1973 Snapshot
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The Vibe
Pop Culture
Oil Crisis
Slang
"Catch you on the flip side"
Price Check
Gas: $0.39
Notable Deaths
Lyndon B. Johnson, Bruce Lee, Pablo Picasso
Music & Style
Funk/Soul
World Affairs
Roe v. Wade
Yom Kippur War
Year's Summary
- Global Events: The Vietnam War ends for the US with the Paris Peace Accords. The OPEC oil embargo leads to massive gas shortages and 'Stagflation.' Roe v. Wade is decided by the Supreme Court.
- Culture & Mood: A sense of exhaustion from war and economic hardship. Pink Floyd releases The Dark Side of the Moon, which stays on the charts for nearly 15 years.
- Fashion & Slang: Shag haircuts and tie-dye. If something is high quality, it's 'Primo.'
- Fun Fact: The first handheld cellular phone call is made by Martin Cooper of Motorola, and the World Trade Center officially opens in New York City!
- 27 Jan 1973: Signing of the Paris Peace Accords Ends Direct US Military Involvement in Vietnam – Representatives from the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace Accords, formally ending direct American military involvement in the Vietnam War and setting the stage for the withdrawal of remaining military personnel.
- 3 Apr 1973: First Mobile Phone Call Demonstrated in New York City – Engineer Martin Cooper of Motorola placed the world's first public handheld cellular phone call on the streets of Manhattan using a prototype DynaTAC device, pioneering the revolutionary telecommunications technology of mobile telephony.
- 4 Apr 1973: Official Opening of the World Trade Center in New York City – The iconic twin towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan were officially dedicated with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, marking a monumental architectural milestone and establishing a towering symbol of global commerce and modern engineering.
- 11 May 1973: American Indian Movement Occupation of Wounded Knee Concludes – The prolonged seventy-one-day armed standoff between federal law enforcement officers and Oglala Lakota activists at the historic Wounded Knee site on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation came to a peaceful end, drawing intense national attention to Native American civil rights grievances.
- 14 Jul 1973: Passing of Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson – Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States who presided over the historic enactment of the Civil Rights Act and the ambitious domestic policies of the Great Society, passed away at his Texas ranch at the age of sixty-four.
- 11 Sep 1973: Military Coup Overthrows President Salvador Allende in Chile – A violent military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile, establishing a repressive military dictatorship backed by foreign intelligence operations.
- 6 Oct 1973: Outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East – A coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise military offensive against Israel on Yom Kippur, triggering a major regional conflict, intense superpower diplomacy, and a subsequent global oil embargo.
- 17 Oct 1973: OPEC Imposes Oil Embargo on Western Nations – In response to US support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War, members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo targeted at Western nations, triggering an unprecedented global energy crisis, soaring inflation, and severe economic restructuring.