Editing 1971 (section)

==Events==

===January===
{{Main|January 1971}}
* [[January 2]] – [[1971 Ibrox disaster]]: During a crush, 66 people are killed and over 200 injured in Glasgow, Scotland.
* [[January 5]] – The first ever [[One Day International]] [[cricket]] match is played between Australia and England at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]].
* [[January 8]] – [[Tupamaros]] kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to [[Uruguay]], in [[Montevideo]], keeping him captive until September.
* [[January 9]] – [[Uruguay]]an president [[Jorge Pacheco Areco]] demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings, and receives them the next day.
* [[January 12]] – The landmark United States television sitcom ''[[All in the Family]]'', starring [[Carroll O'Connor]] as [[Archie Bunker]], debuts on [[CBS]].
* [[January 14]] – Seventy [[Brazil]]ian 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 18]]
** Strikes in Poland demand the resignation of Interior Minister [[Kazimierz Świtała]]. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic.
** [[Ivan Koloff]] defeats [[Bruno Sammartino]] for the [[WWE Championship|WWWF World Heavyweight Championship]] in wrestling ending a seven and two thirds years reign, the longest in the Championships history.
** A South Korean marine kills 6 people in [[1971 Kimpo killings|a mass shooting]] in [[Gimpo|Kimpo, South Korea]].
* [[January 19]] – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with [[OPEC]] in [[Tehran]] to stabilize [[Petroleum|oil]] prices; [[February 14]] they sign a treaty with 6 [[Khalij el-Arab]] countries.
* [[January 24]] – The [[Guinea]]n government sentences to death 92 Guineans who helped Portuguese troops in the [[Operation Green Sea|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 3 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.
[[File:AswanHighDam Egypt.jpg|thumb| [[January 15]]: [[Aswan Dam]] opens in [[Egypt]].]]

=== February ===
{{Main|February 1971}}
* [[February 4]]
** In Britain, [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] goes bankrupt and is nationalised.
** The [[Nasdaq]] stock exchange is founded in New York City.
* [[February 5]] – [[Apollo 14]] lands on the Moon.
* [[February 6]] – The 4.6 [[Body wave magnitude|Mb]] [[List of earthquakes in Italy|Tuscania earthquake]] shakes the Italian province of Viterbo with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of VIII (''Severe''), causing 24 deaths, 150 injuries and extreme damage.
* [[February 7]]
** Switzerland gives women voting rights in state elections, but not in all [[Cantons of Switzerland|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 Composite]] debuts in the United States.
* [[February 9]]
** The 6.5–6.7 {{M|w}} [[1971 San Fernando earthquake|Sylmar earthquake]] hits the [[Greater Los Angeles Area]] with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of XI (''Extreme''), killing 64 and injuring 2,000.
** [[Satchel Paige]] becomes the first [[Negro league baseball|Negro league]] player to become voted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]].
** [[Apollo program]]: [[Apollo 14]] returns to Earth after the third human Moon landing.
* [[February 10]] – A [[February 1971 lunar eclipse|total lunar eclipse]] is visible from Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa, and is the 50th lunar eclipse of [[Lunar Saros 123]].
* [[February 11]] – The US, UK, USSR and others sign the [[Seabed Treaty]], outlawing [[nuclear weapon]]s on the ocean floor.
* [[February 11]]–[[February 12|12]] – Palestinian and Jordanian fighters clash in [[Amman]].
* [[February 13]] – [[Vietnam War]]: Backed by American air and artillery support, [[South Vietnam]]ese troops invade [[Kingdom of Laos|Laos]].
* [[February 15]] – [[Decimal Day]]: The United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to [[decimal currency]] (see also [[decimalisation]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wamsley |first1=Laurel |title=U.K. And Ireland Celebrate 50 Years Since 'Decimal Day' |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968146708/u-k-and-ireland-celebrate-50-years-since-decimal-day?t=1634728736856 |website=NPR |access-date=20 October 2021 |language=en |date=15 February 2021}}</ref>
* [[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]] – The U.S. [[Emergency Broadcast System]] sends an erroneous warning across the nation's radio and television stations, meant to be a standard weekly test conducted by [[NORAD]] in Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. Some stations cease broadcasting until the message is rescinded, as required by federal rules, while most ignore it.<ref>"One Man's Mistake Triggers U.S. Alert; Many Stations Go Off Air", ''Los Angeles Times'', February 21, 1971, p1</ref>
* [[February 21]]
** The [[Convention on Psychotropic Substances]] is signed at [[Vienna]].
** Between February 21 and 22, [[February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak|an outbreak]] of nineteen [[tornado]]es rages across the [[Mississippi Delta]] in [[Mississippi]] and [[Louisiana]], killing 123 people.
* [[February 23]] – [[Operation Lam Son 719]]: South Vietnamese General [[Do Cao Tri]] is killed in a helicopter crash en route to taking control of the faltering campaign.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fulghum|first1=David|last2=Maitland|first2=Terrence|title=The Vietnam Experience South Vietnam on Trial: Mid-1970–1972|publisher=Boston Publishing Company|year=1984|isbn=0939526107|page=61}}</ref>
* [[February 25]] – A [[Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971|partial solar eclipse]] is visible from Europe, Africa and Asia, and is the 18th solar eclipse of [[Solar Saros 149]].
* [[February 26]] – Secretary General [[U Thant]] signs the [[United Nations]] proclamation of the [[March equinox]] (March 21) as [[Earth Day]].
* [[February 27]] – Doctors in the first Dutch [[abortion clinic]] (Mildredhuis in [[Arnhem]]) start to perform [[abortion]]s.
* [[February 28]] – [[Evel Knievel]] sets a world record and jumps 19 cars on a motorbike in [[Ontario, California]].
[[File:Apollo 14 Shepard.jpg|thumb| [[February 5]]: [[Apollo 14]] on Moon]]
[[File:Tuscania.jpg|thumb| [[February 6]]: Earthquake in [[Tuscania]], Italy.]]
[[Image:A tornado near Anadarko, Oklahoma, on May 3, 1999.jpg|thumb| [[February 21]]: [[Tornado]]es kill over 100 in the U.S. state of [[Mississippi]].]]

=== March ===
{{Main|March 1971}}
* [[March 1]]
** A bomb explodes in the men's room at the [[United States Capitol]]; the [[Weather Underground]] 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 2]] – [[Awami League]] leader [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] launched the [[Non-cooperation movement (1971)|non-cooperation movement]] in [[East Pakistan]].
* [[March 4]] – The southern part of [[Quebec]], and especially [[Montreal]], receives 16½" (42&nbsp;cm) of snow in what becomes known as the [[Eastern Canadian blizzard of March 1971|Century's Snowstorm]] (''la tempête du siècle'').
* [[March 5]]
** The [[Pakistan]]i army occupies [[East Pakistan]].
** In [[Belfast]], a [[Led Zeppelin]] show includes the first public performance of "[[Stairway to Heaven]]," a song from the band's [[Led Zeppelin IV|fourth album]].
* [[March 6]] – A fire in a mental hospital in [[Burghölzli]], Switzerland kills 28 people.
* [[March 7]]
** ''[[Die Sendung mit der Maus]]'' airs its first episode on [[Das Erste]].
** The British postal workers' strike, led by [[Union of Post Office Workers|UPW]] General Secretary [[Thomas Jackson (trade unionist)|Tom Jackson]], ends after 47 days.
** [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]], political leader of [[East Pakistan]] (modern day-[[Bangladesh]]), delivers a [[7 March Speech of Bangabandhu|public speech]] at the Racecourse Field in [[Dhaka]] calling for masses to be prepared to fight for national independence.
* [[March 8]]
** The [[Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI]] breaks into the [[Media, Pennsylvania]] offices of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and removes all of its files.
** "[[Fight of the Century]]": Boxer [[Joe Frazier]] defeats [[Muhammad Ali]] in a 15-round [[unanimous decision]] at [[Madison Square Garden]].
* [[March 10]] – [[William McMahon]] replaces [[John Gorton]] as the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]/[[National Party of Australia|Country]] [[Coalition (Australia)|Coalition]] [[Prime Minister of Australia]] after Gorton resigns following a [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1971|vote of confidence]] that was tied 33-all.
* [[March 11]] – ''[[THX 1138]]'', [[George Lucas]]' first full-length film, premieres in theaters.
* [[March 12]] – [[Hafez al-Assad]] becomes president of [[Syria]].
* [[March 12]]–[[March 13|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 in Chungar, [[Peru]] crashes into [[Yanawayin Lake]], killing 200.
* [[March 23]] – General [[Alejandro Lanusse]] of [[Argentina]] takes power in a military coup.
* [[March 25]] –
** The [[Pakistan]]i army starts [[Operation Searchlight]] in [[East Pakistan]] (now [[Bangladesh]]) at midnight after President [[Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan]], a military ruler, voids election results that gave the [[Awami League]] an overwhelming majority in the parliament; start of the [[1971 Bangladesh genocide]]. That ended the [[Non-cooperation movement (1971)|non-cooperation movement]].
** The [[North East Mall]] opens in [[Hurst, Texas]]
* [[March 26]]
** East Pakistan's independence is declared by [[Ziaur Rahman]] on behalf of [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] and transmitted using [[East Pakistan Rifles]] radio.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Declaration_of_Independence|title=Declaration of Independence |website=Banglapedia |access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref>
** [[Nihat Erim]] (a former [[Republican People's Party|CHP]] member) forms the new government of [[Turkey]] (33rd government, composed mostly of technocrats).
* [[March 27]] – East Pakistan's 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 29]]
** U.S. Army lieutenant [[William Calley]] is found guilty of 22 murders during the [[My Lai Massacre]] and is sentenced to life in prison (he is later pardoned).
** A [[Los Angeles]] jury recommends the [[death penalty]] for [[Charles Manson]] and female followers [[Susan Atkins]], [[Patricia Krenwinkel]] and [[Leslie Van Houten]].
* [[March 30]] – [[Starbucks]] coffee shop is founded in the U.S. state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The first Starbucks coffee shop, Seattle - a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 36 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/14/the-first-starbucks-coffee-shop-seattle-a-history-of-cities-in-50-buildings-day-36 |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 February 2021 |language=en |date=14 May 2015}}</ref>

=== April ===
{{Main|April 1971}}
* [[April 1]] – The United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership.
* [[April 5]]
** In [[Ceylon]], a group calling themselves the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna|People's Liberation Front]] begins a rebellion against the [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike|Bandaranaike]] government.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Journal of Asian studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LJxRAQAAIAAJ|year=1977|page=515}}</ref>
** [[Mount Etna]] erupts in Sicily.<ref name="GuestSkelhorn1973">{{cite book|author1=John Guest|author2=Raymond Richard Skelhorn|title=Mount Etna and the 1971 Eruption|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQhOAQAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Royal Society|page=177}}</ref>
* [[April 8]] – A right-wing coup attempt is exposed in [[Laos]].
* [[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.<ref>{{cite book|title=International Relations of Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: 1971-1973|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uOxtAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Parama|isbn = 9789848245316}}</ref>
** [[Libya]], [[Syria]] and [[Egypt]] sign an agreement to form a [[confederation]].<ref>"Accord on Union Reached By Egypt, Libya and Syria", by Raymond H. Anderson, ''The New York Times'', April 18, 1971, p1</ref>
* [[April 19]]
** The government of [[Bangladesh]] flees to India.
** [[Sierra Leone]] becomes a [[republic]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Background Notes, Sierra Leone|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwZJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PP5|year=1992|publisher=U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Communication|pages=5}}</ref>
** The Soviet Union launches ''[[Salyut 1]]''.<ref>"Soviet Sends Another Space Vehicle Into Orbit", ''The New York Times'', April 19, 1971, p4</ref>
** [[Charles Manson]] is sentenced to death in the United States; in 1972, the sentence for all California death-row inmates will be commuted to life imprisonment.<ref>{{cite book|author=R. Barri Flowers|title=Murders in the United States: Crimes, Killers, and Victims of the Twentieth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXZsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT134|year=2001|publisher=R. Barri Flowers|pages=134}}</ref>
* [[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 [[school integration in the United States|desegregation]].
** [[Cambodia]]n prime minister [[Lon Nol]] resigns but remains effectively in power until the next elections.<ref>"Lon Nol Resigns, Blaming Health", ''The New York Times'', April 20, 1971, p1</ref>
** [[NPR|National Public Radio]] (NPR) airs its first broadcast.<ref>{{Cite news|title=History:NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/about-npr/192827079/overview-and-history|access-date=2021-07-22|newspaper=NPR|date=June 20, 2013|language=en}}</ref>
* [[April 21]] – [[Siaka Stevens]] is sworn in as the first president of [[Sierra Leone]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Alusine Jalloh|title=African Entrepreneurship|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nIVIi54f51sC&pg=PA252|year=1999|publisher=Ohio University Press|isbn=978-0-89680-207-0|pages=252}}</ref>
* [[April 24]]
** ''[[Soyuz 10]]'' fails to dock with ''[[Salyut 1]]''.
** An estimated 200,000 people in Washington, D.C., and a further 125,000 in [[San Francisco]] march in protest against the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>"200,000 Rally in Capital to End War", by James M. Naughton, ''The New York Times'', April 25, 1971, p1</ref>
* [[April 25]]
** [[Todor Zhivkov]] is reelected as the leader of the [[Bulgarian Communist Party]].<ref>"Zhivkov Renamed as Head of Communists in Bulgaria", ''The New York Times'', April 26, 1971, p2</ref>
** [[Franz Jonas]] is reelected as president of [[Austria]].<ref>"President Jonas of Austria Is Re-Elected", ''The New York Times'', April 26, 1971, p3</ref>
* [[April 26]] – The government of [[Turkey]] declares a [[state of siege]] in 11 provinces, including [[Ankara]], in response to violent [[Demonstration (protest)|demonstration]]s.<ref>"Turkey Imposes Martial Law in 11 Areas", ''The New York Times'', April 27, 1971, p</ref>
* [[April 30]] – The [[Milwaukee Bucks]] sweep the [[Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973)|Baltimore Bullets]] in four games to win their first [[NBA]] championship.

=== May ===
{{Main|May 1971}}
* [[May 1]]
** [[Amtrak]] begins intercity rail passenger service in the United States.
** The [[Ceylon]]ese government promises [[amnesty]] for guerillas who surrender before [[May 5]].
* [[May 2]] – In [[Ceylon]], left-wing guerillas launch a series of assaults against public buildings.
* [[May 3]]
** [[Arsenal F.C.]] wins the [[Football League First Division|English League First Division]] championship at the home of their bitter rivals [[Tottenham Hotspur]], with [[Ray Kennedy]] scoring the winner. (Arsenal will go on to win the league and cup 'double' six days later by defeating [[Liverpool]] in the [[FA Cup]] final).
** The Harris Poll finds that 60% of Americans are against the [[Vietnam War]].
** East German leader [[Walter Ulbricht]] resigns as [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Socialist Unity Party]] leader but retains the position of head of state.
** [[1971 May Day Protests]]: 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|U.S. dollar]] floods the European [[currency market]]s and especially threatens the [[Deutsche Mark]]; the central banks of Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland stop the currency trading.
** [[FedEx]], the [[logistics]] and [[Delivery (commerce)|delivery service]], founded in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ziobro |first1=Paul |title=Fred Smith Created FedEx. Now He Has to Reinvent It. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/fred-smith-created-fedex-now-he-has-to-reinvent-it-11571324050 |website=Wall Street Journal |access-date=19 February 2021 |date=17 October 2019}}</ref>
* [[May 6]] – The government of [[Ceylon]] begins a major offensive against the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna|People's Liberation Front]].
* [[May 9]]
** [[Arsenal FC]] beats [[Liverpool F.C.]] 2–1 to win the English [[FA Cup]], thus completing the league and cup 'double'.
** [[Mariner 8]] fails to launch.
* [[May 12]] – An [[earthquake]] in [[Turkey]] destroys most of the city of [[Burdur]].
* [[May 15]] – [[Israel]]i ambassador to Turkey [[Efraim Elrom]] is kidnapped; he is [[Assassination of Efraim Elrom|found killed]] in [[Istanbul]] [[May 25]].
* [[May 16]] – A coup attempt is exposed and foiled in [[United Arab Republic|Egypt]].
* [[May 18]]
** The U.S. Congress formally votes to end funding for the [[Boeing 2707|American Supersonic Transport program]].
** The [[Montreal Canadiens]] win the [[Stanley Cup]] against the [[Chicago Black Hawks]]. The Canadiens became only the second team in [[NHL]] history to win the Cup in Game 7 on the road, and did so after the home team had won each of the previous six games in the series. This also marked [[Jean Béliveau]]'s last NHL game.
* [[May 19]] – [[Mars probe program]]: ''[[Mars 2]]'' is launched by the [[Soviet Union]].
* [[May 22]] – An [[earthquake]] lasting 20 seconds destroys most of [[Bingöl]], [[Turkey]]; more than 1,000 are killed and 10,000 are made homeless.
* [[May 23]] – [[Aviogenex Flight 130]] crashes at [[Rijeka Airport]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], killing 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 [[Romania]]n passenger plane and force it to fly to [[Vienna]].
** [[Christie's]] auctions a diamond known as [[Deepdene (diamond)|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 ===
{{Main|June 1971}}
* 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 [[El Halconazo|dispersed]].
** [[Amtrak]] had its first fatal accident when [[1971 Salem, Illinois, derailment|11 people were killed and 163 injured]] in the derailment of the ''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]]'' train near [[Tonti, Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=1971-06-11|title=Illinois Train Accident Kills 10|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/11/archives/illinois-train-accident-kills-10-locked-diesel-wheels-indicated.html|access-date=2021-10-23|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[June 11]] – [[Neville Bonner]] becomes the first [[Indigenous Australian]] to sit in the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]].
* [[June 13]]
** [[Vietnam War]]: ''[[The New York Times]]'' begins to publish the ''[[Pentagon Papers]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/48.htm |title = Introduction to the Court Opinion on the New York Times Co. v. United States Case. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051204121721/https://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/48.htm |archive-date=4 December 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
** Racing drivers [[Gijs van Lennep]] of the Netherlands and [[Helmut Marko]] of Austria win the [[1971 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]] in the [[Martini Racing]] [[Porsche 917]]K.
* [[June 14]] – Norway begins oil production in the [[North Sea]].
* [[June 17]]
** Representatives of Japan and the United States sign the [[1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement|Okinawa Reversion Agreement]], whereby the U.S. will return control of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niraikanai.wwma.net/pages/archive/rev71.html|title=Okinawa Reversion Agreement 1971|date=June 17, 1971|website=the ryukyu-okinawa history and culture website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004181232/http://www.niraikanai.wwma.net/pages/archive/rev71.html|archive-date=October 4, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=October 4, 2010}}</ref>
** 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 [[Anatoly Fedoseyev]] has been granted asylum.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/21/archives/soviet-aide-gets-asylum-in-britain-expert-is-described-as-key.html | title=Soviet Aide Gets Asylum in Britain | work=The New York Times | date=June 21, 1971 }}</ref>
* [[June 21]] – Britain begins new negotiations for [[European Economic Community|EEC]] membership in Luxembourg.
* [[June 25]] – [[Madagascar]] accuses the U.S. of conspiring to oust the government; the U.S. recalls its ambassador.
* [[June 27]] – Concert promoter [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]] closes the legendary [[Fillmore East]], which first opened on 2nd Avenue in New York City on March 8, 1968.
* [[June 28]] – Assassin Jerome A. Johnson shoots [[Joseph Colombo|Joe Colombo]], boss of his eponymous crime family, in the head during an [[Italian-American]] rally, putting him in a coma.
* [[June 30]]
** ''[[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]].
** After a successful mission aboard ''[[Salyut 1]]'', the world's first human-occupied space station, the crew of the ''[[Soyuz 11]]'' spacecraft die after their air supply leaks out through a faulty valve.

=== July ===
{{Main|July 1971}}
[[File:World Trade Center Skyline at Night (29143322320).jpg|thumb|right|[[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], Lower Manhattan, 1971]]
* July – [[Nordic Council]] secretariat inaugurated.
* [[July 3]] – [[Jim Morrison]], lead singer of [[The Doors]], dies of a [[heart failure]] at the age of [[27 Club|27]] in the bathtub of his apartment on the 3rd floor of the [[Rue Beautreillis]] 17 in [[Paris]], [[France]].
* [[July 4]]
** [[Michael S. Hart]] posts the first [[e-book]], a copy of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]], on the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]]'s [[mainframe computer]], the origin of [[Project Gutenberg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:The_History_and_Philosophy_of_Project_Gutenberg_by_Michael_Hart|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830193319/http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:The_History_and_Philosophy_of_Project_Gutenberg_by_Michael_Hart|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2006|publisher=Project Gutenberg|title=The History and Philosophy of Project Gutenberg|first=Michael|last=Hart |access-date=2011-10-05 |date=August 1992}}.</ref>
** The first plane lands at [[Seychelles International Airport]] in [[Victoria, Seychelles]] ([[Mahé, Seychelles|Mahe]]).<ref>{{cite book|author=Donald Taylor|title=Launching Out Into the Deep: The Anglican Church in the History of the Seychelles to 2000 AD|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWUmAQAAIAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Board of Church Commissioners, Diocese of Seychelles|isbn=978-99931-66-01-6|page=620}}</ref>
* [[July 5]] – [[Right to vote]]: The [[Twenty-sixth 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 the number of its troops in [[Northern Ireland]] to 11,000.
* [[July 10]]–[[July 11|11]] – Coup attempt in [[Morocco]]: 1,400 cadets take over the king's palace for three 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]] makes her [[Address to the Women of America]].
* [[July 11]] – [[Copper]] mines in [[Chile]] are nationalized.
* [[July 13]]
** [[Ólafur Jóhannesson]] forms a government in [[Iceland]].
** [[Jordan]]ian army troops launch an offensive against Palestinian guerillas in Jordan.
** The [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]n government begins allowing foreign companies to take their profits from the country.
** [[Reggie Jackson]]'s long [[home run]], which hits a transformer on the roof of [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], helps the [[American League]] defeat the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] 6–4 in the [[Major League Baseball]] [[1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] in [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]].
* [[July 14]] – [[Libyan Arab Republic|Libya]] severs its diplomatic ties with [[Morocco]].
* [[July 15]] – American President [[Richard Nixon]] announces his [[1972 Nixon visit to China|1972 visit to China]].
* [[July 17]] – Italy and Austria sign a treaty that ends the dispute (''Südtirolfrage'') regarding [[South Tyrol]].
* [[July 18]] – The [[Trucial States]] are formed in the [[Persian Gulf]].
* [[July 19]] – The [[List of tenants in 2 World Trade Center|South Tower]] of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]] tops out at {{convert|1,362|ft|m}}, making it the second-tallest building in the world.
* [[July 19]]–[[July 23|23]] – Major [[Hashem al Atta|Hashem al-Atta]] ousts Jaafar Muhammad al-Nimeiri in a military coup in [[Sudan]]. Fighting continues until [[July 22]], when pro-Nimeiri troops regain power. Al-Atta and three officers are executed.
* [[July 22]]
** A [[BOAC]] flight from London to Khartoum is ordered to land at [[Benghazi|Benghazi, Libya]], where two leaders of the unsuccessful Sudanese coup, travelling as passengers, are forced to leave the plane and are subsequently executed.<ref>{{cite news|title=A government hijacking|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%201336.html|access-date=2011-11-13|newspaper=[[Flight International]]|date=1971-07-29|page=150|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311052001/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%201336.html|archive-date=2012-03-11|url-status=live}}</ref>
** A [[Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971|partial solar eclipse]] is visible from Asia and North America, and is the 70th and final solar eclipse of [[Solar Saros 116]].
* [[July 24]] – [[Georgina Rizk]] of [[Lebanon]] is crowned [[Miss Universe 1971]].
* [[July 25]]–[[July 30|30]] – [[Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli]] records two [[Debussy]] works in [[Munich]] for [[Deutsche Grammophon]], his fifth recording.
* [[July 26]] – [[Apollo 15]] (carrying astronauts [[David Scott]], [[Alfred Worden]] and [[James Irwin]]) is launched.
* [[July 28]] – [[Abdel Khaliq Mahjub]], [[Sudan]]ese 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, [[All Nippon Airways Flight 58|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 the [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]], a day after landing on the Moon.

=== August ===
{{Main|August 1971}}
* August – [[Camden, New Jersey]] erupts in [[race riot]]s, with looting and arson, following the beating death of a [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] motorist by city police. Also in 1971, [[Philadelphia International Records]] is established, with Camden native Leon Huff as co-founder.
* [[August 1]] – In New York City, 40,000 attend [[The Concert for Bangladesh]].
* [[August 2]] – U.S. department store chain [[J. C. Penney]] debuts its trademark [[Helvetica]] wordmark which has been used ever since.
* [[August 5]] 
** The [[South Pacific Forum]] (SPF) is established.
** The [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] enters service with [[American Airlines]].
* [[August 6]] – A [[August 1971 lunar eclipse|total lunar eclipse]] lasting 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 4 seconds is observed, visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, and is the 38th lunar eclipse of [[Lunar Saros 128]].
* [[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 [[Irish nationalism|nationalists]] and detain them without trial in [[Maze (HM Prison)|Long Kesh]] prison; 20 people die in the riots that follow.
* [[August 10]] – ''[[Mr. Tickle]]'', the first book in the ''[[Mr. Men]]'' series is first published, in the U.K.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mr Men and Little Miss books celebrate 40th birthday |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/14476561 |website=CBBC Newsround |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref>
* [[August 11]] – Construction begins on the [[Louisiana Superdome]] in [[New Orleans]].
* [[August 12]] – [[Syria]] severs diplomatic relations with [[Jordan]] because of border clashes.
* [[August 14]]
** The controversial [[Stanford prison experiment]], led by [[Stanford University]] psychology professor [[Philip Zimbardo]], began in [[Palo Alto, California]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html|title=The Stanford Prison Experiment: Still powerful after all these years|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105151451/https://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html |archive-date=2021-11-05}}</ref>
** British troops are stationed on the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to stop arms smuggling.
** [[Bahrain]] declares independence as the State of Bahrain ({{as of|2018}} officially the Kingdom of Bahrain).
* [[August 15]]
** [[Jackie Stewart]] becomes [[Formula One]] World Drivers' Champion in the [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]] [[Tyrrell 003|003]]-[[Cosworth]].
** 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 15]]–[[September 5]] – The [[1971 Women's World Cup]] in Association football (an event not recognized by FIFA) is staged in Mexico: [[Denmark women's national football team|Denmark]] will be the winners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.francebleu.fr/sports/football/coupe-du-monde-feminine-2019-a-l-heure-du-premier-mondial-des-bleues-en-1971-1559656752|title=Coupe du monde féminine 2019: à l'heure du premier Mondial des Bleues en 1971|date=2019-06-04|website=ici, par France Bleu et France 3}}</ref>
* [[August 16]] – [[Hastings Banda]], President of [[Malawi]], becomes the first black president to visit South Africa.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/21/archives/black-traveler-in-south-africa-hastings-kamuzu-banda.html | title=Black Traveler in South Africa Hastings Kamuzu Banda | newspaper=The New York Times | date=August 21, 1971 }}</ref>
* [[August 18]]
** [[Vietnam War]]: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from [[Vietnam]].
** British troops are engaged in a firefight with the [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] in [[Derry]], [[Northern Ireland]].
* [[August 19]]–[[August 22|22]] – A right-wing coup ignites a rebellion in [[Bolivia]]. Miners and students join troops to support president [[Juan José Torres]], but eventually [[Hugo Banzer]] takes over.
* [[August 20]]
** [[International Telecommunications Satellite Organization]] (Intelsat) (effective February 12, 1973).
** The [[USS Manatee (AO-58)|USS ''Manatee'']] spills {{convert|1,000|USgal|L}} of fuel oil on [[Richard Nixon|President Nixon]]'s Western White House beach in [[San Clemente, California]].
** A [[Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971|partial solar eclipse]] is visible from Southern Ocean, and is the 4th solar eclipse of [[Solar Saros 154]].
* [[August 21]] – A bomb made of two hand grenades by alleged communist rebels{{efn|Though initially to be accused as communists by President [[Ferdinand Marcos]], some theorized that the bombings were staged by pro-Marcos affiliates, but to this day the perpetrators remain unknown.}} [[Plaza Miranda bombing|explodes]] in the [[Liberal Party (Philippines)|Liberal Party]] campaign party in [[Plaza Miranda]] in [[Quiapo, Manila]] the [[Philippines]], injuring several anti-[[Ferdinand Marcos|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 Conservative Association of Alberta|Progressive Conservatives]] under [[Peter Lougheed]] defeat the [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit]] government under [[Harry Strom|Harry E. Strom]] in a [[general election]], ending 36 years of uninterrupted power for Social Credit in [[Alberta]].

=== September ===
{{Main|September 1971}}
* September – [[Operation Sourisak Montry VIII]] opens when forces of the [[Royal Thai Army]] recapture several positions in the territory of [[Laos]] on the south bank of the [[Mekong]] in response to an encroaching Chinese presence to the north.
* [[September 2]] – The [[United Arab Republic]] is renamed to the [[Arab Republic of Egypt]]
* [[September 3]]
** [[Qatar]] gains independence from the United Kingdom. Unlike most nearby [[emirate]]s, 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.
** The [[Free State of Christiania]] is founded.
* [[September 8]] – In Washington, D.C., the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s ''[[Mass (Bernstein)|Mass]]''.
* [[September 9]] – English musician [[John Lennon]] releases his second studio album ''[[Imagine (John Lennon album)|Imagine]]''. Worldwide sales of the [[Imagine (John Lennon song)|title track]] will exceed 5 million.
* [[September 9]]–[[September 13|13]] – [[Attica Prison riot]]: A revolt breaks out at the maximum-security prison in [[Attica (town), New York|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 17]] – [[Hugo L. Black]] retires as an Associate Justice of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] after serving for 34 years, at this time a record for longevity; Black dies eight days later.
* [[September 19]] – [[Trams in Ballarat]] (Victoria, Australia) cease to run.
* [[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 (Catholic Church)|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 the Indian state of [[Odisha|Orissa]], kills 10,000.

=== October ===
{{Main|October 1971}}
* [[October 1]] – [[Walt Disney World]] opens in [[Orlando, Florida]].
* [[October 4]]–[[October 7|7]] – [[Pink Floyd]] record their groundbreaking film, ''[[Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii]]'' at the [[Amphitheatre of Pompeii]].
* [[October 13]] – The [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] defeat the [[Baltimore Orioles]] 4–3 in Game 4 of the [[1971 World Series|World Series]] [[Three Rivers Stadium|at home]] in the first ever [[Major League Baseball]] postseason game played at night. The Pirates defeat the Orioles 2–1 in the decisive Game 7 at Baltimore four days later.
* [[October 14]] – [[Greenpeace]] is founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
* October 14 – The largest [[state banquet]] in history is held at the ancient city of [[Persepolis]] in [[Iran]], marking the symbolic [[2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire|Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire]].
* [[October 17]] – The [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] defeat the [[Baltimore Orioles]] to win the [[1971 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, caused by a gas leak, kills 22 people.
* [[October 24]] – [[Texas Stadium]] opens in [[Irving, Texas]]. In the inaugural game, the host [[Dallas Cowboys]] defeat the [[New England Patriots]] 44–21.
* [[October 25]] – The [[United Nations General Assembly]] [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI)|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 [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] votes 356–244 in favour of joining the [[European Economic Community]].
** The United Kingdom becomes the sixth nation successfully to launch a satellite into orbit using its own [[launch vehicle]], the [[Prospero (satellite)|Prospero]] (X-3) experimental communications satellite, using a [[Black Arrow]] carrier rocket from [[Woomera, South Australia]].
** The [[Khedivial Opera House]] in [[Cairo]], Egypt, burns down.
* [[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]] founds the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] in [[Northern Ireland]].
** ''[[Meddle]]'', the critically acclaimed album by [[progressive rock]] band [[Pink Floyd]], is released.
* [[October 31]] – A bomb explodes at the top of the [[BT Tower|Post Office Tower]] in London.

=== November ===
{{Main|November 1971}}
* [[Erin Pizzey]] establishes the world's first domestic violence shelter in [[Chiswick]], London.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPPapvrJsTcC&pg=PA262|title=Family Violence|first1=Mildred Daley|last1=Pagelow|first2=Lloyd W.|last2=Pagelow|date=September 18, 1984|publisher=ABC-CLIO|via=Google Books|isbn=9780275916237}}</ref>
* [[November 3]] – The ''[[Unix|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 nuclear testing|underground detonation]].
* [[November 8]] – [[Led Zeppelin]] release their fourth studio album ''[[Led Zeppelin IV]]'', which goes on to sell 23,000,000 copies in the United States.
* [[November 9]] – A [[Royal Air Force]] [[C-130]] [[1971 RAF Hercules crash|crashes into the]] [[Ligurian Sea]] near [[Leghorn, Italy]], killing all 51 people on board.
* [[November 10]] – In [[Cambodia]], [[Khmer Rouge]] forces attack [[Phnom Penh]] and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging 9 [[airplane]]s.
* [[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]]) is founded (effective July 12, 1972).
* [[November 18]] – [[Oman]] gains independence from the [[United Kingdom]].
* [[November 20]] – A bridge still under 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 a part of the Linha Vermelha elevate.
* [[November 22]] – In Britain's worst mountaineering tragedy, the [[Cairngorm Plateau disaster]], five children and one of their leaders are found dead from [[Hypothermia|exposure]] in the Scottish mountains.
* [[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 storm over [[Washington (state)|Washington]] State, a man calling himself Dan Cooper (later misreported as [[D. B. Cooper]]) parachutes from the [[Northwest Orient Airlines]] plane he had hijacked, with US$200,000 in ransom money, and is never seen again (as of February 2025, 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]] – The [[59th Grey Cup|59th]] [[Grey Cup]] Game sees the [[Calgary Stampeders]] beat the [[Toronto Argonauts]] 14–11.
* [[November 30]] – [[Iran]]ian forces occupy the [[Persian Gulf]] islands of [[Abu Musa]] (joint occupation by agreement with [[Sharjah]]) and the [[Greater and Lesser Tunbs]] (taken by force from [[Ras Al Khaimah]]).<ref>{{Cite book|title=From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: a society in transition|last=Heard-Bey|first=Frauke|date=2005|publisher=Motivate|isbn=1860631673|location=London|pages=366|oclc=64689681}}</ref>

=== December ===
{{Main|December 1971}}
* [[December 1]] – [[Cambodian Civil War]]: [[Khmer Rouge]] rebels intensify assaults on [[Cambodia]]n government positions, forcing their retreat from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray, 10 kilometers northeast of [[Phnom Penh]].
