August 1975
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The following events occurred in August 1975:


August 1, 1975 (Friday)

*The
Helsinki Accords The Helsinki Final Act, also known as Helsinki Accords or Helsinki Declaration was the document signed at the closing meeting of the third phase of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Helsinki, Finland, between ...
, recognized
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
's national borders and respect for human rights, were signed by the leaders of 35 nations in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, including the 15 member states of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and the 7
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
nations. Among other things, the agreement conceded the legality of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's annexation of the Baltic nations of
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, but also provided the first mechanism for holding the Communist nations to commitments toward human rights, and was later cited by
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...
as a key to the success of liberating Eastern Europe in 1989. *The Satellite Instructional Television Experiment commenced in India, bringing television for the first time to 2,500 villages in six Indian states and territories, in a project conducted by the
Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...
(ISRO) and
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
with the ATS-6 satellite. It would operate until July 31, 1976. *The skull of "
KNM ER 3733 KNM ER 3733 is a fossilized hominidae, hominid cranium of the extinct hominid ''Homo ergaster'', alternatively referred to as African ''Homo erectus''. It was discovered in 1975 in Koobi Fora, Kenya, right next to Lake Turkana, in a survey led by ...
", a woman of the species ''Homo ergaster'', was discovered by Bernard Ngeneo, 1,750,000 years after her death, at the Koobi Fora Ridge near
Lake Turkana Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...
in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
. By August 9, the nearly intact skull had been carefully unearthed. *The Republic of Cabinda unilaterally declared independence.


August 2, 1975 (Saturday)

*The highest temperatures ever recorded in
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
(107 °F at
New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
) and
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
(104 °F at
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
) took place during a heat wave in northeast United States. *Carrying U.S. President Ford on his departure from the Helsinki summit,
Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
strayed from its flight plan and veered into restricted air space near Swedish military installations, prompting the Swedish Air Force to send a J35 Draken to intercept the jet and turn it away. Major Carl-Christen Hjort said that the fighter was equipped with air-to-air missiles, "but, of course, there were no plans to use them". * Billy Martin had his first game as manager of baseball's
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
for owner George Steinbrenner being hired and fired in several times between 1975 and 1988. In his outing, he guided the Yankees to a 5–3 win over the Cleveland Indians.


August 3, 1975 (Sunday)

*Less than four weeks after becoming the first President of the
Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...
,
Ahmed Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane ( ar, أحمد عبد الله عبد الرحمن, , 12 June 1919 – 26 November 1989) was a Comorian politician. He was a member of the French Senate from 1959 to 1973, and President of the Comoros from 25 Octobe ...
was overthrown in a bloodless coup. Foreign mercenaries, sponsored by French soldier of fortune
Bob Denard Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary. He served as the Military Leader of The Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again ...
, seized the lone radio station and television station in Moroni, the capital city. An hour later, opposition leader Ali Soilih announced that he was the new President. Solih would place
Said Mohamed Jaffar Prince Said Mohamed Jaffar ( ar, سعيد محمد جعفر), full name Said Mohamed Jaffar El Amjad, (born April 14, 1918 in Comoros, and died October 22, 1993) was the 2nd President of Comoros ''(État comorien)'' from August 1975 until January ...
in the office of President, before assuming the job himself in January. *
A0620-00 A0620-00 (abbreviated from 1A 0620-00) is a binary star system in the constellation of Monoceros, with an apparent magnitude of 11.2 A0620-00 consists of two objects. The first object is a K-type main-sequence star. The second object c ...
, the first x-ray nova to also be visible on an optical telescope (designated V616 Mon), was seen and detected to flare. After eight months, the flare diminished, and the object is considered to be likely to be a
black hole A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
that was created around the time of the
10th century BCE The 10th century BC comprises the years from 1000 BC to 901 BC. This period followed the Late Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC c ...
based on its distance from earth of an estimated 3,000 light years. *The
Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...
opened in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
. *Died:
Jack Molinas Jacob Louis Molinas (October 31, 1931 – August 3, 1975) was an American professional basketball player and a key figure in one of the most wide-reaching point shaving scandals in college basketball. Early life Molinas grew up in Brooklyn ...
, 43, gambler and former college and professional basketball player convicted for "fixing" games, was shot and killed while standing in his backyard at his home in
Hollywood Hills, California The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
, in what was believed to have been a mob hit. The gunman, Eugene Conner, was convicted of murder in 1978 after being turned in by his own brother.


August 4, 1975 (Monday)

*A chartered ALIA, Royal Jordanian Airlines Boeing 707 crashed into the side of a mountain while attempting to land at Agadir after departing
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
three hours earlier. All but four of the passengers were Moroccans who worked in France and who were coming home on their vacations. All 188 people on the jet were killed. *Members of the
Japanese Red Army The was a militant communist organization active from 1971 to 2001. It was designated a terrorist organization by Japan and the United States. The JRA was founded by Fusako Shigenobu and Tsuyoshi Okudaira in February 1971 and was most active i ...
terrorist group fought their way into the American consulate in
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
, Malaysia, then took 52 hostages, only five of whom were American. The group demanded the release of 7 jailed Red Army members. Five of the JRA prisoners accepted the offer of safe passage and were flown to Libya.


August 5, 1975 (Tuesday)

* U.S. President Ford signed into law a U.S. Senate resolution posthumously restoring the American citizenship of Confederate Army General
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
, restoring his American citizenship. Lee had died in 1870, but had signed an oath of allegiance in 1865 as part of being granted amnesty. "Although more than a century late," President Ford said, "I am delighted to sign this resolution and to complete the full restoration of General Lee's citizenship." *The Parliament of India retroactively changed the 1971 election law that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had violated four years earlier while running for her seat in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi had been convicted on June 12 of violating campaign laws, with a mandatory penalty of being barred from public office for six years, then declared an emergency. Most citizens of India were unaware of the rewriting of the law because of censorship of the press. *South African troops drove ten miles into Angola, resulting in a decision by Cuba to increase its presence in the African nation. *An armored car of the Hang Seng Bank was robbed of 75 million Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to USD $10,000,000. *Born:
Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
(Kajol Devgan), Indian film actress and five-time winner of
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
for Best Actress; as Kajol Mukherjee in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...


August 6, 1975 (Wednesday)

*The United Nations Security Council declined to approve
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
's application for membership. The United States would veto the application of North Vietnam and South Vietnam a week later.''The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1976'' (Newspaper Enterprise Association, 1975), pp. 944–946. *One day before it was to expire, the U.S.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...
was extended for another ten years. The Act of 1975 had passed the U.S. House of Representatives 341-70 on June 4, 1975, and the U.S. Senate 77-12 on July 24. *The death of Hercule Poirot was announced worldwide by the publishers of
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's novel ''Curtain''. *The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet unanimously approved the Helsinki Accords, and a resolution praying "that all countries represented at the conference will live up to the agreements reached. As to the Soviet Union, it will act precisely in this way."


August 7, 1975 (Thursday)

* Typhoon Nina produced the heaviest one-day rainfall ever recorded from a Pacific Ocean typhoon, with 97 centimeters (38 inches) at
Linzhang County Linzhang County () is a county of far southern Hebei province, China, named after the Zhang River within its borders. It is under the administration of Handan City, and, , it had a population of 590,000 residing in an area of . Administrative div ...
in the
Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
Province. The typhoon itself had killed 12 people up to that point, in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, but the downpour continued for 26 hours, leading to a dam burst in mainland China the next day. *
Alger Hiss Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official accused in 1948 of having spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Statutes of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjury in con ...
was sworn back in as an attorney, 23 years after having been disbarred in 1952 for perjury, after denying that he had given U.S. State Department documents, nicknamed the "
Pumpkin Papers The Pumpkin Papers are a set of typewritten, handwritten, and microfilmed documents, stolen from the US federal government (thus information leaks) by members of the Ware Group and other Soviet spy networks in Washington, DC, during 1937-1938, wi ...
", to Communist spy
Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), defected from the Soviet underground (1938), ...
. *Born: **
Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...
, South African-born American actress, 2004 Academy Award winner for Best Actress for portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film ''Monster'', in Benoni, Gauteng ** David Hicks, Australian man imprisoned by the United States at Guantanamo Bay from 2001 to 2007 while awaiting trial on charges of supporting terrorism in Afghanistan; in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...


August 8, 1975 (Friday)

*The Banqiao Dam, in China's Henan Province, failed after a freak typhoon, drowning over 26,000 people and leading to famine and disease that killed 145,000 more. At 12:30 am local time, the Shimantan Dam, on the Ru River, gave way from a downpour; thirty minutes later, the pressure caused the Banqiao dam to burst, and 62 more dams further downstream failed as well. A large wave, and at least 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) high, swept through the valley, rendering eleven million people homeless. The People's Republic of China would not acknowledge the disaster until 30 years later. *Singer
Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
was seriously injured in a near-fatal mountain climbing accident at Ajax Peak in Montana, when the ground beneath him gave way, and fell 500 feet down the slope. After two years of reconstructive surgeries, Williams would set about rebuilding his career and become one of the best-selling country music artists in history. *Died:
Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...
, 46, former high school music teacher who became a contemporary jazz artist


August 9, 1975 (Saturday)

*The COS-B satellite, a project of the
European Space Research Organisation The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...
(ESRO), was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. "It is difficult to overestimate the importance of COS-B in the historical evolution" of ESRO, it would be written later. Operating five years longer than expected, up until April 25, 1982, the European mission provided the first detailed view of
gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
sources in the
Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye ...
. * Samuel Bronfman II, son of the president of
Seagram The Seagram Company Ltd. (which traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was once (in the 1990s) the lar ...
's, was reported kidnapped and held for ransom after disappearing from his home in
Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, United States. One myth explains that its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, where John Harrison was to be granted as much land as he could ride in ...
. After the ransom was paid, Bronfman was located August 17 by the FBI and by the New York Police Department. Defendants Mel Patrick Lynch and Dominic Byrne would later persuade a jury that Bronfman was their accomplice, and would be acquitted of kidnapping charges, and convicted only of extortion of the Bronfman family. Byrne's attorney wrote a memoir before his death in 2020, confessing that the defense was a lie, and Bronfman had been an innocent victim. *Planning began to move the capital of
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
from
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
to a new location. A committee, headed by
Akinola Aguda Akinola Aguda (1923 – 5 September 2001) was a Yoruba Nigerian jurist and a former Chief Justice of Botswana. Prior to becoming Chief Justice, he was a lawyer and a High Court judge in Nigeria's Western Region. He was the first indigenous Af ...
, would select a site for the Federal Capital Territory to be made up of part of the states of Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi, for the building of the new city of
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
. *
Mark Donohue Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 – August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice," and later "Dark Monohue," was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. D ...
set the world record for speed on a closed race course, averaging 221.120 miles per hour while driving a Porsche 917.30 at the Talladega Motor Speedway in
Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...
. The record would stand for 11 years, but Donohue would be killed in a racing accident ten days later. *Hours after their birth, two baby girls, born as
Siamese twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence ...
, were separated by a team of 25 surgeons, anesthetists and nurses, led by Dr. Peter Jones at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. *Died:
Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...
, 69, Russian composer


August 10, 1975 (Sunday)

*An interview with U.S. First Lady Betty Ford was broadcast on the popular news show ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
''. Taking questions from
Morley Safer Morley Safer (November 8, 1931 – May 19, 2016) was a Canadian-American broadcast journalist, reporter, and correspondent for CBS News. He was best known for his long tenure on the news magazine ''60 Minutes'', whose cast he joined in 1970 aft ...
, President Ford's wife gave surprisingly candid answers, noting that she "wouldn't be surprised" if her daughter was "having an affair" (referring to premarital sex) and that marijuana was "the type of thing young people have to experience". In the opinion of historian Nigel Hamilton, "alcohol certainly loosened her tongue when she gave what would become a famed interview...No First Lady had ever spoken so candidly on national television, sending moralists of both parties into a tailspin." *Former U.S. President
Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...
signed a contract with Australian TV journalist
David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...
, agreeing to answer any questions posed in four sessions of 90 minutes apiece. In return, Nixon would receive $700,000. The meetings would later be the subject of the film '' Frost/Nixon''. *As Indira Gandhi's exercise of "emergency rule" over India continued, the
Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution of India The Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution of India, enacted on 10 August 1975, placed the election of the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha beyond the scrutiny of the Indian courts. It was pa ...
took effect, prohibiting civil lawsuits or criminal charges from being brought against an incumbent Prime Minister of India. The new rule brought to an end the June decision that had threatened to bar Gandhi from public office.


August 11, 1975 (Monday)

*
British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
Motor Corporation, the United Kingdom's largest auto manufacturer, came under 78 percent control of the British government. *The UDT carried out a coup in the Portuguese colony at East Timor, which was in the process of being granted eventual independence from Portugal, beginning a civil war between UDT and a rival independence group, Fretilin.Geoffrey C. Gunn, ''Historical Dictionary of East Timor'' (Scarecrow Press, 2010), p. 58. In the civil war that followed, the UDT troops and thousands of refugees were forced, by a counterattack from Fretilin, to flee across the border to Indonesia, but not before their leaders signed a document asking for East Timor to be annexed by Indonesia. *Resolutions to admit North Vietnam and the Communist
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
were vetoed in the Security Council by the United States. The Council had recommended submitting the resolutions to the U.N. General Assembly by a 13–1 margin, with the U.S. against and Costa Rica abstaining. *Died: **
Anthony C. McAuliffe Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – August 10, 1975) was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in Wor ...
, 77, American general famous for answering a German surrender demand at the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
with the written reply "Nuts!". The U.S. 101st Airborne Division was able to hold out against the German attack for a week until relieved by other American units. **
Rachel Katznelson-Shazar Rachel Katznelson-Shazar ( he, רחל כצנלסון-שזר), also known as Rachel Shazar, (24 October 1885 – 11 August 1975) was an active figure in the Zionist movement. Her husband was Zalman Shazar, the third President of the State of Isra ...
, 90, Zionist political figure and wife of third President of Israel


August 12, 1975 (Tuesday)

* John Walker of
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
became the first person to run a mile in less than 3 minutes and 50 seconds, clocking in at 3:49.4 in a meet a
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. *Died:
Laurance Labadie Laurance Labadie (June 4, 1898 – August 12, 1975) was an American individualist anarchist and author. Career Labadie worked in the car industry in Detroit, Michigan. Labadie became an anarchist author, at first mainly republishing articles ...
, 77, American anarchist and author of ''Anarchism Applied to Economics'', and ''Origin and Nature of Government''


August 13, 1975 (Wednesday)

*South Korean serial killer Kim Dae-doo murdered 63-year old Ahn Jong-hyun and injured Ahn's wife, beginning a 55-day spree of killing that would not end until his arrest on October 8, 1975. Over a period of eight weeks, Kim murdered 17 victims ranging in age from an infant to a 70-year-old man, including 14 during the month of September. His final victim was a 26-year-old man, Hong Jin-man. *A group of 33 Libyan Army officers attempted to overthrow the government of
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
and his ruling Revolutionary Command Council, in the first major coup attempt since Gaddafi took power in 1969. The coup failed and the officers would be publicly executed in 1977. *A terrorist attack by the
Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's brigades, based in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The nucleus of the Belfast Brigade emerged in the divisions within Belfast republicans in the closing month ...
on the Bayardo Bar, a popular pub in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, killed five people and injured 50. Two people outside were killed first, and a bomb placed inside the bar exploded and collapsed the building. Brendan "Bik" McFarlane was arrested 20 minutes later, along with Peter Hamilton and Seamus Clarke. Sentenced to life imprisonment, McFarlane would later coordinate the
1981 Irish hunger strike The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during the Troubles by Irish republicanism, Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government ...
at Maze Prison, and lead the successful 1983
Maze Prison escape The Maze Prison escape (known to Irish republicans as the Great Escape) took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most e ...
.


August 14, 1975 (Thursday)

*The government of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and the rebel Moro Liberation Front signed a cease fire agreement after five years of fighting. The Front would repudiate the agreement on September 11, and fighting would continue until 1986. *Portugal resumed its colonial administration of Angola, but pledged to abide by the scheduled November 11 independence date.


August 15, 1975 (Friday)

