1975

Events

January

• January
• * Altair 8800 is released, sparking the microcomputer revolution.
• * Volkswagen introduces the Golf, its new front-wheel-drive economy car, in the United States and Canada as the Volkswagen Rabbit.
• January 1
• * Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham join Fleetwood Mac.
• * Watergate scandal : John N. Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up.
• * Malawi changes its capital city from Zomba to Lilongwe.
• January 2
• * The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.
• * Bangladesh revolutionary leader Siraj Sikder is killed by police while in custody.
• * A bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.
• January 5 – Tasman Bridge disaster: The Tasman Bridge in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier, killing 12 people.
• January 6 – United States television debuts:
• * Game show Wheel of Fortune premieres on NBC.
• * AM America makes its television debut on ABC.
• January 7 – OPEC agrees to raise crude oil prices by 10%.
• January 8
• * Ella Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first female U.S. governor who does not succeed her husband.
• * U.S. President Gerald Ford appoints Vice President Nelson Rockefeller to head a special commission looking into alleged domestic abuses by the CIA.
• January 10 – * February 9 – The flight of Soyuz 17 with the crew of Georgy Grechko and Aleksei Gubarev) aboard the Salyut 4 space station.
• January 14 – Heiress Lesley Whittle, 17, is kidnapped from her home in Shropshire, England by Donald Neilson.
• January 15
• * Alvor Agreement: Portugal announces that it will grant independence to Angola on November 11.
• * International Women's Year is launched in Britain by Princess Alexandra and Barbara Castle.
• * Steel roller coaster Space Mountain opens at Walt Disney World in Florida, becoming one of the park's most popular attractions into the 21st century.
• January 18 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is divided between the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, partly in response to the 1973 oil crisis.
• January 19 – The 6.8 Kinnaur earthquake affected Himachal Pradesh in India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX, killing 47.
• January 20
• * In Hanoi, North Vietnam, the Politburo approves the final military offensive against South Vietnam.
• * American talent agent Michael Ovitz founds the Creative Artists Agency.
• * Work is abandoned on the British end of the Channel Tunnel.
• January 24 – Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett plays the solo improvisation The Köln Concert at the Cologne Opera, which, recorded live, becomes the best-selling piano recording in history.
• January 26 – Immaculata University defeats the University of Maryland 80–48 in the first nationally televised women's basketball game in the United States.
• January 29 – The Weather Underground radical student group bombs the United States Department of State main office in Washington, D.C.

  February

• February 1 – The Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation is launched in the Philippines.
• February 4 – The Haicheng earthquake, the first successfully predicted earthquake, kills 2,041 and injures 27,538 in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
• February 5 – The Argentinian president Isabelita Perón decrees Operativo Independencia, aiming to neutralize or annihilate the "subversive elements" in the province of Tucuman. Isabelita takes advantage to take a self-coup and assume extraordinary powers.
• February 6 – A crucial by-election is held in Kankesanthurai, Sri Lanka.
• February 11
• * Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for the leadership of the opposition UK Conservative Party. Thatcher, 49, is Britain's first female leader of any political party.
• * Colonel Richard Ratsimandrava, President of Madagascar, is assassinated.
• February 13
• * A "Turkish Federated State of North Cyprus" is declared as an unsuccessful first step to international recognition of a Turkish Cypriot separatist state in Cyprus.
• * A fire breaks out in the World Trade Center.
• February 21 – Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell, and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, are sentenced to between 30 months and 8 years in prison.
• February 23 – In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly 2 months early in the United States.
• February 26 – A fleeing Provisional Irish Republican Army member shoots and kills off-duty London police officer Stephen Tibble, 22, as he gives chase.
• February 27 – The 2 June Movement kidnaps West German politician Peter Lorenz. He is released on March 4 after most of the kidnappers' demands are met.
• February 28
• * A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London kills 43 people.
• * In Lomé, Togo, the European Economic Community and 46 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries sign a financial and economic treaty, known as the first Lomé Convention.
• * The National Liberation Front of Angola approaches the South African Embassy in London and requests 40 to 50 artillery pieces to assist their cause in the Angolan Civil War.

  March

• March 1
• * Aston Villa win the Football League Cup at Wembley, beating Norwich City 1–0 in the final.
• * Australian television switches to full-time colour.
• March 4
• * Charlie Chaplin is knighted by Elizabeth II.
• * A Canadian parliamentary committee is televised for the first time.
• March 6
• * Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement in their border dispute.
• * A bomb explodes in the Paris offices of the Springer Press. The March 6 Group demands amnesty for the Baader-Meinhof Group.
• March 7 – The body of teenage heiress Lesley Whittle, kidnapped 7 weeks earlier by the "Black Panther", is discovered in Staffordshire, England.
• March 8
• * The United Nations proclaims International Women's Day.
• * First appearance of Davros in Doctor Who.
• March 9 – Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
• March 10
• * Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon.
• * The Rocky Horror Show opens on Broadway in New York City; closed after 3 previews and 45 performances.
• * An extended portion of Sanyō Shinkansen between Okayama Station and Hakata Station opens, thus making Shinkansen reach the second island, Kyushu, Japan.
• March 11 – The leftist military government in Portugal defeats a rightist coup attempt in head of the former president António de Spínola.
• March 13 – Vietnam War: South Vietnam President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu orders the Central Highlands evacuated. This turns into a mass exodus involving troops and civilians.
• March 15 – In Brazil, Guanabara State merges into the state of Rio de Janeiro. The state's capital moves from the city of Niterói to the city of Rio de Janeiro.
• March 22 – Ding-a-dong by Teach-In wins the 20th Eurovision Song Contest 1975 for the Netherlands.
• March 25 – King Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by his nephew.
• March 27 – The South African government announces that it will consolidate the 113 separate homeland areas into 36.
• March 28 – A fire in the maternity wing at Kucic Hospital in Rijeka, former Yugoslavia, kills 25 people.
• March 29 – Blow by Blow by Jeff Beck is released. It would become his most successful album in the United States, reaching the top five and selling over one million copies.
• March 31
• * Süleyman Demirel of AP forms the new government of Turkey.
• *In his final game on the sideline, John Wooden coaches UCLA to its 10th national championship in 12 seasons when the Bruins defeat Kentucky 92–85 in the title game at San Diego.

  April

• April 3
• * Bobby Fischer refuses to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov, giving Karpov the title.
• * Monty Python and the Holy Grail is released in the UK.
• April 4
• * Vietnam War: The first military Operation Babylift flight, C5A 80218, crashes 27 minutes after takeoff, killing 138 on board; 176 survive the crash.
• * Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• April 5 – The Soviet manned space mission ends in failure during its ascent into orbit when a critical malfunction occurs in the second and third stages of the booster rocket during staging at an altitude of 192 km, resulting in the cosmonauts and their Soyuz spacecraft having to be ripped free from the vehicle. Both cosmonauts survive.
• April 9
• * Asia's first professional basketball league, the Philippine Basketball Association, plays its first game at the Araneta Coliseum.
• * Eight people in South Korea, who are involved in the People's Revolutionary Party Incident, are hanged.
• April 13
• * Bus massacre: The Kataeb militia kills 27 Palestinians during an attack on their bus in Ain El Remmeneh, Lebanon, triggering the Lebanese Civil War which lasts until 1990.
• * A coup d'état in Chad led by the military overthrows and kills President François Tombalbaye.
• April 15 – Karen Ann Quinlan, 21, faints after consuming Quaaludes at a party. She becomes a controversial subject in the right to die movement after her parents sue to have her comatose body removed from life-support. She lives off a feeding tube until 1985.
• April 17 – The Khmer Republic surrenders, when the Communist Khmer Rouge guerilla forces capture Phnom Penh ending the Cambodian Civil War, with mass evacuation of American troops and Cambodian civilians.
• April 18 – The Khmer Rouge begins a forcible mass evacuation of the city and starts the genocide.
• April 19 – Nico Diederichs becomes the 3rd State President of South Africa.
• April 20 – Taman Mini Indonesia Indah opens to public in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• April 24 – Six Red Army Faction terrorists take over the West German embassy in Stockholm, take 11 hostages and demand the release of the group's jailed members; shortly after, they are captured by Swedish police.
• April 25 – Vietnam War: As North Vietnamese Army forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost 10 years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.
• April 29 – Vietnam War:
• * Operation Frequent Wind – Americans and their allies are evacuated from South Vietnam by helicopter.
• * North Vietnam concludes its East Sea Campaign by capturing all of the Spratly Islands that were being held by South Vietnam.
• April 30 – The Vietnam War ends with the Fall of Saigon: The Vietnam War concludes as Communist forces from North Vietnam take Saigon, resulting in mass evacuation of the remaining American troops and South Vietnam civilians. As the capital is taken, South Vietnam surrenders unconditionally and is replaced with the temporary Provisional Government.

  May

• May 1 – The Khmer Rouge raided several Vietnamese towns, which eventually leads to the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.
• May 3 – West Ham United wins the FA Cup at Wembley, beating Fulham 2–0 in the final. Both goals are scored by Alan Taylor. West Ham legend Bobby Moore, appears for Fulham.
• May 5 – The Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park opens in Virginia.
• May 6
• * The South African government announces that it will provide all Black children with free and compulsory education.
• * A violent F4 tornado hits the Omaha metropolitan area, killing three and injuring more than 137.
• May 12 – Mayaguez incident: Khmer Rouge forces in Cambodia seize the United States merchant ship in international waters.
• May 15 – Mayaguez incident: The American merchant ship Mayaguez, seized by Cambodian forces, is rescued by the U.S. Navy and Marines; 38 Americans are killed.
• May 16
• * Sikkim accedes to India after a referendum and abolishes the Chogyal, its monarchy.
• * Junko Tabei from Japan becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
• May 17 – Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy becomes the first album to enter the US Billboard 200 album chart at Number One.
• May 25
• * Bobby Unser wins the Indianapolis 500 for a second time in a rain-shorted 174 lap, race.
• * The Golden State Warriors win the 1975 NBA basketball championship.
• May 27
• * The Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, North Yorkshire, England results in 32 deaths.
• * In the National Hockey League, The Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Buffalo Sabres 2–0 in game six of the finals to claim their second straight Stanley Cup.
• May 28 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.

  June

• June 5
• * The Suez Canal opens for the first time since the Six-Day War.
• * The United Kingdom votes yes in a referendum to stay in the European Community.
• June 6 – The Georgetown Agreement, formally creating the ACP Group, is signed.
• June 9 – The Order of Australia is awarded for the first time.
• June 10 – In Washington, D.C., the Rockefeller Commission issues its report on CIA abuses, recommending a joint congressional oversight committee on intelligence.
• June 11
• * After a referendum and seven years of military rule, modern day Greece is established as the Hellas Republic.
• * In Uganda, British author and adventurer Denis Hills is sentenced to death by firing squad for referring to Idi Amin as a 'village tyrant'.
• June 19 – Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan is found guilty in absentia of the murder of nanny Sandra Rivett.
• June 20 – Jaws is released in theaters and becomes a popular summer hit, setting the standard for Hollywood blockbusters for years to come.
• June 25
• * Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a state of emergency in India, suspending civil liberties and elections.
• * Mozambique gains independence from Portugal.
• June 26 – Two FBI agents and one AIM member die in a shootout, at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

  July

• July 1 – The Postmaster-General's Department is disaggregated into the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Australian Postal Commission.
• July 4
• * Zion Square refrigerator bombing. A terrorist attack in downtown Jerusalem kills 15 civilians and wounds 77.
• * Sydney newspaper publisher Juanita Nielsen disappears, and is presumed to have been murdered.
• July 5 – Cape Verde gains independence after 500 years of Portuguese rule.
• July 6
• * The Comoros declares and is granted their independence from France.
• * Ruffian, an American champion thoroughbred racehorse breaks down in a match race against Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure; she has to be euthanized the following day.
• July 9 – The National Assembly of Senegal passes a law that will pave way for a multi-party system.
• July 12 – São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
• July 17 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: A manned American Apollo spacecraft and the manned Soviet Soyuz spacecraft for the Soyuz 19 mission, docks in orbit, marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the 2 nations.
• July 30 – In Detroit, former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing.

  August

• The first Cuban forces arrive in Angola to join Soviet personnel who are there to assist the MPLA that controls less than a quarter of Angolan territory.
• The United States, Zaire and Zambia request South Africa to provide training and support for the FNLA and UNITA.
• August 1 – The Helsinki Accords, which officially recognize Europe's national borders and respect for human rights, are signed in Finland.
• August 3 – The Louisiana Superdome opens in New Orleans.
• August 5 – U.S. President Ford posthumously restores the U.S. citizenship of General Robert E. Lee, military leader of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
• August 8
• * The Banqiao Dam, in China's Henan Province, fails after Typhoon Nina; over 200,000 people perish.
• * Samuel Bronfman II, son of the president of Seagram's, is kidnapped in Purchase, New York.
• August 11
• * British Leyland Motor Corporation comes under British government control.
• * Governor Mário Lemos Pires of Portuguese East Timor abandons the capital Dili, following a UDT coup and the outbreak of civil war between UDT and Fretilin.
• August 15
• * The Birmingham Six are wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment in Great Britain.
• * Founder President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh is killed during a coup led by Major Syed Faruque Rahman.
• * Some members of Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon will occur this year based on the group's chronology and some sell their houses and businesses to prepare for the new world paradise which they believe will be created when Jesus establishes God's Kingdom on Earth.
• August 20 – Viking program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
• August 24 – Officers responsible for the military coup in Greece in 1967 are sentenced to death in Athens. The sentences are later commuted to life imprisonment.
• August 25
• * The Victoria Falls Conference between Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and the United African National Council is held in a South African Railways coach on the Victoria Falls Bridge, officiated by Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda and South African Prime Minister John Vorster.
• * Bruce Springsteen's album Born to Run is released in the United States.

  September

• September–October – In New Zealand, Māori leader Whina Cooper leads a march of 5,000 people, in support of Maori claims to their land.
• September 5
• * In Sacramento, California, Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is thwarted by a Secret Service agent.
• * The London Hilton Hotel is bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army; two people are killed and 63 injured.
• September 6 – An earthquake of magnitude kills at least 2,085 in Diyarbakır and Lice, Turkey.
• September 9 – Riverfront Coliseum opens in Cincinnati.
• September 14
• * Elizabeth Seton is canonized, becoming the first American Roman Catholic saint.
• * Rembrandt's painting The Night Watch is slashed a dozen times at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
• September 15 – The French department of "Corse", comprising the entire island of Corsica, is divided into two departments: Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.
• September 16
• * Papua New Guinea gains its independence from Australia.
• * Cape Verde, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe join the United Nations.
• September 18 – Fugitive Patty Hearst is captured in San Francisco.
• September 19
• * General Vasco Gonçalves is ousted as Prime Minister of Portugal.
• * The British comedy sitcom Fawlty Towers airs on BBC Two.
• September 20 – The term of Tuanku Al-Mutassimu Billahi Muhibbudin Sultan Abdul Halim Al-Muadzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, as the 5th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, ends.
• September 21 – Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim Petra of Kelantan, becomes the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
• September 22 – U.S. President Gerald Ford survives a second assassination attempt, this time by Sara Jane Moore in San Francisco.
• September 24 – Dougal Haston and Doug Scott on the 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by any of its faces and the first Britons to reach the summit by any route.
• September 27 – Francoist Spain executes five ETA and FRAP members, the last executions in Spain to date.
• September 28 – The Spaghetti House siege takes place in London.
• September 30 – The Hughes Helicopters AH-64 Apache makes its first flight.

  October

• October 1 – Thrilla in Manila: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines.
• October 2 – A blast at an explosives factory kills six in Beloeil, Quebec.
• October 9 – A bomb explosion outside the Green Park tube station near Piccadilly in London kills one and injures 20.
• October 11 – NBC airs the first episode of Saturday Night Live.
• October 14
• * The South African Defence Force invades Angola during Operation Savannah in support of the FNLA and UNITA prior to the Angolan elections scheduled for November 11.
• * An RAF Avro Vulcan bomber explodes and crashes over Żabbar, Malta after an aborted landing, killing five crew members and one person on the ground.
• October 16
• * The "Balibo Five" Australian television journalists are killed at Balibo by Indonesian Army special forces in the buildup to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.
• * The last naturally occurring case of smallpox is diagnosed and treated, the victim being two-year-old Rahima Banu.
• October 21 – 1975 World Series: The Boston Red Sox defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Game 6 off Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning home run to cap off what many consider to be the best World Series game ever played.
• October 22 – 1975 World Series: The Reds defeat the Red Sox in Game 7, in a broadcast that breaks records for a televised sporting event.
• October 27 – Robert Poulin kills one and wounds five at St. Pius X High School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada before shooting himself.
• October 28 - Dr. No is broadcast on ITV, the first time a Bond film is shown on British television.
• October 30
• * Peter Sutcliffe commits his first murder, that of Wilma McCann.
• * Juan Carlos I of Spain becomes acting head of state after dictator Francisco Franco concedes that he is too ill to govern.
• October 31
• * The Queen single "Bohemian Rhapsody" is released. It later becomes one of their most popular songs.
• * The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 took effect in Australia.
• * Tun Mustapha resigned as Chief Minister of Sabah, a state in Malaysia, bringing to an end speculation that he would attempt to lead secession for Sabah to become an independent nation.

  November

• November 3
• * An independent audit of Mattel, one of the United States' largest toy manufacturers, reveals that company officials fabricated press releases and financial information to "maintain the appearance of continued corporate growth".
• * The first petroleum pipeline opens from Cruden Bay to Grangemouth, Scotland.
• * The long-running television game show The Price Is Right expands from 30 minutes to its current hour-long format on CBS.
• November 6 – The Green March begins: 300,000 unarmed Moroccans converge on the southern city of Tarfaya and wait for a signal from King Hassan II of Morocco to cross into Western Sahara.
• November 7 – A vapor cloud explosion at a petroleum cracking facility in Geleen, Netherlands leaves 14 dead and 109 injured, with fires lasting for five days.
• November 10
• * United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379: By a vote of 72–35, the United Nations General Assembly approves a resolution equating Zionism with racism. The resolution provokes an outcry among Jews around the world. It is repealed in 1991.
• * The -long freighter sinks during a storm from the entrance to Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members on board.
• * Lev Leshchenko revives Den Pobedy, one of the most popular World War II songs in the USSR.
• November 11
• * Angola becomes independent from Portugal and civil war erupts.
• * Australian constitutional crisis of 1975: Governor-General of Australia Sir John Kerr controversially dismisses the Whitlam Labor Government and commissions Malcolm Fraser of the Liberal/National Country Coalition as caretaker Prime Minister.
• * The first annual Vogalonga rowing "race" is held in Venice, Italy.
• November 12 – The Comoros joins the United Nations.
• November 14 – Madrid Accords: Spain abandons Western Sahara.
• November 15 – The "Group of 6" industrialized nations is formed.
• November 16 – Beginning of the Third Cod War between UK and Iceland, which lasts until June 1976.
• November 19 – The United States Congress approves the Clark Amendment, ending aid to the FNLA and UNITA.
• November 20
• * Former California Governor Ronald Reagan enters the race for the Republican presidential nomination, challenging incumbent President Gerald Ford.
• * Spanish dictator Francisco Franco dies in Madrid, effectively marking the end of the dictatorship established following the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of Spain's transition to democracy.
• November 22 – Juan Carlos is declared King of Spain following the death of dictator Francisco Franco; he would reign until his abdication in 2014.
• November 25
• * Suriname gains independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• November 26 – The cult classic movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show is released in the United States.
• November 27 – Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records, is shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army for offering reward money to informers.
• November 28
• * Portuguese Timor declares its independence from Portugal as East Timor.
• * South African Navy frigates evacuate 26 SADF members from behind enemy lines at Ambrizete, north of Luanda in Angola.
• November 29
• * The name "Micro-soft" is used by Bill Gates in a letter to Paul Allen for the first time.
• * While disabled, the submarine tender discharges radioactive coolant water into Apra Harbor, Guam. A Geiger counter at two of the harbor's public beaches shows 100 millirems/hour, 50 times the allowable dose.
• Formula One world champion Graham Hill is killed when the Piper Aztec aeroplane he was piloting crashed in foggy conditions near Arkley golf course in North London.

  December

• December 2 – In Laos, the communist party of the Pathet Lao takes over Vientiane and defeats the Kingdom of Laos, forcing King Sisavang Vatthana to abdicate and creating the Lao People's Democratic Republic. This ends the Laotian Civil War, with mass evacuation of American troops and Laotian civilians, but effectively begins the ongoing Insurgency in Laos with the Pathet Lao fighting the Hmong people, Royalist-in-exile and the Right-wings.
• December 3 – Wreck of is found in the Kea Channel by Jacques Cousteau.
• December 7 – Indonesian invasion of East Timor: Indonesia invades East Timor; the occupation continues until 1999, when U.N. peacekeepers take over control until 2002.
• December 8 – New York City is approved for bailout of 2.3 billion each year through to 1978 – 6.9 billion total.
• December 13
• * 1975 Australian federal election: The Liberal/National Country Coalition led by Malcolm Fraser defeats the recently dismissed Labor Government led by Gough Whitlam. The incoming Fraser Government achieves what is so far the largest parliamentary majority in federal Australian political history. Whitlam would subsequently survive a leadership challenge against him.
• * United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness comes into effect.
• December 18 – The Lutz family moves into 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, Long Island, New York, in the United States, only to flee from the house after 28 days, which will go on to inspire the story of The Amityville Horror.
• December 21 – Six people, including Carlos the Jackal, kidnap delegates of an OPEC conference in Vienna.
• December 25
• * The heavy metal band Iron Maiden is formed by Steve Harris in London.
• * The Wizard of Oz is shown on British television for the first time, on BBC One.
• December 29 – A bomb explosion at LaGuardia Airport in New York City kills 11 people.

  Date unknown

• The Spanish Army quits Spanish Sahara, last remnant of the Spanish Empire. The Sahrawi Republic is created. Morocco invades the former territory.
• The government of Colombia announces the finding of Ciudad Perdida.
• Benoit Mandelbrot coins the mathematical term fractal.
• Lyme disease is first diagnosed at Lyme, Connecticut.
• Victoria abolishes capital punishment.
• South Australia becomes the first Australian state to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults.
• Peter Gabriel departs Genesis, and is replaced on lead vocals by drummer Phil Collins.
• The first monster truck, Bigfoot, is created by Bob Chandler.
• David Sanborn releases his first solo album, Taking Off, in the United States.

  World population

Births

January

• January 1
• * Kamaal Rashid Khan, Indian actor and internet celebrity
• * Sonali Bendre, Indian actress
• * Eiichiro Oda, Japanese manga artist
• * Jorge Gutierrez, Mexican animator and director
• January 2
• * Doug Robb, American musician
• * Dax Shepard, American actor
• * Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, Ukrainian footballer
• * Vladyslav Vashchuk, Ukrainian footballer
• * Robert Westerholt, Dutch musician
• January 3
• * Danica McKellar, American actress and education advocate
• * Jason Marsden, American actor
• January 5
• * Bradley Cooper, American actor
• * Mike Grier, American hockey player
• January 6
• * Nicole DeHuff, American actress
• * Jason King, British radio DJ and presenter
• * Yukana Nogami, Japanese voice actress
• * Ricardo Santos, Brazilian beach volleyball player
• January 8 – Chris Simmons, British actor
• January 10 – Jake Delhomme, American football player
• January 11
• * Rory Fitzpatrick, American hockey player
• * Matteo Renzi, 56th Prime Minister of Italy
• January 13
• * Shazia Mirza, British comedian
• * Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
• January 14 – Ricardo López, Uruguayan-American pest control worker
• January 15 – Mary Pierce, French tennis player
• January 16 – Anthony Taberna, Filipino broadcast journalist and radio commentator
• January 17
• * Tony Brown, New Zealand rugby union footballer
• * Freddy Rodriguez, American actor
• January 20
• * David Eckstein, American baseball player
• * Mark Allan Robinson, Canadian recall leader
• January 21 – Zach Helm, American writer, director, and producer
• January 22 – Balthazar Getty, American actor
• January 23 – Tito Ortiz, American mixed martial arts fighter
• January 24 – Paul Marazzi, English singer
• January 25
• * Ricky Rodriguez, American murderer
• * Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
• * Tim Montgomery, American athlete
• * John Wade, American football player
• January 28
• * Tanya Chua, Singapore singer
• * Terri Conn, American actress
• * Hiroshi Kamiya, Japanese voice actor and singer
• * Lee Latchford-Evans, English singer
• January 29
• * Sharif Atkins, American television actor
• * Sara Gilbert, American actress
• January 30 – Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese singer
• January 31 – Preity Zinta, Indian actress and entrepreneur

  February

• February 1 – Big Boi, American rapper
• February 2
• * Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian hockey player
• * Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
• February 3 – Brad Thorn, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
• February 4
• * Natalie Imbruglia, Australian actress and singer
• * Pietro Taricone, Italian actor, television personality, and reality show contestant
• February 6
• * Matt Alber, American singer-songwriter, filmmaker & youth advocate based in Portland, OR.
• * Tomoko Kawase, Japanese singer
• February 8 – Shane Shamrock, American professional wrestler
• February 9 – Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican baseball player
• February 10 – Hiroki Kuroda, Japanese baseball pitcher
• February 11 – Jacque Vaughn, American basketball player
• February 14 – Malik Zidi, French actor
• February 16 – Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
• February 17
• * Harisu, South Korean singer, model and actress
• * Todd Harvey, Canadian hockey player
• * Kaspars Astašenko, Latvian ice hockey player
• * Václav Prospal, Czech hockey player
• * Michiko Kichise, Japanese actress
• February 18
• * Sarah Brown, American actress
• * Igor Dodon, President of Moldova
• * Keith Gillespie, Northern Irish footballer
• * Gary Neville, English footballer
• February 19 – Mohamed Aly, Egyptian reformist and writer
• February 20 – Brian Littrell, American pop singer
• February 21 – Mark Ross, American rock singer and entrepreneur
• February 22 – Drew Barrymore, American actress and film producer
• February 23
• * Wilfred Kibet Kigen, Kenyan long-distance runner
• * Callan Mulvey, New Zealand-born Australian actor
• February 25
• * Chiemi Chiba, Japanese voice actress
• * Chelsea Handler, American comedian and television host

  March

• March 1
• * Maya Kulenovic, Canadian painter
• * Valentina Monetta, Sammarinese singer
• March 3 – Khadaffy Janjalani, Filipino terrorist
• March 4
• * Myrna Veenstra, Dutch field hockey player
• * Jerod Turner, American professional golfer
• March 5
• * Jolene Blalock, American actress
• * Niki Taylor, American model
• March 6 – Aracely Arámbula, Mexican actress, singer and model
• March 7
• * Audrey Marie Anderson, American actress
• * Leon Dunne, Australian swimmer
• * T. J. Thyne, American actor
• March 9
• * Roy Makaay, Dutch footballer
• * Lisa Miskovsky, Swedish musician
• March 11
• * Eric the Midget, American TV personality
• * Buvaisar Saitiev, Chechen wrestler
• * David Cañada, Spanish cyclist
• March 12 – Kéllé Bryan, English singer
• March 13 – Matt Sing, Australian rugby league player
• March 15
• * Eva Longoria, American actress
• * Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
• * will.i.am, American rapper and singer
• March 17
• * Test, Canadian professional wrestler
• * Natalie Zea, American actress
• * Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer
• March 18
• * Brian Griese, American football player
• * Sutton Foster, American actress
• March 19
• * Vivian Hsu, Taiwanese singer, actress and model
• * Le Jingyi, Chinese swimmer
• * Matthew Richardson, Australian rules footballer
• * Brann Dailor, American drummer
• March 21
• * Fabricio Oberto, Argentinian-Italian basketball player
• * Justin Pierce, British-American actor
• * Mark Williams, Welsh professional snooker player
• March 22 - Guillermo Díaz, American actor
• March 25
• * Ladislav Benýšek, Czech ice hockey player
• * Melanie Blatt, English singer
• March 27
• * Fergie, American singer and actress
• March 28 – Richard Kelly, American director
• March 29 – Jan Bos, Dutch speed skater
• March 30 – Bahar Soomekh, American actress

  April

• April 2
• * Pedro Pascal, Chilean-American actor
• * Adam Rodriguez, American actor
• * Deedee Magno Hall, American actress and singer
• April 3
• * Aries Spears, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer
• * Yoshinobu Takahashi, Japanese professional baseball player
• * Koji Uehara, Japanese baseball pitcher
• April 4
• * Delphine Arnault, French businesswoman and entrepreneur
• * Scott Rolen, American baseball player
• April 5
• * John Hartson, Welsh footballer
• * Juicy J, American rapper, songwriter and record producer
• April 6
• * Zach Braff, American actor
• * Sónia Lopes, Cape Verdean runner
• April 7
• * Ronde Barber, American football player
• * Tiki Barber, American football player
• * John Cooper, America guitarist and singer
• April 8 – Anouk, Dutch singer-songwriter and producer
• April 9
• * Robbie Fowler, British footballer
• * David Gordon Green, American filmmaker
• April 10
• * Chris Carrabba, American singer and guitarist
• * David Harbour, American actor
• April 13
• * Bruce Dyer, English footballer
• * Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
• April 14
• * Amy Dumas, American professional wrestler
• * Stefano Miceli, Italian conductor and pianist
• * Anderson Silva, Brazilian UFC fighter
• * Takayoshi Tanimoto, Japanese singer
• April 15 – Paul Dana, American racing driver
• April 16
• * Sean Maher, American actor
• * Karl Yune, American actor
• * Megumi Ōhara, Japanese voice actress
• April 17 – Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player
• April 21 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
• April 22
• * Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver
• * Ginny Owens, American singer, songwriter, author and blogger
• * Carlos Sastre, Spanish road bicycle racer
• April 23 – Olga Kern, Russian pianist
• April 26
• * Joey Jordison, American metal drummer
• * India Summer, American actress
• April 25 – Chris Lilley, Australian actor, comedian, and writer
• April 27 – Kazuyoshi Funaki, Japanese ski jumper
• April 29 – Eric Koston, American skateboarder
• April 30
• * Johnny Galecki, Belgian-born American actor
• * Mike Chat, American actor
• * Tomi Joutsen, Finnish metal musician