* [[December 2]]
** Six of the seven [[Trucial States]] combine in an act of union to found the [[United Arab Emirates]].
** The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Mars 3|Mars 3 lander]] reaches the surface of [[Mars]], transmits for a few seconds and then goes silent. It is the first spacecraft to reach the planet.
* [[December 3]] – The [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] begins with [[Operation Chengiz Khan]] as Pakistan launches preemptive attacks on nine Indian airbases. The next day India launches a massive invasion of East Pakistan.
* [[December 3]]–[[December 4|4]] – The [[Pakistan]]i [[submarine]] [[PNS Ghazi|PNS ''Ghazi'']] (former {{USS|Diablo}}) sinks mysteriously near the Indian coast while laying mines.
* [[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]] by the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] in [[Belfast]] kills 15.
* [[December 7]] – [[Battle of Sylhet]] rages between the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani military]] and the [[Indian Army]].<ref name=DI>[http://www.defenceindia.com/defenceind/battle_sylhet.html Battle Of Sylhet. Defence India] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070810211600/http://www.defenceindia.com/defenceind/battle_sylhet.html|date=August 10, 2007}}</ref>
* [[December 8]] – U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] orders the 7th Fleet to move towards the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.
* [[December 10]] – The [[John Sinclair Freedom Rally]] in support of the imprisoned activist features a performance by [[John Lennon]] at [[Crisler Arena]], [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]].
* [[December 11]] – [[Nihat Erim]] forms the new government of [[Turkey]] (34th government; Nihat Erim has served two times as prime minister).
* [[December 16]] – ''[[Victory Day of Bangladesh]]'': The [[Pakistan|Pakistan Army]] in [[East Pakistan]] (now [[Bangladesh]]) surrenders to the joint forces of India and the Bengali nationalist separatists, ending the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victory Day {{!}} Armed Forces Division(AFD) |url=https://afd.gov.bd/media/important-occations/victory-day |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=afd.gov.bd}}</ref>
* [[December 18]]
** The [[U.S. dollar]] is [[Nixon shock|devalued]] for the second time in history.
** The world's largest [[hydroelectric plant]] in [[Krasnoyarsk]], [[Soviet Union]], begins operations.
* [[December 19]]
** [[Clube Atlético Mineiro]] wins the [[Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|Brazil Football Championship]].
** [[Intelsat IV F-3|Intelsat IV (F3)]] is launched; it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean February 18, 1972.
** The controversial dystopian crime film ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', directed by [[Stanley Kubrick]] is released in New York City.
* [[December 20]] – Two groups of French doctors involved in [[humanitarian aid]] merge to form [[Médecins Sans Frontières]].
* [[December 24]]
** [[Giovanni Leone]] is elected [[President of the Italian Republic]].
** [[Juliane Koepcke]] survives a fall of 10,000 feet following disintegration of [[LANSA Flight 508]].
* [[December 25]]
** In the longest [[American football]] game in [[National Football League]] history, the [[Miami Dolphins]] beat the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] 27–24 after 82 minutes, 40 seconds of playing time. [[Garo Yepremian]] kicked the winning 37-yard field goal after 7:40 of the second overtime period.
** [[Daeyeonggak Hotel fire]]: A fire at a 22-story hotel in [[Seoul]], South Korea, kills 158 people.
* [[December 26]]
** Former teacher [[Patrick Critton]] hijacks Air Canada Flight 932, diverting the flight from Canada to Cuba. He would remain a fugitive for almost 30 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft Hijackings and Other Criminal Acts against Civil Aviation Statistical and Narrative Reports |url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/91941NCJRS.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/91941NCJRS.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |website=Office of Justice Programs |date=May 1983}}</ref>
** The first reported sighting of the [[Nullarbor Nymph]] in Australia was made. The story traveled around the world until it was proven to be a hoax in 1972.
* [[December 29]] – The United Kingdom gives up its military bases in [[Malta]].
* [[December 30]] – The first [[McDonald's]] in Australia opens in [[Yagoona, New South Wales|Yagoona]], [[Sydney]].

=== Date unknown ===
* [[Ray Tomlinson]] sends the first [[ARPANET]] [[e-mail]] between host computers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/60at60/2015/8/1971-first-ever-email-392973|title=1971: First Ever Email|date=21 August 2015|author=Rachel Swatman|website=Guinness Book of Records|access-date=29 September 2020}}</ref> in late 1971.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2991486/ray-tomlinson-email-inventor-interview-i-see-email-being-used | title=Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of email: 'I see email being used, by and large, exactly the way I envisioned' | date=May 2, 2012 }}</ref>
* The [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] bans the cultural organization [[Matica hrvatska]] (founded in 1842), soon after December 20.
* The [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]] is established in the United States.
* [[Bulant (automobile)|Bulanti]] motorcar built in Australia.
* [[Crude oil]] production peaks in the [[continental United States]] at approximately {{convert|4.5|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}}.