1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday.
Events
January
February
March
April
May
June
- June 1 - UK and Iceland end the Cod War
- June 5 - Teton Dam collapses in southeast Idaho in the U.S., killing 11 people.
- June 14 - the trial begins at Oxford Crown Court of Donald Neilson, the killer known as the Black Panther.
- June 16 - Soweto riots in South Africa mark the beginning of the end of apartheid
- June 20 - Hundreds of Western tourists are moved from Beirut and taken to safety in Syria by the US military, following the murder of the US ambassador.
- June 20 - General elections in Italy
- June 20 - Czechoslovakia beat West Germany 5-3 on penalties to win Euro 76, after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time.
- June 25 - Polish June starts, strikes in Poland (Ursus, Radom, Płock) after communists declared rising of food prices, strikes end on June 30
- June 26 - CN Tower built in Toronto - The tallest free-standing land structure opens to the public.
- June 26 - Two unmarked cars drove onto Jumping Bull property, and a fire fight began. Two FBI agents and one Indian male were killed, starting one of the largest manhunts in the history of the FBI.
- June 27 - Palestinian extremists hijack an Air France plane in Greece with 246 passengers and 12 crew. They take it to Entebbe, Uganda, where Israeli commandos storm it on July 4
- Sismik incident starts when the Turkish survey ship Sismik entered Greek waters.
July
Tall ship.jpg|thumb|Italian tall ship Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor during the United States Bicentennial celebration.
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- July 2 - North Vietnam and South Vietnam united to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - a Communist country
- July 3 - Supreme Court of the United States rules on Gregg v. Georgia and decides that death penalty is not inherently cruel or unusual and is a constitutionally acceptable form of punishment
- July 3 - The great heat wave in the United Kingdom, which is currently suffering from drought conditions, reaches its peak.
- July 4 - United States Bicentennial
- July 4 - Israeli airborne commandos free 103 hostages being held by Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport; one Israeli and several Ugandan soldiers are killed in raid.
- July 7 - German left-wing terrorists Monika Berberich, Gabriella Rollnick, Juliane Plambeck and Inge Viett escape from Lehrterstrasse maximum security prison in West Berlin
- July 10 - Three British and one American mercenaries were shot by firing squad in Angola.
- July 10 - Explosion in Seveso, Italy, kills a large number of people
- July 15 - Jimmy Carter is nominated for U.S. President at the Democratic National Convention in New York City.
- July 16-July 20 - Albert Spaggiari and his gang break into the vault of the Societe Generale Bank in Nice, France
- July 17 - The 1976 Summer Olympics begin in Montreal, Canada.
- July 17 - East Timor is declared the 27th province of Indonesia
- July 19 - Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created.
- July 20 - Viking program: The Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars
- July 21 - A bomb kills Christopher Ewart, British ambassador to the Irish Republic
- July 27 - United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with Uganda
- July 28 - Tangshan earthquake flattens Tangshan,China, killing 242,769 people, and 164,851 people are heavily injured
- July 29 - In New York City, the "Son of Sam" pulls a gun from a paper bag killing one and seriously wounding another in the first of a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year.
- July 30 - In Santiago, capital of Chile, Cruzeiro from Brazil wins River Plate from Argentina and are the Copa Libertadores de América champions.
- July 31 - NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1
August
- August 1 - the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago becomes a republic, replacing Queen Elizabeth II with an elected president as their Head of State.
- August 2 - A gunman murders Andrea Wilborn and Stan Farr, and injures Priscilla Davis and Gus Gavrel in an incident at Priscilla's Mansion at Mockingbird Lane in Fort Worth, Texas. T. Cullen Davis, Priscilla's husband and one of the richest men in Texas, was tried and found innocent for Andrea's murder. He was later found innocent of a plot to kill several people, including Priscilla and a judge, and a wrongful death lawsuit. Cullen went broke afterwards
- August 4 - First outbreak of Legionnaire's disease kills 29 at the American Legion convention in Philadelphia
- August 5 - Racing Champion Niki Lauda suffers serious burns in the German Grand prix
- August 5 - The Great Clock of Westminster (or Big Ben) suffers internal damage and stops running for over nine months
- August 6 - Former UK Postmaster General John Stonehouse is sentenced for seven years for fraud
- August 7 - Viking program: Viking 2 enters into orbit around Mars
- August 14 - 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland
- August 14 - The Senegalese political party PAI-Rénovation is legally recognized. PAI-Rénovation thus becomes the third legal party in the country.
- August 18 - In North Korea at Panmunjom, two US soldiers are killed while trying to chop down part of a tree in the Demilitarized Zone which had obscured their view
- August 19 - U.S. President Gerald Ford edges out challenger Ronald Reagan to win the Republican Party presidential nomination in Kansas City.
- August 24 - In Uruguay, an army captures Marcelo Gelman and his pregnant wife. Marcelo is later killed and his wife and child disappeared.
September
October
- October - The Damned release New Rose - the first ever single released / marketed as "punk rock".
- October 6 - Cubana Flight 455 crashes due to a bomb placed by anti-Castrist militants, after taking off from Bridgetown, Barbados. *
- October 6 - Students gathering at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand to protest the return of ex-dictator Thanom are massacred by a coalition of right-wing paramilitary and government forces, triggering the return of the military to government.
- October 7 - During his second televised debate with Jimmy Carter, U.S. President Gerald Ford stumbles when he declares that " there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" (there was at the time).
- October 10 - Taiwan Province Governor Hsieh Tung-ming was injured by a bombing letter from a pro-independence activist.
- October 12 - The People's Republic of China announces that Hua Guofeng is the successor to the late Mao Tse-tung as chairman of Communist Party of China
- October 19 - Copyright Act of 1976 extends copyright duration for an additional 20 years in the United States
- October 20 - The Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing from Destrehan, LA to Luling, LA, killing 78 passengers and crew.
- October 22 - Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, fifth President of Ireland, resigns after being publicly insulted by the Minister for Defence.
- October 25 - Full pardon given to Clarence Norris, last known survivor of the Scottsboro Boys.
November
December
Unknown dates
Births
January
- January 2 - Cletidus Hunt, American football player
- January 2 - Paz Vega, Spanish actress
- January 6 - Danny Pintauro, American actor
- January 7 - Éric Gagné, Canadian Major League Baseball player
- January 7 - Alfonso Soriano, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- January 8 - Jenny Lewis, American actress and musician (Rilo Kiley)
- January 19 - Marsha Thomason, British actress
- January 20 - Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
- January 21 - Emma Bunton, English musician (Spice Girls)
- January 25 - Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
- January 28 - Mark Madsen, American basketball player
- January 30 - Andy Milonakis, Internet and MTV star
- January 31 - Buddy Rice, American race car driver
February
- February 2 - James Hickman, British swimmer
- February 4 - Cam'ron, Harlem, New York rapper
- February 5 - Abhishek Bachchan, Indian Actor
- February 9 - Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- February 10 - Lance Berkman, baseball player
- February 12 - Silvia Saint, Czech actress
- February 15 - Brandon Boyd, American musician (Incubus)
- February 16 - Tooru "Kyo" Nishimura Vocalist of Visual Kei band (Dir En Grey)
- February 20 - Ed Graham, British drummer (The Darkness)
- February 25 - Rashida Jones, American actress, writer, model, musician
- February 29 - Ja Rule, American rapper
March
- March 5 - Sarunas Jasikevicius, Lithuanian basketball player
- March 8 - Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor
- March 19 - Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
- March 20 - Chester Bennington, American musician (Linkin Park)
- March 22 - Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
- March 22 - Reese Witherspoon, American actress
- March 23 - Keri Russell, American actress
- March 24 - Aaron Brooks, American football player
- March 24 - Peyton Manning, American football player
- March 25 - Juvenile, American rapper
- March 26 - Amy Smart, American actress
April
May
June
July
- July 1 - Patrick Kluivert, Dutch footballer
- July 1 - Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dutch footballer
- July 3 - Andrea Barber, American actress
- July 4 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer
- July 5 - Bizarre, American rapper
- July 5 - Nuno Gomes, Portuguese footballer
- July 5 - Marina Dias, Brazilian supermodel
- July 5 - Mike DeWolf, member of the band Taproot
- July 8 - Ellen MacArthur, English yachtswoman
- July 9 - Shelton Benjamin, American professional wrestler
- July 9 - Fred Savage, American actor
- July 11 - Eduardo Nájera, Mexican basketball player
- July 13 - Al Santos, American actor/model
- July 20 - Alex Yoong, Malaysian race car driver
- July 23 - Judit Polgar, Hungarian chess player
- July 24 - Nate Bump, American baseball player
- July 31 - Annie Parisse, American actress
August
- August 6 - Melissa George, Australian actress
- August 9 - Jessica Capshaw, American actress
- August 9 - Rhona Mitra, English actress
- August 9 - Audrey Tautou, French actress
- August 8 - JC Chasez, American singer
- August 11 - Ben Gibbard, American musician
- August 12 - Antoine Walker, American basketball player
- August 13 - Roddy Woomble, Scottish musician
- August 14 - Alex Albrecht, American television personality
- August 15 - Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player
- August 18 - Alex Katunich, Original bassist for the band Incubus
- August 19 - Michael M. Wartella, American underground cartoonist
- August 27 - Carlos Moyà, Spanish tennis player
- August 27 - Mark Webber, Australian race car driver
- August 27 - Sarah Chalke, American actress
September
- September 1 - Jada Fire, American pornographic actress
- September 6 - Naomie Harris, British actress
- September 7 - Stevie Case, American video game celebrity
- September 8 - Abi Titmuss, British TV presenter and model
- September 8 - Sjeng Schalken, Dutch tennis player
- September 10 - Gustavo Kuerten, Brazilian tennis player
- September 12 - Maciej Żurawski, Polish footballer
- September 15 - Hatake Kakashi, Fictional Character in Anime: "Naruto"
- September 16 - Tina Barrett, English singer (S Club 7)
- September 19 - Isha Koppikar, Indian actress
- September 20 - Yui Horie, Japanese seiyu (voice actress)
- September 22 - Ronaldo, Brazilian footballer
- September 24 - Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, Senior Vice-President of Creative Writing - WWE
- September 25 - Chauncey Billups, American basketball player
- September 26 - Michael Ballack, German footballer
- September 29 - Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer
October
- October 1 - Blu Cantrell, American rapper
- October 1 - Dora Venter, Hungarian pornographic actress
- October 4 - Alicia Silverstone, American actress
- October 6 - Taylor Hicks, American singer
- October 7 - Gilberto Silva, Brazilian football player
- October 10 - Bob Burnquist, Brazilian skateboarder
- October 15 - Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress
- October 18 - Azlea Antistia, pornographic actress
- October 19 - Michael Young, baseball player
- October 19 - Joy Bryant, American actress
- October 23 - Cat Deeley, British TV presenter
- October 23 - Ryan Reynolds, Canadian actor
- October 25 - Steve Jones, Northern Irish footballer
- October 29 - Stephen Craigan, Northern Irish footballer
November
- November 1 - Matt Chapman, creator of Homestar Runner
- November 6 - Pat Tillman, American football player (d. 2004)
- November 6 - Catherine Clark, Canadian journalist (also daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark)
- November 7 - Mark Philippoussis, Australian tennis player
- November 11 - Mike Leon Grosch, German singer and finalist of Deutschland sucht den Superstar 3
- November 12 - Mirosław Szymkowiak, Polish footballer
- November 19 - Jun Shibata, Japanese singer and songwriter
- November 20 - Dominique Dawes, U.S. Olympic gymnast
- November 22 - Ville Valo, a Finnish singer for the band HIM
- November 24 - Lu Chen, Chinese figure skater
- November 27 - Jaleel White, American actor
- November 29 - Anna Faris, American actress
December
Deaths
January
February
- February 1 - Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
- February 1 - George Whipple, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1878)
- February 2 - Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Bulgarian painter (b. 1903)
- February 6 - Vince Guaraldi, American musician (b. 1928)
- February 9 - Percy Faith, Canadian-born musician and composer (b. 1908)
- February 11 - Lee J Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
- February 11 - Alexander Lippisch, German aerodynamicist (b. 1894)
- February 11 - Charlie Naughton, Scottish actor (b. 1886)
- February 12 - Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
- February 13 - Lily Pons, American soprano (b. 1898)
- February 20 - René Cassin, French judge, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1887)
- February 20 - Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and faith healer (b. 1907)
- February 22 - Florence Ballard, American singer (The Supremes) (b. 1943)
March
April
- April 1 - Max Ernst, German artist (b. 1891)
- April 4 - Harry Nyquist, American information theory pioneer (b. 1889)
- April 5 - Howard Hughes, American aviation pioneer, film director, and eccentric (b. 1905)
- April 9 - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer, pianist, one of The Nordstrom Sisters (b. 1903)
- April 18 - Henrik Dam, Dutch biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)
- April 26 - Sid James, South African actor (b. 1913)
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1976
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