What happened in 1975
142 entries recorded for 1975, listed by date. That was 51 years ago.
1975 at a glance
- Years ago
- 51 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1970s
- Generation born
- Generation X
- Entries here
- 142
- Breakdown
- 138 historical events · 4 births
January
- January 2
Samastipur
At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.
- January 4
TOPS-10
This date overflowed the 12-bit field that had been used in TOPS-10. There were numerous problems and crashes related to this bug while an alternative format was developed.
- January 5
SS Lake Illawarra
The bulk carrier Lake Illawarra struck a bridge over the River Derwent in Hobart, Australia, causing the deaths of seven of the ship's crewmen and five motorists on the bridge.
- January 5
Tasman Bridge
The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
- January 8
Ella Grasso
Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.
- January 9
Great Storm of 1975
The Great Storm spawned the first of 45 tornadoes over a three-day period in the Southeastern United States.
- January 15
Alvor Agreement
The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
- January 15
UNITA
Portugal and the nationalist factions UNITA, the MPLA and the FNLA signed the Alvor Agreement, ending the Angolan War of Independence.
- January 19
1975 Kinnaur earthquake
An earthquake registering 6.8 Ms struck northern Himachal Pradesh in India, causing extensive damage to the region.
- January 30
Turkish Airlines Flight 345
Turkish Airlines Flight 345 crashes into the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport, killing 42.
- January 30
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.
February
- February 4
1975 Haicheng earthquake
Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
- February 5
Lima
Riots break out in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
- February 9
Soyuz 17
The spacecraft and crew of the Soviet Soyuz 17 mission returned to earth after 29 days in orbit at the Salyut 4 station.
- February 13
World Trade Center (1973–2001)
Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York.
- February 21
Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.
- February 28
London Underground
A London Underground train failed to stop at the terminal Moorgate station, crashing and causing the deaths of 43 people.
- February 28
Moorgate tube crash
In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people.
March
- March 6
1975 Algiers Agreement
Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute.
- March 10
1975 spring offensive
Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnam began its final push for victory over South Vietnam with an attack on Ban Me Thuot.
- March 25
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid.
- March 26
Biological Weapons Convention
The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons, entered into force.
- March 27
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, an oil pipeline spanning the length of Alaska, began.
- March 29
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck released Blow by Blow, his most successful album in the U.S., reaching the top five and selling over one million copies.
April
- April 3
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer refuses to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov, giving Karpov the title of World Champion by default.
- April 3
Operation Babylift
Vietnam War: Operation Babylift, a mass evacuation of children in the closing stages of the war begins.
- April 4
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: On a mission to evacuate children from South Vietnam, a U.S. Air Force plane crash-landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, killing 78 children and 60 others.
- April 4
Bill Gates
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
- April 8
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
- April 13
1975 Beirut bus massacre
Beirut bus massacre: A confrontation between Phalangist paramilitaries and PLO militia marks the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
- April 17
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, the capital of the Khmer Republic, ending the Cambodian Civil War and establishing the socialist state of Democratic Kampuchea.
- April 17
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War ends and the Cambodian Genocide begins. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
- April 19
India
India's first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
- April 19
Aryabhata (satellite)
Aryabhata (pictured), India's first satellite, was launched from Kapustin Yar in the Soviet Union.
- April 19
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnamese forces withdraw from the town of Xuan Loc in the last major battle of the Vietnam War.
- April 20
Killer Mike
Killer Mike, American rapper
- April 21
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
- April 21
South Vietnam
South Vietnamese president Nguyễn Văn Thiệu resigned on hearing of the fall of Xuân Lộc, the last battle of the Vietnam War.
- April 28
Cao Văn Viên
General Cao Văn Viên, chief of the South Vietnamese military, departs for the US as the North Vietnamese Army closes in on victory.
- April 29
People's Army of Vietnam
Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese Army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnam-held Trường Sa Islands.
