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1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1976th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 976th year of the 2nd millennium, the 76th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1970s decade.

Events

January

• January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.^[1]
• January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.^[2]
• January 18 – Full diplomatic relations are established between Bangladesh and Pakistan 5 years after the Bangladesh Liberation War.^[3]
• January 27
  • The United States vetoes a United Nations resolution that calls for an independent Palestinian state.^[4]
  • The First Battle of Amgala breaks out between Morocco and Algeria in the Spanish Sahara.^[5]

February

• February 4
  • The 1976 Winter Olympics begin in Innsbruck, Austria.
  • The 7.5 M_w Guatemala earthquake affects Guatemala and Honduras with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 23,000 dead and 76,000 injured.
• February 9 – The Australian Defence Force is formed by unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.
• February 13 – General Murtala Mohammed of Nigeria is assassinated in a military coup.
• February 19 – 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 – Cuba's constitution of 1976 is enacted.
• February 26 – The Spanish Armed Forces withdraw from Western Sahara.
• February 27 – 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 first commercially developed supercomputer, is released by Seymour Cray's Cray Research, with the first purchaser being the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in Los Alamos, New Mexico.^[6]
• 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 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 – After eight years on NBC, The Wizard of Oz 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 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 is found guilty of armed robbery of a San Francisco bank in 1974.
• March 22 – Star Wars 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.
  • A general strike 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, England.^[7]
• March 27
  • The South African Defence Force withdraws from Angola and concludes Operation Savannah.
  • The first 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) of the Washington Metro subway system opens.
• March 29 – The military dictatorship of General Jorge Videla comes to power in Argentina.
• March 30 – Land Day: Arab citizens of Israel protest against intended appropriation of land by the government.
• March 31 – 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.
• March late – The first truly complete recording of the opera Porgy and Bess is released in a 3-LP set, by Decca Records in England and by London Records in the U.S. It stars Willard White and Leona Mitchell. The orchestra is the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Lorin Maazel.

April

• April 1
  • Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in California.
  • Conrail (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, when it is sold to the public.
  • The Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect is first reported by British astronomer Patrick Moore.
• April 2 – Norodom Sihanouk is forced to resign as Head of State of Kampuchea by the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot and is placed under house arrest.
• April 3 – The Eurovision Song Contest 1976 is won by Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, with their song Save Your Kisses for Me.
• April 5
  • James Callaghan 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 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 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
  • The Lapua Cartridge Factory explosion in Lapua, Finland kills 40.
  • The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the 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 19 – A violent F5 tornado strikes around Brownwood, Texas, injuring 11 people. Two people were thrown at least 1,000 yards (910 m) by the tornado and survived uninjured.^[8][9]
• 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.
  • Jethro Tull release their album, Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
• April 25 – Portugal's 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.^[10] The targets were embassy employees, returning from lunch, but on this day they had returned to the embassy earlier.^[10]

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 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.^[11][12]
• May 13 – The Atari video arcade 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.
  • 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 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 408 kilometres (254 mi).
• May 31 – Syria 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 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 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 Tun Fuad Stephens.
• June 12 – Alberto Demicheli, a jurist, is inaugurated as a civilian 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.
• 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.
  • General elections are held in Italy, resulting in the best result for the Communist Party (PCI) in a general election.
  • Czechoslovakia beats West Germany 5–3 on penalties to win Euro 76 when the game ends 2–2 after extra time.
• June 25 – Strikes start in Poland (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
  • G-6 is renamed "Group of 7" (G-7) with the inclusion of Canada.
  • Palestinian militants 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 Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin.

July

• July 2 – North Vietnam dissolves the Provisional Government of South Vietnam and unites the two countries to form the 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 great heat wave in the United Kingdom, which is currently suffering from drought conditions, reaches its peak.
• July 4
  • The U.S. celebrates its 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 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 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 extensive 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.^[13]
  • 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 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 16–20 – 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 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 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 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
  • Bruce Jenner wins the gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.^[14]
  • In Santiago, Chile, Cruzeiro from Brazil beats 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 Ellis Clarke.
  • The Seattle Seahawks play their first American football game.
  • Defending F1 World Champion Niki Lauda suffers serious burns in the 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, a dispersal draft is conducted to assign teams for the players on the two ABA franchises which have folded.
• August 10–13 – 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.^[15]
• August 14
  • Around 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland.
  • The Senegalese political party 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 17 – The 8.0 M_w  Moro Gulf earthquake hits off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines, triggering a destructive tsunami, killing between 5,000 and 8,000 people and leaving more than 90,000 homeless.^[16]
• August 18 – At Panmunjom, North Korea, two United States soldiers are killed while trying to 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 presidential nomination in 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.^[17]
• 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 Air Force pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko lands a MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō in Japan, and requests 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 – Zagreb mid-air collision: A British Airways Trident and a Yugoslav DC-9 collide near Zagreb, 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.
• 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 Argentine dictatorship takes place.
• September 17 – The space shuttle Enterprise is rolled out of a Palmdale, California hangar.
• September 20–21 – 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 is sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in the armed robbery of a San Francisco bank in 1974 (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 1 – Hurricane Liza killed more than 600 people in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, striking the resort city of La Paz, Baja California Sur where 350 people died, and another 280 in the surrounding area.
• 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 anti-Fidel Castro terrorists, after taking off from Bridgetown, Barbados; all 73 people on board are killed.^[18]
  • Students gathering at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand are 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 incorrectly 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.
• October 8 – Thorbjörn Fälldin replaces Olof Palme as 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 officially launches volume production of the 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 Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is placed on the list of endangered species.
• October 20 – The Mississippi River ferry 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 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 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.
  • The second generation of video game consoles starts with the release of the Fairchild Channel F.
• 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 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.^[19]
• November 15 – The first megamouth shark is discovered off Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi.
• 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 M_s earthquake at 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 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 Japanese general election takes place, and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party loses its majority in the 511-member 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 17 – The 1976 remake of the 1933 King Kong film, starring Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges, debuts in 974 theatres in the United States and Canada by Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis. The film becomes a big financial hit for Paramount Pictures, despite mixed reviews.
• 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 commencing in 1978. After signing the bill into law, Governor Brendan Byrne declares "The mob is not welcome in New Jersey!" referring to the Mafia's influence at casinos in Nevada.
• The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) is established by the University of California (UC) in response to the 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.^[20]
• Universe, a public domain film narrated by William Shatner and produced by Lester Novros for NASA, is released.
• Marc Brown's children's picture book Arthur's Nose is published in the United States.

