__NOTOC__ Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. : Aswan Dam opens in Egypt.]]

Events of 1971

January

January 2

* Ibrox disaster: A stairway crush at the Rangers vs. Celtic football match in Glasgow, Scotland kills 66.

A ban on radio and television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.

January 3 – BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom.

January 5 – The 1st ever ODI cricket match is played between Australia & England at the M.C.G.

January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo, keeping him captive until September.

January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings, and receives them the next day.

January 12 – The landmark television sitcom All In The Family, starring Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker, debuts on CBS.

January 14 – Seventy Brazilian political prisoners are released in Santiago, Chile. Giovanni Enrico Bucher is released January 16.

January 15 – The Aswan High Dam officially opens in Egypt.

January 17 – Super Bowl V: The Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16–13 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand the resignation of Interior Minister Kazimierz Switala. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic.

January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices. February 14 they sign a treaty with 6 Persian Gulf countries.

January 24 – The Guinean government sentences to death 92 Guineans who helped Portuguese troops in the failed landing attempts in November 1970; 72 are sentenced to hard labor for life; 58 of the sentenced are hanged the next day.

January 25

* In Uganda, Idi Amin deposes Milton Obote in a coup, and becomes president.

* In Los Angeles, Charles Manson and three female "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders.

* Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state.

* Intelsat IV (F2) is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean March 26.

January 31 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 (carrying astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell) lifts off on the third successful lunar landing mission.

: Apollo 14 on Moon.]]

February

: Earthquake kills 31 in Tuscania, Italy.]]

February 4 – In Britain, Rolls-Royce goes bankrupt and is nationalised.

February 5 – Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.

February 7

* An earthquake in the city of Tuscania, Italy kills 31.

* Switzerland gives women voting rights in state elections, but not in all canton-specific ones.

* Władysław Gomułka is expelled from the Central Council of the Polish Communist Party.

February 8 – A new stock market index called the Nasdaq debuts.

February 9

* The Sylmar earthquake (6.4 on the Richter Scale) hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.

* Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to become voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

* Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned Moon landing.

February 11 – The US, UK, USSR and others sign the Seabed Treaty, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor.

February 11–February 12 – Palestinian and Jordanian fighters clash in Amman.

February 13 – Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.

February 15

* Decimalisation Day: – The United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency (see also decimalisation).

* Protesting Belgian farmers bring 3 live cows to crash the EEC meeting in Brussels.

February 16 – In Italy, a local parliament elects the city of Catanzaro as the capital of Calabria; residents of Reggio di Calabria riot for 5 days because of the decision.

February 20

* Fifty tornadoes rage in Mississippi, killing 74 people.

* The U.S. Emergency Broadcast System sends an erroneous warning; many radio stations just ignore it.

February 21 – The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.

February 26 – Secretary General U Thant signs the United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.

February 27 – Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform abortus provocatus.

February 28 – Evel Knievel sets a world record and jumps 19 cars.

: Tornadoes kill 74 in Mississippi.]]

March

March 1

* A bomb explodes in the men's room at the United States Capitol. Weather Underground Organization claims responsibility.

* Pakistani President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan indefinitely postpones the pending National Assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.

* Canadian John Robarts ends his term of office as the 17th Premier of Ontario.

March 4 – The southern part of Quebec, and especially Montreal, receive 42 cm of snow in what becomes known as the Century's Snowstorm (la tempête du siècle).

March 5 – The Pakistani army occupies East Pakistan.

March 6 – A fire in a mental hospital at Burghölzli, Switzerland, kills 28 people.

March 7

* The British postal workers' strike, led by UPW General Secretary Tom Jackson, ends after 47 days.

* Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, political leader of then East Pakistan (present day - Bangladesh), delivers his famous speech in the Racecourse Field in Dhaka, calling on the masses to be prepared to fight for national independence.

March 8 – Boxer Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden.

March 12 – Hafez al-Assad becomes president of Syria.

March 12–March 13 – The Allman Brothers Band plays their legendary concert at the Fillmore East.

March 16 – Trygve Bratteli forms a government in Norway.

March 18 – A landslide at Chungar, Peru crashes into Lake Yanahuani, killing 200.

March 23 – General Alejandro Lanusse of Argentina takes power in a military coup.

March 25 – The Pakistani army starts Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan from midnight, after President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, a military ruler, voids election results that gave the Awami League an overwhelming majority in the parliament.

March 26

* East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) independence is declared by local Awami League leader Hannan Sarker on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from Kalurghat Radio Station in Chittagong.

* Nihat Erim (a former CHP member) forms the new government of Turkey (33rd government,composed mostly of technocrats)

March 27 – East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) independence is repeatedly declared by Army Major (later President of Bangladesh) Ziaur Rahman on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Kalurghat Radio Station, Chittagong.

March 28 – The Ed Sullivan Show airs its final episode.

March 29

* U.S. Army Lieutenant William Calley is found guilty of 22 murders in the My Lai massacre and sentenced to life in prison (later pardoned).

* A Los Angeles, California jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and 3 female followers.

April

April 1 – The United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership.

April 3 – Un banc, un arbre, une rue by Séverine (music by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, text by Yves Dessca) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 for Monaco.

April 5

* In Ceylon, a group calling themselves the People’s Liberation Front begins a rebellion against the Bandaranaike government.

* Chile and East Germany establish diplomatic relations.

* Mount Etna erupts in Sicily.

April 7 – Greece releases 261 political prisoners, 50 of whom are sent into internal exile.

April 8 – A right-wing coup attempt is exposed in Laos.

April 9 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death; in 1972, the sentence for all California Death Row inmates is commuted to life imprisonment.

April 12 – Palestinians retreat from Amman to the north of Jordan.

April 17

* The People's Republic of Bangladesh forms, under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at Mujibnagor.

* Libya, Syria and Egypt sign an agreement to form a confederation.

April 19

* The government of Bangladesh flees to India.

* Sierra Leone becomes a republic.

* The Soviet Union launches Salyut 1.

* Followers of Charles Manson, the Manson Family, are sentenced to the gas chamber.

April 20

* Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education: The Supreme Court of the United States rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.

* Cambodian Prime Minister Lon Nol resigns, but remains effectively in power until the next elections.

April 21

* Siaka Stevens is elected the first president of Sierra Leone.

* François Duvalier, president of Haiti, dies; his son Jean-Claude Duvalier follows him as president-for-life.

April 24

* Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1.

* Five hundred thousand people in Washington, DC and 125,000 in San Francisco march in protest against the Vietnam War.

* A tsunami 85 m high rises over the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. It throws a 750-ton block of coral 2.5 km inland.

April 25

* Todor Zhivkov is re-elected as the leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

* Franz Jonas is re-elected as chancellor of Austria.

April 26 – The government of Turkey declares a state of siege in 11 provinces, Ankara included, due to violent demonstrations.

April 28 – The first number of Il Manifesto is issued in Italy.

April 29 – Bolivia nationalizes the American-owned Matilde zinc mine.

April 30 – The Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA World Championship, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four straight games.

May

May 1

* Amtrak begins inter-city rail passenger service in the United States.

* The Ceylonese government promises amnesty for those guerillas who surrender before April 5.

