1971

1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday in the Gregorian calendar, the 1971st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 971st year of the 2nd millennium, the 71st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1970s decade

• January 2 – A ban on television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.
• January 3 – BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom
• January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand resignation of interior minister Kazimierz Switala. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic
• January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices. February 14 they sign a treaty with six Persian Gulf countries
• January 25 – Charles Manson and three female "family members" are found guilty of the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate and others at Sharon's house
• January 25 – Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president
• January 25 – Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state
• West Pakistan attacks the Republic of India in retaliation and the Republic of India attacks the former East Pakistan.
• August 10 – Mr. Tickle, the first book in the Mr. Men series is first published.
• December 6 – The Government of India recognizes the former East Pakistan region as Bangladesh.
• December 16 – East Pakistan becomes a nation as Bangladesh by surrender of West Pakistani combined forces.
• DIC, an animation company, is founded in Paris, France
• November 24 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington, a man calling himself D. B. Cooper hijacks a plane and gets US$200,000 in ransom money. He jumps from the plane and is never seen again (this is the only unsolved skyjacking in history).

• January 17 - Sylvie Testud, French actress
• February 17 – Denise Richards, American actor
• February 25 – Sean Astin, American actor
• February 27 – Roman Giertych, Polish Minister of Education
• March 10 – Timbaland, American music producer
• April 2 – Zeebra, Japanese rapper
• April 18 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
• April 18 – Aphex Twin, Irish-English musician
• May 10 – Kim Jong-nam, Son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
• June 5 – Mark Wahlberg, American actor and singer
• June 16 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper (d. 1996)
• July 30 – Tom Green, Canadian actor
• August 20 – Ke Huy Quan, Vietnamese-American actor
• September 11 - Richard Ashcroft, English singer-songwriter
• September 18 – Lance Armstrong, American athlete
• October 2 – Tiffany Darwish, American singer & actress
• October 13 – Sacha Baron Cohen, English actor and comedian
• October 20
  • Snoop Dogg, American rapper & actor
  • Dannii Minogue, Australian model & singer, sister of Kylie Minogue
• October 21 - Damien Martyn, Australian cricketer
• December 24 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer

• January 10 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer (b. 1883)

• March 8 – Harold Lloyd, American film actor (b. 1893)

• April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
• April 21 – François Duvalier, 32nd President of Haiti (b. 1907)

• May 19 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)

• June 18 – Paul Karrer, Swiss biochemist (b. 1889)

• July 3 – Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (b. 1943)
• July 6 – Louis Armstrong, American jazz musician (b. 1901)
• July 7 – Ub Iwerks, American animator (b. 1901)

• September 11 – Nikita Khrushchev, Leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1894)

• November 3 – Thawi Bunyaket, 5th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1904)

• Clockwork Orange
• Carnal Knowledge
• Duel
• Dauria
• Dirty Harry
• The French Connection
• THX 1138

• "Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
• "Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
• "Stairway to Heaven" – Led Zeppelin
• "What's Going On" – Marvin Gaye
• "Another Day" – Paul & Linda McCartney
• "Black Dog" – Led Zeppelin
• "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
• "Brown Sugar" – The Rolling Stones
• "Coz I Love You" – Slade
• "Draggin' the Line" – Tommy James
• "Family Affair" – Sly & the Family Stone
• "Get It On" – T. Rex
• "Go Away Little Girl" – Donny Osmond
• "Got to Be There" – Michael Jackson
• "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" – Cher
• "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – The Bee Gees
• "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" – The Partridge Family
• "If You Really Love Me" – Stevie Wonder
• "Imagine" – John Lennon
• "Indian Reservation" – The Raiders
• "It Don't Come Easy" – Ringo Starr
• "It's Too Late" – Carole King
• "Maggie Mae" – Rod Stewart
• "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison
• "Never Can Say Goodbye" – The Jackson Five
• "One Bad Apple" – The Osmonds
• "One Less Bell to Answer" – Fifth Dimension
• "Peace Train" – Cat Stevens
• "Proud Mary" – Ike & Tina Turner
• "She's a Lady" – Tom Jones
• "Sooner or Later" – The Grass Roots
• "Temptation Eyes" – The Grass Roots
• "Treat Her Like a Lady" – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
• "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" – Paul & Linda McCartney
• "Where Do I Begin" (Love Story) – Andy Williams

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