- The New York Times begins to publish sections of the Pentagon Papers
- The Voting Age in the United States is lowered to 18 yrs old when the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified
- Border battles between India and Pakistan erupt into full-scale war
- The Walt Disney World Theme Park is opened in Florida
- The Soviet Union launches the first space station, Salyut 1, into low Earth orbit
- Ibrox disaster in Scotland when On January 2nd 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match
- A new stock market index called the Nasdaq debuts
- Decimalisation in United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency.
- Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher's ends free school milk for children over the age of seven
- The US table tennis team visits to the People's Republic of China (PRC) known as "Ping Pong Diplomacy"
More Detailed Information on each Event and those not included can be found below
What happened in 1971 Major News Stories include Intel releases world's first microprocessor, the 4004, Aswan Dam is completed, Charles Manson and three of his followers receive the death penalty, National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts for the first time, Walt Disney World Resort opens in Florida, Mount Etna erupts, Voting Age Lowered US and UK to 18, UK Moves to Decimal Currency, San Fernando Valley Earthquake, Ibrox disaster
1971 This could well be the year that marked the start of the digital age when the Microprocessor was invented. We also saw the use of more and more of the transistor technology in use in things like hand held calculators which although are still very expensive over time will drop in price and increase in function to where we are today. It is also the first year North Sea Oil production begins in Norway. One other major change is the change to Decimalisation in the UK on and Ireland onFebruary 15 . The birth of Greenpeace signals a need to question how we manage the resources entrusted to us and a means of organised questioning of governments around the world.
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times begins to publish sections of the Pentagon Papers starting on June 13th showing the US Government had been lying to the American People.
More Information and Timeline for Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were commissioned as a report on the political and military involvement of the United States in Vietnam. The report covers U.S. involvement from World War II to 1968. The report was commissioned in 1967 by Robert S. McNamara, who was the Secretary of Defense at the time.
Daniel Ellsberg, a government consultant, gained access to some of the classified documents and leaked them to the New York Times in June of 1971. The reports revealed many large scale attacks that the U.S. public were not aware of, causing many U.S. citizens to lose trust in the United States government. The general feeling was that the United States government had misled the public and withheld the truth.
The information in these documents also added to the already growing unpopularity of the Vietnam War and only increased anti-war sentiments. In June of 2011 the Pentagon Papers were fully declassified and released to the public for the first time.
26th Amendment
The Voting Age in the United States is lowered to 18 yrs old when the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified
More Information and Timeline for 26th Amendment
1. People had been wanting the voting age to be lowered to 18 years old ever since FDR lowered the draft age to 18 years during World War II.
2. In June of 1970, President Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that would lower the voting age to eighteen for all elections.
3. On the 10th of March, 1971, the United States Senate voted almost unanimously to propose a constitutional amendment that would lower the voting age.
4. On March 23rd, 1971, the United States House of Representatives also voted nearly unanimously for the amendment.
5. The amendment was ratified by three-quarters of the state legislatures within four months.
6. The 26th Amendment was officially adopted on July 1st, 1971.
The amendment reads:
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on the account of age. and The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
7. President Nixon signed the amendment on July 5th, 1971.
Border battles between India and Pakistan
Border battles between India and Pakistan erupt into full-scale war when India invades East Pakistan ( Now Bangladesh ) in support of the independence movement
More Information for the India and Pakistan conflict.
The Bangladesh Liberation War begins in March of 1971 after the Pakistan military attacked Bengali civilians. India enters the war on December 3rd of 1971 on the side of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) after Pakistan preemptively attacked Indian airbases. The war between Pakistan and India lasts until December 16th when Pakistan surrenders, making it one of the shortest wars in history. Bangladesh was able to achieve independence as a result of the war.
Disney World Opens
The Walt Disney World Theme Park is opened.
More Information for Disney World
1. Walt Disney begins secretly purchasing large tracts of land in central Florida in 1965.
2. Walt Disney holds a press conference in November 1965, during which he discusses plans for what would become the Walt Disney World Resort.
3. Walt Disney dies in December of 1966 before construction begins on the resort. His brother Roy O. Disney takes over the project and postpones his own retirement in order to complete it.