May 2 – In Ceylon, left-wing guerillas launch a series of assaults against public buildings.

May 3

* The Harris Poll claims that 60% of Americans are against the Vietnam War.

* East German leader Walter Ulbricht resigns as Communist Party leader but retains the position of head of state.

* Anti-war militants attempt to disrupt government business in Washington, D.C.; police and military units arrest as many as 12,000, most of whom are later released.

May 5 – The US dollar floods the European currency markets and threatens especially the Deutsche Mark; the central banks of Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland stop the currency trading.

May 6 – The Ceylon government begins a major offensive against the People's Liberation Front.

May 9 – Mariner 8 fails to launch.

May 12 – An earthquake in Turkey destroys most of the city of Burdur.

May 15 – Efraim Elrom, Israeli ambassador to Turkey, is kidnapped; he is found killed in Istanbul May 25.

May 16 – A coup attempt is exposed and foiled in Egypt.

May 18 – The U.S. Congress formally votes to end funding for the American Supersonic Transport program.

May 19 – Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union

May 20 – .

May 22 – An earthquake lasting 20 seconds destroys most of Bingöl, Turkey – more than 1,000 are killed, 10,000 made homeless.

May 23 – An air crash at Rijeka Airport, Yugoslavia kills 78 people, mostly British tourists.

May 26

* Austria and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations.

* Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to bomb hoaxer-extortionist Mr. Brown (Peter Macari), who is later arrested.

May 27

* Six armed passengers hijack a Romanian passenger plane and force it to fly to Vienna.

* Christie's auctions a diamond known as Deepdene; it is later found to be artificially colored.

May 28 – Portugal resigns from UNESCO.

May 30 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars.

May 31 – The birth of Bangladesh is declared by the government in exile, in territory formerly part of Pakistan.

June

June – Massachusetts passes its Chapter 766 laws enacting Special Education.

June 1 – Vietnam War: Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, claiming to represent the majority of U.S. veterans who served in Southeast Asia, speak against war protests.

June 6

* Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 (Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev) is launched.

* A midair collision between Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near Duarte, California, claims 50 lives.

June 10

* The U.S. ends its trade embargo of China.

* Corpus Thursday: A student rally on the streets of Mexico City is roughly dispersed.

June 11 – Neville Bonner becomes the first Indigenous Australian to sit in the Australian Parliament.

June 13

* Vietnam War: The New York Times begins to publish the Pentagon Papers. .

* Gijs van Lennep wins the 24 hours of Le Mans together with Helmut Marko.

June 14 – Norway begins oil production in the North Sea.

June 17

Representatives of Japan and the United States sign the Okinawa Reversion Agreement, whereby the U.S. will return control of Okinawa.

* President Richard Nixon declares the U.S. War on Drugs.

June 18 – Southwest Airlines, a low cost carrier, begins its first flights between Dallas, Houston, And San Antonio.

June 20 – Britain announces that Soviet space scientist Anatoli Fedoseyev has been granted asylum.

June 21 – Britain begins new negotiations for EEC membership in Luxembourg.

June 25 – Madagascar accuses the U.S. of being connected to the plot to oust the current government; the U.S. recalls its ambassador.

June 27 – Concert promoter Bill Graham closes the legendary Fillmore East, which first opened on 2nd Avenue (between 5th and 6th Streets) in New York City on March 8, 1968.

June 28 – Assassin Jerome A. Johnson shoots Joe Colombo in the head in a middle of an Italian-American rally, putting him in a coma.

June 30

* After a successful mission aboard Salyut 1, the world's first manned space station, the crew of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft are killed when their air supply leaks out through a faulty valve.

* New York Times Co. v. United States: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Pentagon Papers may be published, rejecting government injunctions as unconstitutional prior restraint.

July

July – Nordic Council secretariat inaugurated.

July 3 – Jim Morrison, leader of The Doors is found dead in his bathtub in Paris, France.

July 5 – Right to vote: The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, formally certified by President Richard Nixon, lowers the voting age from 21 to 18.

July 6 – Hastings Banda is proclaimed President for Life of Malawi.

July 9 – The United Kingdom increases its troops in Northern Ireland to 11,000.

July 10–July 11 – Coup attempt in Morocco: 1,400 cadets take over the king's palace for 3 hours and kill 28 people; 158 rebels die when the king's troops storm the palace. Ten high-ranking officers are later executed for involvement.

July 10 – Gloria Steinem holds her Address to the Women of America speech.

July 13

* Ólafur Jóhannesson forms a government in Iceland.

* Jordanian army troops launch an offensive against Palestinian guerillas in Jordan.

* The Yugoslavian government begins allowing foreign companies to take their profits from the country.

* Paced by a prodigious home run by Reggie Jackson which hits a transformer on the roof of Tiger Stadium, the American League defeats the National League 6-4 in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit.

July 14 – Libya severs its diplomatic ties with Morocco.

July 16 – Spanish dictator and head of state Francisco Franco makes Prince Juan Carlos his successor.

July 17 – Italy and Austria sign a treaty that ends the schism about Alto Adige/Südtirol.

July 18 – The Trucial States are formed in the Persian Gulf.

July 19 – The South Tower of the World Trade Center is topped out at 1,362 feet, making it the second tallest building in the world.

July 19–July 23 – Major Hashem al-Atta ousts Jaafar Muhammad al-Nimeiri in a military coup in Sudan. Fighting continues until on July 22, when pro-Nimeiri troops win. Al-Atta and 3 officers are executed.

July 25–July 30 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli records in Munich two Debussy works for Deutsche Grammophon; it's his fifth recording.

July 26 – Apollo 15 (carrying astronauts David Scott, Alfred Worden, and James Irwin) is launched.

July 28 – Abdel Khaliq Mahjub, Sudanese communist leader, is hanged.

July 29 – The United Kingdom opts out of the Space Race, with the cancellation of its Black Arrow launch vehicle.

July 30 – In Japan, an All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 collides with a Japanese fighter jet; 162 people are killed.

July 31 – Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin become the first to ride in a lunar rover, a day after landing on the Moon.

August

August – Camden, New Jersey erupts in race riots following the beating death of a Puerto Rican motorist by city police. Looting and arson occurred. This was a turning point in Camden's decline to one of the poorest and highest-crime municipalities in the United States. Camden was, however, the site of a 1949 shooting rampage by Howard Unruh, considered by some to be the first mass murderer in the United States. The riots resulted in the demise of Camden's Sears and A&P; branches. Also in 1971, Philadelphia International Records was established, with Camden native Leon Huff as co-founder.

August 1 – In New York City, 40,000 attend the Concert for Bangladesh.

August 2 – JCPenney debuts its trademark Helvetica wordmark which has been used ever since.

August 5 – South Pacific Forum (SPF)

August 6 – A lunar eclipse lasting 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 4 seconds is observed.

August 7 – Apollo 15 returns to Earth.

August 9

* India signs a 20-year treaty of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union.

* Internment in Northern Ireland: British security forces arrest hundreds of nationalists and detain them without trial in Long Kesh prison; 20 people die in the riots that follow.

August 11 – Construction begins on the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

August 12

Three thousand people from Belfast and Derry flee to the Republic of Ireland because of the violence.

* Syria severs diplomatic relations with Jordan because of border clashes.

August 14

* British troops are stationed on the Ireland border to stop arms smuggling.

* Bahrain declares independence as the State of Bahrain (Kingdom of Bahrain as of February 2002).

August 15

* The number of British troops in Northern Ireland is raised to 12,500.

* President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will no longer convert dollars to gold at a fixed value, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. He also imposes a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

August 18

* Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.

* British troops are engaged in a firefight with the IRA in Derry, Northern Ireland.

August 19–August 22 – A right-wing coup ignites a rebellion in Bolivia. Miners and students join troops to support president Juan Jose Torres, but eventually Hugo Banzer takes over.

August 20

* International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat) (effective 12 February 1973).

* The USS Manatee (AO-58) spills 1,000 gallons of fuel oil on President Nixon's Western White House beach in San Clemente, California.

August 21

* The first orca to be named "Shamu" dies.

* A bomb made of two hand grenades by communist rebels explodes in the Liberal Party campaign party in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila the Philippines, injuring several anti-Marcos political candidates.

August 25

* Border clashes occur between Tanzania and Uganda.

* Bangladesh and eastern Bengal are flooded; thousands flee the area.

August 26 – A civilian government takes power in Greece.

August 30 – The Progressive Conservatives under Peter Lougheed defeat the Social Credit government under Harry E. Strom in a general election, ending 36 years of uninterrupted power for Social Credit in Alberta.

September

September 3

* Qatar gains independence from the United Kingdom. Unlike most nearby emirates, Qatar declines to become part of either the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.

* Manlio Brosio resigns as NATO Secretary General.

September 4 – A Boeing 727 (Alaska Airlines Flight 1866) crashes into the side of a mountain near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 people on board.

September 8 – In Washington, DC, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass.

September 9 – September 13 – Attica Prison riots: – A revolt breaks out at the maximum-security prison in Attica, New York. In the end, state police and the United States National Guard storm the facility; 42 are killed, 10 of them hostages.

September 19 – Ballarat electric tramway system closes.

September 21 – Pakistan declares a state of emergency.

September 24 – Britain expels 90 KGB and GRU officials; 15 are not allowed to return.

September 27 – October 11 – Japanese Emperor Hirohito travels abroad.

September 28 – Cardinal József Mindszenty, who has taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest since 1956, is allowed to leave Hungary.

September 29 – A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in Orissa State in India, kills 10,000.

October

October 1 – Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida

October 15 – The 2,500 Year Celebration of Iran begins, celebrating the birth of Persia.

October 17 – The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series in 7 games against the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates' Roberto Clemente, who turned into a one-man gang in the Series, became the first Latino player to earn World Series MVP honors. Game 4 of the Series was also the first night game ever to be played in the World Series.

October 18 – In New York City, the Knapp Commission begins public hearings on police corruption.

October 21

* U.S. President Richard Nixon nominates Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.

* The Clarkston explosion in Scotland kills 22 people.

October 25 – The United Nations General Assembly admits the People's Republic of China and expels the Republic of China (or Taiwan).

October 27 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.

October 28

* The British House of Commons votes 356–244 in favour of joining the European Economic Community.

* The United Kingdom becomes the 6th nation to launch a satellite into orbit, the Prospero X-3, using a Black Arrow carrier rocket.

* The Egyptian Opera House (Khedivial Opera House) burns down in Cairo.

October 29 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: The total number of American troops still in Vietnam drops to a record low of 196,700 (the lowest since January 1966).

October 30 – Rev. Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party is founded in Northern Ireland.

October 31 – A bomb explodes at the top of the Post Office Tower in London.

November

November 3 – The UNIX Programmer's Manual is published.

November 6 – Operation Grommet: The U.S. tests a thermonuclear warhead at Amchitka Island in Alaska, code-named Project Cannikin. At around 5 megatons, it is the largest ever U.S. underground detonation.

November 10 – In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging 9 airplanes.

November 12 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon sets February 1, 1972, as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam.

November 13 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to enter Mars orbit successfully.

November 14 – Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is enthroned.

November 15

* Intel releases the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004.

* International Organization and System of Space Communications (Intersputnik) (effective 12 July 1972).

November 20 – A bridge still in construction, called Elevado Engenheiro Freyssinet, falls over the Paulo de Frontin Avenue, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 48 people are killed and several injured. Reconstructed, the bridge is currently a part of the Linha Vermelha elevate.

November 23 – The People's Republic of China takes the Republic of China's seat on the United Nations Security Council (see China and the United Nations).

November 24

* During a severe thunderstorm over Washington, a man calling himself D. B. Cooper parachutes from the Northwest Orient Airlines plane he hijacked, with US$200,000 in ransom money, and is never seen again (as of March 2008, this case remains the only unsolved skyjacking in history).

* A Brussels court sentences pretender Alexis Brimeyer to 18 months in jail for falsely using a noble title; Brimeyer has already fled to Greece.

November 28 – 59th Grey Cup Game sees the Calgary Stampeders beat the Toronto Argonauts 14 to 11.

December

December 1 – Cambodian Civil War: Khmer Rouge rebels intensify assaults on Cambodian government positions, forcing their retreat from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray, 10 kilometers northeast of Phnom Penh.

December 2 – Six Persian Gulf sheikdoms found the United Arab Emirates.

December 3 – The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 begins as Pakistan attacks 9 Indian airbases. The next day India launches a massive invasion of East Pakistan.

December 3–December 4 – The Indian navy destroyer INS Rajput sinks Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi (former USS Diablo).

December 4

* The Montreux Casino burns down during a Frank Zappa concert. The event is memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water". The casino is rebuilt in 1975.

* The McGurk's Bar bombing in Belfast kills 15.

December 8 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the 7th Fleet to move towards the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.

December 11 – Nihat Erim forms the new government of Turkey (34th government, Nihat Erim had served two times as a prime minister)

December 14 – Facing defeat, the Pakistan Army kills 1,500 Bangladeshi intellectuals.

December 16 – Victory Day of Bangladesh: The Pakistan Army surrenders to the Joint Force, i.e. Mukti Bahini (Freedom Force) and Indian Armed Forces, ending the Bangladesh Liberation War.

December 18

* The U.S. dollar is devalued for the second time in history.

* The world's largest hydroelectric plant in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, begins operations.

December 19

* The Clube Atletico Mineiro wins the first Brazil Football Championship.

* Intelsat IV (F3) is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean February 18, 1972.

December 24 – Giovanni Leone is elected President of the Italian Republic.

December 25

* In the longest game in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

* Fire at a 22-story hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 158 people.

December 29 – The United Kingdom gives up its military bases in Malta.

Undated

Ray Tomlinson sends the first ARPAnet e-mail between host computers.

The Free State of Christiania is founded.

Seychelles International Airport in Victoria, Seychelles (Mahe) is completed.

Crude oil production peaks in the continental United States at approximately 4.5 million barrels/day.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is established.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is established.

Ongoing

Cold War

The Troubles

Births

January

January 1 – Sammie Henson, American World Champion wrestler, Olympic silver medalist

January 2

* Lisa Harrison, American basketball player

* Taye Diggs, American actor

January 3 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player

January 5 – Mayuko Takata, Japanese actress

January 8 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player

January 9 – Scott Thornton, Canadian hockey player

January 11 – Mary J. Blige, American singer

January 12 — Jay Burridge, British artist and television presenter

January 14 – Lasse Kjus, Norweigian alpine skier

January 15 – Regina King, American actress

January 17 – Kid Rock, American rock singer

January 18 – Fabian Ribauw, Nauruan politician

January 19 – Shawn Wayans, American actor, writer, and producer

January 20 – Gary Barlow, British pop singer (Take That)

January 21 – Alan McManus, Scottish snooker player

January 24 – Kenya Moore, American actress and model

January 25 – Luca Badoer, Italian race car driver

January 27

* Fann Wong, Singaporean Chinese actress, model, and singer

* Lil Jon, American rapper and producer

January 29 – Clare Balding, British sports presenter

January 31 – Patrick Kielty, Northern Irish comedian and television presenter

February

February 1

* Michael C. Hall, American actor

* Jill Kelly, American adult film actress

February 2 – Andrus Veerpalu, Estonian cross-country skier

February 3 – Sarah Kane, English playwright (d. 1999)

February 4 – Fatmir Limaj, Albanian politician

February 5 – Sara Evans, American singer

February 10 – Lisa Marie Varon, American professional wrestler

February 13 – Mats Sundin, Swedish ice hockey player

February 14 – Tommy Dreamer, American professional wrestler

February 15 – Alex Borstein, American actress

February 16

* Amanda Holden, British actress

* Steven Houghton, British actor and singer

February 17 – Denise Richards, American actress

February 18 – Thomas Bjørn, Danish golfer

February 19 – Gil Shaham, Israeli/American violinist

February 20 – Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer

February 23 – Melinda Messenger, English television presenter

February 24 – Pedro de la Rosa, Spanish Formula One driver

February 25

* Sean Astin, American actor

* Daniel Powter, Canadian singer

February 27 – Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American singer (TLC)

February 28 – Tristan Louis, French Internet entrepreneur

March

March 2 – Manami Toyota, Japanese women's professional wrestler

March 4

* Shavar Ross, American actor and filmmaker

* Iain Baird, Canadian soccer player

March 5 – Scott Mosier, American producer

March 7 – Rachel Weisz, British actress

March 9

* Kinga Rusin, Polish journalist

* Emmanuel Lewis, American actor

March 11

* Erin O'Donnell, American Christian musician

* Johnny Knoxville, American television personality

March 12 – Tony Eveready (Duane Moore), American adult film actor, performance artist

March 16 – Val Venis, American professional wrestler

March 23

* Karen McDougal, American model

* Alexander Selivanov, Russian ice hockey player

March 26 – Behzad Ghorbani, Iranian scientist

March 27

* David Coulthard, Scottish race car driver

* Wayne Carey, Australian rules footballer

* Nathan Fillion, Canadian actor

March 29 – Attila Csihar, Hungarian vocalist

March 31

* Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player

* Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor

* Craig McCracken, American animator

April

April 2

* Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player

* Zeebra, Japanese rapper

April 3 – Picabo Street, American skier

April 9 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race driver, Formula 1 world champion

April 11 – Oliver Riedel, German musician (Rammstein)

April 12 – Shannen Doherty, American actress

April 14 – Peter Gibson, American writer

April 15 – Jason Sehorn, American football player

April 16

* Moses Chan, Hong Kong actor

* Selena Quintanilla Perez, Mexican American Singer (d. 1995)

April 18 – David Tennant, Scottish actor

April 20

* Allan Houston, American NBA player

* Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer

April 22

* Eric Mabius, American actor

* Daisuke Enomoto, first Japanese space tourist

April 24 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian guitar player and singer (Evil Superstars, Deus) with Italian/Polish roots

April 26 – Shondrella Avery, American actress

April 24 – Alejandro Fernandez, Mexican singer

April 28 – Bridget Moynahan, American Actress

April 29 – Siniša Vuco, Croatian musician

May

May 1 – Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer

May 8 – Ross Anderson (skier), American Pro Speed skier

May 12 – Doug Basham, American professional wrestler

May 14 – Sofia Coppolla, American filmmaker

May 15 – Phil Pfister, American strength athlete

May 18 – Desiree Horton, Los Angeles helicopter pilot/TV reporter/USFS aerial firefighter

May 20 – Tony Stewart, American race car driver

May 25 – Sonya Smith, American actress

May 26 – Matt Stone, American television producer

May 27

* Wayne Carey, Australian rules footballer

* Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician

* Paul Bettany, British actor

* Glenn Ross, British strongman/powerlifter

* Lisa Lopes, American rapper (TLC) (d. 2002)

June

June 1 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban actor and singer

June 4

* Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

* Noah Wyle, American actor

June 5

* Susan Lynch, Irish actress

* Mark Wahlberg, American actor and singer

June 8

* Troy Vincent, American football player

* Jeff Douglas, Canadian actor

June 10

* Bobby Jindal, American Governor of Louisiana

* Kyle Sandilands, Australian DJ, Australian Idol judge and TV presenter

June 12 – Mark Henry, American professional wrestler, former Olympian

June 16 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper, poet, and actor (d. 1996)

June 17 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican singer

June 18 – Nathan Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)

June 21

* Anette Olzon, Swedish singer (Nightwish)

* Max Biaggi, Italian motorcycle racer

June 22

* Kurt Warner, American football player

* Mary Lynn Rajskub, American actor and comedian

June 25

* Scott Maslen, English actor

* Neil Lennon, Northern Irish footballer

June 26 – Max Biaggi, Italian motercycle racer

June 27

* King Dipendra of Nepal (d. 2001)

* Kieren Keke, Nauruan politician

June 28

* Norika Fujiwara, Japanese actress and television personality

* Aileen Quinn, American actress

* Fabien Barthez, French football player

* Tichina Arnold, American actress (Everybody Hates Chris)

June 29 – Matthew Good, Canadian musician

July

July 1

* Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, American singer

* Amira Casar, French actress

July 3 – Julian Assange, Australian activist

July 4 – Koko, American gorilla

July 9 – Marc Andreessen, American software developer

July 11 – Brett Hauer, American ice hockey player

July 12

* Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater

* Robert Allenby, Australian golfer

* Loni Love, American stand-up comedienne

July 14

* Mark LoMonaco, American professional wrestler

* Joey Styles, American professional wrestling announcer

* Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly, American actress

July 16 – Corey Feldman, American actor

July 17 – Cory Doctorow, Canadian author and activist

July 18 – Penny Hardaway, American basketball player

July 19 – Vitali Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer

July 20 – Sandra Oh, Korean Canadian actress

July 21 – Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and radio host

July 22 – Kristine Lilly, American soccer player

July 23 – Alison Krauss, American country singer

July 26

* Chris Harrison, American television personality

* Reggie Carthon, American football player

July 30 – Tom Green, Canadian entertainer

August

August 2 – Michael Hughes, Northern Irish footballer

August 4

* Jeff Gordon, American race car driver

* Yo-Yo, American rapper

August 6 – Merrin Dungey, American actress

August 8 – Guy Walters, British writer

August 10

* Roy Keane, Irish footballer

* Mario César Kindelán Mesa, Cuban amateur boxer

August 12

* Phil Western, Canadian musician

* Pete Sampras, American tennis player

* Patrick Carpentier, Canadian race car driver

August 17

* Jorge Posada, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player

* Anthony Kearns, Irish tenor

August 18 – Jacob Vargas, American actor

August 20 – David Walliams, English comedy actor

August 21 – Robert Harvey, Australian rules footballer

August 25 – Mike Lockwood (Crash Holly), American World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler (d. 2003)

August 26

* Thalía, Mexican actress and singer

* Gaynor Faye, British actress

August 27 – Julian Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer

August 28 – Janet Evans, American swimmer

August 29 – Carla Gugino, American actress

August 31

* Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer

* Chris Tucker, American actor and comedian

September

September 1 – Hakan Şükür, Turkish footballer

September 2

* Arnold Arre, Filipino graphic novelist

* Tommy Maddox, American football player

* Kjetil André Aamodt, Norwegian alpine skier

September 4 – Anita Yuen, Hong Kong actress

September 6 – Dolores O'Riordan, Irish singer

September 8 – Brooke Burke, American model

September 9 – Henry Thomas, American actor

September 11

* Richard Ashcroft, British singer

* Mack Strong, American National Football League player

September 13 – Stella McCartney, British fashion designer, daughter of Paul McCartney

September 18

* Lance Armstrong, American bicyclist

* Jada Pinkett Smith, American actress

September 19 – Sanaa Lathan, American actress

September 20 – Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer

September 21 – Luke Wilson, American actor

September 23 – Lee Mi-yeon, South Korean actress

September 24 – Michael S. Engel, American paleontologist & entomologist

September 25

* John Lynch, American football player

* Brian Dunkleman, American comedian and actor

September 26 – Joel Breton, American video game producer

September 30

* Jeff Whitty, American Broadway playwright

* Jenna Elfman, American actress

October

October 2 – Tiffany, American singer

October 3 – Kevin Richardson, American pop singer (Backstreet Boys)

October 5 – Samuel Vincent, Canadian voice actor

October 8 – Sean Palmer, American actor

October 9 – Michael Manna, American professional wrestler

October 10 – Evgeny Kissin, Russian pianist

October 13

* Sacha Baron Cohen, British comedian

* Pyrros Dimas, Greek weightlifter

October 14

* Jorge Costa, Portuguese footballer

* Andrew Cole, English footballer

October 16 – Craig Phillips, British reality show star (Big Brother UK)

October 20

* Dannii Minogue, Australian singer

* Snoop Dogg, American rapper

October 21 – Jade Jagger, English jewelry designer and daughter of Mick Jagger

October 24 – Caprice Bourret, American model and actress

October 25

* Athena Chu, Hong Kong actress and singer

* Pedro Martínez, Dominican baseball player

* Midori Goto, Japanese violinist

October 27 – Jade Arcade, American comics artist and writer

October 29 – Winona Ryder, American actress

November

November 2 – Eric Wall, American writer and political activist

November 3 – Dylan Moran, Irish comedian, actor, and writer

November 5 – Jonny Greenwood, British musician, song writer, score composer

November 8 – Carlos Atanes, Spanish film director

November 9 – Big Pun (Christopher Rios), American/Latin rapper (d. 2000)

November 10 – Niki Karimi, Iranian actress and movie director

November 11 – David DeLuise, American actor

November 12 – Yasuo Aiuchi, Japanese snowboarder

November 13 – Noah Hathaway, American actor

November 14 – Adam Gilchrist, Australian cricketer

November 16 – Alexander Popov, Russian swimmer

November 17 – Michael Adams, British chess Grandmaster

November 18 – Özlem Tekin, Turkish singer

November 20 – Dion Nash, New Zealand cricket captain

November 22 – Kyran Bracken, English rugby player

November 23 – David M. Katz, American attorney

November 24 – Keith Primeau, Canadian hockey player

November 25

* Christina Applegate, American actress

* Magnus Arvedson, Swedish hockey player

November 30 – Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player and actor

December

December 1

* Jason Chan, Australian actor

* John Schlimm, American author

December 6

* Helena Bulaja, Croatian multimedia artist

* Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player

* Ryan White, American AIDS activist (d. 1990)

December 7

* Larisa Alexandrovna, Ukrainian feminist

* Vladimir Akopian, Armenian chess Grandmaster

December 8 – Abdullah Ercan, Turkish football player

December 12 – Sammy Korir, Kenyan long-distance runner

December 15 – Arne Quinze, Belgian conceptual artist

December 17

* Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player

* Alan Khan, South African radio DJ

* Sinan Akkuş, Turkish-German actor

December 18 – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spanish tennis player

December 19 – Tyson Beckford, American model

December 20 – Simon O'Neill, New Zealand opera singer

December 22 – Khalid Khannouchi, Moroccan long-distance runner

December 23

* Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)

* Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite

December 24

* Christopher Daniels, American professional wrestler

* Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer

December 25 – Dido, English singer

December 26 – Jared Leto, American actor and musician

December 27 – Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator, founder of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society)

December 28 – Frank Sepe, American bodybuilder and model

December 31 – Brent Barry, American basketball player

Deaths

January–March

January 4 – Arthur Ford, American psychic spiritual medium, clairaudient (b. 1896)

January 5 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian film sound engineer (b. 1899)

January 9 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (b. 1876)

January 10 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer (b. 1883)

January 12 – John Tovey, British admiral of the fleet (b. 1885)

January 14 – Guillermo de Torre, Spanish Dadaist author (b. 1900)

January 15 – John Dall, American actor (b. 1918)

January 20 – Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, American actor, director, writer, and producer (b. 1880)

January 23 – Fritz Feigl, Austria-born chemist (b. 1875)

January 24 – St. John Greer Ervine, Northern Irish dramatist and author (b. 1883)

January 25 – Isobel Lennart, American screenwriter (b. 1915)

January 27 – Jacobo Arbenz, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)

January 28 – Donald Winnicott, British psychoanalyst (b. 1896)

January 31 – Viktor Maksimovich Zhirmunsky, Russian literary historian, linguist (b. 1891)

February 1 – Harry Roy, British bandleader (b. 1900)

February 3 – Jay C. Flippen, American actor (b. 1899)

February 12 – James Cash Penney, American founder of J. C. Penney (b. 1875)

February 18 – Jaime de Barros Câmara, Brazilian archbishop (b. 1894)

February 25 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)

February 26 – Fernandel, French comedian (b. 1903)

March 7 – Barney Balaban, American studio executive (b. 1887)

March 8

* Borden Chase, American screenwriter (b. 1900)

* Harold Lloyd, American actor and filmmaker (b. 1893)

March 9 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch (b. 1902)

March 11 – Philo T. Farnsworth, American television pioneer (b. 1906)

March 12 – David Burns, American actor (b. 1902)

March 16

* Bebe Daniels, American actress (b. 1901)

* Thomas Dewey, Governor of New York and Presidential candidate (b. 1902)

March 18 – Leland Hayward, American film and theatrical agent (b. 1902)

March 23 – Basil Dearden, English film director (b. 1911)

April–June

April 3 – Joseph Valachi, American gangster (b. 1904)

