WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO OCTOBER 1971
Find out what all happened January to October 1971

President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. (15. August 1971)

Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station. (19. April 1971)

The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match. (2. January 1971)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire. (27. October 1971)

Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashes near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 people on board. (4. September 1971)

Bahrain declares independence as the State of Bahrain. (14. August 1971)

Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida, United States. (1. October 1971)

Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service. (1. May 1971)

Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted life imprisonment) for conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders. (19. April 1971)

President Richard Nixon announces his decision to increase the rate of American troop withdrawals from Vietnam. (7. April 1971)

Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president. (19. April 1971)

The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna. (21. February 1971)

Ping-pong diplomacy: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People's Republic of China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a week-long visit. (10. April 1971)

State police and National Guardsmen storm New York's Attica Prison to end a prison revolt. (13. September 1971)

Vietnam War: The New York Times begins publication of the Pentagon Papers. (13. June 1971)

Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations. (21. September 1971)

In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass. (8. September 1971)

The Australian Aboriginal Flag is flown for the first time. (12. July 1971)

Hellenic Railways Organisation, the Greek national railway company, is founded. (1. January 1971)

Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos. (13. February 1971)