- April 29
Operation Frequent Wind
Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end. This happens after the Bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base.
- April 29
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: North Vietnam concluded its East Sea Campaign by capturing all of the Spratly Islands held by South Vietnam.
- April 30
Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
- April 30
Operation Frequent Wind
American forces completed a helicopter evacuation of U.S. citizens, South Vietnamese civilians and others from Saigon, just before North Vietnamese troops captured the city and ended the Vietnam War.
May
- May 6
60th anniversary of the Armenian genocide commemorations in Beirut
About 100,000 Armenians gathered during a lull in fighting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
- May 10
Sony
Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder.
- May 12
Mayaguez incident
The Cambodian navy seized the American container ship SS Mayaguez in what they claimed to be Cambodian territorial waters.
- May 12
Indochina wars
Indochina Wars: Democratic Kampuchea naval forces capture the SS Mayaguez.
- May 16
Junko Tabei
Japanese climber Junko Tabei (pictured) became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
- May 16
Kingdom of Sikkim
Based on the results of a referendum held about one month earlier, the Kingdom of Sikkim (flag pictured) abolished its monarchy and was annexed to become the 22nd state of India.
- May 27
Bus
The deadliest road accident in England took place when the brakes on a coach failed and it crashed in North Yorkshire, killing 32 people.
- May 27
1975 Dibbles Bridge coach crash
Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33, the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
- May 28
Brampton Centennial Secondary School
At Brampton Centennial Secondary School, student Michael Slobodian kills two people and injures 13 others before committing suicide.
- May 28
West Africa
Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
- May 30
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is established.
June
- June 1
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded by Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Fuad Masum and others.
- June 4
Jerry Brown
Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, one of the first laws in the United States guaranteeing collective bargaining rights to farmworkers.
- June 4
Governor of California
Governor of California Jerry Brown signs the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act into law, the first law in the United States giving farmworkers collective bargaining rights.
- June 6
Referendum
British referendum results in continued membership of the European Economic Community, with 67% of votes in favour.
- June 7
Sony
Sony launches Betamax, the first videocassette recorder format.
- June 7
1975 Cricket World Cup
The inaugural edition of the Cricket World Cup, the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket, began in England.
- June 7
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson, American basketball player
- June 8
Mark Ricciuto
Mark Ricciuto, Australian footballer and sportcaster
- June 12
State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain
State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain: Judge Jagmohanlal Sinha rules against Indira Gandhi in a case on her election to the Indian Parliament, and that she should be banned from holding any public office, triggering a political crisis.
- June 20
Jaws (film)
The film Jaws is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time and starting the trend of films known as "summer blockbusters".
- June 20
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg's film Jaws was released; it became a summer blockbuster and the first film to earn $100 million in U.S. theatrical rentals.
- June 24
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York's JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburs
- June 25
Mozambique
Mozambique achieves independence from Portugal.
- June 25
Indira Gandhi
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a state of internal emergency in India.
- June 26
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
- June 29
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ordains some 350 priests in St. Peter's Square in the largest ordination in history
July
- July 6
Comoros
The Comoros declares independence from France.
- July 12
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
- July 14
Tim Hudson
Tim Hudson, American baseball player
- July 15
Space Race
Space Race: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project features the dual launch of an Apollo spacecraft and a Soyuz spacecraft on the first Soviet-United States human-crewed flight. It was the last launch of both an Apollo spacecraft, and the Saturn family of rockets.
- July 17
Apollo–Soyuz
Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
- July 22
Stanley Forman
Stanley Forman (pictured) took the Pulitzer Prize–winning photo Fire Escape Collapse, which spurred action to improve the safety of fire escapes across the United States.
- July 27
List of mayors of Jaffna
Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead.
- July 30
Jimmy Hoffa
American labor-union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared after last being seen outside a restaurant near Detroit.
- July 31
Miami Showband killings
The Troubles: Three members of a popular cabaret band and two gunmen are killed during a botched paramilitary attack in Northern Ireland.