April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)

April 12 – Igor Tamm, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)

April 13 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian writer (b. 1922)

April 15 – Friedebert Tuglas, Estonian writer and critic (b. 1886)

April 17 – William Corbett, American attorney, acting Governor of Guam (b. 1902)

April 19 – Earl Thomson, Canadian athlete (b. 1895)

April 20 – Cecil Parker, English actor (b. 1897)

April 21

* Papa Doc Duvalier, President of Haiti (b. 1907)

* Edmund Lowe, American actor (b. 1890)

April 29 – Nikolai P. Barabashov, Russian astronomer (b.1894)

May 1

* Glenda Farrell, American actress (b. 1904)

* Violet Jessop, British Titanic survivor (b. 1887)

May 11 – Seán Lemass, Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1899)

May 12

* Tor Johnson, Swedish wrestler and actor (b. 1903)

* Heinie Manush, American baseball player (b. 1901)

May 15

* Goose Goslin, American baseball player (b. 1900)

* Sir Tyrone Guthrie, English film director, producer, and writer (b. 1900)

May 19 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)

May 21 – Dennis King, English actor (b. 1897)

May 26 – Laurence Wild, 1913 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American, former head coach for the Navy Midshipmen men's basketball, and 30th Governor of American Samoa (d. 1890)

May 27 – Chips Rafferty, Australian actor (b. 1909)

May 28

* Audie Murphy, American World War II hero and actor (b. 1924)

* Jean Vilar, French stage actor (b. 1912)

May 30 – Marcel Dupré, French composer (b. 1886)

June 1 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (b. 1892)

June 10

* Virginia True Boardman, American actress (b. 1889)

* Michael Rennie, English actor (b. 1909)

June 11 – Ambrose (bandleader), English violinist and bandleader (b. 1896)

June 15 – Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

June 18

* Thomas Gomez, American actor (b. 1905)

* Libby Holman, American singer and actress (b. 1904)

* Paul Karrer, Swiss chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)

June 25 – John Boyd Orr, Scottish physician and biologist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1880)

June 30

* Herbert Biberman, Jewish-American screenwriter and film director (b. 1900)

* Crew of Soyuz 11:

** Georgi Dobrovolski (b. 1928)

** Viktor Patsayev (b. 1933)

** Vladislav Volkov (b. 1935)

July–September

July 1 – William Lawrence Bragg, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)

July 3 – Jim Morrison, American rock singer, songwriter, and poet (b. 1943)

July 4

* Maurice Bowra, British critic (b. 1898)

* August Derleth, American author and anthologist (b. 1909)

July 6 – Louis Armstrong, African-American jazz trumpeter (What A Wonderful World) (b. 1901)

July 7

* Claude Gauvreau, Canadian writer (b. 1925)

* Ub Iwerks, American animator (b. 1901)

July 15 – Bill Thompson, American actor (b. 1913)

July 17 – Cliff Edwards, American actor (b. 1895)

July 19

* John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, British businessman (b. 1886)

* Norman Reilly Raine, American screenwriter (b. 1894)

* Arsène Roux, French Arabist (b. 1893)

July 23 – Van Heflin, American actor (b. 1910)

July 26 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (b. 1923)

July 27 – Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1924)

July 30 – Kenneth Slessor, Australian poet (b. 1901)

August 2 – John McDermott, American golf champion (b. 1891)

August 13 – King Curtis, American saxophonist (b. 1934)

August 15 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (b. 1895)

August 17 – Horace McMahon, American actor (b. 1906)

August 20 – Matiur Rahman, Bangladeshi war hero (b. 1945)

August 25 – Ted Lewis, American musician and entertainer (b. 1890)

August 27

* Margaret Bourke-White, American photographer (b. 1904)

* Bennett Cerf, American publisher and television personality (b. 1898)

August 28 – Reuvein Margolies, Austrian-Hungarian-born Israeli author and Talmudic scholar (b. 1889)

August 29 – Nathan Leopold, American murderer (b. 1904)

September 7 – Spring Byington, American actress (b. 1886)

September 10 – Pier Angeli, Italian actress (b. 1932)

September 11

* Bella Darvi, Polish-born actress (b. 1928)

* Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader (b. 1894)

September 12 – Lin Biao, Chinese defense minister (plane crash) (b. 1907)

September 17 – Carlos Lamarca, Brazilian military turned guerrilla leader (b. 1937)

September 20 – Giorgos Seferis, Greek writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)

September 21 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentine physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)

September 23 – Billy Gilbert, American actor (b. 1894)

September 25 – Hugo Black, American Supreme Court Justice (b. 1886)

October–December

October 3 – Leah Baird, American actress (b. 1883)

October 10 – Cyril Burt, British educational psychologist (b. 1883)

October 11 – Chester Conklin, American comedic actor (b. 1886)

October 12

* Dean Acheson, United States Secretary of State (b. 1893)

* Gene Vincent, American singer (b. 1935)

October 14 – Samuel Spewack, American songwriter (b. 1899)

October 16 – Robin Boyd, Australian architect (b. 1919)

October 19 – Betty Bronson, American actress (b. 1906)

October 21 – Raymond Hatton, American actor (b. 1887)

October 29

* Arne Tiselius, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)

* Duane Allman, American rock guitarist (b. 1946)

November 2 – Martha Vickers, American actress (b. 1925)

November 4 – Guillermo León Valencia, President of Colombia (b. 1909)

November 9 – Maude Fealy, American stage and film actor (b. 1881)

November 16 – Edie Sedgwick, American actress and model (b. 1943)

November 17 – Gladys Cooper, English actress (b. 1888)

November 22 – József Zakariás, Hungarian soccer player (b. 1924)

November 25 – Hank Mann, American comedic actor (b. 1888)

December 9 – Ralph Bunche, African-American diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1904)

December 11 – Mac Mcdonald, American fast food restaurant owner (McDonald's) (b. 1902)

December 12

* Torry Gillick, Rangers winger (b. 1915)

* Yechezkel Kutscher, Israeli philologist and Hebrew linguist (b. 1909)

* Alan Morton, Rangers outside left (b. 1893)

* David Sarnoff, Radio and television pioneer (b. 1891)

December 18

* Bobby Jones, American golfer (b. 1902)

* Diana Lynn, American actress (b. 1926)

December 20 – Roy O. Disney, American studio executive (b. 1893)

December 22 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch writer (b. 1913)

December 24

* Maria Koepcke, German ornithologist (b. 1924)

* Dora Altmann, German actress (b. 1881)

December 26 – Robert Lowery, American actor (b. 1913)

December 28 – Max Steiner, Austrian-born film composer (b. 1888)

December 29 – Stuart Holmes, American actor (b. 1884)

December 30 – Dorothy Comingore, American actress (b. 1913)

December 31 – Pete Duel, American actor (Alias Smith and Jones) (b. 1940)

Nobel Prizes

Physics – Dennis Gabor

Chemistry – Gerhard Herzberg

Medicine – Earl W. Sutherland, Jr

Literature – Pablo Neruda

Peace – Willy Brandt

Economics – Simon Kuznets

References

1971 Coin Pictures

Coordinates	51°33′1″N4°35′30″N
Name	Harry Nilsson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Harry Edward Nilsson III
Alias	Nilsson
Born	June 15, 1941Brooklyn, New York,
Died	January 15, 1994Agoura Hills, California,
Instrument	Piano, vocals, keyboards, guitar, harmonica
Genre	RockPopRock and roll
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1958–1994
Label	Tower RecordsRCA VictorMercury Records

Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), who sometimes went by the stage name Nilsson, was an American songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success as a singer in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings, he is credited as 'Nilsson' and is known for the hit singles "Without You", "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", "Everybody's Talkin'," "Coconut" and "Jump into the Fire". Nilsson's songs 'One' and 'Cuddly Toy' have been covered by artists including the Monkees, Three Dog Night, Aimee Mann and Alva Noto (with Blixa Bargeld, as ANBB). He was awarded Grammy Awards for two of his recordings.

