What happened in December 1971?
The top front-page story of each day in December 1971, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Dec 1🚀 Soviets Land Emblem on Mars – The Soviet Union announced the successful landing of a capsule with their emblem on Mars, marking a historic first for mankind.
- Dec 2🔬 Mars Moon Photos Released – NASA released the finest photographs of Mars' moon Phobos, revealing its irregular shape and a large crater.
- Dec 3💰 $1.5 Billion Drug Funding – The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to allocate $1.5 billion for a coordinated federal campaign against illicit drugs.
- Dec 4🔬 NASA Space Technology Unit – NASA announced a new office to apply space technology to solve Earth's problems, marking a significant step in scientific advancement.
- Dec 5🌌 Mars Craft Detects Stream – Soviet Mars 3 spacecraft detects evidence of Earth's magnetic tail farther out in space than previously recorded.
- Dec 6🏛️ Finlandia House Opens – Finlandia House, a concert and conference hall, opened in Helsinki, fulfilling a century-old dream for the city.
- Dec 7🇮🇳 East Pakistan Celebrates – East Pakistanis in Calcutta celebrated India's recognition of their government with processions and festivities.
- Dec 8🚀 Soviet Mars Capsule Lands – The Soviet Union announced the successful landing of its Mars 3 capsule, which briefly transmitted signals before contact was lost.
- Dec 9🏅 King Advances in Tennis – Billie Jean King won her match at the New Zealand Open, advancing to the third round with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
- Dec 10🌕 Moon's Layering Confirmed – Seismologists concluded that the moon has layered structures similar to Earth's, based on analysis of tremors from space vehicle impacts.
- Dec 11🏆 Nobel Prize Presented – Chancellor Willy Brandt received the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, symbolizing hope for Germany and Norway.
- Dec 12🛩️ British Planes Evacuate Foreigners – British cargo planes began evacuating foreigners from Dacca, East Pakistan, with about 100 people arriving in Calcutta.
- Dec 13🔬 Soviet Completes Hydroelectric Plant – The Soviet Union announced the completion of the world's largest hydroelectric plant in Siberia, surpassing the Grand Coulee Dam's capacity.
- Dec 14🚀 Apollo 16 Rocket Moves – The next to last moon rocket for Apollo 16 was moved to its launch pad at Cape Kennedy, marking a significant step in the space program.
- Dec 15💵 Dollar Devaluation Announced – President Nixon announced a decision to devalue the dollar, marking a significant shift in U.S. monetary policy amid international currency crisis.
- Dec 16🌍 Soviet Union Launches Satellite – The Soviet Union launched Cosmos 465, an unmanned satellite, which is reported to be functioning normally.
- Dec 17📜 Pope Calls for Peace – Pope Paul VI urged for peace based on justice, rejecting peace imposed by power and force.
- Dec 18🌍 Berlin Access Agreement – The two Germanys signed an agreement governing access through East German territory to non-Communist Berlin sectors.
- Dec 19🏌️♂️ Bobby Jones Dies – Bobby Jones, the master golfer who achieved a grand slam in 1930, passed away at his home in Atlanta at age 69.
- Dec 20💼 500,000 New Jobs – The U.S. Administration anticipates that a monetary accord will create at least 500,000 new jobs nationwide.
- Dec 21🛰️ New Satellite Launched – Scientists successfully placed the Intelsat 4 communications satellite in a stationary orbit 22,300 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
- Dec 22💵 Dollar Firm After Realignment – Most global currency markets reopened, confirming expectations that the dollar would remain stable after last weekend's realignment.
- Dec 23✈️ Airliner Crash Kills 28 – A Bulgarian airliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Sofia, resulting in at least 28 fatalities, as reported by the Bulgarian government.
- Dec 24🌍 World Bank Loans Approved – The World Bank announced $200 million in loans for economic development projects in eight countries.
- Dec 25🔥 Fire Rips Through Hotel – A fire in a Seoul hotel killed 26 and injured 58, causing significant damage and raising safety concerns.
- Dec 26🔥 141 Die in Seoul Fire – A devastating fire at the Taeyunkak Hotel in Seoul resulted in 141 fatalities, with rescue workers recovering numerous bodies from the wreckage.
- Dec 27🏛️ Treasures Unearthed – Greek archeologists discovered a rich 3,500-year-old city on the Aegean island of Thera, revealing a prehistoric art gallery.
- Dec 28🔬 Mars Atmosphere Discovery – Soviet spacecraft detected hydrogen and oxygen atoms in Mars' upper atmosphere, marking a significant scientific finding.
- Dec 29🌌 Evidence of Black Hole – Astrophysicists support evidence of a black hole, originally proposed by Oppenheimer and Snyder 32 years ago, indicating a collapsed star's dense matter.
- Dec 30🚂 Indian Train Reopens – The Calcutta-Jessore rail link reopened after six years, re-establishing a crucial connection between India and Bangladesh.
- Dec 31🌍 NASA and Russia Data Exchange – NASA and the Soviet Academy of Sciences agreed to exchange information on the biological effects of space flight.
Happy Birthday! 1971 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1971 in real headlines. See the 1971 book →
Born in December? Pick the day
Every birthday in December has its own On This Day in Headlines book: