1970s

Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

Decades: 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s - 1970s - 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

Years: 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

• OPEC oil embargo
• Iranian revolution and hostage situation
• Watergate break-in, cover-up, and scandal.
• Richard Nixon's resignation
• end of Vietnam War
• fear of Nuclear war
• high inflation
• high unemployment
• The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark join Common Market in 1973.
• Widespread strikes and industrial unrest in the United Kingdom throughout decade.
• Margaret Thatcher elected Britain's first female prime minister.
• Spanish dictator Francisco Franco dies after 40 year rule.
• Democracy established in Portugal after dictatorship overthrown in millitary coup.
• US backed coup in Chile topples government of Salvador Allende. Is replaced by Augusto Pinochet.
• Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge government in Cambodia results in 2.5 million deaths.
• USSR begins disasterous millitary campaign in Afghanistan.
• Unix created along with C programming language
• Home computer revolution
• Pocket calculators make the slide rule obsolete.
• Disco, Punk rock, Gothic rock music
• Star-Wars
• An age of superstars[?] and idols in sports and music
• Microsoft is founded
• Jamaican reggae music begins to gain an international audience, while dub music influences African Americans in New York City, leading to the development of hip hop
• Indonesian Archaeological Service and UNESCO restore Borobodur[?]

World leaders

• Deng Xiaoping (People's Republic of China)
• President Anwar Sadat (Egypt)
• President Georges Pompidou (France)
• President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (France)
• Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (India)
• President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (Iraq)
• Prime Minister Golda Meir (Israel)
• Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (Israel)
• Prime Minister Menachem Begin (Israel)
• Emperor Hirohito (Japan)
• Pope Paul VI
• Pope John Paul I
• Pope John Paul II
• Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet Union)
• Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)
• Prime Minister Edward Heath (United Kingdom)
• Prime Minister Harold Wilson (United Kingdom)
• Prime Minister James Callaghan (United Kingdom)
• President Richard Nixon (United States)
• President Gerald Ford (United States)
• President Jimmy Carter (United States)
• Chancellor Willy Brandt (West Germany)
• Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (West Germany)

Sports figures

• Henry Aaron
• Larry Bird
• Mohammed Ali
• Terry Bradshaw
• Kareem Abdul Jabbar
• Willie Mays
• Joe Namath[?]
• Pelé

Entertainers

• ABBA
• Aerosmith
• Alan Alda
• Allman Brothers Band
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive[?]
• Black Sabbath
• Blue Oyster Cult
• David Bowie
• Jackson Browne
• Jimmy Buffett
• The Carpenters
• David Cassidy
• Sean Cassidy[?]
• Chicago
• Eric Clapton
• The Clash
• Alice Cooper
• Gary Coleman
• Elvis Costello
• Crass
• The Damned
• Deep Purple
• Neil Diamond
• Richard Dreyfuss
• The Eagles
• Electric Light Orchestra
• Fleetwood Mac
• Genesis
• Gary Glitter
• Gloria Gaynor
• Grateful Dead
• Andy Griffith
• Merle Haggard
• Mark Hamill
• DJ Kool Herc
• Ron Howard
• Waylon Jennings
• Elton John
• Billy Joel
• Journey
• Kiss
• Led Zeppelin
• Loretta Lynn
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Barry Manilow
• Steve Martin
• Motorhead
• Willie Nelson
• Bob Newhart
• Jack Nicholson
• The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players
• Carrol O'Connor[?]
• P Funk (Parliament/Funkadelic)
• Sex Pistols
• Barbra Streisand
• Donna Summer
• James Taylor
• Marlo Thomas[?]
• Cheryl Tiegs[?]
• John Travolta
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Neil Young
• J.J. Walker[?]
• Johnny Whitaker[?]

Music

• ABBA
• Aerosmith
• Allman Brothers Band
• Black Sabbath
• Blue Oyster Cult
• Jackson Browne
• Budgie
• Jimmy Buffett
• Eric Clapton
• The Clash
• Alice Cooper
• Elvis Costello
• Crass
• The Damned
• Deep Purple
• The Eagles
• Electric Light Orchestra
• Fleetwood Mac
• Elton John
• Billy Joel
• Journey
• Led Zeppelin
• John Lennon
• Bob Marley & the Wailers
• Steve Miller Band
• Rainbow
• Rush
• Styx
• T. Rex
• Queen
• UFO
• Van Halen
• War

See also: List of rock and roll albums in the 1970s