Births

January

• January 2 – Paz Vega, Spanish actress^[21]
• January 3 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer^[22]
• January 4 – August Diehl, German actor^[23]
• January 6 – Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor and musician^[24]
• January 13
  • Michael Peña, American actor^[25]
  • Mario Yepes, Colombian football player^[26]
• January 16 – Martina Moravcová, Slovak swimmer^[27]
• January 21 – Emma Bunton, English musician^[28]
• January 23
  • Anne Margrethe Hausken, Norwegian orienteer^[29]
  • Angelica Lee, Taiwanese actress and singer^[30]
• January 27
  • Ahn Jung-hwan, South Korean footballer and television personality^[31]
  • Clint Ford, American screenwriter and voice actor^{[citation needed]}
• January 28 – Rick Ross, American rapper^[32]

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, Macedonian singer
  • Daddy Yankee, Puerto Rican singer songwriter and rapper
• February 4 – Cam'ron, African-American rapper
• February 5
  • 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 – 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, Japanese rock musician (Dir En Grey)
  • Adam Simpson, Australian rules footballer
  • Janet Varney, American actress and comedian
• February 17 – Svein Berge, Norwegian musician (Röyksopp)
• February 18 – Chanda Rubin, American tennis player^[33]
• 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
  • Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian
  • Zach Johnson, American golfer
• February 25 – Rashida Jones, American actress, writer, model and musician
• February 27
  • Tony Gonzalez, American football player
  • Sergei Semak, Russian football player and coach^[34]
  • Yukari Tamura, Japanese voice actress and songwriter
• February 28
  • Ali Larter, American actress and model
  • Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Canadian actor
• February 29
  • Ja Rule, American rapper
  • Shane Johnson, American actor
  • Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker
  • Mark Pollock, blind Irish adventurer and author

March

• March 1
  • Luke Mably, British actor
  • Peter Bell, Australian rules footballer
• March 3
  • Fraser Gehrig, Australian rules footballer
  • Isabel Granada, Filipino actress and singer (d. 2017)
• March 5
  • Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
  • Lucian Msamati, English actor
  • Neil Jackson, English actor
• March 6 – 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
• March 11
  • Thomas Gravesen, Danish footballer
  • Craig Parkinson, British actor
• March 12 – Zhao Wei, Chinese singer and actress
• March 13 – Danny Masterson, American actor
• March 14
  • Merlin Santana, American actor (d. 2002)
  • Corey Stoll, American actor
  • Sarah Ulmer, New Zealand cyclist
• March 15
  • Abhay Deol, Indian actor
  • Cara Pifko, Canadian actress
• March 16
  • Nick Spano, American actor
  • Blu Cantrell, American R&B singer
  • Pál Dárdai, Hungarian football player and manager
  • Kim Johnsson, Swedish hockey player
  • Zhu Chen, Chinese chess grandmaster
• March 17
  • Stephen Gately, Irish singer (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
  • Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
• March 18
  • Emma Willis, English television presenter and former model
  • FanFan, American-born Taiwanese singer-songwriter
• March 19
  • Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
  • Andre Miller, American basketball player
  • Alessandro Nesta, Italian football player
• March 20 – Chester Bennington, American singer (Linkin Park) (d. 2017)
• March 21 – Rachael MacFarlane, American actress and singer, sister of Seth MacFarlane
• March 22
  • Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
  • Shawty Lo, American rapper (d. 2016)
  • Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
  • Reese Witherspoon, American actress
• March 23
  • Sir Chris Hoy, Scottish cyclist^[35]
  • Keri Russell, American actress
  • Sa Beining, Chinese host
• March 24
  • Aaron Brooks, American football player
  • Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer
  • Peyton Manning, American football player^[36]
• March 25
  • Somy Ali, Pakistani actress
  • Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian professional boxer
  • Gigi Leung, Hong Kong singer and actress
• March 26
  • Amy Smart, American actress
  • Eirik Verås Larsen, Norwegian sprint kayaker
  • Nurgül Yeşilçay, Turkish actress
• March 27
  • Brandon Johnson, American politician, mayor-elect of Chicago^[37]
  • Liu Limin, Chinese swimmer^[38]
• March 29 – Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player
• March 30
  • Jessica Cauffiel, American actress and singer
  • Ty Conklin, American ice-hockey player
  • Ayako Kawasumi, Japanese voice actress
• March 31 – Vice Ganda, Filipino comedian

April

• April 1
  • Troy Baker, American actor and musician
  • Hazem El Masri, Lebanese-Australian rugby league player
  • David Oyelowo, English-American actor
  • Clarence Seedorf, Dutch footballer
• April 2
  • Lucy Diakovska, German-Bulgarian pop singer
  • Daisuke Namikawa, Japanese voice actor
  • Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
• April 3 – Will Mellor, English actor
• April 4
  • Emerson, Brazilian footballer
  • James Roday, American actor, director and screenwriter
  • Paula Yacoubian, Lebanese politician and journalist^[39]
• April 5
  • Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer
  • Natascha Ragosina, Russian boxer
  • Henrik Stenson, Swedish golfer
  • Sterling K. Brown, African-American actor
• April 6 – Candace Cameron Bure, American actress
• April 7 – Eric Wareheim, American comedian
• April 9 –
  • Kris Radlinski, English rugby league player
  • Blayne Weaver, American actor and filmmaker
  • Ramkarpal Singh, Malaysian politician
• April 10 – Jan Werner Danielsen, Norwegian singer (d. 2006)
• April 11 – Mimi Morales, Colombian actress
• April 12 – Andrei Lipanov, Russian ice skater
• April 13
  • Glenn Howerton, American actor
  • Jonathan Brandis, American actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• April 14 – Anna DeForge, American basketball player
• April 15
  • Jason Bonsignore, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • Brock Huard, American football player
  • Steve Williams, British rower
• April 16
  • David Lyons, Australian actor
  • Lukas Haas, American actor and musician
  • Robert Dahlqvist, Swedish guitarist and vocalist (d. 2017)
  • Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress
• April 17 – Monet Mazur, American actress
• April 18
  • Gavin Creel, American actor and singer-songwriter
  • Melissa Joan Hart, American actress
  • Sean Maguire, British actor and singer
• April 19
  • Wyatt Cenac, American actor, writer and director
  • Kim Young-oh, South Korean illustrator
• April 20
  • Joey Lawrence, American actor
  • Shay Given, Irish football goalkeeper
• April 21
  • Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
  • Petero Civoniceva, Australian rugby league player
• April 22 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
• April 23
  • André Flach, Dutch politician
  • Darren Huckerby, English footballer
• April 24
  • George P. Bush, American attorney and politician
  • Steve Finnan, Irish footballer
• April 25
  • Tim Duncan, American basketball player
  • Denis Kartsev, Russian professional ice hockey player^[40]
  • Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player
  • Kim Jong-kook, South Korean singer, television personality
  • Amir Fryszer Guttman, Israeli singer (d. 2017)
• April 26 – Elisabet Reinsalu, Estonian actress
• April 27 – Sally Hawkins, English actress
• April 28
  • Michael Carbonaro, American actor, magician and improv artist
  • Joseph N'Do, Cameroonian former international footballer ^[41]
• April 29
  • Jay Orpin, Swedish composer and record producer
  • Shiho Kawaragi, Japanese voice actress
• April 30 – Ankaralı Namık, Turkish singer

May

• May 1
  • Darius McCrary, American actor
  • James Murray, American actor
  • Michele Frangilli, Italian archer
• May 3
  • Beto, Portuguese footballer
  • Jeff Halpern, American ice hockey player
• May 4
  • Jason Michaels, American baseball player
  • Anza, Japanese actress and singer best known for playing the character of Sailor Moon in some Sailor Moon musical
• May 5
  • Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer and sports broadcaster^[42]
  • Sage Stallone, American actor, film director, producer and distributor (d. 2012)
• May 6 – Marshall Burt, American railroader and politician
• May 7
  • Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player
  • Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy SEAL, First recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Afghanistan War (d. 2005)
• May 8
  • Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American folk-pop singer
  • Makoto Yukimura, Japanese manga artist
• May 10
  • Rhona Bennett, American actress, singer and model
  • Rogério Oliveira da Costa, Brazilian-born football striker (d. 2006)
• May 11 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rapper
• May 14 – Martine McCutcheon, British actress and singer
• May 15
  • Tyler Walker, American baseball player
  • Mark Kennedy, Irish footballer
  • Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
  • Ryan Leaf, American football quarterback
  • Anže Logar, Slovenian politician, minister of foreign affairs
• May 16 – Ana Paula Valadão, Brazilian worship leader, singer-songwriter, pastor, author and television presenter
• May 17 – Mayte Martínez, Spanish athlete^[43]
• May 19 – Kevin Garnett, African-American basketball player
• May 20 – Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
• May 21 – Dara Bubamara, Serbian singer
• May 23 – Ricardinho, Brazilian football player and coach^[44]
• May 25
  • Stefan Holm, Swedish high jumper^[45]
  • Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
  • Erinn Hayes, American actress
  • Nadine Heredia, Peruvian politician, First Lady of Peru
  • Ethan Suplee, American actor
• May 26 – Paul Collingwood, English cricketer
• May 28
  • Alexei Nemov, Russian gymnast
  • Liam O'Brien, American actor
• May 31
  • Tony Hopper, English footballer (d. 2018)
  • Colin Farrell, Irish actor
  • Roar Ljøkelsøy, Norwegian ski jumper

June

• June 2
  • Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • Tim Rice-Oxley, English rock musician/composer (Keane)
  • Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho
• June 3 – Jamie McMurray, American race car driver
• June 4
  • Alexei Navalny, Russian lawyer and political activist (d. 2024)
  • Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player^[46]
• June 5
  • Aesop Rock, American hip-hop artist
  • Marc Worden, Canadian actor and voice actor
  • Joe Gatto, American comedian
• June 6
  • Emilie-Claire Barlow, Canadian actress and singer
  • Geoff Rowley, English skateboarder
• June 7
  • Necro, American rapper
  • Nora Salinas, Mexican actress and model
  • Mirsad Türkcan, Serbian born-Turkish basketball player^[47]
• June 8 – Lindsay Davenport, American tennis player
• June 10
  • Michel Brown, Argentine actor
  • Esther Ouwehand, Dutch politician, parliamentarian for the Party for the Animals
  • Mariana Seoane, Mexican actress
• June 12 – Thomas Sørensen, Danish football goalkeeper
• June 13
  • Kym Marsh, British singer (Hear'Say) and actress
  • Jason "J" Brown, British singer (5ive)
• June 14
  • Alan Carr, English comedian
  • Lavínia Vlasak, Brazilian actress and model
• June 16 – Tom Lenk, American actor
• June 17
  • Peter Svidler, Russian chess grandmaster
  • Scott Adkins, English actor
• June 18
  • Petri Haapimaa, Finnish footballer and coach
  • Brady Haran, Australian-British founder and cast of Numberphile channel
  • Blake Shelton, American singer
• June 19 – Ryan Hurst, American actor
• June 20 – Juliano Belletti, Brazilian footballer
• June 21 – Antonio Cochran, American football player
• June 22
  • Mikko Luoma, Finnish ice-hockey player
  • Mike O'Brien, American actor, writer and comedian
• June 23
  • Brandon Stokley, American football player
  • Paola Suárez, Argentine tennis player^[48]
  • Emmanuelle Vaugier, Canadian actress
  • Patrick Vieira, French footballer
  • Gavin Williamson, British politician, Secretary of State for Education
• June 25
  • Maurren Maggi, Brazilian athlete and politician^[49]
  • Sylvain N'Diaye, Senegalese footballer
  • Neil Walker, American swimmer
• June 26
  • Cédric Jimenez, French film producer, film director and screenwriter
  • Wilson Lima, Brazilian politician and journalist
  • Alexander Zakharchenko, Ukrainian separatist rebel (d. 2018)
• June 27 – Joseph Sikora, American actor
• June 28
  • Nawaf Al-Temyat, Saudi Arabian football (soccer) player
  • Jason J. Lewis, American voice actor
  • David Palmer, Australian squash player
  • Seth Wescott, American snowboarder
• June 29
  • Annette Beutler, Swiss professional racing cyclist
  • Katsutoshi Domori, Japanese football player
  • Takahiro Mazuka, Japanese sprinter
  • Omar Doom, American actor, musician and artist
  • Ma Yili, Chinese actress
  • Angelo Lekkas, Australian rules footballer
• June 30
  • Tamara Sedmak, Swiss television presenter, model and actress
  • Kazumasa Shimizu, Japanese football player
  • Jason Bostic, American football defensive back
  • Christine Schürrer, German serial killer
  • Gilbert Yvel, Dutch mixed martial artist

July

• July 1
  • Justin Lo, Hong Kong singer and actor
  • Patrick Kluivert, Dutch footballer
  • Haaz Sleiman, Lebanese-American actor
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dutch footballer
  • Kellie Bright, English actress
• July 2
  • Kon Arimura, Malaysian-Japanese radio personality, film critic and film commentator
  • Krisztián Lisztes, Hungarian footballer
  • Tommy Pistol, American actor and director
• July 3
  • Shane Lynch, Irish singer
  • Wanderlei Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • Bobby Skinstad, Zimbabwean rugby union player
  • Andrea Barber, American actress
  • Henry Olonga, Zambian-Zimbabwean cricketer
• July 4
  • Rohan Nichol, Australian actor
  • Aryan Vaid, Indian male model
  • Jo Chen, American-Taiwanese comic book artist and writer
  • Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
• July 5
  • Jamie Elman, Canadian-American actor
  • Nuno Gomes, Portuguese footballer
  • Rufus Johnson, American rapper also known as Bizarre
• July 7
  • Lina Teoh, Malaysian actress, television host and model
  • Bérénice Bejo, Argentine actress
  • Hamish Linklater, American actor and playwright
  • Natasha Collins, English actress and model (d. 2008)
• July 8
  • Ellen MacArthur, English yachtswoman
  • Grettell Valdez, Mexican television and film actress and fashion model^[50]
• July 9
  • Fred Savage, American actor and director
  • Arturo Carmona, Mexican actor
  • Elliot Cowan, English actor
• July 10
  • Edmílson, Brazilian footballer^[51]
  • Ludovic Giuly, French footballer
  • Adrian Grenier, American actor, musician and director
  • Elissa Slotkin, American politician^[52]
• July 11 – Eduardo Nájera, Mexican basketball player
• July 12
  • Anna Friel, English actress
  • Tracie Spencer, American R&B singer
  • Kyrsten Sinema, American politician^[53]
• July 14 – Geraint Jones, Papua New Guinea cricketer
• July 15
  • Diane Kruger, German actress
  • Jim Jones, American rapper, member of hip hop group The Diplomats
  • Gabriel Iglesias, American actor, voice actor and comedian
• July 16
  • Anna Smashnova, Israeli tennis player
  • Bobby Lashley, American professional wrestler
• July 17
  • Luke Bryan, American country music singer-songwriter
  • Marcos Senna, Brazilian born-Spanish footballer
  • Dagmara Domińczyk, Polish-American actress and author
  • Eric Winter, American actor and fashion model
• July 18 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish actress and model
• July 19
  • Diether Ocampo, Filipino actor, singer and model
  • Benedict Cumberbatch, English actor^[54]
  • Eric Prydz, Swedish DJ and producer
  • Vinessa Shaw, American actress
• July 20 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian racing driver
• July 21
  • Cori Bush, American politician^[55]
  • Tatyana Lebedeva, Russian long jumper^[56]
  • Jaime Murray, English actress
• July 23 – Judit Polgár, Hungarian chess player
• July 24
  • Tiago Monteiro, Portuguese Formula One driver
  • Yulia Navalnaya, Russian public figure, economist and activist
  • Rashida Tlaib, American politician and lawyer
• July 25 – Timur Mutsurayev, Chechen bard
• July 26
  • Pável Pardo, Mexican footballer^[57]
  • Martha Roby, American politician
• July 27 – Fernando Ricksen, Dutch professional footballer (d. 2019)
• July 28 – Jacoby Shaddix, American singer
• July 31 – Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rican footballer^[58]

August

• August 1
  • Iván Duque, Colombian politician, 33rd President of Colombia
  • Don Hertzfeldt, American animator
  • Nwankwo Kanu, Nigerian footballer
  • Hasan Şaş, Turkish football player and coach^[59]
  • Amar Upadhyay, Indian television actor and model
• August 2
  • Kati Wilhelm, German biathlete^[60]
  • Sam Worthington, English-born Australian actor
• August 4
  • Paul Goldstein, American tennis player^[61]
  • David Lewis, Canadian actor
  • Jock Zonfrillo, Scottish TV presenter and chef (d. 2023)
• August 5 – Napoleon Beazley, juvenile offender (d. 2002)
• August 6
  • Andero Ermel, Estonian actor
  • Soleil Moon Frye, American actress, director and screenwriter
  • Melissa George, Australian actress
  • Travis Kalanick, American businessman and computer programmer; co-founder of Uber
• August 7 – Nargiz Birk-Petersen, Azerbaijani-American lawyer, presenter and model
• August 8
  • JC Chasez, American singer ('N Sync)
  • Drew Lachey, American singer (98 Degrees)
• August 9
  • Jessica Capshaw, American actress
  • Aled Haydn Jones, Welsh radio producer and presenter
  • Mark Priestley, Australian actor (d. 2008)
  • Audrey Tautou, French actress
• August 11
  • Iván Córdoba, Colombian football player and manager^[62]
  • Will Friedle, American actor, voice actor, writer and comedian
• August 12
  • Mikko Lindström, Finnish rock guitarist
  • Lina Rafn, Danish singer
• August 13
  • Melanie Gabriel, English singer
• August 14 – Maya Nasri, Lebanese actress and singer
• August 15
  • Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
  • Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player
• August 16 – Kadri Rämmeld, Estonian actress
• August 18
  • Lee Seung-yeop, South Korean baseball player
  • Bryan Volpenhein, American rower^[63]
• August 19 – Gabriela Jiménez Ramírez, Venezuelan politician
• August 21 – Liezel Huber, South African born-American tennis player^[64]
• August 23 – Scott Caan, American actor
• August 24
  • Alex O'Loughlin, Australian actor
  • Yang Yang, Chinese short track skater
• August 25 – Alexander Skarsgård, Swedish actor
• August 26 – Mike Colter, American actor
• August 27
  • Sarah Chalke, Canadian actress
  • Carlos Moyá, Spanish tennis player
  • Mark Webber, Australian racing driver
• August 29
  • Luana Piovani, Brazilian actress and model
  • Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish footballer^[65]
• August 30 – Cristian Gonzáles, Uruguayan-born Indonesian footballer
• August 31 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer

September

• September 1
  • Marcos Ambrose, Australian racing driver
  • Ivano Brugnetti, Italian race walker
  • Sebastián Rozental, Chilean footballer^[66]
• September 3
  • Jevon Kearse, American football player
  • Samuel Kuffour, Ghanaian footballer^[67]
  • Vivek Oberoi, Indian actor
• September 4 – Brian Myrow, American baseball player
• September 5 – Carice van Houten, Dutch actress
• September 6
  • Naomie Harris, British actress
  • Mark Wilkerson, American musician
  • Robin Atkin Downes, English actor and voice actor
• September 7 – Stevie Case, American video game celebrity
• September 8 – Sjeng Schalken, Dutch tennis player
• September 9
  • Mick Blue, Austrian pornographic actor and director
  • Emma de Caunes, French actress
  • Lúcia Moniz, Portuguese singer and actress
• September 10 – Gustavo Kuerten, Brazilian tennis player
• September 11 – Marco Rose, German football player and coach^[68]
• September 12 – Maciej Żurawski, Polish footballer
• September 13 – Puma Swede, Swedish pornographic actress
• September 15 – Rob Wiethoff, American actor
• September 16 – Tina Barrett, English singer (S Club 7)
• September 17 – Nicole Reinhart, American track and road racing cyclist (d. 2000)
• September 18 – Ronaldo, Brazilian footballer
• September 19
  • Raja Bell, American basketball player
  • Isha Koppikar, Indian actress
  • Alison Sweeney, American actress
  • Sergey Tsinkevich, Belarusian footballer and referee
• September 20
  • Jon Bernthal, American actor
  • Yui Horie, Japanese voice actress
  • Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress
• September 23 – Rob James-Collier, British actor and model
• September 24 – Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, American professional wrestling promoter
• September 25
  • Chauncey Billups, American basketball player
  • Chiara Siracusa, Maltese singer, Eurovision Song Contest 2005 runner-up
• September 26
  • Michael Ballack, German footballer
  • Kersti Heinloo, Estonian actress
• September 27 – Francesco Totti, Italian footballer
• September 28 – Fedor Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial arts fighter
• September 29 – Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer

October

• Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, Iraqi-born leader of the Islamic state (d. 2022)
• October 1
  • Danielle Bisutti, American actress and singer
  • Diana Haddad, Lebanese singer
• October 2 – Anita Kulcsár, Hungarian handball player (d. 2005)
• October 3 – Seann William Scott, American actor and producer
• October 4
  • Mauro Camoranesi, Argentine born-Italian footballer
  • Alicia Silverstone, American actress
  • Ueli Steck, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2017)
• October 5
  • Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic
  • Mauro Colagreco, Italian Argentine chef
  • Matt Hamill, American mixed martial arts fighter
• October 6
  • Freddy García, Venezuelan baseball player
  • Barbie Shu, Taiwanese actress and singer
• October 7
  • Taylor Hicks, American singer
  • Pekka Kuusisto, Finnish violinist
  • Gilberto Silva, Brazilian football player
  • Santiago Solari, Argentine football player and coach
• October 8 – Peter Stickles, American actor
• October 9
  • Sam Riegel, American voice actor and director
  • Nick Swardson, American actor, stand-up comedian and screenwriter
• October 10
  • Bob Burnquist, Brazilian skateboarder
  • Shane Doan, Canadian ice hockey player
• October 11 – Emily Deschanel, American actress
• October 12 – Kajsa Bergqvist, Swedish high jumper^[69]
• October 14
  • Chang Chen, Taiwanese actor
  • Carolina Tejera, Venezuelan model and actress
• October 15 – Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress
• October 17 – Fabri Fibra, Italian rapper
• October 18 – Galder, Norwegian musician
• October 19
  • Joe Duplantier, French musician
  • Dan Smith, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • Michael Young, American baseball player
  • Desmond Harrington, American actor
  • Omar Gooding, American actor
• October 20
  • Dan Fogler, American actor, comedian and writer
  • Plamen Goranov, Bulgarian photographer, mountain climber and a Varna-based local protest leader (d. 2013)
• October 21
  • Jeremy Miller, American actor
  • Lavinia Miloșovici, Romanian artistic gymnast
  • Andrew Scott, Irish actor
• October 23
  • Cat Deeley, British television presenter
  • Ryan Reynolds, Canadian actor
• October 25
  • Steve Jones, Northern Irish footballer
  • Anton Sikharulidze, Russian figure skater
• October 26
  • Miikka Kiprusoff, Finnish hockey player
  • Jeremy Wotherspoon, Canadian speed skater
  • Thurop Van Orman, American animator and voice actor
  • Florence Kasumba, Ugandan-born German actress
• October 29
  • Stephen Craigan, Northern Irish footballer
  • Mark Sheehan, Irish guitarist (The Script) (d. 2023)^[70]
• October 31
  • Guti, Spanish football player and coach^[71]
  • Piper Perabo, American actress

November

• November 1
  • Chad Lindberg, American actor
  • Sam Presti, American basketball executive, general manager of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder since 2007
• November 2 – Thierry Omeyer, French handball goalkeeper
• November 5
  • Oleh Shelayev, Ukrainian footballer
  • Sean Brown, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • Sebastian Arcelus, American actor
• November 6
  • Pat Tillman, American football player, victim of friendly fire (d. 2004)
  • Troy Hambrick, American football player
  • Wiley Wiggins, American actor
  • Sal Vulcano, American actor
• November 7 – Mark Philippoussis, Australian tennis player
• November 8 – Brett Lee, Australian cricketer
• November 9
  • Josh Kaufman, American singer-songwriter, winner of The Voice season 6
  • Federica De Bortoli, Italian voice actress
• November 11 – Mike Leon Grosch, German singer
• November 12
  • Tevin Campbell, American singer and actor
  • Mirosław Szymkowiak, Polish footballer
• November 13 – Janine Leal, Venezuelan nutritionist, television presenter and model.^[72]
• November 14 – František Čermák, Czech tennis player
• November 15 – Virginie Ledoyen, French actress^[73]
• November 17 – Diane Neal, American actress
• November 18 – Shagrath, Norwegian black metal musician (Dimmu Borgir)
• November 19
  • Jack Dorsey, American software architect, businessman, co-founder of Twitter
  • Jun Shibata, Japanese singer and songwriter
  • Benny Vansteelant, Belgian duathlete (d. 2007)
• November 20
  • Dominique Dawes, African-American Olympic gymnast
  • Ji Yun-nam, North Korean footballer
  • Laura Harris, Canadian actress
• November 22
  • Torsten Frings, German footballer
  • Ville Valo, Finnish rock singer (HIM)
• November 24
  • Chen Lu, Chinese figure skater
  • Christian Laflamme, Canadian ice-hockey player
• November 25
  • Donovan McNabb, American football player
  • Hienadz Shutau, Belarusian demonstrator (d. 2020)^[74]
• November 26 – Maia Campbell, American actress and singer
• November 27 – Jaleel White, African-American actor
• November 28 – Ryan Kwanten, Australian actor and comedian
• November 29
  • Chadwick Boseman, American actor and playwright (d. 2020)
  • Anna Faris, American actress
  • Ehren McGhehey, American stunt performer and actor

December

• December 1
  • Matthew Shepard, American murder victim (d. 1998)
  • Laura Ling, American journalist imprisoned by North Korea in 2009
• December 3
  • Cornelius Griffin, American football player
  • Marcos Denner, Brazilian footballer
• December 4 – Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (d. 1997)
• December 5
  • Amy Acker, American actress
  • Evonne Hsu, Taiwanese singer
• December 6 – Alicia Machado, Venezuelan beauty queen, Miss Universe 1996
• December 7
  • Mark Duplass, American actor, screenwriter and director
  • Basma Hassan, Egyptian actress
  • Georges Laraque, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • Derek Ramsay, Filipino actor and model
• December 8
  • Zoe Konstantopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician
  • Dominic Monaghan, English-German actor
• December 11
  • Caroline Ducey, French actress
  • Tatyana Kotova, Russian long jumper
• December 13
  • Mark Paston, New Zealand footballer
  • Radosław Sobolewski, Polish footballer
  • Rama Yade, Senegalese born-French politician
• December 14 – Leland Chapman, American bail bondsman
• December 17
  • Takeo Spikes, American football player
  • Dan Hageman, American screenwriter and television producer
• December 18
  • Koyuki, Japanese actress
• December 21 – Mirela Maniani, Greek javelin thrower
• December 23
  • Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
  • Amjad Sabri, Pakistani Qawwali singer (d. 2016)
  • Christopher Pizzey, English actor and comedian
• December 24 – Ángel Matos, Cuban taekwondo athlete
• December 25
  • Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish metal keyboardist (Nightwish)
  • Armin van Buuren, Dutch music producer and DJ
• December 26
  • Nadia Litz, Canadian actress and producer
  • Dmitri Tertyshny, Russian professional ice hockey (d. 1999)
• December 27
  • Fernando Pisani, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • Aaron Stanford, American actor
• December 28
  • Joe Manganiello, American actor
  • Deddy Corbuzier, Indonesian actor, YouTuber and magician
• December 29 – Danny McBride, American actor, comedian and writer
• December 31
  • Ceza, Turkish rapper
  • Vanessa Kerry, American physician and health care administrator
  • Chris Terrio, American film director/screenwriter

Date unknown

• Pedro X. Molina, Nicaraguan caricaturist^[75]
• Birgit C. Muller, Austrian fashion designer, producer and philanthropist

Deaths

January

• January 3 – John Ainsworth-Davis, Welsh surgeon and athlete (b. 1895)
• January 5
  • John A. Costello, former Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland (b. 1891)
  • Mal Evans, English road manager to the Beatles (b. 1935)^[76]
  • Károly Takács, Hungarian Olympic shooter (b. 1910)
• January 8 – Zhou Enlai, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898)
• January 10 – Howlin' Wolf, American blues singer (b. 1910)
• January 12 – Agatha Christie, English detective fiction writer (b. 1890)^[77]
• January 13 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
• January 14
  • Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1922)
  • Muhammad Sakizli, 2nd Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1892)
• January 15 – Gengo Hyakutake, Japanese admiral (b. 1882)
• January 19 – Hidetsugu Yagi, Japanese electrical engineer (b. 1886)
• January 22 – Hermann Jónasson, Icelandic politician, 7th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1896)
• January 23 – Paul Robeson, American actor, singer, writer and activist (b. 1898)
• January 24 – Emil Bodnăraș, Romanian communist politician and army officer and Soviet agent (b. 1904)
• January 26 – Gabriele Allegra, Italian Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1907)
• January 29 – Jesse Fuller, American one-man band musician (b. 1896)
• January 31 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal and namesake of the Miranda right (b. 1941)

February

• February 1
  • Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
  • Hans Richter, German artist and filmmaker (b. 1888)^[78]
  • George Whipple, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1878)
• February 4 – Roger Livesey, Welsh actor (b. 1906)
• February 6 – Ritwik Ghatak, Bengali filmmaker and script writer (b. 1925)
• February 9 – Percy Faith, Canadian bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor (b. 1908)
• February 11
  • Lee J. Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
  • Alexander Lippisch, German aeronautical engineer (b. 1894)
  • Dorothy Maud Wrinch, British mathematician and biochemical theorist (b. 1894)
• February 12 – Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
• February 13
  • Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian general (b. 1938)
  • Lily Pons, French-American operatic soprano and actress (b. 1898)
• February 17 – Jean Servais, Belgian actor (b. 1910)
• February 20
  • René Cassin, French judge, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1887)
  • Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist and faith healer (b. 1907)
• February 22 – Florence Ballard, American singer (The Supremes) (b. 1943)
• February 23 – L. S. Lowry, British artist (b. 1887)
• February 26 – Frieda Inescort, Scottish-born actress (b. 1901)

March

• March 4 – Walter H. Schottky, German physicist (b. 1886)
• March 5 – Otto Tief, Estonian politician and military commander (b. 1889)
• March 6 – Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxer and actor (b. 1907)
• March 8 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian military commander (b. 1908)
• March 10 – Haddon Sundblom, Swedish illustrator and American artist (b. 1899)
• March 14 – Busby Berkeley, American choreographer and director (b. 1895)
• March 17 – Luchino Visconti, Italian theatre and film director (b. 1906)
• March 19 – Paul Kossoff, British rock guitarist (Free) (b. 1950)
• March 24
  • Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal (b. 1887)
  • E. H. Shepard, English artist and book illustrator (b. 1879)
• March 25 – Josef Albers, German-American artist (b. 1888)
• March 28 – Richard Arlen, American actor (b. 1899)
• March 31 – Paul Strand, American photographer (b. 1890)

April

• April 1
  • Max Ernst, German artist (b. 1891)
  • Alfred Lennon, father of musician John Lennon (b. 1912)
• April 4 – Harry Nyquist, American information theory pioneer (b. 1889)
• April 5 – Howard Hughes, American aviation pioneer, film director and millionaire recluse (b. 1905)
• April 8 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (b. 1891)
• April 9 – Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
• April 12 – Miriam Cooper, American actress (b. 1891)
• April 13 – Sabri al-Asali, Syrian politician, 3-time Prime Minister of Syria (b. 1903)
• April 14 – Mariano Ospina Pérez, Colombian politician, 17th President of Colombia (b. 1891)
• April 17 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)
• April 25
  • Carol Reed, English film director (b. 1906)
  • Markus Reiner, Israeli scientist (b. 1886)
• April 26 – Andrei Grechko, Soviet general, Minister of Defence (b. 1903)

May

• May 9
  • Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author (b. 1920)
  • Ulrike Meinhof, German terrorist (b. 1934)
• May 11 – Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect (b. 1898)
• May 12 – Keith Relf, British rock musician (The Yardbirds) (b. 1943)
• May 15 – Samuel Eliot Morison, American historian (b. 1887)^[79]
• May 24 – Hugo Wieslander, Swedish Olympic athlete (b. 1889)
• May 26
  • Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (b. 1889)
  • Edgar Moon, Australian tennis player (b. 1904)
• May 27 – Ruth McDevitt, American actress (b. 1895)
• May 28 – Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter (b. 1914)
• May 30 – Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese aviator, naval officer and Christian evangelist (b. 1902)
• May 31 – Jacques Monod, French biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1910)

June

• June 2
  • Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam, Egyptian diplomat and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the Arab League (b. 1893)
  • Juan José Torres, Bolivian politician and military leader, 50th President of Bolivia (b. 1920)
• June 5 – Robert Wichard Pohl, German physicist (b. 1884)
• June 6
  • J. Paul Getty, American industrialist, founder of Getty Oil (b. 1892)
  • David Jacobs, Welsh Olympic athlete (b. 1888)
  • Fuad Stephens, Malaysian politician (b. 1920)
  • Victor Varconi, Hungarian actor (b. 1891)
• June 7
  • Bobby Hackett, American jazz musician (b. 1915)
  • Shigetarō Shimada, Japanese admiral during World War II (b. 1883)
• June 9 – Dame Sybil Thorndike, British actress (b. 1882)
• June 10 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-born film producer (b. 1873)
• June 11 – Toots Mondt, American WWF promoter (b. 1894)
• June 12 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, 1st Prime Minister of South Vietnam and 1st Vice President of South Vietnam (b. 1908)
• June 15 – Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1896)^[80]
• June 16 – Hector Pieterson, South African activist (b. 1963)
• June 17 – Richard Casey, Australian statesman and diplomat (b. 1890)
• June 24 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer (b. 1883)
• June 27 – C. Wade McClusky, United States Navy admiral (b. 1902)
• June 28 – Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and film producer (b. 1928)

July

• July 1
  • Anneliese Michel, German Roman Catholic woman who was believed to be possessed by demons (b. 1952)
  • Zhang Wentian, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (b. 1900)
• July 4 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israeli commando leader (b. 1946)
• July 6 – Zhu De, Head of State of China, China Red Army Commander-in-Chief (b. 1886)
• July 7
  • Norman Foster, American film director (b. 1903)
  • Gustav Heinemann, 6th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (b. 1899)
• July 11 – León de Greiff, Colombian poet (b. 1895)
• July 12 – James Wong Howe, American cinematographer (b. 1899)
• July 14 – Joachim Peiper, German military leader (b. 1915)
• July 15 – Paul Gallico, American novelist, short story and sports writer (b. 1897)^[81]
• July 16 – Wilhelmina von Bremen, American sprint runner (b. 1909)
• July 22 – Sir Mortimer Wheeler, British archaeologist (b. 1890)
• July 23 – Basil Hopko, Czechoslovak Roman Catholic bishop and saint (b. 1904)
• July 24 – Afro Basaldella, Italian painter (b. 1912)
• July 28
  • Maggie Gripenberg, Finnish dancer and choreographer (b. 1881)^[82]
  • Lucie Mannheim, German singer and actress (b. 1899)
• July 29 – Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)
• July 30 – Rudolf Bultmann, German Lutheran theologian (b. 1884)

August

• August 2 – Fritz Lang, Austrian-German-American filmmaker, screenwriter and occasional film producer (b. 1890)
• August 4 – Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian-born British newspaper proprietor (b. 1894)^[83]
• August 6
  • Gregor Piatigorsky, Russian cellist (b. 1903)
  • Maria Klenova, Russian marine geologist (b. 1898)^[84]
• August 9 – José Lezama Lima, Cuban writer and poet (b. 1910)
• August 10 – Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, German painter (b. 1884)
• August 12 – Tom Driberg, British politician/journalist (b. 1905)^[85]
• August 22 – Juscelino Kubitschek, 21st President of Brazil (b. 1902)
• August 25 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (b. 1900)
• August 26 – Lotte Lehmann, German soprano (b. 1888)
• August 28 – Anissa Jones, American actress and student (b. 1958)
• August 29 – Jimmy Reed, American blues musician (b. 1925)

September

• September 5 – Arthur Gilligan, English cricketer (b. 1894)
• September 9 – Mao Zedong, Chinese revolutionary and political theorist, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (b. 1893)
• September 10 – Dalton Trumbo, American screenwriter and novelist (b. 1905)^[86]
• September 13 – Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Ecuadorian political figure, 30th President of Ecuador (b. 1912)
• September 14 – Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, (b. 1893)
• September 15 – Josef Sudek, Czech photographer (b. 1896)
• September 16 – Bertha Lutz, Brazilian zoologist, politician, diplomat and feminist (b. 1894)
• September 19
  • Yehezkel Abramsky, Russian-born British rabbi (b. 1886)^[87]
  • Robert Mellard, American US Army soldier (b. 1919)
• September 21 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean economist, politician and diplomat (assassinated) (b. 1932)
• September 26 – Leopold Ružička, Yugoslav chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
• September 28 – Raymond Collishaw, Canadian World War I fighter ace (b. 1893)

October

• October 5
  • Lars Onsager, Norwegian-born American physical theoretical physicist, 1968 Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • Barbara Nichols, American actress (b. 1928)
• October 9 – Troy H. Middleton, American general and educator (b. 1889)
• October 10 – Silvana Armenulić, Yugoslav singer (b. 1939)
• October 14
  • Dame Edith Evans, British actress (b. 1888)
  • Suleiman Nabulsi, Prime Minister of Jordan (b. 1908)^[88]
• October 15 – Carlo Gambino, Italian-American mobster (b. 1902)
• October 18 – Giacomo Lercaro, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1891)
• October 31 – Eileen Gray, Irish furniture designer (b. 1878)

November

• November 3 – Solange d'Ayen, French noblewoman, Duchess of Ayen and journalist (b. 1898)^[89]
• November 8 – Gottfried von Cramm, German tennis player (b. 1909)
• November 9 – Armas Taipale, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1890)
• November 11 – Alexander Calder, American sculptor (b. 1898)
• November 12 – Walter Piston, American composer (b. 1894)^[90]
• November 15 – Jean Gabin, French actor (b. 1904)
• November 18 – Man Ray, American artist (b. 1890)
• November 20 – Trofim Lysenko, Soviet biologist and agronomist of Ukrainian origin (b. 1898)
• November 23 – André Malraux, French novelist (b. 1901)^[91]
• November 28 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (b. 1907)
• November 29 – Godfrey Cambridge, American comedian and actor (b. 1933)
• November 30 – Ivan Yakubovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1912)

December

• December 2 – Danny Murtaugh, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
• December 3
  • Alfredo Dinale, Italian Olympic cyclist (b. 1900)
  • Angelo Iachino, Italian admiral (b. 1889)
  • Mary Nash, American actress (b. 1884)
• December 4
  • Tommy Bolin, American guitarist (b. 1951)
  • Benjamin Britten, English composer (b. 1913)
• December 6 – João Goulart, Brazilian politician, 24th President of Brazil (b. 1918)
• December 12 – Jack Cassidy, American actor (b. 1927)
• December 15 – Grégoire Kayibanda, Rwandan politician, 2nd President of Rwanda (b. 1924)
• December 20
  • Richard J. Daley, American politician (b. 1902)
  • Ned Washington, American lyricist (b. 1901)
• December 28 – Freddie King, American rock guitarist (b. 1934)

Nobel Prizes

• Physics – Burton Richter, Samuel Chao Chung Ting
• Chemistry – William Nunn Lipscomb, Jr
• Physiology or Medicine – Baruch S. Blumberg, D Carleton Gajdusek
• Literature – Saul Bellow
• Peace – Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan
• Economics – Milton Friedman