Major Events
- Mar 29 Chinese farmers discover the Terracotta Army near Xi'an, 8,000 clay warrior statues buried to guard the tomb of China's 1st emperor, Qin Shi Huang
- Apr 1 Ayatollah Khomeini calls for an Islamic Republic in Iran
- May 18 India becomes the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb
- Jun 23 1st extraterrestrial message sent from Earth into space
- Aug 8 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day
- Aug 9 Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Vice President Gerald Ford swears the oath of office to take his place as the 38th US President
- Nov 24 Most complete early human skeleton (Lucy, Australopithecus) discovered by Donald Johanson, Maurice Taieb, Yves Coppens and Tim White in the Middle Awash of Ethiopia's Afar Depression [1] [2]
- More 1974 Events
1974 in Film & TV
- Jan 18 "$6 Million Man" starring Lee Majors premieres on ABC TV
- Feb 2 Barbra Streisand's 1st #1 hit, "The Way We Were"
- Feb 7 Mel Brooks' western spoof film "Blazing Saddles", starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder premieres at the Pickwick Drive-In in Burbank, California; patrons watched from horseback rather than cars
1974 in Music
- Apr 6 19th Eurovision Song Contest: ABBA for Sweden wins singing "Waterloo" in Brighton, England
- Aug 16 American punk rock band "The Ramones" concert debut at CBGB's in New York City
- Oct 4 Apple Records releases John Lennon's fifth studio album, "Walls & Bridges" in UK; features No. 1 single "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" (with Elton John) and "#9 Dream"
1974 in Sport
- Apr 4 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th in Cincinnati, facing Jack Billingham
- Apr 8 Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits 715th HR, off of L.A. Dodger Al Downing, breaking Babe Ruth's record in Atlanta
- Oct 30 "The Rumble in the Jungle": Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire; regains world heavyweight boxing title with famous "rope-a-dope" tactic
Did You Know?
The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine
Vaughan Gething
Ken Jennings
Alexis Tsipras
Amy Fisher
Christian Bale
Elizabeth Banks
Penélope Cruz
Joaquin Phoenix
Leonardo DiCaprio
Sarah Paulson
Robbie Williams
Victoria Beckham
Jewel Kilcher
Alanis Morissette
Vijay
Nelly
Steve Nash
Seattle Slew
Derek Jeter
Jay Onrait
Anke Huber
Karrie WebbMore People Born in 1974
Fun Fact About 1974
The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio
Georges Pompidou
Georgy Zhukov
Juan Perón
James Chadwick
Charles Lindbergh
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
Bud Abbott
Agnes Moorehead
Coco the Clown
Oskar Schindler
Ed Sullivan
Jack Benny
Duke Ellington
Darius Milhaud
Cass Elliot
Tim Horton
Denny Shute
James J. BraddockMore 1974 Deaths
Articles About 1974
One-Man War Finally Ends
Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda finally surrendered on this day – nearly 30 years after the Second World War had ended.March 9
Terracotta Army Discovered
The Terracotta army standing guarding at the tomb of China's 1st emperor, Qin Shi HuangMarch 29
Richard Nixon's Resignation Letter
The brief letter confirming Richard Nixon's resignation, per federal law it was addressed to Secretary of State, Henry KissingerAugust 9
The Great Lord Lucan Mystery
Lord Lucan vanished on this day after his wife was attacked and their nanny murdered. But where did he go?November 7
Famous Weddings in 1974
- Jan 14 US Senator Bill Bradley (30) weds professor Ernestine Schlant
- Jan 18 American poet and author Maya Angelou (45) weds Welsh model and writer Paul Bernard Du Feu, her second marriage, his third; divorce in 1983
- Jan 31 "The Outlaw" actress Jane Russell (52) weds real-estate broker John Calvin People (45) in Santa Barbara, California
Famous Divorces in 1974
- Feb 13 Professional boxer George Foreman (25) divorces Adrienne Calhoun after almost 3 years of marriage
- Feb 20 American singer and actress Cher (27) files for separation from husband singer-songwriter Sonny Bono (38)
- May 6 Actress Maggie Smith (39) divorces actor Robert Stephens (42) after 6 years of marriage
More 1974 Weddings
Art Carney
Ellen Burstyn
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Ali
Stevie Wonder
Leonid Brezhnev
Mao Zedong
Richard Nixon