1971 Newspaper Headlines Summary
Our 1971 newspaper articles cover a range of events that shocked and enthralled the British public during this year in history. One of the most memorable 1971 events was yet another blow to rock music after the death of Jimi Hendrix the year before, as Jim Morrison is found dead in his bathtub in Paris. More 1971 newspaper coverage features stories covering the Mount Etna eruption in Sicily, the Walt Disney World opening in Florida, and the first people to ride in a lunar rover on the moon. Find out which other events stood out during this year in history with this table below.
2nd January 1971
A stairway crush at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow kills sixty-six spectators during a Rangers vs. Celtic football match.
3rd January 1971
BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom.
5th January 1971
The first ever One Day International match is played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
4th February 1971
Rolls-Royce goes bankrupt and is nationalised.
15th February 1971
The United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to a decimal currency.
28th February 1971
‘Evel Knievel‘, an American daredevil, sets a world record by jumping over nineteen cars on his motorbike.
7th March 1971
The postal workers’ strike ends after forty-seven days.
1st April 1971
The United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership.
5th April 1971
Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, threatening several small villages on the eastern side of the volcano.
17th April 1971
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh forms at Mujibnagor, under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
14th June 1971
Norway begins oil production in the North Sea.
3rd July 1971
Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, is found dead in his bathtub in Paris.
31st July 1971
David Scott and James Irwin become the first two astronauts to ride in a lunar rover on the Moon, a day after ‘Apollo 15’ lands.
9th August 1971
British security forces arrest hundreds of nationalists in Northern Ireland and detain them without trial in Long Kesh prison. Twenty people die in the riots that follow.
15th August 1971
The number of British troops in Northern Ireland is raised to 12,500.
1st October 1971
‘Walt Disney World’ opens in Florida.
30th October 1971
Reverend Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party is founded in Northern Ireland.
3rd December 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 begins, leading to the liberation of Bangladesh.
29th December 1971
The United Kingdom gives up its military bases in Malta.
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