1971 Snapshot
""
The Vibe
Pop Culture
Hot Pants Craze
Slang
"Keep on Truckin"
Price Check
Gas: $0.36
Notable Deaths
Jim Morrison, Louis Armstrong, Igor Stravinsky
Music & Style
Glam Rock
World Affairs
Nixon in China
Bangladesh War
Year's Summary
- Global Events: The US offically goes off the Gold Standard. The 26th Amendment lowers the voting age to 18. Greenpeace is founded in Vancouver.
- Culture & Mood: The 'Me Decade' begins to take shape. All in the Family premieres, bringing real-world social issues into the sitcom format.
- Fashion & Slang: Hot pants and platform shoes. If something is excellent, it's 'Right on' or 'Outta sight.'
- Fun Fact: The first ever microprocessor (the Intel 4004) is released, and the Starbucks coffee chain opens its very first store in Seattle!
- 10 Jan 1971: Establishment of the Rashtriya Janata Dal Precursor and Regional Politics – Political alignments shifted across South Asia as regional democratic movements gained momentum.
- 25 Jan 1971: Idi Amin Seizes Power in Military Coup in Uganda – Military forces led by Major General Idi Amin overthrew the government of President Milton Obote in Uganda, establishing a repressive military regime that profoundly impacted East African geopolitics.
- 15 Feb 1971: United Kingdom and Commonwealth Nations Adopt Decimal Currency – The United Kingdom officially transitioned its currency system from pounds, shillings, and pence to a decimalized pound sterling, modernizing national financial and commercial accounting.
- 26 Mar 1971: Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh Sparks Liberation War – Following intense political turmoil and military crackdowns by West Pakistan, East Pakistan officially declared its independence as the sovereign nation of Bangladesh, initiating a brutal war of liberation.
- 19 Apr 1971: Soviet Union Launches Salyut 1, the First Space Station – The Soviet space program successfully launched Salyut 1 into low Earth orbit, marking a monumental milestone as humanity's first operational space station and advancing orbital habitation research.
- 3 May 1971: Founding of National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States – NPR broadcast its first official program across the United States, establishing a foundational public broadcasting network dedicated to independent journalism and cultural programming.
- 25 Oct 1971: United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 Restores PRC Seat – The United Nations voted to recognize the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China to the UN, expelling representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from Taiwan.
- 16 Dec 1971: Conclusion of the Indo-Pakistani War and Birth of Bangladesh – Pakistani military forces in East Pakistan surrendered unconditionally to the joint command of Indian forces and Bangladeshi guerrilla fighters, formally securing the independence of Bangladesh.