*President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
was assassinated at his residence in
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
, along with his wife, three of his sons, two daughters-in-law, and his brother, and 12 other people during a coup d'etat led by
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Syed Faruque Rahman Syed Faruque Rahman (died 28 January 2010) was a coup member involved in toppling the Sheikh Mujib regime in Bangladesh. He was convicted and hanged on 28 January 2010 along with co-conspirators Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahme ...
.
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (also spelled Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmed; – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the President of Bangladesh from 15 August to 6 November 1975, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was part ...
, Mujibur's Commerce Minister, became the new President. The original six conspirators, all military officers, had met on August 6 and were soon joined by others, and the decision was made to act before September 1, when the nation's district governors would be given control over the police and armed forces. At dawn, the group struck. Nearly 35 years later, on January 28, 2010, five of the coup leaders would be hanged after their convictions in 1998, including Syed Faruque, and the man who actually shot President Mujibur, Major Bazlul Huda. * The Birmingham Six- Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Joe Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power and Johnny Walker- were sentenced to life imprisonment in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, after being wrongfully convicted of the murder of 21 people in the bombings of the Mulberry Bush pub and the Talk of the Town Pub in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, on November 21, 1974. After a 16-year campaign that would show that the police coerced their confessions and mishandled evidence, their convictions would be overturned in 1991. *Born: ** Kara Wolters, American women's pro basketball player and inductee into the
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...
, 1997 women's college basketball player of the year and Olympic gold medalist (2000); nicknamed "Big Girl" because of her stature (6'7" or 2.01m) as one of the tallest women basketball players; in
Holliston, Massachusetts Holliston is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 14,996 at the 2020 census. It is located in MetroWest, a Massachusetts region that is ...
**
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi , sometimes referred to as Yoshi Kawaguchi, is a former Japanese professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is a former captain of the Japan national team. Career Early career Born in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Kawaguchi studied ...
, Japanese soccer football goalkeeper with 116 appearances for the national team; in Fuji,
Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...


August 16, 1975 (Saturday)

*Serial killer Ted Bundy was arrested by Salt Lake County police sergeant Bob Hayward after fleeing when Hayward approached Bundy's Volkswagen Beetle. In the search of the car, Hayward found burglary tools and a ski mask. Bundy would be identified as the kidnapper of Carol Da Roach and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Transferred to a jail in Colorado to stand trial for a murder there, he would escape in 1977 and committed three more murders.


August 17, 1975 (Sunday)

*Two auto racing legends were fatally injured on the same day, thousands of miles apart.
Tiny Lund DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...
, who had won the
1963 Daytona 500 The 1963 Daytona 500, the 5th running of the event held on February 24, 1963, was won by Tiny Lund driving a 1963 Ford. Lund drove his number 21 to victory in three hours and 17 minutes. There were 2 cautions flags which slowed the race for 10 ...
, was killed in a six car pileup while competing in NASCAR's
Talladega 500 The GEICO 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of ...
car race in Alabama. Earlier in the day,
Mark Donohue Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 – August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice," and later "Dark Monohue," was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. D ...
, who had set a world record at the same track a week earlier, was fatally injured during a final morning practice, hours before the
Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in . History The A ...
, when a punctured tire caused his car to hurtle through a fence. Donohue walked away from the crash, complaining of a severe headache, then went into convulsions. Two days after undergoing emergency brain surgery at
Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
, Donohue died of complications. *Six firemen were killed and five others were injured while fighting a blaze at a
Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...
refinery in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. Two of the company employees prevented further destruction by paddling a rowboat through a pool of hot crude oil and shutting off an open valve in a
naphtha Naphtha ( or ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Mixtures labelled ''naphtha'' have been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. In different industries and regions ''n ...
storage tank. *Died: **
Vladimir Kuts Volodymyr Petrovych Kuts ( uk, Володимир Петрович Куц, russian: Владимир Петрович Куц, 7 February 1927 – 16 August 1975) was a Soviet long-distance runner. He won the 5000 and 10000 m races at the 1956 O ...
, 48, Soviet runner, gold medalist at the 1956 Olympics in the 5,000m and 10,000m events ** Sig Arno, 79, German-born character actor **
Chang Chun-Ha Chang Chun-ha (장준하, 張俊河, August 27, 1918 in Uiju County – August 17, 1975 in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province) was a Korean independence and democracy activist who later became a journalist in South Korea. Military career When Korea ...
, 56, South Korean publisher who had published the newspaper ''Sassanggye'' from 1953 until its shutdown in 1970, while mountain climbing


August 18, 1975 (Monday)

*The " Bicentennial quarter" was put into circulation in the United States. For one year, the image of the American eagle was replaced by one of an American Revolutionary War drummer boy. The image of George Washington remained the same, but the inscription "1776-1976" was put where "1976" would have gone. The coins entered general circulation starting on September 17, 1975.