- July 31
The Troubles
The Troubles: In a botched paramilitary attack, three members of the popular Miami Showband and two Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen were killed in County Down, Northern Ireland.
August
- August 1
Helsinki Accords
The final act of the CSCE meeting is signed in Helsinki, Finland.
- August 3
Boeing 707
A privately chartered Boeing 707 (aircraft involved pictured) struck a mountain peak and crashed near Agadir, Morocco, killing 188.
- August 4
Japanese Red Army
The Japanese Red Army takes more than 50 hostages at the AIA Building housing several embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The hostages include the U.S. consul and the Swedish Chargé d'affaires. The gunmen win the release of five imprisoned comrades and fly with them to Libya.
- August 11
Timorese Democratic Union
The Timorese Democratic Union launched a coup in Portuguese Timor, starting the East Timorese civil war.
- August 11
Timor-Leste
East Timor: Governor Mário Lemos Pires of Portuguese Timor abandons the capital Dili, following a coup by the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) and the outbreak of civil war between UDT and Fretilin.
- August 14
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London, the first in its record-breaking run in cinemas, which continues in limited release.
- August 15
Bangladeshis
Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.
- August 16
Gough Whitlam
Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
- August 23
Pontiac Silverdome
The Pontiac Silverdome opens in Pontiac, Michigan, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Detroit, Michigan.
- August 23
Wave Hill walk-off
The start of the Wave Hill walk-off by Gurindji people in Australia, lasting eight years, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 Paul Kelly song and an annual celebration.
- August 25
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen released his commercial breakthrough album, Born to Run.
- August 27
Portuguese Timor
The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group.
- August 29
Tacnazo
El Tacnazo: Francisco Morales Bermúdez, Peruvian Prime Minister carries out a coup d'état in the city of Tacna, forcing the sitting President of Peru, Juan Velasco Alvarado, to resign and assuming his place as the new President.
September
- September 4
Sinai Interim Agreement
The Sinai Interim Agreement relating to the Arab–Israeli conflict is signed.
- September 5
Squeaky Fromme
Squeaky Fromme (pictured), a devotee of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate U.S. president Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California.
- September 5
Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California: Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford.
- September 8
LGBTQ people and military service
Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline "I Am A Homosexual". He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable.
- September 15
Departments of France
The French department of "Corse" (the entire island of Corsica) is divided into two: Haute-Corse (Upper Corsica) and Corse-du-Sud (Southern Corsica).
- September 16
Mikoyan MiG-31
The prototype of the Soviet Mikoyan MiG-31, one of the fastest combat jets in the world, made its maiden flight.
- September 22
Sara Jane Moore
Sara Jane Moore tries to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is foiled by the Secret Service.
- September 24
Dougal Haston
Dougal Haston and Doug Scott of the Southwest Face expedition became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by ascending one of its faces.
- September 24
1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition
Southwest Face expedition members become the first persons to reach the summit of Mount Everest by any of its faces, instead of using a ridge route.
- September 27
ETA political-military
Two members of ETA political-military and three members of the Revolutionary Antifascist Patriotic Front, sentenced to death for murder, became the last people to be executed in Spain.
- September 27
Last use of capital punishment in Spain
The last use of capital punishment in Spain sparks worldwide protests.
- September 28
Spaghetti House siege
The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
- September 28
Knightsbridge
An attempted robbery of Spaghetti House, a restaurant in Knightsbridge, London, turned into a six-day hostage situation.
- September 29
WWJ-TV
WGPR becomes the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the US.
- September 30
Malév Flight 240
Malév Flight 240 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while on approach to Beirut International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 60.
- September 30
Boeing AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache (example pictured), the primary attack helicopter for a number of countries, made its first flight.
October
- October 1
Muhammad Ali
In boxing, Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in a match known as the "Thrilla in Manila".
- October 10
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea joins the United Nations.
