1971

**1971** (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday in the Gregorian calendar.

## Events

- January 2 – A ban on television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.
- January 3 – BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom
- January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand 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 six Persian Gulf countries
- January 25 – Charles Manson and three female "family members" are found guilty of the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate and others at Sharon's house
- January 25 – Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president
- January 25 – Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state
- February 9 - An earthquake happened in the San Fernando Valley.
- West Pakistan attacks the Republic of India in retaliation and the Republic of India attacks the former East Pakistan.
- August 10 – _Mr. Tickle_, the first book in the _Mr. Men_ series is first published.
- December 6 – The Government of India recognizes the former East Pakistan region as Bangladesh.
- December 16 – East Pakistan becomes a nation as Bangladesh by surrender of West Pakistani combined forces.
- DIC, an animation company, is founded in Paris, France
- November 24 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington, a man calling himself D. B. Cooper hijacks a plane and gets US$200,000 in ransom money. He jumps from the plane and is never seen again (this is the only unsolved skyjacking in history).

## Births

- January 17 - Sylvie Testud, French actress
- January 18 - Junko Furuta, Japanese Student
- February 17 – Denise Richards, American actor
- February 25 – Sean Astin, American actor
- February 27 – Roman Giertych, Polish Minister of Education
- March 10 – Timbaland, American music producer
- April 2 – Zeebra, Japanese rapper
- April 18 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
- April 18 – Aphex Twin, Irish-English musician
- May 8 - Eiko Yasui, Japanese volleyball player
- May 10 – Kim Jong-nam, Son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
- June 5 – Mark Wahlberg, American actor and singer
- June 16 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper (d. 1996)
- July 30 – Tom Green, Canadian actor
- August 20 – Ke Huy Quan, Vietnamese-American actor
- September 11 - Richard Ashcroft, English singer-songwriter
- September 18 – Lance Armstrong, American athlete
- October 2 – Tiffany Darwish, American singer & actress
- October 13 – Sacha Baron Cohen, English actor and comedian
- October 20
    - Snoop Dogg, American rapper & actor
    - Dannii Minogue, Australian model & singer, sister of Kylie Minogue
- October 21 - Damien Martyn, Australian cricketer
- December 24 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer

### January

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

### March

- March 8 – Harold Lloyd, American film actor (b. 1893)

### April

- April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
- April 21 – François Duvalier, 32nd President of Haiti (b. 1907)

### May

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

### June

- June 18 – Paul Karrer, Swiss biochemist (b. 1889)

### July

- July 3 – Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (b. 1943)
- July 6 – Louis Armstrong, American jazz musician (b. 1901)
- July 7 – Ub Iwerks, American animator (b. 1901)

### September

- September 11 – Nikita Khrushchev, Leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1894)

### November

- November 3 – Thawi Bunyaket, 5th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1904)

## Movies released

- _Clockwork Orange_
- _Carnal Knowledge_
- _Duel_
- _Dauria_
- _Dirty Harry_
- _The French Connection_
- _THX 1138_
- _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory_

## Hit songs

- "Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
- "Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
- "Stairway to Heaven" – Led Zeppelin
- "What's Going On" – Marvin Gaye
- "Another Day" – Paul & Linda McCartney
- "Black Dog" – Led Zeppelin
- "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
- "Brown Sugar" – The Rolling Stones
- "Coz I Love You" – Slade
- "Draggin' the Line" – Tommy James
- "Family Affair" – Sly & the Family Stone
- "Get It On" – T. Rex
- "Go Away Little Girl" – Donny Osmond
- "Got to Be There" – Michael Jackson
- "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" – Cher
- "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – The Bee Gees
- "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" – The Partridge Family
- "If You Really Love Me" – Stevie Wonder
- "Imagine" – John Lennon
- "Indian Reservation" – The Raiders
- "It Don't Come Easy" – Ringo Starr
- "It's Too Late" – Carole King
- "Maggie Mae" – Rod Stewart
- "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison
- "Never Can Say Goodbye" – The Jackson Five
- "One Bad Apple" – The Osmonds
- "One Less Bell to Answer" – Fifth Dimension
- "Peace Train" – Cat Stevens
- "Proud Mary" – Ike & Tina Turner
- "She's a Lady" – Tom Jones
- "Sooner or Later" – The Grass Roots
- "Temptation Eyes" – The Grass Roots
- "Treat Her Like a Lady" – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
- "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" – Paul & Linda McCartney
- "Where Do I Begin" (Love Story) – Andy Williams