August 19, 1975 (Tuesday)

*''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' became the first major American newspaper to call attention to
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
of female employees, in an article syndicated nationwide by The New York Times News Service. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' would follow with an article in January. *Died: **
Ima Hogg Ima Hogg (July 10, 1882 – August 19, 1975), known as "The First Lady of Texas", was an American society leader, philanthropist, mental health advocate, patron and collector of the arts, and one of the most respected women in Texas during th ...
, 94, American philanthropist and art collector **
Mark Donohue Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 – August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice," and later "Dark Monohue," was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. D ...
, 38, American race car driver and 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner, following a racing accident at
Österreichring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sho ...
racetrack in Spielberg bei Knittelfeld, Austria **
Frank Shields Francis Xavier Alexander Shields Sr. (November 18, 1909 – August 19, 1975) was an American amateur tennis player of the 1920s and 1930s, and an actor known for ''Hoosier Schoolboy'' (1937). Tennis career Between 1928 and 1945 he was ranked e ...
, 65, American tennis player and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee


August 20, 1975 (Wednesday)

*
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
launched the ''
Viking 1 ''Viking 1'' was the first of two spacecraft, along with ''Viking 2'', each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. The lander touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976, the first successful Mars land ...
'' planetary probe toward
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
. Liftoff took place from
Cape Canaveral , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type =Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...
at 5:22 pm local time. After a journey of ten months and 505 million miles, Viking would enter orbit around Mars on June 19, 1976, and the lander would reach the surface of Mars on July 20, sending back pictures and data until November 13, 1982. * Czechoslovak State Airlines Flight 542, an Ilyushin-62 jet, crashed while attempting to land in
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
, killing 126 of the 128 people aboard.


August 21, 1975 (Thursday)

*The United States partially lifted its embargo against Cuba, allowing the foreign subsidiaries of American companies to trade directly with the Castro regime. *Venezuela nationalized the oil industry there, with production facilities taken over by the state-owned company, Petróleos de Venezuela. *Died: Sam McGee, 81, older of the country music duo The
McGee Brothers The McGee Brothers were an American old-time performing duo of brothers Sam McGee (Samuel Fleming McGee, May 1, 1894 – August 28, 1975) and Kirk McGee (David Kirkland McGee, November 4, 1899 – October 24, 1983). Sam typically played guitar a ...
, in a farming accident. A master guitarist who performed regularly at the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
, McGee was cutting hay on his farm near Franklin, Tennessee when he was run over by his tractor.


August 22, 1975 (Friday)

*The destroyer ARA ''Santísima Trinidad'', being outfitted as the most advanced ship of the
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
, was sunk in
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
Harbor by bombs placed by the
Montoneros Montoneros ( es, link=no, Movimiento Peronista Montonero-MPM) was an Argentine left-wing Peronist guerrilla organization, active throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The name is an allusion to the 19th-century cavalry militias called Montoner ...
terrorist group, causing $70,000,000 worth of damage. The ship would be restored and put into service in 1981. *Serial killer
Henry Lee Lucas Henry Lee Lucas (August 23, 1936 – March 12, 2001) was an American convicted serial killer. Lucas was convicted of murdering his mother in 1960 and two others in 1983. He rose to infamy while incarcerated for these crimes when he falsely c ...
was paroled after serving three years of a five-year sentence for attempted kidnapping, and began a killing spree along with his friend,
Ottis Toole Ottis Elwood Toole (March 5, 1947 – September 15, 1996) was an American serial killer who was convicted of six counts of murder. Like his companion Henry Lee Lucas, Toole made confessions which resulted in murder convictions, and which h ...
. * John Patler, a sniper who had assassinated American Nazi leader
George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell (March 9, 1918 – August 25, 1967) was an American far-right political activist and founder of the American Nazi Party. He later became a major figure in the neo-Nazi movement in the United States, and his beliefs, st ...
on August 25, 1967, was paroled after serving nearly eight years of his 20-year prison sentence. *Died:
Lancelot Hogben Lancelot Thomas Hogben FRS FRSE (9 December 1895 – 22 August 1975) was a British experimental zoologist and medical statistician. He developed the African clawed frog ''(Xenopus laevis)'' as a model organism for biological research in his ear ...
, 79, British scientist and author of books on science, mathematics and language.


August 23, 1975 (Saturday)

*
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
became the third Indochinese nation to come under Communist Control in six months, as Vientiane, the nation's capital, welcomed the
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
guerillas. Prime Minister Souphanouvong, who led the Pathet Lao and a coalition government, pledged that King Sri Savang Vatthana would continue to reign. *The Soviet Union detonated eight nuclear devices simultaneously in a single event, marking a new trend in multiple testing. *Died: **
Sidney Buchman Sidney Robert Buchman (March 27, 1902 – August 23, 1975) was an American screenwriter and film producer who worked on about 40 films from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. He received four Oscar nominations and won once for Best Screenplay ...
, 73, blacklisted American screenwriter **
Hank Patterson Elmer Calvin "Hank" Patterson (October 9, 1888 – August 23, 1975) was an American actor and musician. He is known foremost for playing two recurring characters on three television series: the stableman Hank Miller on ''Gunsmoke'' and farmer ...
, 86, American TV actor (Fred Ziffel on ''Green Acres'')


August 24, 1975 (Sunday)

* Stylianos Pattakos,
Nikolaos Makarezos Nikolaos Makarezos ( el, Νικόλαος Μακαρέζος; 1919 – 3 August 2009) was a Greek Army officer and one of the masterminds of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. Early life and career He was born in 1919 in the village of ...
, and former President
George Papadopoulos George Demetrios Papadopoulos (; born August 19, 1987) is an author and former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. On October 5, 2017, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to a felony charge of mak ...
, the three Greek Army colonels who had led the 1967 military coup in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, were sentenced to death after being convicted of treason and insurrection, while eight other defendants (including former President Demetrios Ioannidis) received life sentences, and seven others got terms ranging from 4 to 20 years. On August 25, the Greek cabinet voted to commute the sentences to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
. *The
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
, the major professional soccer football league in North America, played its 8th championship, but the first to be called the "
Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...
". In a match of two expansion teams playing their first seasons, the Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
, 2 to 0, with goals coming from
Arsène Auguste Arsène Auguste (3 February 1951 – 20 March 1993) was a Haitian international footballer who represented Haiti in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He played professional club football with Racing Club Haïtien in Haiti and New Jersey Brewers, Tampa Bay ...
of Haiti and Clyde Best of Bermuda. *
Ed Halicki Edward Louis Halicki (born October 4, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1974 to 1980. On August 24, 1975, Halicki threw a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants against the New York M ...
of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
team pitched a
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
against the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
; the Giants wouldn't win another no-hitter until 2009. *Died: Charles Revson, 68, cosmetics manufacturer who founded the Revlon company.


August 25, 1975 (Monday)

*In a luxury railroad car parked in the middle of the
Victoria Falls Bridge The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the bridge links the two countries and has border post ...
, Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of Rhodesia and leader of the white minority government of the mostly black African nation, met with Bishop Abel Muzorewa of the black African National Council, to negotiate a peaceful solution to a threatened racial war. The bridge linked white ruled
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
(later
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
) and the black ruled
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
(formerly
Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
). Earlier in the day, Prime Minister John Vorster of white-ruled
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
met with Zambia's President Kenneth Kaunda at the Musi-o-Tunya Hotel at the Zambian town of
Livingstone Livingstone may refer to: * Livingstone (name), a Scottish surname and a given name. **David Livingstone (1813–1873), Scottish physician, missionary and explorer, after whom many other Livingstones are named Places *Livingstone Falls, on the Con ...
, later referred to as Maramba, with both leaders sponsoring the meeting between Smith and Muzorewa. However, the meeting was not successful. *
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's album '' Born to Run'' was released in the United States, becoming a hit and making Springsteen a rock superstar.


August 26, 1975 (Tuesday)

*The Emir of Bahrain dissolved that nation's Constitutional Assembly, after a two-year experiment in parliamentary democracy, replacing the legislature with the prior system of the laws by decree of the Emir, with the advice and counsel of a cabinet of ministers of his choice. A bicameral legislature would be created in 2001. *
Bundelkhand University Bundelkhand University is a State university based in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1975, it has professional, technical and vocational study programmes along with facilities for research. Administration The chancellor of the unive ...
was created in Jhansi in the Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
.


August 27, 1975 (Wednesday)

*The death of Haile Selassie I, the last
Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...
, was announced by the African republic's radio station. Officially, the 83-year-old deposed Emperor had been found dead in his palace, and had been in failing health after prostate surgery two months earlier, and he was buried in a "secret location" by orders of President Mengistu. After the overthrow of the Mengistu regime 16 years later, Selassie's body was unearthed from a grave beneath Mengistu's office at the former Imperial Palace, and it was revealed that the Emperor had been smothered with a pillow while sleeping, after he refused to provide information about his overseas bank accounts. *The defendants in the 1970 shootings at Kent State University were acquitted of all responsibility for the May 4, 1970 killing of four students. Former Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes, former KSU President Robert I. White, and 27 members of the Ohio National Guard had been sued by the parents of the four students for $46 million. *Governor Mário Lemos Pires of the colony of
Portuguese Timor Portuguese Timor ( pt, Timor Português) was a colonial possession of Portugal that existed between 1702 and 1975. During most of this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Dutch East Indies. The first Europeans to arrive in the ...
abandoned the capital
Dili Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...
and departed by the freighter ''Macdili'', along with 722 refugees, to the tiny nearby Atauro Island. *The West German communications satellite Symphonie-B was launched into space from the United States.


August 28, 1975 (Thursday)

*The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic for packaging of certain foods, because of its potential for causing cancer. At the time, PVC was the second most-used plastic in American food packaging. Although PVC film wrapping of meat and fruits was still permitted, the use of hard PVC plastic on lunch meat packages, and for bottles of liquids, was to be prohibited. *The FBI released the first 725 of 48,000 pages of its files concerning
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...
, 22 years after the American couple's execution for treason. The materials were made available following a
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...
request by Professor Allen Weinstein of
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
. *Died: Fritz Wotruba, 68, Austrian sculptor


August 29, 1975 (Friday)

*
Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian general who served as the President of Peru after a successful coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency in 1968. Under his presidency, nationalism ...
was deposed as President of Peru by a military coup, after seven years of dictatorial rule. His Prime Minister, General
Francisco Morales Bermudez Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco (name), Paco". Francis of Assisi, San Francisco de Asís was known as '' ...
, was installed as Velasco's successor. *General
Vasco Goncalves Vasco may refer to: * Basque language, called ''vasco'' in Spanish * ''Vasco'' (album), a two-part EP by Ricardo Villalobos * Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer * Vasco da Gama, Goa, a city in India, often called simply Vasco * Club de Regatas V ...
was fired as
Prime Minister of Portugal The prime minister of Portugal ( pt, primeiro-ministro; ) is the head of government of Portugal. As head of government, the prime minister coordinates the actions of ministers, represents the Government of Portugal to the other bodies of state, ...
by President Francisco da Costa Gomes. *The
nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
V1500 Cygni was first observed on Earth, reaching a magnitude of 1.7 the next day, making it bright enough to be visible with the naked eye. It would remain visible for about a week. It was the second brightest nova of the 20th Century, exceeded only by CP Puppis in 1942. The distance of the V1500 Cygni was calculated at 1.95 kiloparsecs (6,360 light years), so the nova occurred in roughly 4400 BC. *Died: **
Charles C. Bass Charles Cassidy Bass (January 29, 1875 – August 1975) was an American medical doctor and researcher on tropical medicine who made significant contributions to understanding malaria, hookworm, and other diseases.Rudolph Matas, New Orleans Medic ...
, American physician and medical researcher (b. 1875) ** Éamon de Valera, 92, Irish statesman who served as
President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
from 1959 to 1973, and as Prime Minister 1937–48, 1951–54 and 1957–59


August 30, 1975 (Saturday)

*The
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972, commonly called the "London Convention" or "LC '72" and also abbreviated as Marine Dumping, is an agreement to control pollution of the sea by dum ...
, sometimes called the London Convention of 1972, entered into force. *At the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City, the
Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...
held its second nominating convention, selecting Roger MacBride as its candidate for President of the United States in the 1976 election. After the 1972 election, MacBride, one of 12 Virginian Republicans in the Electoral College, broke ranks and cast one electoral vote for the Libertarian candidate, John Hospers.


August 31, 1975 (Sunday)

*The largest robbery of bus passengers in history netted $35,000 worth of cash, coins and jewelry in what was described as "a 1975 version of a stagecoach holdup". Two armed bandits were among the 38 passengers on a Greyhound bus that was en route from Chicago to Toronto when the robbery took place near Detroit, taking an estimated $20,000 in cash and $15,000 in other valuables from people who chose not to fly."$35,000 haul in bus hijack", ''Deseret News'' (Salt Lake City), September 2, 1975, p. 2.


References

{{Events by month links
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
*1975-08 *1975-08