- October 14
Royal Air Force
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
Balibo Five
Indonesian troops kill the Balibo Five, a group of Australian journalists, in Portuguese Timor.
- October 16
Rahima Banu
Three-year-old Rahima Banu, from Bangladesh, is the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox.
- October 16
1975 Australian constitutional crisis
The Australian Coalition sparks a constitutional crisis when they vote to defer funding for the government's annual budget.
- October 17
'Salem's Lot
'Salem's Lot, an American vampire novel by Stephen King, is published.
- October 22
Venera 9
The Soviet uncrewed space mission Venera 9 lands on Venus.
- October 24
Gender pay gap
In protest against wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices, 90 percent of Iceland's female population went on strike for a day.
- October 24
1975 Icelandic women's strike
In Iceland, 90% of women take part in a national strike, refusing to work in protest of gender inequality.
- October 30
Juan Carlos I
Prince Juan Carlos I of Spain becomes acting head of state, taking over for the country's ailing dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco.
- October 30
Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450
Forty-five people are killed when Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450 crashes into Suchdol, Prague, while on approach to Prague Ruzyně Airport (now Václav Havel Airport Prague) in Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic).
November
- November 3
Jail Killing Day
Four Bangladeshi politicians are killed in the Dhaka Central Jail.
- November 10
Treaty of Osimo
Treaty of Osimo between Yugoslavia and Italy
- November 10
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the United Nations General Assembly passes Resolution 3379, determining that Zionism is a form of racism.
- November 10
MPLA
In Angola, the MPLA decisively defeated the FNLA in the Battle of Quifangondo, while Portugal simultaneously withdrew all its colonial and military personnel from Luanda.
- November 10
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, claiming all 29 of her crew's lives.
- November 11
1975 Australian constitutional crisis
During a constitutional crisis, Governor-General Sir John Kerr (pictured) dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's government and dissolved the Parliament of Australia for a double-dissolution election.
- November 11
Angola
Independence of Angola.
- November 22
Francisco Franco
Two days after the death of Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos I (pictured) was declared King of Spain according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco.
- November 22
Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos is declared King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco two days earlier.
- November 25
Johan Ferrier
Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier (pictured) became its first president.
- November 25
Coup of 25 November 1975
Coup of 25 November 1975, a failed military coup d'état by Portuguese far-left activists seeking to hijack the Portuguese transition to democracy to establish a communist regime.
- November 25
Suriname
Suriname gains independence from the Netherlands.
- November 27
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional IRA assassinates Ross McWhirter, after a press conference in which McWhirter had announced a reward for the capture of those responsible for multiple bombings and shootings across England.
- November 28
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste declares its independence from Portugal.
December
- December 2
Laotian Civil War
Laotian Civil War: The Pathet Lao seizes the Laotian capital of Vientiane, forces the abdication of King Sisavang Vatthana, and proclaims the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
- December 6
Provisional Irish Republican Army
Four members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army took two people hostage in a house on Balcombe Street in London, surrendering six days later.
- December 6
The Troubles
The Troubles: Fleeing from the police, a Provisional IRA unit takes a British couple hostage in their flat on Balcombe Street, London, beginning a six-day siege.
- December 7
Indonesian occupation of East Timor
The Indonesian military began a lengthy occupation of East Timor under the pretext of anti-colonialism.
- December 26
Tupolev Tu-144
Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, goes into service.
- December 29
1975 LaGuardia Airport bombing
Planted by unknown perpetrators, a bomb exploded (aftermath pictured) at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and seriously injuring 74 others.
Questions about 1975
What happened in 1975?
This site records 142 entries for 1975, including Samastipur on January 2. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1975?
51 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1975 turns 51 this year.
Which century is 1975 in?
1975 falls in the 20th century, in the 1970s.
Which generation was born in 1975?
Generation X (1965–1980). The latch-key generation; first to grow up with personal computers.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.