashdeep Saigal, Indian television actor and model
Yenny Wahid, a political activist and Islamic Indonesia
October 31 – Natasja Saad, Afro Danish rapper & reggae singer (d. 2007)
November
Leonardo DiCaprio
Stephen Merchant
November 2 – Nelly, American rapper
November 4
Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Mexican-American singer/lyricist
Louise Nurding, English singer
November 5
Ryan Adams, American singer and songwriter
Jerry Stackhouse, American basketball player
November 8
Penelope Heyns, South African swimmer
Masashi Kishimoto, Japanese manga author
Matthew Rhys, Welsh actor
November 9
Alessandro Del Piero, Italian football player
Manav Gohil, Indian television actor
November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor
November 15 – Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer
November 16 – Paul Scholes, English football player
November 18 – Petter Solberg, Norwegian rally driver
November 24 – Stephen Merchant, English writer, director, comedian and actor
November 27 – Zsófia Polgár, Hungarian-born chess player
November 29 – Ferenc Merkli, Hungarian Slovene priest, writer, translator
November 30 – Wallace Chung, Hong Kong actor and singer
December
Ryan Seacrest
Rey Mysterio
December 1 – Costinha, Portuguese footballer
December 4 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
December 7 – Nicole Appleton, Canadian singer (All Saints)
December 10 – Meg White, American rock drummer
December 11
Rey Mysterio, American wrestler
Gete Wami, Ethiopian long-distance runner
December 12 – Michelle Saram, Chindian Singaporean singer and actress
December 13 – Nicholas McCarthy, English guitarist
December 17 – Giovanni Ribisi, American actor (Gone in 60 Seconds)
December 18 – Kari Byron, American artist and television personality
December 19 – Eduard Ivakdalam, Indonesian footballer.
December 24
Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
Ryan Seacrest, American television personality
December 27 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
December 29 – Mekhi Phifer, American actor