The Year 1974
History and Politics
Worldwide inflation helps to cause dramatic increase in the cost of
fuel, food, materials; oil-producing nations boost prices.
All price and wage controls, in effect since 1971, end in the US.
Yitzhak Rabin is named to head the Isreali cabinet after Premier Golda Meir steps down.
W. Germany Chancellor Willy Brandt resigns after a close aide is
exposed as an East Germany spy; Helmut Schmidt succeeds Brandt.
Harold Wilson becomes british Prime Minister.
A bloodless coup, led by the military, deposes Portuguese dictatorship and begins democratic reform.
Henry Kissinger persuades Syria and Isreal to agree to a cease-fire on the Golan Heights.
Terrorism continues in Northern Ireland and speads to England; the Tower
of London and the House of Parliment are bombed.
Greek-led Cyproit rebels overthrow the government; Archbishop Makarios flees;
Turkish forces invade the island and gain control of much of Cyprus.
Watergate and impeachment: several former White House aids are convicted in Watergate coverup
and related matters; President Nixon agrees to pay $432,787.13 in back taxes; the House
Judiciary Committee recommends 3 articles of impeachment for consideration; Nixon
resigns Aug. 9th and Vice President Ford brcomes 38th President.
Nelson Rockefeller nominated by President Ford to be vice president.
The military government of Greece, in office since 1967, resigns; ex-premier
Constantine Caramanlis returns from exile to become premier.
Workmen begin clearing the Suez Canal, closed since the Isreali-Arab war of 1967.
A drought-induced famine threathens millions throughout Africa.
Floods kill at least 2,500 people in Bangladesh.
The US and East Germany establish formal diplomatic relations.
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, ruler of Ethiopia since 1916, peacefully deposed.
President Ford grants former President Nixon a pardon for any criminal offenses
committed while in office; widespread protest develops.
President Ford grants a limited amnesty to Vietnam War draft evaders and military deserters.
U Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations dies.
Creighton W. Abrams, US Army General dies.
Portuguese Guinea is granted independence as Guinea-Bissau; Grenada declares independence.
US General Alexander Haig is appointed Supreme Commander of NATO.
Science, Technology, Growth
US Skylab 3 astronauts spend 84 days in space, surpassing Skylab 2's record of 59 days.
US Mariner 10 satellite transmits detailed pictures of both Venus and Mercury;
Venus is shown to be surrounded by well-defined shell of haze;
Mercury is found to have an atmosphere.
A USSR space probe lands on Mars and detects more water vapor
than scientists had previously supposed existed.
India becomes the sixth nation to explode a nuclear device; Great
Britian, France, and China conduct nuclear tests.
Charles A. Lindbergh, aviation pioneer dies.
Sir James Chadwick (Eng), discoverer of nuetron dies.
A US Air Force SR-71 jet plane flies from New York to London in 1 hour
55 minutes and 42 seconds, reaching speeds of 2,000 mph.
Albert Claude (Amer.), Christian Rene de Duve (Belg.), and George Emil Palade (Amer.)
share Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in ethnology.
Nobel Prize for Chemistry: Paul John Flory (Amer.), for his work with polymers.
Nobel Prize for Physics: Martin Ryle (Eng.) and Antony
Hewish (Eng.) for their work in radioastronomy.
American scientists detect a new subatomic particle, the psi or J meson;
interpreted as a state composed of a charmed quark and a charmed antiquark.
John C. Garand, Can-American gun designer, inventor of th M-1 rifle used in World War II dies.
Nobel Prize for Ecomonics: Gunnar Myrdal (Swed.) and Friedrich A. von Hayek (Eng.).
Daily Life
Gasoline shortages.
Miami Dolphins defeat Minnesota Vikings to win Super Bowel.
Muhammed Ali defeats George Foreman in Zaire, reclaiming heavyweight championship of the world.
170 die as fire sweeps through Sao Paolo, Brazil, high-rise bank building.
A Turkish jetliner crashes in a forest near Paris, 345 killed.
Patricia Hearst, kidnaped heiress, announces she has joined
her captors, the Symbionese Liberation Army.
Henry Aaron betters Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs.
A smallpox epidemic kills 10,000-20,000 in India.
"Streaking" becomes a fad in the US.
Boston Celtics win NBA championship.
Philadelphia Flyers defeat Boston Bruins to win hockey's Stanley Cup.
World's population reaches 3.782 billion.
Little League Baseball Inc., votes to allow girls to play on its team.
Dizzy Dean, 1930's baseball great dies.
Golfer Johnny Miller establishes one-year money-winning record of $346,993.
Frank Robinson becomes first Black to manage a major league baseball team.
Oakland A's defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 1, to win the 1974 World Series.
At&T bans discrimination against homosexuals.
Jimmy Connors wins Wimbledon, Australian, and US Open Singles.
Billie Jean King captures her 4th US Open Singles; Chris Evert
wins Canadian, French, and Italian Open Singles.
South Africa wins the Davis Cup, defeating India be default.
"Little Current" wins Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
West Germany wins the 10th World Cup soccer championship.
Gary Player (S. Afr.) wins his 3rd British Open and 2nd Masters.
American sloop "Courageous" defeats Austrailian sloop "Southern Cross"for America's Cup.
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