A 6.25 magnitude earthquake destroyed central Managua, Nicaragua, killing about 10,000 people.
Plane crash survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 were rescued.
The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, returned to Earth.
The third and last moonwalk of the Apollo 17 mission began.
The final Apollo mission, Apollo 17, successfully landed on the moon.
Apollo 17 launched the final manned lunar landing mission, during which the crew took the famous 'blue marble' photo of the entire Earth.
An assassination attempt was made on the First Lady of the Philippines.
Pong was released. It was the first commercially successful video game.
The fourth and final attempt to launch the Soviet Union's N1 rocket failed.
Home Box Office, otherwise known as HBO, was launched.
The tennis player Chris Evert won the first WTA Tour Championship in Florida.
Mariner IX took two photos of Mars' north pole.
Singer David Bowie performed for the first time at New York City's Carnegie Hall.
The Provisional IRA detonated twenty-two bombs in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Elton John's 'Honky Chateau' became his first #1 album in the US, which was a significant turning point in his career.
Ceylon adopted a new constitution to become the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was vandalized.
Hard Job Being God, a Broadway musical, closed at the Edison Theater NYC after six performances.
After being under US military authority, the island of Okinawa reverted back to Japanese control.
The Apollo 16 lunar module landed on the surface of the Moon.
The Apollo 16 mission launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were served deportation papers for overstaying in the US.
The first installment of 'The Godfather,' starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premiered in New York City.
The US spacecraft Pioneer 10 launched.
The band 'Wing's' debut single 'Give Ireland Back to the Irish' was released by Apple Records.
US President Richard Nixon met with Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Beijing to finalize a peace deal between their two countries.
The USSR's uncrewed Luna 20 lunar lander successfully touched down on the surface of the Moon.
Capital punishment was declared unconstitutional in California, USA.
Grease The Musical first opened at the Eden Theatre in Manhattan, New York.
The former United States Senator Strom Thurmond sent a secret memo to President Richard Nixon's aide, saying John Lennon should be deported.
A week-long blizzard struck Iran and killed 4,000 people, making it the deadliest in history.
The first scientific hand-held calculators (HP-35) hit the markets with a hefty price tag at $395.
Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survived the world's highest fall without a parachute after falling 33,330 feet.
A Japanese soldier was found hiding in Guam.
The first Star Trek convention was held in New York City.
Queen Margrethe II became the first Queen of Denmark since 1412.
East Pakistan renamed itself Bangladesh after seceding from Pakistan.
President Richard Nixon passed a new law that allowed NASA to build America's first space shuttle.
The mapping of Mars' surface began.