  May

• May 1 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer
• May 2
• *David Beckham, English footballer
• * Ahmed Hassan, Egyptian footballer
• May 3
• * Andreea Bibiri, Romanian actress and theatre director
• * Christina Hendricks, American actress
• * Dulé Hill, American actor and tap dancer
• * Kimora Lee Simmons, American fashion designer
• May 7 – Jason Tunks, Canadian discus thrower
• May 8
• * Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer
• * Jussi Markkanen, Finnish hockey player
• May 9 – Chris Diamantopoulos, Canadian actor
• May 10
• * Hazem Emam, Egyptian footballer
• * Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian race car driver
• * Julie Nathanson, American actress and voice actress
• * Torbjørn Brundtland, Norwegian musician
• May 12
• * Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player
• * Jared Polis, American politician, 43rd Governor of Colorado
• May 13
• * Itatí Cantoral, Mexican actress
• * Brian Geraghty, American actor
• May 15
• * Peter Iwers, Swedish rock bassist
• * Ray Lewis, American football player
• May 16
• * Tony Kakko, Finnish singer
• * Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete
• May 17
• *Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
• *Jonti Picking, British animator, voice actor and internet personality
• May 18
• * John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
• * Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter
• * Irina Karavayeva, Russian trampolinist
• May 19
• *London Fletcher, American football player
• * Jonas Renkse, Swedish musician
• *Dorit Bar Or, Israeli actress
• *Masanobu Ando, Japanese actor
• *Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, Japanese manga artist
• *Zhang Ning, Chinese badminton player
• May 20
• * Al Bano, Italian singer
• * Tahmoh Penikett, Canadian actor
• * Miriam Quiambao, Filipina actress
• * Andrew Sega, American musician
• May 21 – Anthony Mundine, Australian rugby league player and boxer
• May 22
• * Janne Niinimaa, Finnish hockey player
• * Harriet Toompere, Estonian actress
• May 23 – Michiel van den Bos, Dutch composer
• May 25
• * Keiko Fujimori, Peruvian politician
• * Lauryn Hill, American singer
• May 26
• * Tsuruno Takeshi, Japanese actor and singer
• May 27
• * André 3000, American musician, record producer, and actor
• * Chrigel Glanzmann, Swiss metal singer
• * Jamie Oliver, English chef, restaurateur and television personality
• * ZP Theart, South African singer and songwriter
• May 28 – Charmaine Sheh, Hong Kong actress
• May 29
• * David Burtka, American actor and professional chef
• * Jason Allison, Canadian hockey player
• * Mel B, English singer, songwriter, rapper, television personality, actress and author
• * Melanie Brown, British singer
• * Gunnar Garfors, Norwegian media professional, traveller, and author
• * Daniel Tosh, American comedian
• May 31 – Toni Nieminen, Finnish ski jumper

  June

• June 1
• * Gareth Edwards, British director
• * Bryan Konietzko, American animator
• *Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian politician, Prime Minister if Armeni
• June 4
• * Nikki Araguz, American marriage equality activist, author, and public speaker
• * Russell Brand, English actor and comedian
• * Angelina Jolie, American actress
• June 5
• * Scott Holroyd, American actor
• June 7
• * Shane Bond, New Zealand fast bowler
• * Allen Iverson, American basketball player
• * Ekta Kapoor, Indian actress
• June 8 – Shilpa Shetty, Bollywood actress
• June 9
• * Serena Liu, Taiwanese dancer and actress
• * Andrew Symonds, Australian cricketer
• * Ameesha Patel, Indian actress and model
• June 10 – Darren Eadie, English footballer
• June 11
• * Choi Ji-woo, South Korean actress and model
• * Gergely Karácsony, Hungarian politician
• June 14
• * Chris Onstad, American cartoonist
• * Laurence Rickard, English actor, writer and comedian
• June 15 – Elizabeth Reaser, American actress
• June 16 – Anabel Conde, Spanish singer
• June 17 – Phiyada Akkraseranee, Thai actress
• June 18 – Martin St. Louis, Canadian hockey player
• June 19
• * Oksana Chusovitina, German artistic gymnast
• * Ed Coode, British rower
• June 21 – Oscar Wood, American wrestler
• June 22 – Jeff Hephner, American actor
• June 23
• * Lee Kiat Lee, Malaysian politician
• * KT Tunstall, Scottish singer-songwriter
• * Markus Zusak, Australian writer
• June 24
• * Remco van der Ven, Dutch cyclist
• * Christie Pearce, American footballer
• * Jean-Kome Loglo, Togolese tennis player
• * Carla Gallo, American actress
• June 25
• * Linda Cardellini, American actress
• * Natasha Klauss, Colombian actress
• * Vladimir Kramnik, Russian chess player
• June 26
• * Gwendolyn Rutten, Belgian politician
• * Luke Mejares, Filipino singer-songwriter
• * Florence Loiret Caille, French actress
• June 27
• * Tobey Maguire, American actor
• * Mosese Rauluni, Fijian rugby union footballer
• * Asier Etxeandia, Spanish actor
• * Timote Moleni, Tongan footballer
• June 28
• * Jeff Geddis, Canadian actor
• * Ning Baizura, Malaysian singer
• * Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish singer
• June 29
• * Șerban Pavlu, Romanian actor
• * Mime Gopi, Indian actor
• June 30
• * Robert Avellanet, Puerto Rican singer and actor
• * James Bannatyne, New Zealand footballer
• * Ralf Schumacher, German racing car driver
• * Angela Tong, Hong Kong actress

  July

• July 1 – Sufjan Stevens, American musician
• July 2
• * Stefan Terblanche, South African rugby union player
• * Maxim Mehmet, German actor
• July 3 – Ryan McPartlin, American actor
• July 4
• * Scott Major, Australian actor and director
• * John Lloyd Young, American actor and singer
• July 5
• * Zander de Bruyn, South African cricketer
• * Hernán Crespo, Argentinian footballer
• * Kip Gamblin, Australian actor
• * Surya Saputra, Indonesian actor, singer, and model
• * Alberto Castillo, Cuban baseball pitcher
• * Patrick Hivon, Canadian actor
• * Ai Sugiyama, Japanese tennis player
• July 6
• * 50 Cent, American rapper
• * Sebastián Rulli, Argentine actor and model
• * Alessandro Juliani, Canadian actor and singer
• July 7
• * Richard Arkless, Scottish politician
• * Jason Brilz, American mixed martial artist
• * João Bosco Cabral, Timorese footballer
• * Khaled Gahwji, Saudi football player
• * Nina Hoss, German actress
• * Michael Voss, Australian rules footballer
• July 8
• * Amara, Indonesian actress, model, and singer
• * Elias Viljanen, Finnish musician
• * Régis Laconi, French motorcycle racer
• July 9
• * Shelton Benjamin, American professional wrestler
• * Damián Szifron, Argentine director and screenwriter
• * Robert Koenig, American film director and producer
• * Jack White, American singer and guitarist
• July 10
• * Martina Colombari, Italian actress, model and television presenter
• * Edoardo Gabbriellini, Italian actor, screenwriter, and director
• * Alain Nasreddine, Canadian ice hockey player
• * Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor
• July 11
• * Spencer Cox, American lawyer and politician
• * Jon Wellner, American actor
• * Bridgette Andersen, American actress
• July 13 – Diego Spotorno, Ecuadorian actor and TV host
• July 14 – Flore Zoé, Dutch photographer
• July 15
• * K Brosas, Filipino actress, comedian, singer and television host
• * Jill Halfpenny, British actress
• July 16 – Edoardo Gabbriellini, Italian actor, screenwriter, and director
• July 17
• * Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
• * Darude, Finnish DJ and record producer
• * Cécile de France, Belgian actress
• * Harlette, British fashion designer
• * Konnie Huq, English television presenter
• * Terence Tao, Australian-American mathematician
• July 18
• * Torii Hunter, American baseball player
• * Daron Malakian, Armenian-American guitarist
• * M.I.A., British musician born Mathangi Arulpragasam
• July 19
• * Heather Armstrong, American blogger
• * Patricia Ja Lee, American actress and model
• * Kamijo, Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
• July 20
• * Judy Greer, American actress and author
• * Ray Allen, American basketball player
• July 21 – Fredrik Johansson, Swedish musician
• July 22 – Kenshin Kawakami, Japanese baseball pitcher
• July 23 – Suriya, Indian actor
• July 24
• * Eric Szmanda, American actor
• * Torrie Wilson, American professional wrestler and model
• July 25
• * Håvard Ellefsen, Norwegian musician
• * Evgeni Nabokov, Kazakh-Russian hockey goaltender
• July 27
• * Shea Hillenbrand, American baseball player
• * Alex Rodriguez, American baseball player
• July 29 – Terrence Wilkins, American football player
• July 30
• * Tazin Ahmed, Bangladeshi journalist, actress, playwright, and director
• * Graham Nicholls, British artist

  August

• August 1
• * Danny Chan Kwok-kwan, Hong Kong actor
• * Vhrsti, Czech illustrator
• August 3 – Yoyo Mung, Hong Kong actress
• August 4
• * Andy Hallett, American singer and actor
• * Jason Crump, Australian motorcycle speedway rider
• August 5
• * Kajol Devgan, Indian actress
• * Eicca Toppinen, Finnish cellist
• August 7
• * Gaahl, Norwegian musician
• * Megan Gale, Australian model and actress
• * Charlize Theron, South African actress
• August 9 – Mahesh Babu, Indian actor
• August 11 – Roger Craig Smith, American voice actor
• August 12 – Casey Affleck, American actor and film director
• August 13
• * Nanni Baldini, Italian voice actor
• * Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistani fast bowler
• August 15 – Kara Wolters, American basketball player
• August 16 – Taika Waititi, New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian
• August 18 – Kaitlin Olson, American actress
• August 22
• * Sheree Murphy, English actress
• * Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian actor
• August 24 – Hayato Sakurai, Japanese martial artist
• August 25 – Raymond Wong Ho-yin, Hong Kong actor
• August 27 – Björn Gelotte, Swedish musician
• August 29 - Dante Basco, American actor
• August 30 - Radhi Jaidi, Tunisian footballer
• August 31 – Sara Ramirez, American Actress

  September

• September 1
• * Maritza Rodríguez, Colombian former actress and model
• * Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Australian actress and singer
• * Elvira Rahić, Bosnian singer
• * Scott Speedman, Canadian actor
• September 2 – Czech neo-burlesque impresario
• September 3 – Redfoo, American disc jockey
• September 4 – Mark Ronson, English DJ, record producer, and singer
• September 5 – J. P. Calderon, American volleyball player, model and reality show personality
• September 6
• * Derrek Lee, American baseball player
• * Ryoko Tani, Japanese judoka
• September 7 – Renato Sobral, Brazilian martial artist
• September 8 – Larenz Tate, American actor
• September 9 – Michael Bublé, Canadian musician
• September 10 – R. Luke DuBois, American composer and artist
• September 11 – Brad Fischetti, American musician
• September 13 – Peter Ho, American-Taiwanese singer and actor
• September 16
• * Gal Fridman, Israeli windsurfer
• * Shannon Noll, Australian singer
• September 17
• * Jimmie Johnson, American race car driver
• * Constantine Maroulis, American singer
• * Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver
• September 18
• * Charlie Finn, American actor
• * Richard Appleby, English footballer
• * Jason Sudeikis, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
• September 20
• * Asia Argento, Italian actress, singer, and director
• * Moon Bloodgood, American actress
• September 22
• * Mireille Enos, American actress
• * Ethan Moreau, Canadian hockey player
• September 23 – Kim Dong-moon, South Korean badminton player
• September 25
• * Declan Donnelly, British TV presenter, actor and singer
• * Matt Hasselbeck, American football player
• September 27 – Sam Lee, Hong Kong actor
• September 28 – Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia
• September 30
• * Marion Cotillard, French actress, singer, songwriter, and musician
• * Ta-Nehisi Coates, American author and journalist
• * Christopher Jackson, American actor, musician, and composer
• * Georges-Alain Jones, French singer
• * Glenn Fredly, Indonesian R&B singer and songwriter

  October

• October 1 – Bimba Bosé, Spanish model, actress and singer
• October 3 – Alanna Ubach, American actress and singer
• October 5
• * Monica Rial, American voice actress
• * Kate Winslet, British actress
• * Scott Weinger, American actor, voice actor, writer and producer
• * Gao Yuanyuan, Chinese actress
• * Parminder Nagra, British actress
• October 6 – Mark Schwarzer, Australian footballer
• October 7
• * Terry Gerin, American professional wrestler
• * Kaspars Znotiņš, Latvian actor
• October 9
• * Joe McFadden, British actor
• * Mark Viduka, Australian footballer
• October 9 – Sean Ono Lennon, American musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist
• October 10 – Ihsahn, Norwegian musician
• October 14
• * Floyd Landis, American cyclist
• * Shaznay Lewis, English singer
• October 15 – Michél Mazingu-Dinzey, German-Congolese footballer
• October 16
• * Alexandra Barreto, American actress
• * Jacques Kallis, South African cricketer
• * Sally Biddulph, British journalist and presenter
• October 19
• * Benjamin Heckendorn, American electronics modifier and independent filmmaker
• * James L. Venable, American composer
• October 20 – Natalie Gregory, American child actress
• October 21
• * Henrique Hilário, Portuguese footballer
• * Madchild, Canadian rapper
• October 22
• * Jesse Tyler Ferguson, American actor
• * Mike Riley, American cartoonist
• October 23
• * Odalys García, Cuban actress
• * Keith Van Horn, American basketball player
• * Michelle Beadle, American sports reporter and host
• October 24 – Melissa Hutchison, American voice actress
• October 25 – Zadie Smith, English writer
• October 28 – Krisztián Zahorecz, Hungarian football player
• October 30 – Ian D'Sa, Canadian guitarist
• October 31 – Director X, Canadian music video director

  November

• November 2
• * Zhang Ouying, Chinese footballer
• * Danny Cooksey, American actor, voice actor and singer
• November 3 – Marta Domínguez, Spanish athlete
• November 4
• * Éric Fichaud, Canadian hockey player
• * Lorenzen Wright, American basketball player
• November 5
• * Lisa Scott-Lee, Welsh singer
• * Jamie Spaniolo, American rapper
• November 7 – Marcus Luttrell, American U.S. Navy Seal
• November 8
• * Ángel Corella, Spanish dancer
• * Tara Reid, American actress
• * Steve J. Palmer, American actor and producer
• November 10 – Markko Märtin, Estonian race car driver
• November 11
• * Daisuke Ohata, Japanese rugby union player
• * Angélica Vale, Mexican-American actress, singer, and comedian
• November 12 – Jason Lezak, American swimmer
• November 14 – Faye Tozer, English singer
• November 15 – Hiromi Ominami, Japanese long-distance runner
• November 16
• * Yuki Uchida, Japanese actress
• * Julio Lugo, Dominican baseball player
• November 18
• * Neal E. Boyd, American singer and reality show winner
• * Anthony McPartlin, British TV presenter, actor and singer
• * David Ortiz, Dominican-American baseball player
• November 19 – Sushmita Sen, Indian beauty queen and actress
• November 20
• * Dierks Bentley, American country music singer
• * Joshua Gomez, American actor
• November 21
• * Cherie Johnson, American actress
• * Chris Moneymaker, American poker player
• * Aaron Solowoniuk, Canadian drummer
• November 22
• * James Madio, American actor
• * Michael Cohen, Canadian actor and writer
• November 24
• * Thomas Kohnstamm, American writer
• * Lee Wan Wah, Malaysian badminton player
• November 26 – DJ Khaled, American DJ, record executive, songwriter, record producer and media personality
• November 27 – Bad Azz, American rapper
• November 28 – Eka Kurniawan, Indonesian writer
• November 30
• * Mindy McCready, American country music singer
• * Ben Thatcher, Welsh footballer

  December

• December 1 – David Hornsby, American actor
• December 2 – Malinda Williams, American actress
• December 3 – Csaba Czébely, Hungarian drummer
• December 5
• * Sofi Marinova, Bulgarian singer
• * Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player
• * Paula Patton, American actress
• December 6 – Ashin, Taiwanese singer
• December 8 – Kevin Harvick, American race car driver
• December 10
• * Joe Mays, American baseball pitcher
• * Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress
• December 11 – Gerben de Knegt, Dutch cyclist
• December 12
• * Mayim Bialik, Israeli-American actress and neuroscientist
• * Houko Kuwashima, Japanese voice actress
• December 13
• * Lucía Meza Guzmán, Mexican politician
• * Tom DeLonge, American musician, author, and UFOlogist
• December 16
• * Frode Fjerdingstad, Norwegian photographer
• * Ben Kowalewicz, Canadian vocalist
• December 17
• * Tim Clark, South African golfer
• * Nick Dinsmore, American professional wrestler
• * Susanthika Jayasinghe, Sri Lankan athlete
• * Hilje Murel, Estonian actress
• * Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-born American actress and model
• December 18
• * Sia Furler, Australian singer-songwriter and music video director
• * Trish Stratus, Canadian professional wrestler and model
• * Randy Houser, American country music singer
• * Masaki Sumitani, Japanese television performer
• December 20 – Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
• December 21
• * Paloma Herrera, Argentine ballet dancer
• * Charles Michel, Belgian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Council
• * Dixon, German house and techno DJ, producer and label manager
• December 23 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
• December 26
• * Ed Stafford, English explorer
• * Marcelo Ríos, Chilean tennis player
• December 27
• * Heather O'Rourke, American child actress
• * Nike Ardilla, Indonesian singer
• * Solomun, Bosnian DJ and music producer
• December 29 – Shawn Hatosy, American actor
• December 30
• * Yoma Komatsu, Japanese singer
• * Tiger Woods, American golfer
• December 31 – Mikko Sirén, Finnish drummer

  Deaths

January

• January 3
• * Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher
• * Lalit Narayan Mishra, Indian politician
• January 4 – Ole Rømer Aagaard Sandberg, Norwegian military officer and farmer
• January 5 - Gottlob Berger, German Nazi senior official
• January 7 – Harry Gunnison Brown, American economist teaching at Yale in 20th century
• January 8 – Louis P. Lochner, American political activist, journalist, and author
• January 9 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor
• January 14 – Georgi Traykov, former head of State of Bulgaria as Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly
• January 16 – Bandō Mitsugorō VIII, Japanese actor
• January 17 – Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia
• January 18 – Evelyn Greeley, American silent film actress
• January 19 – Thomas Hart Benton, American artist
• January 23 – Prince Karl Franz of Prussia
• January 27
• * Antonín Novotný, Czechoslovak Communist leader and 7th President of Czechoslovakia
• * Bill Walsh, American film producer and writer
• January 28 – Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist

  February

• February 3 – Umm Kulthum, Egyptian actress and singer
• February 4 – Louis Jordan, American musician
• February 5 – George Rowe, American actor
• February 8
• * Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• * Jan Mukařovský, Czech literary, linguistic and aesthetic theorist.
• February 10 – Dave Alexander, American musician
• February 14
• * Julian Huxley, British biologist
• * P. G. Wodehouse, English writer
• February 16 – Morgan Taylor, American Olympic athlete
• February 17 – Hugo Österman, Finnish general
• February 18 – Chivu Stoica, Romanian Communist politician, 48th Prime Minister of Romania and head of State
• February 19 – Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian composer
• February 24 – Nikolai Bulganin, Premier of the Soviet Union
• February 25 – Elijah Muhammad, American Nation of Islam leader

  March

• March 3 – Therese Giehse, German actress
• March 7
• * Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher and literary scholar
• * Ben Blue, Canadian actor and comedian
• March 8
• * Joseph Bech, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
• * George Stevens, American director, producer and cinematographer
• March 9
• * Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor
• * Joseph Dunninger, American mentalist
• March 10 – Arthur W. Hummel Sr., American Christian missionary to China
• March 11 – Margarita Fischer, German silent film actress
• March 13 – Ivo Andrić, Serbo-Croatian writer, Nobel Prize laureate
• March 14 – Susan Hayward, American actress
• March 15 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate
• March 16
• * T-Bone Walker, American blues performer
• * Richard W. DeKorte, American New Jersey Energy Administrator and former member of the New Jersey General Assembly
• March 19
• * Harry Lachman, American set designer and film director
• * Roy Middleton, Australian cricketer and administrator
• March 20 – Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia,
• March 21 – Joe Medwick, American baseball player and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame
• March 25
• * King Faisal of Saudi Arabia
• * Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian politician
• * Michèle Girardon, French actress
• March 27 – Sir Arthur Bliss, British composer and Master of the Queen's Music
• March 30 – Boots Adams, American business magnate, president of Phillips Petroleum Company

  April

• April 5
• * Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese nationalist general and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China
• * Harold Osborn, American Olympic athlete
• * Victor Marijnen, Dutch politician and jurist, 40th Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• April 6 – Percival Gordon, Canadian lawyer
• April 10
• * Walker Evans, American photographer
• * Marjorie Main, American actress
• April 12 – Josephine Baker, France entertainer, activist
• April 14
• * Fredric March, American actor
• * Michael Flanders, English actor and songwriter
• April 17 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India
• April 20 – Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem, Pakistani scientist
• April 24 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist
• April 30 – Gen Paul, French artist

  May

• May 4 – Moe Howard, American actor and comedian
• May 6 – Mary Stocks, Baroness Stocks, British writer
• May 8 – Avery Brundage, American administrator, 5th President of the International Olympic Committee
• May 9
• * Philip Dorn, Dutch actor
• * Archduke Franz Josef of Austria, Prince of Tuscany
• May 13 – Richard Hollingshead, American inventor of the drive-in theatre
• May 18
• * Leroy Anderson, American composer
• * Aníbal Troilo, Argentine tango musician
• May 20 – Dame Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor and artist
• May 22
• * Lefty Grove, American baseball player and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame
• * Amanda Labarca, Chilean diplomat, educator, writer and feminist
• * Torben Meyer, Danish actor
• May 23
• * Paul Legentilhomme, French general
• * Moms Mabley, American comedian
• May 24 – Guy La Chambre, French politician
• May 25 – Count Dante, American martial artist
• May 28 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer, former World Heavyweight Champion
• May 30
• * Philip Mairet, American designer, writer and journalist.
• * Steve Prefontaine, American distance runner
• * Tatsuo Shimabuku, Japanese martial artist and founder of Isshin-ryu karate
• * Michel Simon, Swiss actor