Life and career

Early years

Nilsson was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1941. His paternal grandparents were Swedish circus performers and dancers, especially known for their "aerial ballet" (which is the title of one of Nilsson's albums). His father, Harry Edward Nilsson, Jr., abandoned the family three years later. An autobiographical reference to this is found in the opening to Nilsson's song "1941":

:Well, in 1941, the happy father had a son :And in 1944, the father walked right out the door

Nilsson's "Daddy's Song", and "Cuddly Toy" recorded by The Monkees, also refer to this period.

Nilsson grew up with his mother Bette and his younger half-sister. His younger half-brother Drake was left with family or friends during their moves between California and New York, sometimes living with a succession of relatives and stepfathers. His Uncle John, a mechanic in San Bernardino, California, helped Nilsson improve his vocal and musical abilities.

He had a half-brother and a half-sister through their mother. He also had three half-sisters and one half-brother through his father.

Due to the poor financial situation of his family, Nilsson worked from an early age, including a job at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. When the Paramount closed, Nilsson applied for a job at a bank, falsely stating he was a high school graduate on his application (he only completed ninth grade). after meeting him through their producer Chip Douglas), Nilsson finally felt secure enough in the music business to quit his job with the bank. Monkees member Micky Dolenz maintained a close friendship until Nilsson's death in 1994.

Some of the albums from Derek Taylor's box eventually ended up with the Beatles themselves, who quickly became Nilsson fans. This may have been helped by the track "You Can't Do That", in which Nilsson covered one Beatles song but added 22 others in the multi-tracked background vocals. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference in 1968 to announce the formation of Apple Corps, John was asked to name his favorite American artist. He replied, "Nilsson". Paul was then asked to name his favorite American group. He replied, "Nilsson".

Aided by the Beatles' praise, "You Can't Do That" became a minor hit in the U.S., and a top 10 hit in Canada.

When RCA had asked if there was anything special he wanted as a signing premium, Nilsson asked for his own office at RCA, being used to working out of one. In the weeks after the Apple press conference, Nilsson's office phone began ringing constantly, with offers and requests for interviews and inquiries about his performing schedule. Nilsson usually answered the calls himself, surprising the callers, and answered questions candidly. (He recalled years later the flow of a typical conversation: "When did you play last?" "I didn't." "Where have you played before?" "I haven't." "When will you be playing next?" "I don't.") Nilsson acquired a manager, who steered him into a handful of TV guest appearances, and a brief run of stage performances in Europe set up by RCA. He disliked the experiences he had, though, and decided to stick to the recording studio. He later admitted this was a huge mistake on his part.

Once John Lennon called and praised Pandemonium Shadow Show, which he had listened to in a 36-hour marathon. Both men also caused property damage during binges, with Lennon trashing a bedroom in Lou Adler's house, and Nilsson throwing a bottle through a thirty-foot hotel window.

To make matters worse, Nilsson ruptured a vocal cord during the sessions for this album, but he hid the injury due to fear that Lennon would call a halt to the production. The resulting album was Pussy Cats. In an effort to clean up, Lennon, Nilsson and Ringo Starr first rented a house together, then Lennon and Nilsson left for New York.

After the relative failure of his latest two albums, RCA Records considered dropping Nilsson's contract. In a show of friendship, Lennon accompanied Nilsson to negotiations, and both intimated to RCA that Lennon and Starr might want to sign with them, once their Apple Records contracts with EMI expired in 1975, but would not be interested if Nilsson were no longer with the label.

In 1990 Hawkeye collapsed and Nilsson found himself in a dire financial situation after it was discovered that his financial adviser Cindy Sims had betrayed his trust and embezzled all the funds he had earned as a recording artist. The Nilssons were left with $300 in the bank and a mountain of debt, while Sims served less than two years for her crimes and was released from prison in 1994 without making restitution.

After the death of John Lennon, he began to appear at Beatlefest conventions to raise money for gun control and he would get on stage with the Beatlefest house band "Liverpool" to either sing some of his own songs or "Give Peace a Chance." Nilsson made his last concert appearance September 1, 1992, when he joined Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band on stage at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada to sing "Without You" with Todd Rundgren handling the high notes. Afterwards, an emotional Ringo Starr embraced Nilsson on stage.

Death

Nilsson suffered a massive heart attack in 1993. After surviving that, he began pressing his old label, RCA, to release a boxed-set retrospective of his career, and resumed recording, attempting to complete one final album. He finished the vocal tracks for the album with producer Mark Hudson who still holds the tapes of that session.

On January 15, 1994, Nilsson died of heart failure in his Agoura Hills, California home. According to his wife, they had been watching Enchanted April, and the last thing he told her before she fell asleep was, "I love you so much." During Nilsson's funeral on January 17, aftershocks from the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake were felt.

In 1995, the 2-CD anthology he worked on with RCA, Personal Best, was released.

Legacy

In May 2005, WPS1 art radio played "A Tribute To Harry Nilsson" with curator Sherrie Fell, and brother and sister hosts Bernadette and Harry O'Reilly and Nilsson was the subject of a 2006 documentary, Who is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him) produced by David Leaf and John Schienfeld. The film was screened in 2006 at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival. In August 2006, the film received its Los Angeles premiere when it was screened at the 7th Annual Mods & Rockers Film Festival followed by a panel discussion about Nilsson featuring the filmmakers and two friends of Nilsson, producer Richard Perry and attorney/executive producer Lee Blackman. At the time the movie was not released.

However, the filmmakers re-edited the movie with found rare footage of Nilsson, further interviews, and family photographs. It was finally released September 17, 2010 at selected theaters in the United States. A DVD, which includes additional footage not in the theatrical release, was released on October 26, 2010.

, Nilsson's final album, tentatively titled 'Papa's Got a Brown New Robe' (produced by Mark Hudson) has not been released, though several demos from the album are available on promotional CDs and online.

The musical Everyday Rapture features three songs by Nilsson.

Nilsson was survived by his third wife, Una (née O'Keeffe), and their six children (Annie, Beau, Ben, Kief, Olivia, Oscar), and his son Zachary Nine Nilsson from his marriage to Diane Clatworthy. He was married to Sandy Maganiello (1964–1966), Diane Clatworthy (1969–1974)and Una O'Keeffe ( -his death).

Awards and nominations

Nilsson won two Grammy Awards. He received several more Grammy nominations for the album Nilsson Schmilsson.