4. Construction on the resort begins in 1967.
5. Construction on the Magic Kingdom park and several resorts is finished and Walt Disney World officially opens on October 1st of 1971.
6. Roy O. Disney dies in December of 1971, only a few months after the park opens.
7. The Epcot Center park opens in 1982.
8. Disney-MGM Studios, now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios, is opened in 1989.
9. Disney's Animal Kingdom opens in 1998.
The Walt Disney World theme park has its grand opening during October of 1971. The complex consisted of just the Magic Kingdom park and the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Fort Wilderness resorts. Located near Orlando, Florida, the grounds were built on swamplands that Walt Disney began purchasing during the 1960s. By 1965, Disney publicly announced plans for the park but he died in 1966 before construction could begin. Construction was overseen by Walt Disney’s brother Roy throughout the late 1960s and Roy died just a few months after the park opened in December of 1971. The original price for an adult ticket in 1971 was $3.50 and did not include the cost of tickets for rides which were separate at the time.
United Arab Emirates - UAE Established
1. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was created on December 2nd when it established independence from the United Kingdom after nearly 80 years of British rule.
2. The UAE was formed as an autocratic federation of seven emirates each controlled by a hereditary governor.
3. The seven principalities are Abu Dhabi (which is also the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaiman, Sarjah, and Umm al-Quwain.
4. The nation has become strikingly diverse and modern partially due to its location on the Persian Gulf.
5. It has large number of immigrants (only around 15% of the population are native citizens), and its oil industry makes it one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
Mariner 9
Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet in November.
More Information and Timeline for Mariner 9
The Mariner 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of another planet on November 14th of 1971. Mariner 9 had been launched on May 30th of 1971. It was successful in its missions which were becoming the first artificial satellite to orbit Mars, mapping the surface of Mars, gathering atmospheric data, and taking highly detailed images of the surface. The Mariner 9 craft was launched by NASA over a week after the USSR launched their Soviet Mars 2 spacecraft but made it to the planet much faster than the Soviet satellite. The Mariner 9 spacecraft stopped its communications in October of 1972 and is expected to remain in orbit around Mars for around 50 years before it will fall into the atmosphere of the red planet, Mars.
Cost of Living 1971 - How Much things cost
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 4.3%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 8.6%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 890
Average Cost of new house $25,250.00
Average Income per year $10,600.00
Average Monthly Rent $150.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 40 cents
Datsun 1200 Sports Coupe $1,866.00
United States postage Stamp 8 cents
Ladies 2 piece knit suites $9.98
Movie Ticket $1.50
A few More Examples
Dodge Charger $3,579
Fresh Turkey Lb 43 cents
Fresh Strawberries Lb 29 cents
Idaho Potatoes 10 Lbs 98 cents
Jiffy Peanut Butter 59 cents
Tape Cassette Recorder $29.88
2 Quart Preasure Cooker $7.77
Side By Side Fridge $704.95
Electrical Heater Fireplace $59.88
Malibu Barbie $1.94
Etch-A-Sketch $2.83
Rock Em Sock Em Robots $8.99
Ladies Beret and Scarf Set $6.00
3 Bedroom House Chicago $16,500
--Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 5,632
Gallon of Petrol 0.33
Popular Culture 1971
Led Zeppelin releases their untitled fourth album
Jim Morrison of The Doors found dead in bath tub in Paris
Popular Films
The Last Picture Show
Diamonds Are Forever
The French Connection
A Clockwork Orange
Fiddler on the Roof
Summer of '42
Dirty Harry
Shaft
Popular Musicians and songs
James Taylor
The Doors
Bob Dylan
Tony Orlando and Dawn with " Knock Three Times "
Janis Joplin with " Me and Bobby Mcgee "
The Who
Mungo Jerry
John Lennon
The Jackson 5
Ike and Tina Turner
Marvin Gaye
Rod Stewartwith " Maggie Mae "
The Osmonds
Michael Jackson
The Rolling Stones with " Brown Sugar "
Popular TV Programmes
All My Children
Mary Tyler Moore
McCloud
The Odd Couple
The Partridge Family
