What Happened in December 1974

Historical Events

Baba vs. Brisco

Dec 2 Giant Baba beats Jack Brisco in Kagoshimi, to become NWA champ

Dec 2 MLB Rules Committee changes long time philosophy to permit the use of cowhide, rather than just horsehide in the manufacture of baseballs
Dec 2 Soyuz 16 launched into Earth orbit for 6 days
Dec 4 Dutch DC-8 charter crashes in Sri Lanka killing 191 Muslim pilgrims

Sartre Visits Baader in Prison

Dec 4 Jean-Paul Sartre visits Red Army Faction (Baader–Meinhof Gang) leader Andreas Baader in prison

Dec 5 1st World Football League Bowl, Birmingham Americans beat Florida
Dec 5 Airport terminal roof in Tehran collapses killing 17
Dec 5 Birmingham Americans defeat the Florida Blazers 22-21 in the WFL's World Bowl

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Dec 5 Final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus airs on BBC TV

Dec 5 NFL's Seattle Seahawks forms
Dec 5 Oliver Tilden Triangle in the Bronx named

Ding Dong, Ding Dong

Dec 6 George Harrison releases single "Ding Dong, Ding Dong"

Dec 8 Greek monarchy rejected by referendum
Dec 8 Irish Republican Socialist Party forms
Dec 8 Soyuz 16 returns to Earth
Dec 9 Dow Jones index hits 570.01
Dec 9 Jack Brisco beats Giant Baba in Tokyo, to become NWA wrestling champ
Dec 9 Johnson Grigsby freed after 66 years in jail in Indiana
Dec 10 European Economic Community calls for a European Parliament
Dec 10 Helios 1 launched by US and Germany; later makes closest flyby of the Sun

MacBride, Satō Win Peace Prize

Dec 10 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Irishman Seán MacBride for his human rights work and Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Satō for signing Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Irish Politician and Chief of Staff of the IRA Seán MacBride

Carter Announces Candidacy

Dec 12 50‐year‐old Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter announces his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President [1]

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter with youngsters helped by the Carter Center

Dec 13 Malta becomes a republic

The Towering Inferno

Dec 14 Disaster film "The Towering Inferno" is released, starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman

Dec 14 Islander Glenn Resch's 1st shut-out opponent-Kings 3-0

Richards' 1st Test Century

Dec 14 Viv Richards scores 1st Test Cricket ton 192 v India 20 fours 6 sixes

Cricketer and Master Blaster Viv Richards

Vilas Wins ATP

Dec 15 Guillermo Vilas of Argentina beats defending champion lie Năstase 7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4 to win his first and only season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis final in Melbourne, Australia

Tennis Player and Four-Time Major Champion Guillermo Vilas

Dec 16 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Dec 16 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh, Semipalitinsk USSR
Dec 18 San Francisco Visitors Center at City Hall opens

"The Man with the Golden Gun"

Dec 19 "The Man with the Golden Gun", 9th James Bond film, starring Roger Moore, Britt Ekland and Christopher Lee, premieres in London

Dec 19 Dave Kryskow scores Washington Capitals 1st NHL shorthanded goal

Rockefeller US VP

Dec 19 Nelson Rockefeller is sworn in as Vice President of the United States

Businessman and US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller

"The Godfather Part II"

Dec 20 "The Godfather Part II", directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1975)

Dec 20 Ethiopia becomes socialist one-party state
Dec 20 George Harrison releases "Dark Horse", his fifth studio album in UK
Dec 22 2nd cease-fire between IRA & British; lasts until approx April 1975
Dec 22 Iraq announces plans to increase its oil production capacity

Esposito Scores 500

Dec 22 Phil Esposito, Boston, became 6th NHLer to score 500 goals

IRA Bombs Former PM

Dec 22 Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb home of former UK Prime Minister, Edward Heath, just before announcing Christmas ceasefire (no-one injured)

Dec 22 Referenda in Comoros-3 islands for independence, 1 stays French

Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti

Dec 23 Dmitri Shostakovich' son cycle "Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti" premieres in Leningrad

Dec 23 Revival of Ray Henderson, B.G. DeSylva, and Lew Brown's musical "Good News" opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 16 performances

Glenn Joins US Senate

Dec 24 Former US astronaut John Glenn joins the US Senate representing Ohio

Brock Sportsman of the Year

Dec 24 MLB St Louis Cardinals Lou Brock is named Sportsman of the Year

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Lou Brock

Dec 25 Cyclone Tracy virtually destroys Darwin, Australia
Dec 25 Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff.
Dec 26 Washington Capitals 1st NHL sellout
Dec 27 40th Heisman Trophy Award: Archie Griffin, Ohio State (RB)
Dec 27 Dear Abby show ends run on CBS radio after 11 years
Dec 27 FSLN seizes government hostages at a private Managua party
Dec 27 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Dec 28 4th Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State beats #17 BYU, 16-6
Dec 28 6.3 earthquake strikes Pakistan: 5200 killed
Dec 28 Senegalese marxist group Reenu-Rew founds the political movement And-Jëf at a clandestine congress.

Steelers Defeat Raiders

Dec 29 AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Oakland Raiders, 24-13

Music History

Dec 29 Murray Schisgal's stage comedy "All Over Town", directed by Dustin Hoffman, opens at the Booth Theatre, NYC; runs for 233 performances

Dec 29 NFC Championship, Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington: Minnesota Vikings beat Los Angeles Rams, 14-10
Dec 30 Beatles are legally disbanded (4 years after suit was brought)
Dec 31 41st Sugar Bowl: #8 Nebraska beats #18 Florida, 13-10

Goolagong Retains Title

Dec 31 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley retains her title; beats Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia 6-3, 6-2

Dec 31 Ballon d'Or: Ajax forward Johan Cruyff wins back-to-back awards, and his 3rd overall, for best European football player ahead of Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer and Legia Warsaw midfielder Kazimierz Deyna

Dec 31 Gold legal in US, Franklin Mint strikes Panama's Gold 100 balboa coin

Buckingham, Nicks Join Fleetwood Mac

Dec 31 Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks join Fleetwood Mac

Dec 31 New York Yankees sign Cy Young Award winner Jim "Catfish" Hunter for 5 years for a record $3.75 million from the Oakland A's
Dec 31 Popular Electronics displays Altair 8800 computer

1974 History

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Costinha, Portuguese soccer midfielder and manager (53 caps; Porto, Monaco), born in Lisbon, Portugal
Dec 1 David Ludwig, American classical composer (Pictures from the Floating World; Paganiniana), and pedagogue (Curtis Institute, 2010-21; Juilliard School, 2021- ), born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Dec 1 Ikey Owens ,American keyboardist (The Mars Volta; Jack White), and producer, born in long Beach, California (d. 2014)
Dec 1 Salva Dut, Sudanese American activist (Water for South Sudan) and former 'Lost Boy of Sudan', born in Southwestern Sudan
Dec 2 Duncan Pugh, Australian bobsledder (Olympics, 2010), and school teacher, born in England (d. 2023)
Dec 2 Grant Wahl, American sports journalist (CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports), born in Mission, Kansas (d. 2022)
Dec 3 Charl Willoughby, South African cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; 3 ODIs; Somerset), born in Cape Town, South Africa

Anke Huber (49 years old)

Dec 4 German tennis player (Fed Cup 1992, Hopman Cup 1995), born in Bruchsal, Germany

Dec 4 Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball second baseman and manager (first Japanese position player to win World Series 2005, Chicago White Sox; Chiba Lotte Marines), born in Tokyo, Japan
Dec 5 Charlie Batch, American NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Homestead, Pennsylvania
Dec 6 Arjan Ebbinge, Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen), born in Veendam, Netherlands
Dec 7 Alex Rădulescu, Romanian tennis player, born in Bucharest, Romania
Dec 7 Annette Salmeen, American biochemist and gold medalist (1996 Summer Olympics), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dec 7 Kang Full, South Korean webcomic artist, born in Seoul, South Korea
Dec 7 Nicole Appleton, English-Canadian singer (All Saints), born in Hamilton, Ontario
Dec 8 Cristian Castro, Mexican pop singer, born in Mexico City
Dec 8 Nick Zinner, American guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), born in Massachusetts
Dec 9 Canibus [Germaine Williams], American rapper, born in Kingston, Jamaica
Dec 9 Wendy Dillinger, American female soccer player and coach, born in St. Charles County, Missouri
Dec 10 Meg White, American drummer (The White Stripes), born in Grosse Point Farms, Michigan
Dec 11 Ben Shephard, English TV personality, born in Epping, Essex, United Kingdom
Dec 11 Kevin Devine, American football cornerback and kick returner (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Jackson, Mississippi
Dec 11 Rey Mysterio [Óscar Gutiérrez], American professional wrestler, born in Chula Vista, California
Dec 12 Franklin Anangonó, Ecuadorian soccer defender (7 caps; ESPoli Quito, El Nacional Quito, Macará), born in Quito, Ecuador (d. 2022)
Dec 12 Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer, born in Callao, Peru
Dec 13 Nicholas McCarthy, German-English guitarist (Franz Ferdinand), born in Blackpool, England
Dec 13 Sara Cox, English TV and radio presenter (The Radio 1 Breakfast Show), born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Dec 14 Billy Koch, American baseball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Garden City, New York
Dec 15 Cory Branan, American singer-songwriter (The No-Hit Wonder; Adios), born in Memphis, Tennessee
Dec 16 Frida Hallgren, Swedish actress
Dec 17 Giovonni Ribisi, actor (Cory-My 2 Dads, New Leave it To Beaver)
Dec 17 Jeffrey "Duff" Goldman, American cake designer, TV personality (Ace of Cakes) and chef, born in Detroit, Michigan
Dec 17 Sam Loeffler, American rock drummer (Chevelle - "The Red"; "Jar"), born in Grayslake, Illinois

Sarah Paulson (49 years old)

Dec 17 American actress (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; American Horror Story), born in Tampa, Florida

Dec 18 Bill Duggan, American television actor and host
Dec 18 Euroboy [Raymond Herrera], Norwegian rock guitarist (Turbonegro), born in Bergen, Norway
Dec 18 Kari Byron, artist and television personality
Dec 18 Peter Boulware, American football linebacker (Baltimore Ravens), born in Columbia, South Carolina
Dec 19 Jake Plummer, American football quarterback (Arizona Cardinals; Pro Bowl 2005 Denver Broncos), born in Boise, Idaho
Dec 19 Mikko "Mige" Paananen, Finnish rock bassist (HIM), born in Helsinki, Finland.
Dec 19 Ricky Ponting, Australian cricket batsman, captain, coach and broadcaster (168 Tests, 13,378 runs @ 51.85; 41 x 100s), born in Launceston, Tasmania
Dec 20 Augie Ojeda, American baseball infielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 20 Die [Daisuke Andou], Japanese heavy metal rock guitarist (Dir En Grey), born in Mie, Japan

Karrie Webb (49 years old)

Dec 21 Australian golfer (US Open 2000, 01; British Open 2002; Chevron C'ship 2000, 06; PGA C'ship 2001; du Maurier Classic 1999; 41 x LPGA Tour titles), born in Ayr, Australia

Dec 21 Raymond Austin, American defensive back (NY Jets), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
Dec 22 Heather Donahue, American writer and actress, born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Dec 23 Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer, born in Ambuquí, Ecuador
Dec 24 Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer, born in Temuco, Chile

Ryan Seacrest (49 years old)

Dec 24 American DJ (On Air; American Top 40), and television host (American Idol, since 2002; Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve, since 2005; Live with Kelly and Ryan, since 2017), born in Atlanta, Georgia

Dec 25 Nagma [Nandita Arvind Morarji], Indian actress, born in Mumbai
Dec 26 Tiffany Brissette, American actress (Vicki-Small Wonder), born in Paradise, California
Dec 26 Tony Brackens, American football defensive end (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Fairfield, Texas
Dec 27 Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player
Dec 27 Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor
Dec 28 Rob Niedermayer, Canadian NHL center (Florida Panthers), born in Cassiar, British Columbia
Dec 29 Brad Hodge, Australian cricketer (promising Victorian middle-order batsman), born in Sandringham, Australia
Dec 29 James Darling, American football linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Denver, Colorado
Dec 29 Mekhi Phifer, American actor, born in Manhattan, New York
Dec 29 Richmond "Richie" Sexson, American baseball player, born in Portland, Oregon
Dec 30 Johanna Sällström, Swedish actress (d. 2007)
Dec 31 Mario Aerts, Belgian road cyclist (La Flèche Wallonne 2002, Grand Prix d'Isbergues 1996, Circuit Franco Belge 2001, Giro della Provincia di Lucca 2001), born in Herentals, Belgium
Dec 31 Ryan Sakoda, Japanese American professional wrestler, born in Tokyo, Japan
Dec 31 Tony Kanaan, Brazilian auto racer (Indianapolis 500 2013; IndyCar Series 2004; Indy Lights Series 1997), born in Salvador, Brazil

Born in 1974

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian/American author (Angry Angel), dies at 83
Dec 1 Stephen Gill Spottswood, American African Methodist Episcopal Zion bishop, and civil rights leader (NAACP Chairman, 1961-74), dies at 77
Dec 2 Max Weber, Swiss Federal Councilor, dies at 77
Dec 4 Lee Kinsolving, American actor (Explosive Generation), dies of an illness at 36
Dec 4 Sophie-Carmen "Sonia" Eckhardt-Gramatté, Russian-Canadian pianist and composer, dies at 75
Dec 5 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1909-11, 19), dies at 87
Dec 5 Henry Wadsworth, American actor (The Thin Man, Applause, Fast & Loose), dies at 77
Dec 5 Pietro Germi, Italian actor, writer and director (Divorce Italian Style, The Facts of Murder), dies from hepatitis at 60
Dec 6 Nikolay Kuznetsov, Russian naval commander (Admiral of the Fleet during World War II), dies at 70
Dec 8 Hugues Panassié, French jazz critic, record producer, and impresario (Hot Club de France), dies at 62
Dec 9 George Carew, cricketer (4 Tests for WI between 1935 & 1949), dies
Dec 9 Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos, Portuguese composer, dies at 64
Dec 10 Paul Richards, American actor (Dr Thompson-Breaking Point), dies of cancer at 50
Dec 11 Reed Hadley, American actor (Zorro's Fighting Legion, Racket Squad, Shock, Grand Canyon), dies from a heart attack at 63
Dec 13 John G. Bennett, British scientist and author, dies at 77
Dec 13 Rufus "Rufe" Davis, American actor (Cocoanut Grove, Trail Blazers, Gangs of Sonora), dies at 66

Dec 13 Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu, Turkish writer and translator, dies at 85

Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)

Dec 14 American journalist and political writer (Public Opinion), dies at 85

Dec 15 Anatole Litvak, Russian-born American film director, writer and producer (Mayerling, Anastasia, The Snake Pit), dies at 72
Dec 15 Erich Walter Sternberg, German-Israeli composer (co-founder of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), dies at 83
Dec 16 Helen Hicks, American golfer (Western Open 1937, Titleholders Championship 1940), dies of throat cancer at 63
Dec 16 Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet, dies at 90
Dec 18 Harry Hooper, American Baseball HOF right fielder (World Series 1912, 15, 16, 18 Boston Red Sox), dies at 87
Dec 20 André Jolivet, French composer (Jeune France, Mana), dies at 69
Dec 21 James Henry Govier, British artist (b. 1910)
Dec 21 Richard Long, American actor (Prof-Nanny and the Professor), dies at 47
Dec 22 Fosco Giachetti, Italian actor (Wastrel, We the Living), dies at 74
Dec 25 Harry Ray, American film make-up artist, costume designer and actor (Avanti!), dies at 65
Dec 26 Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), dies of heart disease at 59

Jack Benny (1894-1974)

Dec 26 American comedian (The Jack Benny Program), dies of pancreatic cancer at 80

Dec 26 Knudåge Riisager, Danish composer (director of the Royal Danish Academy of Music 1956-67), dies at 77
Dec 26 Robert Levine Sanders, American composer, dies at 68
Dec 27 Amy Vanderbilt, American authority on etiquette ("Complete Book of Etiquette"; "Complete Cook Book"), dies of multiple fractures of the skull at 66
Dec 27 Bob Custer [Raymond Glenn], American silent and sound screen actor (The Fighting Hombre; The Law of the Wild), dies of a heart attack at 76
Dec 28 Paul Dixon, Ohio talk show host (Paul Dixon Show), dies at 56
Dec 31 Donalee Tabern, American scientist and inventor of Pentothal - world's most widely used anesthetic, dies at 74 [1]

On This Day