What happened in March 1976?
The top front-page story of each day in March 1976, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Mar 1🌍 Sri Lanka Aids Turtles – Sri Lanka bans turtle slaughter and egg removal to protect dwindling populations, enforcing strict penalties for violations.
- Mar 2🔬 Gravitational Waves Proposal – U.S. and Soviet physicists propose a new space flight technique to verify gravitational waves and probe cosmic events.
- Mar 3🏥 Medical Oversight Proposal – A blue ribbon panel proposed creating an independent organization to oversee the U.S. medical system and address its issues.
- Mar 4🚀 Mars Landing Simulations – Viking Project engineers simulate Mars landings, preparing for future missions to explore the planet's surface and search for life.
- Mar 5🏨 Ambassador Hotel Demolition – The Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, a landmark, faces demolition after being closed for nine years.
- Mar 6👮 Women Join Police Patrol – Philadelphia police agree to hire 100 women as beat patrol officers by year-end, marking a significant step for gender equality in law enforcement.
- Mar 7🔬 Gravitational Waves Research – American and Soviet physicists propose a new space flight technique to verify gravitational waves, potentially expanding our understanding of the universe.
- Mar 8🔬 Vaccine to Block Pregnancy – Indian scientists are testing an experimental vaccine to prevent pregnancy in small groups of women across six countries.
- Mar 9🔬 Rockefeller U. at 75 – Rockefeller University celebrates its 75th anniversary, marking significant contributions to modern medicine and biology.
- Mar 10🏛️ Education Funding Boost – House panel recommends $28.6 billion for federal education and jobs programs, $11.7 billion more than President Ford requested.
- Mar 11📞 Telephone's 100th Anniversary – The 100th anniversary of the first telephone call between Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson was celebrated in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Mar 12📈 Dow Closes Above 1,000 – The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 1,000 for the first time in three years, signaling a positive shift in the economy.
- Mar 13🔬 Syphilis Vaccine Tested – Researchers have grown the bacterium causing syphilis in a test tube, leading to the development of an experimental vaccine.
- Mar 14🔬 Jaw Found in Pakistan – A Yale professor discovered a human-type lower jaw in Pakistan, dating back 8-10 million years, linked to early human ancestors.
- Mar 15🏔️ Stenmark Takes Title – Ingemar Stenmark, the Swedish skiing star, wins the World Cup title in Aspen, defeating top competitors from Alpine nations.
- Mar 16🚀 Rocket Launch Anniversary – Fifty years ago, Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-propellant rocket, marking a milestone in aerospace history.
- Mar 17🏛️ Wilson Resigns as PM – Harold Wilson announced his resignation as Britain's Prime Minister, surprising the nation and his party after 13 years in office.
- Mar 18🎨 Gauguin Painting Sold – A record price of $1.4 million for a Gauguin painting was set at a Sotheby's auction, marking a significant art market milestone.
- Mar 19🏛️ Senator Church Enters Race – Senator Frank Church of Idaho officially declared his candidacy for the Democratic Presidential nomination in a rally.
- Mar 20🔬 Laser System Produces Fibers – A Massachusetts company developed a laser system for creating strong, flawless fibers, including single-crystal sapphire with immense tensile strength.
- Mar 21🏛️ Cambodia Elects Assembly – Cambodia's voters participated in the first national elections in the new Communist states of Indochina, marking a significant political event.
- Mar 22🔬 New Fusion Reactor Breakthrough – Rapid progress in fusion research promises 'breakeven' power production for a new reactor to be built at Princeton.
- Mar 23🔬 Cancer Patients Relieved – A Mayo Clinic study shows that placebo pills provided significant pain relief for many cancer patients, especially self-sufficient individuals.
- Mar 24🌍 Russians Report Fusion – Soviet scientists announced successful fusion reactions using electron beams, advancing nuclear energy research.
- Mar 25🇦🇷 Perón Ousted – Isabel Martinez de Perón was removed as President of Argentina in a military coup, marking a significant political shift in the country.
- Mar 26🌍 Jupiter's Magnetic Tail – Jupiter's magnetic tail is found to be enormous, spanning nearly half a billion miles, as revealed by data from the Pioneer 10 spacecraft.
- Mar 27🏨 Ritz Hotel Sold – The Ritz Hotel in London, a landmark on Piccadilly, is sold to a financial conglomerate, promising to maintain its elegance.
- Mar 28🌍 Sea-Limit Pact Signed – India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement on maritime boundaries, establishing a 200-mile economic zone from their coastlines.
- Mar 29🌍 World's Population Hits 4 Billion – The world's population reached four billion, marking a significant milestone in global demographics, according to the Museum of Science and Industry.
- Mar 30🏀 Indiana Wins Title – Indiana won the National Collegiate basketball title by defeating Michigan, 86-68, in Philadelphia.
- Mar 31🌍 Oldest Rock Discovered – Soviet geologists found what they believe to be the oldest rock in the world, over nine billion years old, in northwestern Russia.
Happy Birthday! 1976 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1976 in real headlines. See the 1976 book →
Born in March? Pick the day
Every birthday in March has its own On This Day in Headlines book: