1971 was a little confusing. The Vietnam War was still going on, the US invaded Laos, and the movies gave us Shaft and Dirty Harry cleaning things up vigilante style . . . ”do you feel lucky punk?”.  

American kids of 1971 were busy learning how to enunciate correctly from the Electric Company while shovelling spoonfuls of Count Chocula and Cocoa Pebbles
cereal into their mouths. Meanwhile, the teenagers of 1971 were getting busy in their Ford Pinto’s as Led Zeppelin played Stairway To Heaven.

But all 1971really wanted to do was to buy the world a Coke and keep it company - right on!

JANUARY

02 - 66 Football fans are killed when barrier collapses at Ibrox Park, Glasgow
07 - Long hair for men is declared legal in the USSR
11 - First divorce in UK on sole grounds of "Irretrievable Breakdown" granted
19 - The first all-out strike in the 300 year history of the British Post Office halts UK postal services
25 - Coup puts Idi Amin in power in Uganda
31 - Apollo 14 mission launched

TOP

FEBRUARY

04 - Rolls Royce is declared bankrupt
05 - Apollo 14 lands on Moon. Two moonwalks are made and 100 lbs of moon rock samples collected
07 - Swiss women win the right to vote
09 - The Sylmar earthquake kills 65 and causes $500 million in damage in Southern California
15 - Decimal currency introduced in Britain

TOP

MARCH

01 - A bomb planted by the Weather Underground damages the Senate wing of the Capitol building. No one is injured
10 - Three off-duty British soldiers are murdered by the IRA in Northern Ireland
10 - John Gorton votes himself out - William McMahon is new Australian Prime Minister
12 - A bloodless military coup in Turkey leads to the resignation of premier Suleyman Demirel
23 - Brian Faulkner replaces Major Chichester Clark as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
26 - Civil war erupts in Pakistan and the Awami League declares autonomy for East Pakistan (as Bangladesh)
29 - Charles Manson is convicted of Tate murders. The Manson " family" are sentenced to death
31 - Lt William Calley is found guilty of the massacre of 22 South Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. His superiors are all acquitted leading many to speculate that Calley is being used as a scapegoat

TOP

APRIL

05 - Split in Pakistan sparks civil war
06 - Russian musical maestro Igor Stravinsky, dies in New York
07 - President Nixon announces the withdrawal of 100,000 troops from Vietnam by December
19 - Soviets launch the space station Salyut I
19 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic
20 - Supreme Court rules unanimously that bussing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation
21 - Haitian dictator François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier dies. He is succeeded by his son Jean-Claude 'Baby-Doc', aged 19
23 - Numerous Vietnam veterans return their medals and decorations as part of the anti-war protest in Washington DC

TOP

MAY

03 - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators attempt to stop government activities by blocking traffic into Washington DC during the morning rush hour
12 - Mick Jagger marries Bianca Perez Morena De Macias in the Town Hall at St Tropez, France
21 - EEC agrees terms for British entry
23 - Jackie Stewart wins Monaco Grand Prix
24 - Neville Bonner is first Australian Aboriginal senator
26 - $500,000 Qantas payout to bomber in Australia
27 - Egypt and the USSR sign a 15-year treaty of friendship
30 - The spacecraft Mariner 9 achieves a successful orbit of Mars

TOP

JUNE

06 - The Ed Sullivan Show airs for the final time
06 - Soviets G T Dobrovolsky, V N Volkov and V I Patsayev become first cosmonauts to man an orbital space station.
11 - A group of American Indians end their 19 month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. The fifteen protesters had claimed the island under a provision in a treaty between the government and the Indian nations which gave American Indians free run of unused federal land. They are forcibly removed by US Marshals
13 - The first instalment of The Pentagon Papers - excerpts from the Pentagon's classified study History of the US Decision-Making Process on Vietnam Policy - is published in the New York Times. Former Defense Department analyst Daniel Ellsberg admits to leaking the material and is indicted for theft and possession of secret documents
30 - Soviet cosmonauts mysteriously found dead in their spaceship after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere

TOP

JULY

02 - 19-year-old part Aboriginal girl, Evonne Goolagong, takes women's singles title at Wimbledon
03 - Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, dies in Paris of a heart attack while in the bath
03 -  Anti-apartheid riots on Springboks rugby tour of Australia and New Zealand
06 - Jazz legend Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong dies
07 - Swedish pop stars Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog (later of Abba) are married near Skane in Sweden
09 - Two civilians are shot dead by British troops in  Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The British government refuses to hold an inquiry
13 - The Jordanian army begins a campaign to remove Palestinian guerillas from bases in North Jordan. Iraq and Syria close borders with Jordan in protest
29 - Tito re-elected President in Yugoslavia
31 - David Scott and James Irwin of Apollo 15 are the seventh and eighth men to walk on the moon, but the first to drive there in the Moon Rover

TOP

AUGUST

11 - 300 suspected terrorists are arrested in Northern Ireland
11 - Belfast is torn by rioting after introduction of internment without trial
18 - Australia and New Zealand announce the withdrawal of combat troops from Vietnam
18 - Deaf mute shot dead in Northern Ireland because he ignored an order to stop

TOP

SEPTEMBER

03 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono leave London for New York. John will never return to the UK
09/13 - 43 people die in riots at Attica State Correctional Facility in Attica, NY
11 - Soviet statesman Nikita Khrushchev dies
24 - Britain expels 90 Russian diplomats for alleged spying
30 - US Coastguards prevent members of a new Canadian environmental pressure group from reaching the island of Amchitka off the coast of Alaska (the site of an imminent US nuclear test). The campaigners are onboard a fishing boat which they have called Greenpeace

TOP

OCTOBER

10 - Re-built London Bridge is opened at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Built in 1824 across the River Thames, the bridge has been dismantled and shipped brick-by-brick from London, England to its new home
12 - Rock & roll pioneer Gene Vincent dies of a ruptured stomach ulcer (aged 36) in California
25 - 26th Amendment to US Constitution lowers voting age to 18
25 - UN votes to admit Communist China and expel Taiwan
27 - Republic of Congo changes its name to Zaire
29 - Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band dies in a motorcycle accident, aged 24

TOP

NOVEMBER

05 - Princess Anne named Sportswoman of the Year
12 - Nixon proclaims the end of the US offensive in Vietnam and announces the withdrawal of 45,000 troops by Feb 1972
15 - China takes seat at UN  for first time
24 - Somewhere between Seattle, Washington and Reno, Nevada, hijacker DB Cooper parachutes from a Northwest Orient jet with $200,000 in ransom money. Cooper, who is never apprehended, becomes an instant folk hero
28 - Palestinian guerrillas assassinate the Jordanian Prime Minister. King Hussein rules out further talks
30 - Australian combat role in Vietnam ends

TOP

DECEMBER

03 - India and Pakistan go to war over Bangladesh
06 - India recognizes the independence of Bangladesh
17 - Pakistan surrenders after two-week war with India
20 - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto becomes president of Pakistan
22 - Mujibur Rahman becomes president of Bangladesh
26 - The heaviest bombing of North Vietnam since November 1968 commences
31 - Kurt Waldheim becomes UN secretary general

Top 20 TV Favorites

1.) All in the Family
2.) The Flip Wilson Show
3.) Marcus Welby M.D.
4.) Gunsmoke
5.) The ABC Movie of the Week
6.) Sanford and Son
7.) Funny Face
8.) Adam 12
9.) The Mary Tyler Moore Show
10.) Here's Lucy
11.) Hawaii Five-0
12.) Medical Center
13.) The NBC Mystery Movie
14.) Ironside
15.) Partridge Family
16.) The F.B.I.
17.) The New Dick VanDyke Show
18.) The Wonderful World of Disney
19.) Bonanza

MOVIES
Best Movie: The French Connection
Best Actor: Gene Hackman (French Connection)
Best Actress: Jane Fonda (Klute)
Song of the Year: You've Got A Friend by James Taylor
Play Misty for Me
Dirty Harry
A Clockwork Orange
Bananas
The French Connection
Carnal Knowledge
Diamonds are Forever
Big Jake
Dirty Harry
Klute
Shaft
Summer of '42
The Last Picture Show
Fiddler of the Roof
Willard


Other Notable Events of 1971:

U.S. planes bomb Viet Cong supply routes in Cambodia.
Lt. William L. Calley, Jr., found guilty of premeditated murder in Mylai massacre.

First segments of "Pentagon Papers" appear in The New York Times.

President Nixon orders 90-day wage and price freeze.
U.S.S.R. soft-lands a space capsule on Mars.
Charles Manson and three co-defendents found guilty of Sharon Tate murder.

Tennis star Billie Jean King becomes first woman athlete to win ,000 in a single year.

10 guards and 32 prisoners are killed when police storm Attica prison following a five-day uprising.

Cigarette advertisements are banned from U.S. television.

U.S. Apollo 14 and 15 crews become the third and fourth groups to explore the moon's surface.
Hank Aaron hits his 600th career home run


MUSIC

The number One song on Graduation night was Joy to the World by Three Dog Night.

MUSIC--Top 100 1971

*1 JOY TO THE WORLD
Three Dog Night (#1, April)

*2 MAGGIE MAY/
REASON TO BELIEVE
Rod Stewart (#1, Oct)

*3 II'S TOO LATE/
I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE
Carole King (#1, June)

*4 ONE BAD APPLE
The Osmonds (#1 Feb)

*5 HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART
The Bee Gees (#1, Aug)

*6 INDIAN RESEVATION (The Lament Of the Cherokee Resevation Indian)
The Raiders (#1, July)

*7 GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL
Donny Osmond (#1, Sept)

8 TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS
John Denver with Fat City (#2, Aug)

*9 JUST MY IMAGINATION (Running Away With Me)
The Temptations (#1, April)

*10 KNOCK THREE TIMES
Dawn (#1, Jan)

*11 ME AND BOBBY MCGEE
Janis Joplin (#1, March)

12 TIRED OF BEING ALONE
Al Green (#11, Nov)

*13 WANT ADS
The Honey Cone (#1, June)

14 SMILING FACES SOMETIMES
The Undisputed Truth (#2, Sept)

15 TREAT HER LIKE A LADY
Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose (#3, July)

*16 BROWN SUGER
The Rolling Stones (#1, May)

*17 YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND
James Taylor (#1, July)

18 MR. BIG STUFF
Jean Knight (#2, Aug)

19 DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
Lee Michaels (#6, Oct)

20 THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN
Joan Baez (#3, Oct)

21 WHAT'S GOING ON
Marvin Gaye (#2, April)

*22 UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY
Paul and Linda McCartney (#1, Sept)

23 AIN'T NO SUNSHINE
Bill Withers (#3, Sept)

24 SIGNS
The Five Man Electrical Band (#3, Aug)

25 SHE'S A LADY
Tom Jones (#2, March)

26 I FOUND SOMEONE OF MY OWN
The Free Movement (#5, Nov)

27 SUPERSTAR
Murray Head And The Trinidad Singers (#14, May)

28 AMOS MOSES
Jerry Reed (#8, Feb)

29 TEMPTATION EYES
The Grass Roots (#15, April)

30 SUPERSTAR/
BLESS THE BEASTS AND CHILDREN
The Carpenters (#2, Oct)

*31 MY SWEET LORD/
ISN'T IT A PITY
George Harrison (#1, Dec 1970)

32 SWEET AND INNOCENT
Donny Osmond Of the Osmonds (#7, June)

33 PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND
Ocean (#2, May)

34 CHICK-A-BOOM (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)
Daddy Dewdrop (#9, May)

35 FOR ALL WE KNOW
The Carpenters (#3, March)

36 IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND
Gordon Lightfoot (#5, Feb)

37 HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT
Sammi Smith (#8, March)

38 RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS
The Carpenters (#2, June)

*39 GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES
Cher (#1, Nov)

40 NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE
The Jackson Five (#2, May)

41 ROSE GARDEN
Lynn Anderson (#3, Feb)

42 DON'T PUL YOUR LOVE
Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds (#4, July)

43 IT DON'T COME EASY
Ringo Starr (#4, June)

44 MR. BOJANGLES
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#9 Feb)

45 I LOVE YOU FOR ALL SEASONS
The Fuzz (#21, May)

46 WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET
The Dramatics (#9, Sept)

47 THAT'S THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE
Carly Simon (#10, July)

48 IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME
Stevie Wonder (#8, Oct)

49 SPANISH HARLEM
Aretha Franklin (#2, Sept)

50 I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM
Helen Reddy (#13, June)

51 YO-YO
The Osmonds (#3, Oct)

52 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER/
BRAND NEW ME
Aretha Franklin (#6, June)

53 DOESN'T SOMEBODY WANT TO BE WANTED
The Partridge Family (Starring Shirley Jones
and Featuring David Cassidy) (#6, March)

54 DRAGGIN' THE LINE
Tommy James (#4, Aug)

55 PROUD MARY
Ike and Tina Turner (#4 March)

56 BEGINNINGS/
COLOUR MY WORLD
Chicago (#7 Aug)

57 STAY AWHILE
The Bells (#7 May)

58 SWEET CITY WOMAN
The Stampeders (#8 Oct)

59 ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO
Lobo (#5, May)

60 ANOTHER DAY/
OH WOMAN OH WHY
Paul McCartney (#5, April)

61 IF
Bread (#4, May)

62 MERCY MERCY ME (The Ecology)
Marvin Gaye (#4, Aug)

63 ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE
Brewer & Shipley (#10, April)

64 SHE'S NOT JUST ANOTHER WOMAN
The 8th Day (#11 July)

65 BRING THE BOYS HOME
Freda Payne (#12, Aug)

66 I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE
Rare Earth (#7, Sept)

67 NEVER ENDING SONG OF LOVE
Delaney and Bonnie and Friends (#13, July)

68 EASY LOVING
Freddie Hart (#17, Nov)

69 LIAR
Three Dog Night (#7, Aug)

70 STICK-UP
The Honey Cone (#11, Sept)

71 CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP
Matt And Katie Kissoon (#20, Oct)

72 (Where Do I Begin) LOVE STORY
Andy Williams (#9, April)

73 WILD WORLD
Cat Stevens (#11, April)

74 WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT
Jerry Reed (#9, June)

75 FUNKY NASSAU (Part 1)
The Beginning Of The End (#15, July)

76 IF NOT FOR YOU
Olivia Newton-John (#25, Sept)

77 GROOVE ME
King Floyd (#6 Jan)

78 WATCHING SCOTTY GROW
Bobby Goldsboro (#11, Feb)

79 WOODSTOCK
Matthews' Southern Comfort (#23, May)

80 AMAZING GRAVE
Judy Collins (#15, Feb)

81 I HEAR YOU KNOCKING
Dave Edmunds (#4, Feb)

82 LONELY DAYS
The Bee Gees (#3, Jan)

83 HERE COMES THAT RAINY DAY FEELING AGAIN
The Fortunes (#15, July)

84 WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN
The Who (#15, Sept)

85 TRAPPED BY A THING CALLED LOVE
Denice LaSalle (#13, Oct)

86 MAMA'S PEARL
The Jackson Five (#2, Feb)

87 TIMOTHY
The Buoys (#17, May)

88 I WOKE UP IN LOVE THIS MORNING
The Partridge Family (Starring Shirley Jones
and Featuring David Cassidy) (#13, Sept)

*89 THEME FROM "SHAFT"
Isaac Hayes (#1, Nov)
90 IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN

Gladys Knight and the Pips (#9, Feb)
91 I AM, I SAID/
DONE TOO SOON
Neil Diamond (#5, May)

92 WEDDING SONG (There Is Love)
Paul Stookey (#24, Oct)

93 DON'T KNOCK MY LOVE (Part 1)
Wilson Pickett (#13, June)

94 LOVE HER MADLY
The Doors (#11, May)

95 HERE COMES THE SUN
Richie Havens (#16, May)

96 SWEET MARY
Wadsworth Mansion (#7, Feb)

97 RIGHT PN THE TIP OF MY TONGUE
Brenda and the Tabulations (#23, June)

98 ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER
The Fifth Dimension (#2, Dec 1970)

99 RIDERS ON THE STORM
The Doors (#14, Sept)

100 IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
Perry Como (#10, Jan)