  June

• June 3
• * Eisaku Satō, Japanese politician, 39th Prime Minister of Japan, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
• * Ozzie Nelson, American actor, director and producer
• June 4 – Evelyn Brent, American actress
• June 9 – Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, British aristocrat
• June 11 – Apollo Granforte, Italian opera singer
• June 12 – Rafael Arévalo Martínez, Guatemalan writer
• June 13 – José María Guido, 33rd President of Argentina
• June 15 – William Austin, English actor
• June 18 – Hugo Bergmann, German and Israeli Jewish philosopher
• June 23 – William Hansen, American actor
• June 24 – Wendell Ladner, American basketball player
• June 27
• *Arthur Salter, 1st Baron Salter, British politician
• *G. I. Taylor, British physicist, mathematician and expert on fluid dynamics and wave theory
• June 28 – Rod Serling, American television screenwriter
• June 29 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter

  July

• July 2 – James Robertson Justice, British actor
• July 4 – Luigi Carlo Borromeo, Italian Roman Catholic bishop
• July 6 – Olive Pink, Australian botanical illustrator and anthropologist
• July 10 – Achille Van Acker, 33rd Prime Minister of Belgium
• July 12 – Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, Pakistan broadcaster
• July 14 – Madan Mohan,
• July 15 – Charles Weidman, American choreographer and dancer
• July 17
• * Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian writer and public benefactor
• * L. F. Powell, English literary scholar
• July 18 – Vaughn Bodē, American artist and psychedelic cartoonist
• July 19
• * Lefty Frizzell, American singer
• * Charles Alan Pownall, American admiral and third Military Governor of Guam
• July 21 – Billy West, American actor
• July 23 – Emlen Tunnell, American football player and coach
• July 27 – Anne Spencer, American poet

  August

• August 3
• * Andreas Embirikos, Greek poet
• * Jack Molinas, American basketball player
• August 9 – Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer
• August 10
• * Helen Bailey, eight-year-old schoolgirl who was killed near her home in Birmingham, England
• * Robert Barton, Irish politician and last surviving signatory of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
• August 11
• * Rachel Katznelson-Shazar, Zionist political figure and wife of third President of Israel
• * Anthony McAuliffe, American general
• August 14 – Charles Pollard Olivier, American astronomer
• August 15 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 2nd Prime Minister of Bangladesh and 1st and 4th President of Bangladesh
• August 16 – Vladimir Kuts, Soviet runner
• August 17 – Sig Arno, German actor
• August 19
• * Mark Donohue, American race car driver
• * Frank Shields, American tennis player
• August 23
• * Sidney Buchman, American screenwriter
• * Hank Patterson, American actor
• August 25 – Joseph Kane, American film director and producer
• August 26 – Cullen Landis, American actor
• August 27 – Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia
• August 28 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor
• August 29
• * Bob Baker, American actor
• * Éamon de Valera, Irish politician and statesman, 3rd President of Ireland and 3-time Taoiseach
• August 31 – Pierre Blaise, French actor

  September

• September 2 – Mabel Vernon, American suffragist and pacifist
• September 5 – Alice Catherine Evans, American microbiologist
• September 9
• * Minta Durfee, American actress
• * Ethel Griffies, British actress
• September 10
• * George Paget Thomson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• * Heinz Heimsoeth, German historian
• September 11 – Ivan Afanasenko, Soviet red army general
• September 13 – Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer, Indian musician
• September 15 – Pavel Sukhoi, Soviet aerospace engineer, twice Hero of Socialist Labour
• September 16 – Irene Hayes, American Ziegfeld girl and businesswoman
• September 19 – Pamela Brown, English actress
• September 20 – Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and writer, Nobel Prize laureate
• September 23 – Ian Hunter, British actor
• September 24 – Earle Cabell, American politician
• September 26 – C. H. Waddington, British biologist, paleontologist, geneticist and philosopher
• September 27
• * Jack Lang, Australian politician
• * Mark Frechette, American actor
• September 29 – Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame

  October

• October 3 – Guy Mollet, 94th Prime Minister of France
• October 4 – May Sutton, American tennis champion
• October 6 – Chiura Obata, Japanese-American artist
• October 10
• * Norman Levinson, American mathematician
• * Lillian Walker, American actress
• October 11 –István Antal, Hungarian politician
• October 16 – Benjamin McCandlish, Governor of Guam
• October 19 – Cesare Bettarini, Italian actor
• October 22
• * Prince Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
• * Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian
• October 27
• * Peregrino Anselmo, Uruguyan football player
• * Rex Stout, American author
• October 28 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer
• October 30 – Gustav Ludwig Hertz, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

  November

• November 1 - C. S. Wright, Canadian explorer
• November 2 – Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian film director
• November 4 – Francis Dvornik, Czech historian
• *Audrey Williams, American musician
• November 5
• * Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer and actress
• * Julian C. Smith, American general
• * Agustín Tosco, Argentine union leader
• * Lionel Trilling, American literary critic
• * Sejfi Vllamasi, Albanian congressman
• November 6 – Norman Riches, Welsh cricketer
• November 10 – Wilder D. Baker, American vice admiral
• November 13 – R. C. Sherriff, English writer
• November 14 – Artemi Ayvazyan, Soviet composer
• November 17 – Kay Johnson, American actress
• November 20
• * Francisco Franco, Spanish dictator
• * Tokushichi Mishima, Japanese engineer
• November 29
• * Tony Brise, English racing driver
• * Graham Hill, English race car driver

  December

• December 1
• * Nellie Fox, American baseball player and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame
• * Anna E. Roosevelt, American radio personality
• December 2 – Hugh B. Brown, American attorney, educator, author
• December 4 – Hannah Arendt, German political theorist
• December 7
• * Herbert Collins, British architect
• * Thornton Wilder, American playwright
• December 8
• * Baselios Augen I, Indian Orthodox metropolitan
• * Plínio Salgado, Brazilian politician and writer
• December 9 – William A. Wellman, American film director
• December 10 – Andrew "Boy" Charlton, Australian Olympic swimmer
• December 11 – Lee Wiley, American jazz singer
• December 12 – Saadi Al Munla, 4th Prime Minister of Lebanon
• December 14 – Arthur Treacher, English actor
• December 15 – Shigeyoshi Inoue, Japanese admiral
• December 17 – Noble Sissle, American jazz composer
• December 18 – Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian-American geneticist and evolutionary biologist
• December 19 – René Maheu, French professor and administrator, 6th Director-General of UNESCO
• December 20 – William Lundigan, American actor
• December 21 – Rowland V. Lee, American film director
• December 24
• * Bernard Herrmann, American composer.
• * Petre Mais, British journalist and broadcaster.
• December 27 – Clara Sipprell, Canadian photographer
• December 30 – Elene Akhvlediani, Soviet painter

  Date Unknown

• Saadi Al Munla, 17th Prime Minister of Lebanon
• Sisowath Monireth, former regent and 3rd Prime Minister of Cambodia

  Nobel Prizes

• Physics – Aage Bohr, Ben Roy Mottelson, Leo James Rainwater
• Chemistry – John Warcup Cornforth, Vladimir Prelog
• Medicine – David Baltimore, Renato Dulbecco, Howard Martin Temin
• Literature – Eugenio Montale
• Peace – Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov
• Economics – Leonid Kantorovich, Tjalling Koopmans