1974
1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar).
Events
January-February
- January 5 - Dungeons & Dragons officially released.
- February 4 - Patricia Hearst, the 19 year old granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army
- February 7 - Grenada becomes independent from the United Kingdom
- February 8 - After 84 days in space, the crew of the temporary American space station Skylab return to Earth
- February 12 - US District Court Judge George Boldt rules that Native American tribes in Washington State are entitled to half of the legal salmon and steelhead catches, based on treaties signed by the tribes and the US government.
- February 13 - Nobel Prize winner writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from the Soviet Union (he returns May 27 1994)
- February 23 - The Symbionese Liberation Army demand $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
- February 27 - People magazine is published for the first time
- February 28 - United Kingdom general election results in an almost dead-heat.
March
- March 1 - Watergate scandal: Seven are indicted for their role in the Watergate break-in and charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
- March 1 - Pierre Messmer finishes his first office as Prime Minister of France
- March 3 – A DC-10 of Turkish Airlines from Paris to London crashes in a wood near Paris. All 346 dead
- March 8 - Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France
- March 18 - Oil embargo crisis: Most OPEC nations end a five-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.
- March 10 - Ten miners die in a methane gas explosion at Golborne Colliery near Wigan, Lancashire
- March 20 - Ian Balls fails in his attempt to kidnap Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips in The Mall, outside Buckingham Palace, London.
- March 29 - Mariner 10 approaches Mercury
April-May
- April 1 - the Local Government Act 1972 comes into effect in England and Wales, creating six new metropolitan counties and completely redrawing the administrative map
- April 3 - The Super Outbreak, the largest series of tornadoes in history, hits 13 states and one Canadian province. By the time the last of 148 tornadoes hit early the following morning, 315 died and over 5,000 were injured.
- April 10 - In Israel, Golda Meir resigns as Prime Minister
- April 25 - Coup in Portugal restores democracy (see Carnation Revolution)
- April 28 - Last Americans evacuated from Saigon
- May 4 - All female Japanese team summits Manaslu and become the first women to climb an 8,000 metre peak.
- May 9 - The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard M. Nixon
- May 17 - Los Angeles, California police raid Symbionese Liberation Army headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall
- May 17 - Thirty-three people die from bombings in Dublin and County Monaghan, Ireland
- May 18 - Nuclear test: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
- May 18 - Completition of Warsaw radio mast. The Warsaw radio mast was the tallest construction ever built. It collapsed on August 8, 1991
- May 19 - In the second round of the presidential elections in France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing wins from François Mitterrand, but by a close margin.
June
- June 1 - Flixborough disaster: An explosion at a chemical plant in Flixborough, UK kills 28 people
- June 6 - A new Instrument of Government is promulgated making Sweden a parliamentary monarchy
- June 17 - A bomb explodes at the Houses of Parliament in London damaging Westminster Hall. The bomb had been planted by the Irish Republican Army
- June 24 - The UPC label is used for the first time to ring up purchases at a supermarket.
- June 30 - Assassination of Alberta King, mother of the late Martin Luther King, during a church service
July
- July 7 - West Germany defeats Netherlands to win the Football World Cup 1974
- July 14 - Chris Chubbuck, US radio presenter for Channel 40, draws a revolver and shoots herself in the head during a live broadcast. She dies in a hospital 14 hours later.
- July 15 - Military coup overthrows President Makarios in Cyprus
- July 17- A bomb planted by Irish Republican Army terrorists explodes in the White Tower at the Tower of London, killing one person and injuring 41. Another bomb explodes outside a government building in South London.
- July 20 - War of July 1974: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus
- July 23 - Greek military government collapses
- July 24 - Watergate Scandal: The United States Supreme Court unanimously rule that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they order him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor
- July 27-30 - Watergate Scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee adopts three articles of impeachment charging President Richard M. Nixon with obstruction of justice, failure to uphold laws, and refusal to produce material subpoenaed by the committee. He announces he will resign the next day, the first president to do so.
August-October
- August 4 – Bomb explodes in Italicus Expressen train between Italy and West Germany. Italian neo-fascist terrorists take responsibility
- August 8 - Watergate scandal: US President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (effective August 9)
- August 9 - Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, an action taken to avoid being removed by impeachment in response to his role in the Watergate scandal. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, takes the oath of office and becomes the 38th president
- September 8 - Watergate Scandal: US President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.
- September 13 Japanese Red Army members seize the French Embassy in the Hague, Netherlands. They receive release of member Yatuka Fumiya, $300.000 and flight to Aden
- September 23 - Ceefax is started by the BBC - one of the first public service information systems
- October 5 - The Guildford Pub Bombings - The Horse and Groom and The Seven Stars - lead to the wrongful conviction of the Guildford Four
November
- November 7 - Lord Lucan disappears
- November 7 - An IRA bomb explodes at the Kings Head Woolwich
- November 8 - In Salt Lake City, Utah, Carol DaRonch narrowly escapes abduction by serial killer Ted Bundy
- November 10 - Members of the Movement 2 June try to kidnap Günter von Drenkmann, the president of West Germany's Superior Court of Justice, at his home but he is fatally shot during the attempt
- November 16 - Arecibo radio telescope sends an interstellar radio message towards M 13 great globular cluster
- November 17 - President Childers dies suddenly of a heart attack in the Republic of Ireland in a middle of a public speech
- November 20 - The United States Department of Justice files its final Anti-trust suit against AT&T. This suit later leads to the break up of AT&T and the Bell System.
- November 21 - In Birmingham, England, two pubs are bombed, killing 21 people (the Birmingham Six were later sentenced to life in prison for this)
- November 21 - George W. Bush is discharged from the US Air Force Reserve
- November 22 - The United Nations General Assembly grants the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status.
- November 27 - The Prevention of Terrorism Act is passed in United Kingdom
December
- December 1 - A Boeing 727 carrying TWA Flight 514 crashes 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Dulles International Airport during bad weather, killing all 92 people on-board
- December 19 - Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh becomes the fifth President of Ireland, in a state inauguration in Dublin Castle
- December 24 - Darwin, Australia almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy
unknown date
- The Milgram experiment first described by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram in his 1974 book Obedience to Authority; An Experimental View.
- Baltimore police strike
- Volkswagen's Golf automobile first enters production. VW will go on to sell 22 million Golfs, and the model is still very popular today. The car is credited with popularizing the transverse front engine, front wheel drive layout most often used today.
Year in topic
- 1974 in film
- May - George Lucas creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars.
- The Godfather, Part II
- Chinatown
- The Conversation
- The Towering Inferno
- 1974 in literature
- Carrie by Stephen King
- 1974 in music
- 1974 in politics
- 1974 in sports
- 1974 in television
- Happy Days premieres on ABC
- Little House on the Prairie, starring Michael Landon, premieres on NBC.
- September 10 - The controversial TV movie Born Innocent, starring Linda Blair, was first screened on the NBC network in the United States. The film, which involved a fourteen-year-old being sent to what the television preview deemed a women's prison (when in reality it was a reform school), drew heavy criticism due to an all-female rape scene, the first ever seen on American television. The scene was deleted in subsequent re-airings after a group of girls assaulted an eight-year-old with a pop bottle, influenced by the scene in the film.
Births
January-February
- January 2 - Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model
- January 16 - Kate Moss, supermodel
- January 17 - Ladan and Laleh Bijani
- January 18 - Claire Coombs
- January 23 - Tiffani Thiessen, actress (Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210, Fastlane)
- January 27 - Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer
- January 28 - Tony Delk, basketball player
- January 30 - Christian Bale, actor
- January 31 - Ian Huntley, responsible for the Soham murders
- February 3 - Navin Kumar
- February 7 - Steve Nash, Canadian NBA star
- February 8 - Seth Green, actor
- February 11 - D'Angelo, singer
- February 13 - Robbie Williams, singer
- February 15 - Seattle Slew, Triple Crown-winning race horse (d. 2002)
- February 15 - Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball pitcher
- February 24 - Chad Hugo, musician and producer (The Neptunes)
March-June
- March 1 - Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor (Saved by the Bell, NYPD Blue)
- March 5 - Jens Jeremies, football player, national team of Germany
- March 7 - Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer and actor
- March 11 - Bobby Abreu, Major League Baseball All-Star
- March 15 - Eva Longoria, actress
- March 20 - Carsten Ramelow, football player, national team of Germany
- March 20 - Paula Garces, actress
- March 20 - Andrzej Pilipiuk, Polish writer
- March 22 - Marcus Camby, NBA basketball player
- March 24 - Alyson Hannigan, actress
- March 25 - Lark Voorhies, actress (Saved by the Bell)
- April 4 - Dave Mirra, extreme sports champion
- April 9 - Jenna Jameson, porn star
- April 11 - Trot Nixon, baseball player
- April 14 - Da Brat, rap singer
- April 28 - Penelope Cruz, actress
- May 8 - Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- May 17 - Andrea Corr, singer ("The Corrs")
- May 23 - Ken Jennings, Jeopardy! game show millionaire
- May 23 - Jewel, singer
- May 27 - Danny Wuerffel, American football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner
- June 1 - Alanis Morissette, singer
- June 7 - Mahesh Bhupathi, tennis player
- June 10 - James Spix, author
- June 12 - Hideki Matsui, Japanese baseball player
- June 13 - Brande Roderick, actress, Playboy Playmate of the Month for April 2000
- June 25 - Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
- June 26 - Derek Jeter, Major League Baseball All-Star
July-December
- July 2 - Matthew Reilly, Australian writer
- July 4 - La'Roi Glover, American football player
- July 23 - Maurice Greene, American athlete
- July 31 - Emilia Fox, actress
- July 31 - Jonathan Ogden, American football player
- August 15 - Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model
- August 23 - Ray Park, actor (The Phantom Menace, X-Men)
- August 24 - Jennifer Lien, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
- August 27 - Jose Vidro, baseball player
- September 6 - Tim Henman, tennis player
- September 10 - Ben Wallace, NBA star
- September 14 - Hicham El Guerrouj, Moroccan athlete
- September 17 - Rasheed Wallace, NBA basketball player
- September 19 - Jimmy Fallon, actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
- October 3 - Charles Shortt, mechanical engineer
- October 10 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR driver
- October 11 - Paul C. Kovacs, software engineer
- October 11 - Terje Haakonsen, Snowboarding legend
- October 16 - Paul Kariya, NHL hockey star
- October 24 - Caprice Bourret, model and actress
- November 4 - Louise Redknapp, singer
- November 4 - Dan Corsi, singer
- November 5 - Jerry Stackhouse, basketball player
- November 9 - Uncle Kracker, singer
- November 11 - Leonardo DiCaprio, actor
- November 11 - Bettina Goislard
- November 22 - Ken Mondschein, writer
- November 22 - David Pelletier, figure skater
- November 23 - Jamie Sharper, American football player
- December 1 - Costinha, football player
- December 14 - Billy Koch, baseball relief pitcher
- December 18 - Peter Boulware, American football player
- December 19 - Jake Plummer, American football quarterback
- December 21 - Karrie Webb, golf champion
- December 24 - Ryan Seacrest, television host, American Idol
- December 29 - Jenny Barker, British radio presenter
- December 29 - Richie Sexson, Major League Baseball All-Star
unknown date
- Ziad Jarrah, resident of Lebanon, hijacker and alleged terrorist.
Deaths
January-July
- January 12- Her Royal Highness Princess Patricia of Connaught (Lady Patricia Ramsey)
- January 31 - Samuel Goldwyn, film studio executive
- February 11 - Anna Q Nilsson, actress.
- February 15 - Kurt Atterberg, composer
- February 21 - Tim Horton, NHL player, Hockey Hall of Famer, founder of Tim Hortons doughnut shops
- February 23 - Harry Ruby, composer, writer
- March 1 - Bobby Timmons, jazz pianist (b. 1935)
- March 5 - Sol Hurok, impresario
- March 20 - Chet Huntley, television journalist
- April 2 - Georges Pompidou, President of France
- April 15 - Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter
- April 19 - Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan
- April 24 - Bud Abbott, actor
- May 24 - Duke Ellington, jazz musician, bandleader (b. 1899)
- June 9 - Miguel Angel Asturias, Guatemalan writer (b. 1890)
- June 10 - His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
- June 22 - Darius Milhaud, composer
- June 28 - Frank Sutton, actor (Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.) (b. 1923)
- July 1 - Juan Domingo Perón, Argentinean military and politician, president of the Republic 1946 - 1955 and 1973 until his death
- July 9 - Earl Warren, 30th Governor of California, and 14th Chief Justice of the United States.
September-December
- September 3 - Harry Partch, microtonal composer
- September 4 - Marcel Achard, play and scriptwriter
- September 4 - Creighton Williams Abrams, American military officer
- September 20 - José Mojica, Mexican singer and film actor (b. 1899)
- October 24 - David Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1908)
- November 11 - Alfonso Leng, Chilean composer
- November 13 - Vittorio De Sica, Italian director
- November 17 - Erskine Hamilton Childers, fourth President of Ireland
- November 19 - George Brunies, jazz musician (b. 1902)
- November 21 - John B. Gambling, radio talk-show host
- November 24 - Nick Drake, musician
- November 29 - Peng Dehuai, former marshal of the People's Liberation Army and Minister of Defense of the PRC.
- December 2 - Max Weber, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1897)
- December 18 - Harry Hooper, Baseball Hall of Famer (b. 1887)