The New York Post rated Nilsson's cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking" #51 on their list of the 100 Best Cover Songs of All Time.

Discography

Compilations

Nilsson - Greatest Hits(1978)

Harry Nilsson - All Time Greatest Hits(1989), U.S. #140

Personal Best: The Harry Nilsson Anthology (1995) (RCA Records)

Nilsson: Greatest Hits (2002) (RCA Records)

Everybody's Talkin': The Very Best of Harry Nilsson (2006) (Legacy Recordings)

Tribute albums

Nilsson by Tipton (1970, Warner Bros. Records), Although it may not be considered a tribute, it featured George Tipton conducting instrumental versions of 11 Nilsson songs.

(1995, MusicMasters/BMG), featured Nilsson's songs performed by Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Richard Barone, Brian Wilson, Aimee Mann, Fred Schneider, and others, with proceeds benefitting the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

"Pussy Cats" Starring The Walkmen. The whole of the Pussy Cats album covered by The Walkmen.

I'll Never Leave You: A Tribute to Harry Nilsson (2005 Wood Records). A percentage of profits from sales of the CD went to benefit Amnesty International.

# Peter Dizozza: "Without Her" # Hilary Levitt: "Down" # Shank: "Jump Into the Fire" # OrimaR2 featuring NitWiT: "I'd Rather Be Dead" # The Neshama Alma Band: "Ambush" # Buzzsaw and the Shavings: "Best Friend" # Matt Kinnison: "Coconut" # LAM: "Driving Along" # Johnny J with Vorgus: "Spaceman" # Mary Jane: "Me And My Arrow" # MWF: "I'll Never Leave You" # Lolwolf: "Black Sails In The Moonlight" # Charles Fyant: "The Moonbeam Song" # Pinkie: "One" # Linda Draper and Brian Wurschum: "The Lottery Song" # David Spero Peligro: "It's a Jungle Out There" # an additional track by The Spaceheaters. "Doris, Buzz and Friends" by John Krane (2008 Cloverbelly Records). Although no Nilsson tracks were featured, the digital version of this album paid tribute to the famous Nilsson Schmilsson album cover, and the robe worn by Krane in the cover photograph actually belonged to Harry Nilsson.

Filmography

Note: this section is for songs Nilsson recorded specifically for film and television projects, as well as his few acting roles. Later use of Nilsson recordings are listed in the next section.

Skidoo (1968) songs written and performed, soundtrack music composer, actor (bit role)

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1969 TV Series) acted and sang—He appeared in the episode "The Music Maker", and his character name was Tim Seagirt. He sang "Without Her" and "If Only I Could Touch Your Hand."

The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series, 1969–1972) theme song written and performed, incidental music

Midnight Cowboy (1969) new version of "Everybody's Talkin'" performed

Jenny (1970) song "Waiting" written and performed

The Point! (1971) story, all songs written and performed

Son of Dracula (1974) actor (lead role), all songs performed

The World's Greatest Lover (1978) song "Ain't It Kinda Wonderful" performed

In God We Tru$t (1980) new version of "Good For God" performed

Popeye (1980) all songs written, except "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man"

Handgun (1983) song "Lay Down Your Arms" written and performed

First Impressions, (TV series, 1988) theme song co-written, performed

Camp Candy (TV series, animated, 1989–1991) theme song written, and performed with John Candy

The Fisher King (1991) song "How About You" performed

Me, Myself, and I (1992) song "Me, Myself and I" written and performed

In film and television

The Monkees (1967, 2nd season) - "Cuddly Toy" (cover version by The Monkees)

Head (1968) - "Daddy's Song" (cover version by The Monkees)

Midnight Cowboy (1969) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971) - "Don't Leave Me"

La Mortadella (1971) - "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City"

The Muppet Show (1979, episode 410) - "Coconut"

All That Jazz (1979) - "Perfect Day"

Real Life (1979) - "Jump Into the Fire"

Porridge (film version, 1979) - "Without You"

Zärtliche Chaoten II (1988) - "Without You"

''Only Fools And Horses The Jolly Boys' Outing (1989) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Private School for Girls (1983) - "You're Breakin' My Heart"

Goodfellas (1990) - "Jump Into the Fire"

Reservoir Dogs (1992) - "Coconut"

Caroline (animated short, 1993) - "Caroline"

Forrest Gump (1994) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Casino (1995) - "Without You"

Seinfeld (1995 episode) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995 episode) - "Remember"

The Craft (1996) - "Jump Into The Fire"(covered by Tripping Daisy)

Angel on My Shoulder (1997)

Contact (1997) - "Spaceman"

Ellen Foster (1997) - "Remember"

The Ice Storm (1997) - "Coconut"

Practical Magic (1998) - "Coconut"

You've Got Mail (1998) - "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", "Remember", "The Puppy Song", "Over The Rainbow"

Dick (1999) - "Coconut"

Futurama - Brannigan Begin Again (1999) - "Everybody's Talkin"

Magnolia (1999) - "One" (Aimee Mann's cover version opens with a sample from Cuddly Toy)

High Fidelity (2000) - "The Moonbeam Song"

Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - "Without You"

Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) - "Everything's Got 'Em", "Me And My Arrow"

Black Books - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - "He Needs Me" (Shelley Duvall's version from Popeye)

The Rules of Attraction (2002) - "Without You"

Shanghai Knights (2003) - "One"

Good Boy! (2003) - "The Puppy Song"

Daddy Day Care (2003) - Jeff Garlin entertains the kids with "Coconut"

That '70s Show (2004) - "Best Friend"

Around the Bend (2004) - "Daddy's Song"

The Girl Next Door (2004) - "Jump Into the Fire"

House (2004) - "One"

Max & Paddy's Road To Nowhere (UK) (2004, Series 1, episode 2) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Coke with Lime Ad (2005) - altered version of "Coconut"

Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - "Me And My Arrow", "You're Breakin' My Heart", "The Moonbeam Song"

Beyond Our Control (1967–1986) - "Remember" Closing theme for the series

Little Man (2006) - "Best Friend"

Crank (2006) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

(2006) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

Rob & Big (2006) - "Best Friend"

American Dad (2006 episode 2.08) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

A Good Year (2007) - "How Can I Be Sure Of You" "Jump Into The Fire", "Gotta Get Up"

Unison TV Advert (2007) - "One"

DigitalUK TV Advert (2007) - "Everybody's Talkin'"

My Name is Earl (2008 episode) - "Me And My Arrow"

Life on Mars (2008 episode) - "Spaceman"

Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009) - "Don't Forget Me" (covered by Macy Gray)

References

External links

For The Love Of Harry (rare recordings, articles, videos, photos)

The Harry Nilsson Web Pages: A Little Touch of Schmilsson on the Net

RareHarry: Email discussion group covering rare Harry Nilsson audio and video recordings

Harry Nilsson Discography/Bibliography

Podcast featuring Harry Nilsson

"One Last Touch of Nilsson" by Dawn Eden (Goldmine magazine, April 29, 1994)

Bruce Robb (producer)

Category:1941 births Category:1994 deaths Category:American male singers Category:American pianists Category:American rock guitarists Category:Songwriters from New York Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Brooklyn Category:American musicians of Swedish descent