What happened in July 1974?
The top front-page story of each day in July 1974, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Jul 1🏗️ Construction Value Up – Building contracts in May reached the year's highest value despite a decline in housing unit construction, according to F.W. Dodge.
- Jul 2🏛️ Perón Dies, Isabel Assumes – Juan Domingo Perón, former Argentine president, died at 78. His wife, Isabel, becomes the first female head of state in the Americas.
- Jul 3🎻 U.S. Violinist Wins Prize – Eugene Fodor, a 24-year-old violinist from Colorado, shared second prizes in the Tchaikovsky Violin Competition in Moscow.
- Jul 4🌍 World Cup Finalists Set – West Germany and Netherlands advance to the World Cup title match after Poland's elimination in Frankfurt.
- Jul 5🎾 Evert Reaches Wimbledon Final – Chris Evert defeats Miss Melville 6-2, 6-3, advancing to the Wimbledon women's final against Olga Morozova.
- Jul 6🐢 Rare Turtle Hatched – An eight-year experiment in Texas resulted in the hatching of a tiny sea turtle, the first of its kind born in the U.S. in 25 years.
- Jul 7🌍 Typhoon Kills 27 – A typhoon struck western Japan, resulting in 27 deaths and 23 missing, according to national police reports.
- Jul 8🌍 World Cup Gross – The 1974 World Cup tournament grossed $29-$31 million, marking it as the biggest football business of all time, according to Herman Neuberger.
- Jul 9🌍 Trudeau Wins Election – Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Liberal party won a decisive victory in the Canadian national elections, securing a majority in Parliament.
- Jul 10💣 Nuclear Test Scheduled – An underground nuclear test is set for today at the Nevada test site, with a yield of 20 to 200 kilotons.
- Jul 11✈️ Fuji and Rockwell Deal – Fuji Heavy Industries and Rockwell International signed an agreement to jointly develop a twin-engine business plane.
- Jul 12🎨 Revolution Brings Art – A major art show in Lisbon highlights cultural opportunities arising from the recent revolution, showcasing artistic expression after decades of repression.
- Jul 13🌍 Major Earthquake Recorded – A major earthquake measuring 7.3 struck near the Panama-Colombia border, potentially causing damage, but no reports have emerged yet.
- Jul 14🏛️ Guggenheim Museum Opens – The Other Guggenheim Museum in Venice showcases works by Picasso and features Peggy Guggenheim's personal collection.
- Jul 15🇫🇷 Bastille Day Parade – Paris celebrated Bastille Day with a parade of men, not machines, marking a return to traditional festivities.
- Jul 16🌍 Salyut 3 Mission Risk – Soviet space authorities disclosed they considered curtailing the Salyut 3 mission due to intense solar flares affecting the astronauts aboard.
- Jul 17🏛️ Nixon Ousted from Office – President Nixon's impeachment inquiry intensifies as evidence mounts against him, leading to calls for his resignation.
- Jul 18🚀 Soviet Astronauts Return – Two Soviet astronauts prepare to return to Earth after nearly two weeks in an orbiting space laboratory, as reported by Izvestia.
- Jul 19🌋 Soviet Volcano Power – The Soviet Union plans to harness the heat from an active volcano to generate a 300,000-kilowatt electricity station.
- Jul 20🚀 Soyuz Returns Safely – Two Soviet astronauts returned safely after rehearsing docking techniques for next year's Soviet-American space mission.
- Jul 21🏇 True Knight Triumphs – True Knight wins the $114,800 Suburban Handicap at Aqueduct, defeating nine rivals including Forego by 1½ lengths.
- Jul 22🌌 Apollo 11 Memento Gift – Neil Armstrong presented a piece of the moon to Washington Cathedral during a choir performance, celebrating lunar exploration.
- Jul 23🏟️ Suffolk Stadium Planning – Suffolk County initiates plans for a large stadium to host professional baseball and football on Long Island.
- Jul 24⚖️ Supreme Court Meets – The Supreme Court announced it would meet, raising speculation about a ruling on President Nixon's challenge regarding White House tapes.
- Jul 25🔬 Meningitis Vaccine Success – Large-scale trials confirm a vaccine's effectiveness against cerebrospinal meningitis in Egypt and Sudan, as reported by WHO.
- Jul 26⚖️ Supreme Court Ruling – The Supreme Court ruled against busing children across district lines for school desegregation, impacting integration efforts nationwide.
- Jul 27📰 Nixon Faces Impeachment – President Nixon's aides assert his confidence in being vindicated as the House prepares to consider impeachment articles.
- Jul 28📜 Impeachment Articles Proposed – The House Judiciary Committee has prepared articles of impeachment against President Nixon, marking a significant moment in U.S. history.
- Jul 29📰 Impeachment Article Drafted – Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee refined the wording for a second article of impeachment against President Nixon.
- Jul 30🌍 Pacemaker for Infant – Doctors successfully implanted a pacemaker in an 18-hour-old baby, potentially the youngest recipient of such a device.
- Jul 31🏛️ Nixon Surrenders Tapes – President Nixon surrendered the first group of subpoenaed Watergate tapes to Federal District Judge John J. Sirica as ordered by the Supreme Court.
Happy Birthday! 1974 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1974 in real headlines. See the 1974 book →
Born in July? Pick the day
Every birthday in July has its own On This Day in Headlines book: