Events
January
*
January 3
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.
* 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
– The
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
*
January 5
Events Pre-1600
*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Turckh ...
– The
Pol Pot
Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...
regime proclaims a new constitution for
Democratic Kampuchea.
*
January 11 – The
1976 Philadelphia Flyers–Red Army game
The Flyers–Red Army game was a famous international ice hockey game played on January 11, 1976, between the Philadelphia Flyers of the North America-based National Hockey League (NHL), and HC CSKA Moscow (Central Sports Club of the Army Moscow, ...
results in a 4–1 victory for the
National Hockey League's
Philadelphia Flyers over
HC CSKA Moscow of the
Soviet Union.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
– The trial against jailed members of the
Red Army Faction (the West German extreme-left militant Baader–Meinhof Group) begins in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
.
*
January 18
** Full diplomatic relations are established between Bangladesh and Pakistan 5 years after the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
.
** The
Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak o ...
is formed as a breakaway from the UK-wide party.
**
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for t ...
in
American football: The
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
defeat the
Dallas Cowboys, 21–17, in
Miami.
*
January 21 – First commercial
Concorde flight, from London to Bahrain.
*
January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
** The United States vetoes a
United Nations resolution that calls for an independent
Palestinian state.
** The
First Battle of Amgala breaks out between Morocco and Algeria in the Spanish Sahara.
February
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
** The
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a ...
begin in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, Austria.
** The 7.5
Guatemala earthquake affects
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
and
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), leaving 23,000 dead and 76,000 injured.
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
– Nearly 2,000 students become involved in a racially charged riot at
Escambia High School in
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
; 30 students are injured in the 4-hour fray.
*
February 9 – The
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
is formed by unification of the
Australian Army, the
Royal Australian Navy and the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
.
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
–
Clifford Alexander, Jr. is confirmed as the first
African American Secretary of the
United States Army.
*
February 12 – Actor
Sal Mineo is fatally stabbed in the alley behind his apartment building in
West Hollywood, California, aged 37.
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
** General
Murtala Mohammed of
Nigeria is assassinated in a military coup.
**
Dorothy Hamill (US) wins the gold medal in ladies
figure skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
,
Austria.
*
February 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
* 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...
– The
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
' ''
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)'' compilation is released in the United States. Globally, it will become probably the second
best-selling album of all time, followed by the same band's ''
Hotel California'', released on December 8.
*
February 19
Events Pre-1600
* 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
* 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...
– Former
Tower of Power vocalist Rick Stevens is arrested in the United States for murdering three men during a botched drug deal. He ultimately serves 36 years of a life sentence.
*
February 24
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
* 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence.
* 13 ...
–
Cuba's
constitution of 1976 is enacted.
*
February 26
Events Pre-1600
*747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 364 – Valentinian I is p ...
– The
Spanish Armed Forces
The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Constitution o ...
withdraw from
Western Sahara.
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– The
Polisario Front,
Western Sahara's national
liberation movement, declares independence of the territory under the name "
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic". On February 28,
Madagascar becomes the first country to recognise it.
March
*
March – The
Cray-1
The Cray-1 was a supercomputer designed, manufactured and marketed by Cray Research. Announced in 1975, the first Cray-1 system was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1976. Eventually, over 100 Cray-1s were sold, making it one of the ...
, the first commercially developed
supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second ( FLOPS) instead of million instructions ...
, is released by
Seymour Cray's
Cray Research, with the first purchaser being the
Energy Research and Development Administration
The United States Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) was a United States government organization formed from the split of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1975. It assumed the functio ...
(ERDA) in
Los Alamos, New Mexico.
*
March 1
** U.K. Home Secretary
Merlyn Rees ends
Special Category Status for those sentenced for scheduled
terrorist crimes relating to the civil violence in
Northern Ireland.
**
Bradford Bishop
William Bradford Bishop Jr. (born August 1, 1936) is a former United States Foreign Service officer who has been a fugitive from justice since allegedly killing his wife, mother, and three sons in 1976. On April 10, 2014, the Federal Bureau of In ...
allegedly murders five of his family members in Bethesda, Maryland. The crime goes undiscovered for 10 days and the suspect is never caught. From 2014 to 2018 he is on the
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
*
March 4
** The
Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention is formally dissolved in
Northern Ireland, resulting in
Direct rule over Northern Ireland by the
Government of the United Kingdom in London.
** The
Maguire Seven are found guilty in London of possessing explosives for use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and subsequently jailed for 14 years; their convictions will be overturned in 1991.
*
March 9 –
A cable car disaster in
Cavalese, Italy leaves 43 dead.
*
March 9–
11 – Two coal mine explosions claim 26 lives at the Blue Diamond Coal Co. Scotia Mine, in
Letcher County, Kentucky.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
– After eight years on NBC, ''
The Wizard of Oz
''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to:
*'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz''
** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
'' returns to
CBS, where it will remain until 1999, setting what is likely a record at that time for the most telecasts of a Hollywood film on a commercial television network. (That record is broken by ''
The Ten Commandments'' in 1996, which began its annual network telecasts on
ABC in 1973, continuing be telecast by that network as of 2020.)
*
March 16 –
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
*
March 17 – American boxer
Rubin Carter is retried in
New Jersey for murder; his conviction is upheld on this occasion but will be overturned in 1985.
*
March 20 –
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst (born February 20, 1954) is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found a ...
is found guilty of armed robbery of a
San Francisco bank in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
.
*
March 22 – ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' begins filming in
Tunisia.
*
March 23 – In a feud between Japanese ultranationalists,
Mitsuyasu Maeno attempts to assassinate
Yoshio Kodama by flying a plane into his Tokyo house.
*
March 24
**
Argentina military forces depose president
Isabel Perón
Isabel Martínez de Perón (, born María Estela Martínez Cartas, 4 February 1931), also known as Isabelita, is an Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. She was one of the first female republican heads ...
.
** A
general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
takes place in the
People's Republic of the Congo.
*
March 26
** The
Toronto Blue Jays are created as a baseball team.
**
The Body Shop, the retail chain for
skin care products and
cosmetics founded by
Anita Roddick, opens its first branch in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
England.
*
March 27
** The
South African Defence Force withdraws from
Angola and concludes
Operation Savannah.
** The first of the
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,[Google Books search/preview ...](_blank)
subway
Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to:
Transportation
* Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems
* Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle
* Subway (George Bush Interconti ...
system opens.
*
March 29 – The
military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer.
The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
of General
Jorge Videla comes to power in
Argentina.
*
March 30 –
Land Day:
Arab citizens of Israel
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
protest against intended appropriation of land by the government.
*
March 31
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian.
*1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
– The
New Jersey Supreme Court rules that patient in a
persistent vegetative state in the
Karen Ann Quinlan case can be disconnected from her
ventilator. She remains comatose and dies in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
.
* March late – The first truly complete recording of the opera ''
Porgy and Bess'' is released in a 3-LP set, by
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
in England and by
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
in the U.S. It stars
Willard White and
Leona Mitchell. The orchestra is the
Cleveland Orchestra conducted by
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel (, March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in th ...
.
April
*
April 1
**
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...
Company is formed by
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...
and
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American electronics engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, inventor, and technology entrepreneur. In 1976, with business partner Steve Jobs, he c ...
in California.
**
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
(Consolidated Rails Corporation) is formed by the U.S. government, to take control of 13 major Northeast Class-1 railroads that have filed for bankruptcy protection. Conrail takes control at midnight, as a government-owned and operated railroad until
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, when it is sold to the public.
** The
Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect is first reported by British astronomer
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore was president of the Brit ...
.
*
April 2 –
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
is forced to resign as Head of State of Kampuchea by the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
led by
Pol Pot
Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...
and is placed under house arrest.
*
April 3 – The
Eurovision Song Contest 1976
The Eurovision Song Contest 1976 was the 21st edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Ding-a-dong" by Teach-In. Organised by the European Broad ...
is won by
Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, with their song ''
Save Your Kisses for Me''.
*
April 5
Events Pre-1600
* 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
* 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
**
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...
becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
**
Tiananmen Incident: Large crowds lay wreaths at Beijing's ''Monument of the Martyrs'' to commemorate the death of Premier
Zhou Enlai. Poems against the
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...
are also displayed, provoking a police crackdown.
**
Segovia prison break: in Spain's largest prison break since the
Spanish civil war, 29 political prisoners escape from
Segovia prison.
*
April 10 – ''
Frampton Comes Alive!'', the multi-platinum selling live album by English rock musician
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...
hits #1 in the
''Billboard'' 200 and remains there for 10 weeks, becoming the best-selling album of the year.
*
April 11 – Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launch the first Apple computer, the
Apple I, for the U.S. hobbyist market.
*
April 13
Events Pre-1600
*1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
1601–1900
*1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
** The Lapua Cartridge Factory explosion in Lapua, Finland kills 40.
** The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the United States two-dollar bill, two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson's 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
* April 16 – As a measure to curb population growth, the minimum age for marriage in India is raised to 21 years for men and 18 years for women.
* April 21 – The Great Bookie Robbery in Melbourne: Bandits steal A$1.4 million in bookmakers' settlements from Queen Street, Melbourne.
* April 23
** Punk rock group the Ramones release their first album, ''Ramones (album), Ramones''.
** Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull release their album, ''Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!''
* April 25 – Portugal's 1976 Constitution of Portugal, new constitution is enacted.
* April 29 – Sino-Soviet split: A concealed bomb explodes at the gates of the Soviet embassy in China, killing four Chinese.
The targets were embassy employees, returning from lunch, but on this day they had returned to the embassy earlier.
May
* May 1 – Neville Wran becomes Premier of New South Wales.
* May 4
** The first LAGEOS (Laser Geodynamics Satellite) is launched.
** A train crash in Schiedam, the Netherlands, kills 24 people.
* May 6 – An 1976 Friuli earthquake, earthquake hits the Friuli area in Italy, killing more than 900 people and making another 100,000 homeless.
* May 9 – Ulrike Meinhof of the
Red Army Faction is found hanged in an apparent suicide in her Stuttgart-Stammheim prison cell.
* May 11
**U.S. President Gerald Ford signs the Federal Election Campaign Act.
** An accident involving a tanker truck carrying anhydrous ammonia takes place in Houston, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 7 people.
* May 13 – Video arcade game Breakout (video game), Breakout is released.
* May 16 – The Montreal Canadiens sweep the
Philadelphia Flyers in four games to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey. Flyers' forward Reggie Leach became the only non-goaltender from a finals losing team to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs after scoring a record 19 goals in 16 playoff games.
* May 21
** The Yuba City bus disaster, the second-worst bus crash in U.S. history, leaves 28 students and one teacher killed.
** The "Famous Fire" in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, destroys seven downtown structures, damages more than 12 others, and starts fires in at least 10 homes.
* May 24
** Washington, D.C.
Concorde service begins.
** Judgment of Paris (wine), The Judgment of Paris pits French vs. California wines in a blind taste-test in Paris, France. California wines win the contest, surprising the wine world and opening the wine industry to newcomers in several countries.
* May 25 – U.S. President Gerald Ford defeats challenger Ronald Reagan in 3 Republican Party (United States), Republican presidential primaries: Kentucky, Tennessee and Oregon.
* May 30 – Indianapolis 500 automobile race: Johnny Rutherford wins the (rain-shortened) shortest race in event history to date, at 102 laps or .
* May 31 – Syria Lebanese Civil War#Syrian intervention, intervenes in the Lebanese Civil War in opposition to the Palestine Liberation Organization, which it has previously supported.
June
* June 1 – The United Kingdom and Iceland end the Cod Wars, Third Cod War, with the UK accepting Iceland's extension of its territorial waters to 200 nautical miles in exchange for defined fishing rights.
* June 2
** A car bomb fatally injures ''Arizona Republic'' reporter Don Bolles.
** The Philippine government opens relations with the
Soviet Union.
* June 4 – The Boston Celtics defeat the Phoenix Suns 128–126 in triple overtime in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, National Basketball Association Finals at the Boston Garden. In 1997, the game is selected by a panel of experts as the greatest of the NBA's first 50 years.
* June 5 – The Teton Dam collapses in southeast Idaho in the US, killing 11 people.
* June 6 – The Double Six Crash, a plane crash in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, kills everyone on board, including Sabahan Chief Minister of Sabah, Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens.
* June 12 – Alberto Demicheli, a jurist, is inaugurated as a civilian List of Presidents of Uruguay, de facto President of Uruguay after Juan María Bordaberry is deposed by the military.
* June 13 – Savage thunderstorms roll through the state of Iowa, spawning several tornadoes, including an F-5 tornado that destroys the town of Jordan, Iowa, Jordan.
* June 14 – The trial begins at Oxford Crown Court in England of Donald Neilson, the multiple killer known as the Black Panther. He will be convicted and serve the remainder of his life in prison.
* June 16
** The Soweto uprising in South Africa begins.
** Francis E. Meloy Jr., newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, and two others are kidnapped in Beirut and killed.
* June 17 – The National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association agree on the ABA–NBA merger.
* June 20
** Hundreds of Western tourists are moved from Beirut and taken to safety in Syria by the U.S. military, following the murder of the U.S. Ambassador.
** 1976 Italian general election, General elections are held in Italy, resulting in the best result for the Communist Party (PCI) in a general election.
** Czechoslovakia national football team, Czechoslovakia beats Germany national football team, West Germany 5–3 on Penalty shoot-out (association football), penalties to win UEFA Euro 1976, Euro 76 when the game ends 2–2 after extra time.
* June 25 – Strikes start in Poland (Ursus, Warsaw, Ursus, Radom, Płock) after communists raise food prices; they end on June 30.
* June 26 – The CN Tower is opened in Toronto, the tallest free-standing land structure opens to the public.
* June 27
** Group of Six, G-6 is renamed "G7, Group of 7" (G-7) with the inclusion of Canada.
** Palestinian militants Operation Entebbe, hijack an Air France plane in Greece with 246 passengers and 12 crew. They take it to Entebbe, Uganda.
* June 28
** Inauguration of the north lane of the Rodovia dos Imigrantes.
* June 29
** Seychelles gains independence from the United Kingdom.
** The 1976 Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe, Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin.
July
* July 2 – North Vietnam dissolves the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, Provisional Government of South Vietnam and unites the two countries to form the Communism, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
* July 3
** ''Gregg v. Georgia'': The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the death penalty is not inherently cruel or unusual and is a constitutionally acceptable form of punishment overturning the ''Furman v. Georgia'' case of 1972.
** The 1976 United Kingdom heat wave, great heat wave in the United Kingdom, which is currently suffering from drought conditions, reaches its peak.
* July 4
** The U.S. celebrates its United States Bicentennial, bicentennial, in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the 1776 adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom.
** Entebbe Raid: Israeli airborne commandos free 103 hostages being held by Palestinian people, Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport; Yonatan Netanyahu and several Ugandan soldiers are killed in the raid.
* July 6 – The first class of women is inducted at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
* July 7
** German left-wing women terrorists Monika Berberich, Gabriella Rollnick, Juliane Plambeck and Inge Viett escape from the Lehrter Straße maximum security prison in West Berlin.
** David Steel becomes leader of the UK's Liberal Party in the aftermath of the scandal which forced out Jeremy Thorpe.
* July 10
** Four mercenary, mercenaries, three British and one American, are shot by firing squad in
Angola, following the Luanda Trial.
** Seveso disaster: An explosion in Seveso, Italy, causes extended pollution to a large area in the neighborhood of Milan, with many evacuations and a large number of people affected by the toxic cloud.
* July 12 – In the United States:
** California State University, Fullerton massacre: seven people are shot and killed, and two others are wounded in a mass shooting on campus at California State University, Fullerton.
** Barbara Jordan is the first African-American to keynote a political convention.
** Price Club, as predecessor of Costco, a worldwide membership-registration-only retailer, is founded in California.
** ''Family Feud'' debuts on
ABC-TV.
* July 15
** Jimmy Carter is nominated for U.S. president at the Democratic National Convention in New York City.
** Twenty-six Chowchilla schoolchildren and their bus driver are 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping, abducted and buried in a box truck within a quarry in Livermore, California. The captives dig themselves free after 16 hours. The quarry-owner's son and two accomplices are arrested for the crime.
* July 16–July 20, 20 – Albert Spaggiari and his gang break into the vault of the Société Generale Bank in Nice, France.
* July 17
** The 1976 Summer Olympics begin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
** East Timor is declared the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, 27th province of Indonesia.
* July 18 – 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci earns the first of seven perfect scores of 10 at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
* July 19 – Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created.
* July 20
** Viking program: The ''Viking 1'' lander successfully lands on Mars.
** American criminal Gary Gilmore is arrested for murdering two men in Utah.
* July 21 – A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb kills Christopher Ewart-Biggs, new British ambassador to the Irish Republic, and Judith Cooke, a Northern Ireland Office private secretary, in Dublin; two others are seriously wounded but survive.
* July 26 – In Los Angeles, Ronald Reagan announces his choice of liberal U.S. Senator Richard Schweiker as his vice presidential running mate, in an effort to woo moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican delegates away from President Gerald Ford.
* July 27
** The United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with its former colony Uganda in response to the hijacking of Air France Flight 139.
** Delegates attending an American Legion convention at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, US, begin falling ill with a form of pneumonia: this will eventually be recognised as the first outbreak of Legionnaires' disease and will end in the deaths of 29 attendees.
* July 28 – The 1976 Tangshan earthquake, Tangshan earthquake flattens Tangshan, China, killing 242,769 people, and injuring 164,851.
* 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 terrorize the city for the next year.
* July 30
** Caitlyn Jenner wins the gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
** In Santiago, Chile, Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro from Brazil beats Club Atlético River Plate, River Plate from Argentina and are the Copa Libertadores de América champions in Association football.
* July 31
** NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by ''Viking 1''.
** The Big Thompson River in northern Colorado floods, destroying more than 400 cars and houses and killing 143 people.
August
* August 1
** The 1976 Summer Olympics ends in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
** Trinidad and Tobago becomes a republic, replacing Elizabeth II as its head of state with President of Trinidad and Tobago, President Ellis Clarke.
** The Seattle Seahawks play their first
American football game.
** Defending F1 World Champion Niki Lauda suffers serious burns in the 1976 German Grand Prix, German Grand Prix after a huge accident that nearly cost him his life.
* August 2 – A gunman murders Andrea Wilborn and Stan Farr and injures Priscilla Davis and Gus Gavrel, in an incident at Priscilla's mansion in Fort Worth, Texas. T. Cullen Davis, Priscilla's husband and one of the richest men in Texas, is tried and found innocent for Andrea's murder, involvement in a plot to kill several people (including Priscilla and a judge), and a wrongful death lawsuit. Cullen goes broke afterwards.
* August 5 – The clock of "Big Ben" at the Palace of Westminster in London suffers internal damage and requires frequent repairs. The clock is stopped at times on 26 of the next 275 days.
* August 6 – Former United Kingdom Postmaster General John Stonehouse is sentenced to 7 years' jail for fraud, theft and forgery.
* August 7 – Viking program: ''Viking 2'' enters into orbit around Mars.
* August 8 – As part of the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger, ABA dispersal draft, 1976, a dispersal draft is conducted to assign teams for the players on the two ABA franchises which have folded.
* August 10—August 13, 13 – Hurricane Belle hits Long Island and southern New England. Twelve people are killed by the storm and damage is $100 million.
* August 11 – A sniper rampage in Wichita, Kansas on a Holiday Inn results in 3 deaths while 7 others are wounded.
* August 14
** Around 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in
Northern Ireland.
** The Senegalese political party ''African Independence Party – Renewal, PAI-Rénovation'' is legally recognized, becoming the third legal party in the country.
* August 16 – The Ramones make their first "professional" performance at CBGB in New York City.
* August 18 – At Panmunjom, North Korea, two United States soldiers are killed while trying to Operation Paul Bunyan, chop down part of a tree in the Korean Demilitarized Zone which has obscured their view.
* August 19 – U.S. President Gerald Ford edges out challenger Ronald Reagan to win the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party presidential nomination in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City.
* August 21 – Disappearance of Andy Puglisi: Massachusetts child Angelo "Andy" Puglisi goes missing from a public pool near his home; the case is never solved.
* August 24 – In Uruguay, the army captures Marcelo Gelman and his pregnant wife. Gelman is later killed and his wife disappears.
* August 25
** Jacques Chirac resigns as Prime Minister of France; he is succeeded by Raymond Barre.
** Landslide disaster in Sau Mau Ping, Hong Kong.
* August 26
** The first known outbreak of Ebola virus occurs in Yambuku, Zaire.
** Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, husband of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, resigns from various posts over a scandal involving alleged corruption in connection with business dealings with the Lockheed Corporation.
* August 28 – Actress Anissa Jones, famous for playing Buffy Davis in the television series ''Family Affair'', is found dead of an accidental overdose in Oceanside, California.
* August 30 – James Alexander George Smith McCartney is sworn in as the first chief minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
September
* September 1
** Cigarette and tobacco advertising is banned on Australian television and radio.
** Aparicio Méndez, a jurist, is inaugurated as a civilian ''de facto'' President of Uruguay in the framework of a dictatorship.
** The state of emergency in the Republic of Ireland legally still in force since 1939 is lifted.
* September 3 – Viking program: The ''Viking 2'' spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, taking the first close-up color photographs of the planet's surface.
* September 4 – 1500th anniversary of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.
* September 6
** Cold War: Soviet Union, Soviet Air Force pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko lands a MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō in Japan, and requests refugee, political asylum in the United States.
** Frank Sinatra brings Jerry Lewis's former partner Dean Martin onstage, unannounced, at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas, reuniting the comedy team for the first (and only) time in over 20 years.
* September 10
** 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision, Zagreb mid-air collision: A British Airways Trident and a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav DC-9 collide near Zagreb, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia (modern-day Zagreb, Croatia), killing all 176 aboard.
* September 13 – ''The Muppet Show'' is broadcast in the United Kingdom for the first time, on ITV (TV network), ITV.
* September 15 – Darryl Sittler scores the winning goal in the 1976 Canada Cup for Canada to win over Czechoslovakia in overtime, to win the first Canada Cup in ice hockey.
* September 16
** Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from a trolleybus that had fallen into a Yerevan reservoir.
** Beginning with the Night of the Pencils, a series of kidnappings and forced disappearances followed by torture, rape, and murder of students under the National Reorganization Process, Argentine dictatorship takes place.
* September 17 – The space shuttle ''Space Shuttle Enterprise, Enterprise'' is rolled out of a Palmdale, California hangar.
* September 20–September 21, 21 – The semi-legendary 100 Club Punk Special festival in London ignites the careers of several influential punk and post-punk bands, arguably sparking the punk movement's introduction into mainstream culture.
* September 21
** The Seychelles join the
United Nations.
** Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
* September 24 –
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst (born February 20, 1954) is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found a ...
is sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in the armed robbery of a
San Francisco bank in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
(an executive clemency order from U.S. President Jimmy Carter will set her free after only 22 months).
* September 25 – Irish rock band U2 is formed after drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. posts a note seeking members for a band on the notice board of his Dublin school.
* September 28 – American singer Stevie Wonder releases his hit album ''Songs in the Key of Life''.
October
* October 4 – The InterCity 125 high-speed train is introduced in the United Kingdom.
* October 6
** Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 crashes due to a bomb placed by Cuban dissident movement, anti-Fidel Castro terrorists, after taking off from Bridgetown, Barbados; all 73 people on board are killed.
** Students gathering at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand are Thammasat University massacre, massacred, while protesting the return of ex-dictator Thanom Kittikachorn by a coalition of right-wing paramilitary and government forces, triggering the return of the military to government.
** In
San Francisco, 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 is at the time).
** The Cultural Revolution in China concludes upon the capture of the
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...
.
* October 8 – Thorbjörn Fälldin replaces Olof Palme as Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Sweden.
* October 9 – Pittsburgh Pirates baseball pitcher Bob Moose is killed in a car crash in Ohio on his 29th birthday.
* October 10 – Taiwan Governor Hsieh Tung-min is injured by a letter bomb from a pro-independence activist.
* October 12 – The People's Republic of China announces that Hua Guofeng is the successor to Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party following the latter's death on September 9 from a heart attack.
* October 13 – The United States Commission on Civil Rights releases the report, ''Puerto Ricans in the Continental United States: An Uncertain Future,'' that documents that Puerto Ricans in the United States have a poverty rate of 33 percent in 1974 (up from 29 percent in 1970), the highest of all major racial-ethnic groups in the country (not including Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory).
* October 18 – Ford Motor Company, Ford officially launches volume production of the Ford Fiesta, Fiesta car at its Valencia plant in Spain.
* October 19
** The Battle of Aishiya is fought in Lebanon.
** The Copyright Act of 1976 extends copyright duration for an additional 19 years in the United States.
** The Common chimpanzee, Chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes'') is placed on the list of endangered species.
* October 20 – The Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince ferry disaster, MV ''George Prince'' is struck by a ship while crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana to Luling, Louisiana, killing 78 passengers and crew.
* October 22
** Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, the 5th President of Ireland, resigns after being publicly insulted by the Minister for Defense.
** The Damned (band), The Damned release their debut single "New Rose", making them the first British punk band to release a single, beating the Sex Pistols by a month.
* October 24 – James Hunt wins a very political Formula One World Championship by just 1 point driving a McLaren M23-D as rival Niki Lauda retires from the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix, Japanese Grand Prix due to heavy rain.
* October 25 – Clarence Norris, the last known survivor of the Scottsboro Boys, is pardoned.
* October 26 – Transkei gains "independence" from South Africa.
* October 28 – British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins' book ''The Selfish Gene'' is published, introducing the term memetics.
November
* November – Diffie–Hellman key exchange cryptography is proposed.
* November 2 – 1976 United States presidential election: Jimmy Carter narrowly defeats incumbent Gerald Ford, becoming the first candidate from the Deep South to win since the American Civil War, Civil War.
* November 4 – Mark Fidrych, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, wins 1976 Major League Baseball Rookie Of The Year Award.
* November 12 – Disappearance of Renee MacRae and her 3-year-old son Andrew from Inverness in Scotland; this becomes Britain's longest-running missing persons case.
* November 15 – The first megamouth shark is discovered off Oahu in Hawaii.
* November 19 – Jaime Ornelas Camacho takes office as the first President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal.
* November 24 – 1976 Çaldıran–Muradiye earthquake: Between 4,000 and 5,000 are killed in a 7.3 earthquake at Van, Turkey, Van and Muradiye in eastern Turkey.
* November 25 – In
San Francisco, The Band holds its farewell concert, ''The Last Waltz''.
* November 26
** Microsoft is officially registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.
** The Warsaw Treaty Organization joint secretariat is established.
* November 29 – The New York Yankees sign free agent Reggie Jackson to a five-year $3 million contract, setting the precedent for lucrative multi-year contracts for Major League Baseball players in years to come.
December
* December 1
**
Angola joins the
United Nations.
** José López Portillo takes office as President of Mexico.
** The Sex Pistols achieve public notoriety, as they unleash several four-letter words live on Bill Grundy's early evening television show in the United Kingdom.
** Sir Douglas Nicholls is appointed the 28th Governor of South Australia, the first Australian Aboriginal appointed to Viceroy, vice-regal office.
* December 3
** Attempted assassination of Bob Marley (and his manager Don Taylor) in a shooting at his home in Kingston, Jamaica.
** Patrick Hillery is sworn in after being elected unopposed as the 6th President of Ireland.
* December 4 – The Central African Republic officially becomes a monarchy as the Central African Empire, and President Jean-Bedel Bokassa proclaims himself Emperor Bokassa I.
* December 5 – The 1976 Japanese general election, Japanese general election takes place, and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party loses its majority in the 511-member House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives, but remains the largest party with 249 seats.
* December 6 – The Viet Cong is disbanded, and its former members become a part of the Vietnam People's Army.
* December 8 – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is established by the five Latinos in the United States Congress: Herman Badillo of the Bronx, E. de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas, Edward R. Roybal of California, and the nonvoting Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Baltasar Corrada del Río.
* December 10 – The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques.
* December 15
** Samoa joins the
United Nations.
** Denis Healey announces to the British Parliament that he has successfully negotiated a £2.3bn loan from the International Monetary Fund.
* December 23 – A new volcano, Murara, erupts in eastern Zaire.
Date unknown
* Plans to move the
Nigerian capital from Lagos to Abuja are approved.
* Random breath testing is introduced in Victoria (Australia).
* California's sodomy law is repealed.
* Thomas A. Minetree founds Bethesda Cancer Centers in the United States.
* The first laser printer is introduced by IBM (the IBM 3800).
* The New Jersey Legislature passes legislation legalizing casinos in the shore town of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic City commencing in 1978. After signing the bill into law, Governor Brendan Byrne declares "The American Mafia, mob is not welcome in New Jersey!" referring to the Mafia's influence at casinos in Nevada.
* The EAOP, Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) is established by the University of California (University of California, UC) in response to the California State Leislature, State Legislature's recommendation to expand post-secondary opportunities to all of California's students including those who are first-generation, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and English-language learners.
* ''Universe (1976 film), Universe'', a public domain film produced by Lester Novros for NASA, is released.
* Marc Brown (author), Marc Brown's children's picture book ''Arthur's Nose'' is published in the United States.
Births
January
* January 1
**Chai Jing, Chinese host and reporter
**Tank (American singer), Tank, American R&B musician
* January 2
** Mahée Paiement, Canadian actress
** Paz Vega, Spanish actress
*
January 3
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.
* 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
– Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
* January 4
**Shiro Amano, Japanese manga artist/writer
**August Diehl, German actor
*
January 5
Events Pre-1600
*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Turckh ...
– Shintarō Asanuma, Japanese voice actor
*January 6 – Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor and musician
* January 7
** Nilton Pereira Mendes, Brazilian footballer (d. 2006)
** Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
* January 10
**Eduardo Garza, Mexican voice actor, announcer, translator, puppeteer and singer
**Khairy Jamaluddin, Malaysian politician
* January 13
** Michael Peña, American actor
** Bic Runga, New Zealand singer-songwriter
** Mario Yepes, Colombian football player
* January 15
** Meredith Bishop, American actress
** Dorian Missick, American actor
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
** Carrie Keranen, American voice actress
** Eva Habermann, German actress
* January 19 – Marsha Thomason, English actress
* January 20
** Kirsty Gallacher, Scottish television presenter
** Michael Myers (American football), Michael Myers, National Football League, NFL defensive tackle
** Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
** Anastasia Volochkova, Russian prima ballerina
*
January 21 – Emma Bunton, English musician (Spice Girls)
* January 22 – TJ Trinidad, Filipino actor
* January 23
** Anne Margrethe Hausken, Norwegian orienteer (2008 World Orienteering Championships, world champion 2008)
** Angelica Lee, Taiwanese actress and singer
** Nigel McGuinness, English professional wrestler
* January 24 – Paul Bowman (rugby league), Paul Bowman, Australian rugby league player
* January 26 – Yasmine Belmadi, French actor (d. 2009)
*
January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
** Ahn Jung-hwan, South Korean footballer and television personality
** Maia Estianty, Indonesian musician, music producer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and television personality
* January 28
** Lee Ingleby, British voice artist
** Mark Madsen (basketball), Mark Madsen, American basketball player
**Rick Ross, American rapper
* January 30 – Andy Milonakis, American actor, writer, rapper, comedian and streamer
February
* February 1
** Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Icelandic politician, 28th Prime Minister of Iceland
** Muteba Kidiaba, Congolese football goalkeeper
* February 2
** Carlos Coste, Venezuelan free-diver
** James Hickman, British swimmer
** Lori Beth Denberg, American actress and comedian
* February 3
** Isla Fisher, Australian actress
** Tim Heidecker, American comedian
** Tijana Dapčević, Tijana, Macedonian singer
**Daddy Yankee, Puerto Rican singer songwriter and rapper
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
– Cam'ron, African-American rapper
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
** Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
** Tony Jaa, Thai martial art film actor/choreographer/director
** Brian Moorman, American football player
* February 6
** James Hiroyuki Liao, American actor
** Kim Zmeskal, American gymnast
*
February 9 – Charlie Day, American actor
* February 10 – Lance Berkman, American baseball player
*February 10 – Keeley Hawes, British actress
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
– Brice Beckham, American actor
*
February 12
** Jenni Falconer, British television presenter
** Silvia Saint, Czech actress
* February 14 – Erica Leerhsen, American actress
* February 15 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter and author
* February 16
** Kyo (musician), Kyo, Japanese rock musician (Dir En Grey)
** Adam Simpson, Australian rules footballer
** Janet Varney, American actress and comedian
*
February 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
* 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...
– Svein Berge, Norwegian musician (Röyksopp)
* February 20
** Johanna Beisteiner, Austrian guitarist
** Chris Cillizza, American journalist
* February 21 – Michael McIntyre, British stand-up comedian
* February 23
** Aaron Aziz, Singaporean-born Malaysian actor
** Jeff O'Neill, Canadian hockey player
** Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
*
February 24
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
* 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence.
* 13 ...
** Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian
** Zach Johnson, American golfer
* February 25 – Rashida Jones, American actress, writer, model and musician
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Yukari Tamura, Japanese voice actress and songwriter
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Barry Opdam, Dutch footballer
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Tony Gonzalez, American football player
* February 28
** Ali Larter, American actress and model
** Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Canadian actor
* February 29
** Ja Rule, American rapper
** Shane Johnson (actor), Shane Johnson, American actor
** Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker
** Mark Pollock, blind Irish adventurer and author
March
*
March 1
** Akhil Gogoi, Indian activist and politician
** Aleksey Jdanov, Uzbekistani football player
** Luke Mably, British actor
** Peter Bell (footballer, born 1976), Peter Bell, Australian rules footballer
* March 3
**Fraser Gehrig, Australian rules footballer
**Isabel Granada, Filipino actress and singer (d. 2017)
*
March 4
** Robbie Blake, English footballer
** Hiram Bocachica, Puerto Rican baseball player
** Sean Covel, American film producer
** Tommy Jönsson, Swedish football player
** Regi Penxten, Belgian DJ and record producer
** Thierry Renaer, Belgian field hockey player
* March 5
** Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
** Lucian Msamati, English actor
**Neil Jackson, English actor
* March 6 – Ken Anderson (wrestler), Ken Anderson, American professional wrestler (Mr. Anderson)
* March 8
** Sergej Ćetković, Montenegrin singer
** Gaz Coombes, English musician and singer-songwriter (Supergrass)
** Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor
*
March 9 – Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Argentinean model
* March 10
** Miroslav Kostadinov, Bulgarian singer and songwriter
** Haifa Wehbe, Lebanese model, actress and singer
* March 11
** Thomas Gravesen, Danish footballer
** Craig Parkinson, British actor
* March 12 – Zhao Wei, Chinese singer and actress
* March 13
** Danny Masterson,