January 14 –
Diana Ross & The Supremes perform their farewell live concert together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, and Ross' replacement,
Jean Terrell, is introduced onstage at the end of the last show.
February 18 – A jury finds the
Chicago Seven defendants not guilty of
conspiring to incite a
riot, in charges stemming from the violence at the
1968 Democratic National Convention. Five of the defendants are found guilty on the lesser charge of crossing state lines to incite a riot.[1]
March
March 6 – A bomb constructed by members of the
Weathermen and meant to be planted at a military dance in New Jersey explodes, killing three members of the organization.
The critically wounded pilot of
Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 saves the 68 passengers and five crew of the DC-9 jet, landing safely in Boston despite being shot by a hijacker who killed the co-pilot.
April 6 – In the worst day of California law enforcement, 4 California Highway Patrolmen are killed in what is known as the "
Newhall Incident". This led to new procedures & training for law enforcement, nationwide.
President
Richard Nixon orders U.S. forces to cross into neutral Cambodia, threatening to widen the
Vietnam War, sparking nationwide riots and leading to the
Kent State Shootings.
Race riots erupt in
Augusta, Georgia, after the suspicious death of a teenage inmate in the county jail. The disorder, the largest of its kind in the South, results in six fatalities.
American Top 40, a nationally syndicated radio program featuring a countdown of the Top 40 hits of the past week according to the
Billboard Hot 100, premieres. Hosted by
Casey Kasem, the show is a major success.
In
Los Angeles, rock musician
Janis Joplin dies in her hotel room at age 27 from a heroin overdose. Joplin died exactly 16 days after Jimi Hendrix, both at 27 years of age.
October 21 – A U.S. Air Force plane makes an emergency landing near
Leninakan,
Soviet Union. The Soviets release the American officers, including 2 generals, November 10.
November 3 – Democrats sweep the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections;
Ronald Reagan is re-elected as Governor of California;
Jimmy Carter is elected as Governor of Georgia.
Social workers in
Los Angeles, California take custody of
Genie, a girl who had been kept in solitary confinement since her birth.
November 5 – Vietnam War: The United States Military Assistance Command in
Vietnam reports the lowest weekly American soldier death toll in five years (24 soldiers die that week, which is the fifth consecutive week the death toll is below 50; 431 are reported wounded that week, however).
November 9 – Vietnam War: The
Supreme Court of the United States votes 6–3 not to hear a case by the state of
Massachusetts, about the constitutionality of a state law granting Massachusetts residents the right to refuse military service in an undeclared war.
November 10 – Vietnam War –
Vietnamization: For the first time in five years, an entire week ends with no reports of United States combat fatalities in
Southeast Asia.
November 18 – U.S. President
Richard Nixon asks the
U.S. Congress for US$155,000,000 in supplemental aid for the
Cambodian government (US$85,000,000 is for military assistance to prevent the overthrow of the government of Premier
Lon Nol by the
Khmer Rouge and
North Vietnam).
November 21 –
Vietnam War –
Operation Ivory Coast: A joint
Air Force and Army team raids the
Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American
POWs thought to be held there (no Americans are killed, but the prisoners have already moved to another camp; all U.S. POWs are moved to a handful of central prison complexes as a result of this raid).
December 19 – The final episode of H.R. Pufnstuf, "An Old Fashioned Christmas," airs on NBC.
December 23 – The North Tower of the
World Trade Center is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
December 24 –
Walt Disney Productions' 20th feature film, The Aristocats, is released. It is the studio's final film that Disney personally approved before his death. Though reception is middling compared to past efforts, the film is a box office success.
January 14 –
Diana Ross & The Supremes perform their farewell live concert together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, and Ross' replacement,
Jean Terrell, is introduced onstage at the end of the last show.
February 18 – A jury finds the
Chicago Seven defendants not guilty of
conspiring to incite a
riot, in charges stemming from the violence at the
1968 Democratic National Convention. Five of the defendants are found guilty on the lesser charge of crossing state lines to incite a riot.[1]
March
March 6 – A bomb constructed by members of the
Weathermen and meant to be planted at a military dance in New Jersey explodes, killing three members of the organization.
The critically wounded pilot of
Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 saves the 68 passengers and five crew of the DC-9 jet, landing safely in Boston despite being shot by a hijacker who killed the co-pilot.
April 6 – In the worst day of California law enforcement, 4 California Highway Patrolmen are killed in what is known as the "
Newhall Incident". This led to new procedures & training for law enforcement, nationwide.
President
Richard Nixon orders U.S. forces to cross into neutral Cambodia, threatening to widen the
Vietnam War, sparking nationwide riots and leading to the
Kent State Shootings.
Race riots erupt in
Augusta, Georgia, after the suspicious death of a teenage inmate in the county jail. The disorder, the largest of its kind in the South, results in six fatalities.
American Top 40, a nationally syndicated radio program featuring a countdown of the Top 40 hits of the past week according to the
Billboard Hot 100, premieres. Hosted by
Casey Kasem, the show is a major success.
In
Los Angeles, rock musician
Janis Joplin dies in her hotel room at age 27 from a heroin overdose. Joplin died exactly 16 days after Jimi Hendrix, both at 27 years of age.
October 21 – A U.S. Air Force plane makes an emergency landing near
Leninakan,
Soviet Union. The Soviets release the American officers, including 2 generals, November 10.
November 3 – Democrats sweep the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections;
Ronald Reagan is re-elected as Governor of California;
Jimmy Carter is elected as Governor of Georgia.
Social workers in
Los Angeles, California take custody of
Genie, a girl who had been kept in solitary confinement since her birth.
November 5 – Vietnam War: The United States Military Assistance Command in
Vietnam reports the lowest weekly American soldier death toll in five years (24 soldiers die that week, which is the fifth consecutive week the death toll is below 50; 431 are reported wounded that week, however).
November 9 – Vietnam War: The
Supreme Court of the United States votes 6–3 not to hear a case by the state of
Massachusetts, about the constitutionality of a state law granting Massachusetts residents the right to refuse military service in an undeclared war.
November 10 – Vietnam War –
Vietnamization: For the first time in five years, an entire week ends with no reports of United States combat fatalities in
Southeast Asia.
November 18 – U.S. President
Richard Nixon asks the
U.S. Congress for US$155,000,000 in supplemental aid for the
Cambodian government (US$85,000,000 is for military assistance to prevent the overthrow of the government of Premier
Lon Nol by the
Khmer Rouge and
North Vietnam).
November 21 –
Vietnam War –
Operation Ivory Coast: A joint
Air Force and Army team raids the
Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American
POWs thought to be held there (no Americans are killed, but the prisoners have already moved to another camp; all U.S. POWs are moved to a handful of central prison complexes as a result of this raid).
December 19 – The final episode of H.R. Pufnstuf, "An Old Fashioned Christmas," airs on NBC.
December 23 – The North Tower of the
World Trade Center is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
December 24 –
Walt Disney Productions' 20th feature film, The Aristocats, is released. It is the studio's final film that Disney personally approved before his death. Though reception is middling compared to past efforts, the film is a box office success.