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January 1, 1971 New Year's Day

January 1, 1971, was a Friday. It was 53 years, 10 months, and 24 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.

On This Day

On this day

What happened on January 1, 1971?

  • The last cigarette advertisement is shown on US television.
Song charts

Music charts

Songs that were on top of the charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on January 1, 1971:

  • United States: "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison
  • United Kingdom: "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds

The Billboard Hot 100 on January 1, 1971

These were the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

  • My Sweet Lord/Isn't It A Pity - George Harrison
  • One Less Bell To Answer - The 5th Dimension
  • The Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
  • Knock Three Times - Dawn
  • Black Magic Woman - Santana
Play the top singles from 1971
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1971. Take a trip back to the days of John Lennon, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin and Bill Withers.
Love Story

Top movie at the box office

The movie "Love Story" was at the top of the box office on January 1, 1971.

Facts

New Year's Day 1971 occurred 19,687 days ago. Approximately 656 months have passed. It was the 1st day of 1971, in week 53. The decade was the seventies. People who were born on January 1, 1971, are now 53 years old and belong to the Generation X generation. The Earth has experienced 219 seasons of weather since then.

Take me back to January 1, 1971

Let's take a stroll down memory lane.

The date is January 1, 1971, and it's a Friday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Capricorn. It's New Year's Day, the official start of the year 1971. A lot of people are relaxing at home. Some are nursing hangovers from the night before.

In America, the song "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison is at the top of the singles charts, while "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds is the number-one song in the UK. Richard Nixon is the President of the United States, and the movie Love Story is at the top of the box office. Edward Heath is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On television, people are watching popular shows such as "What's My Line?", "Adam-12", "Hee Haw", and "The Partridge Family". In fashion, the hippie look from the 1960s is still popular. Clothing items such as tie dye shirts, bell-bottoms, midi skirts, gauchos and Mexican blouses are being worn by women. Meanwhile, men are wearing dark satin shirts, ethnic-looking tunics, bell bottom jeans, tweed sports jackets and turtlenecks. It's 1971, so radio stations are playing songs from artists such as George Harrison, John Lennon, Rod Stewart, Lynn Anderson, The Rolling Stones, Three Dog Night, Carole King and The Osmonds.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Coco Chanel, Igor Stravinsky, Jim Morrison, and Louis Armstrong would all still be alive. Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Captain Kangaroo", "The Adventures of Gulliver", "Sesame Street", and "Groovie Goolies". Children are playing with toys such as Etch A Sketch, Suzy Homemaker, Clackers, and Crissy (doll).

Zodiac info

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

  • Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on January 1, 1971, will have the star sign Capricorn.
  • Zodiac Element: Earth.
  • Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1971 was the year of the Pig (Yin Wood).
  • The Life Path Number for this date is 11.
  • Native American Zodiac: January 1, 1971 falls under the Goose.
  • Birthstone: A person during the month of January will have the birthstone Garnet.
  • Birth flower (January): The Carnation and the Snowdrop.
News

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on January 1, 1971.

  • Have a nice day!

    Have a nice day!

    The smiley face and phrases such as "Have a nice day!" and "Have a happy day!" were being plastered onto t-shirts, mugs, and badges.
  • Bell-bottoms.

    Bell-bottoms

    Bell-bottoms (flares) were in fashion.
  • The Vietnam War is still ongoing.

    The Vietnam War is still ongoing

    During 1971, the war in Vietnam was still ongoing. However, the US was beginning to wind down its presence in the country. Between 1970 and 1971, the number of US troops in Vietnam fell from 334,600 to 156,800.
  • Who were the best NBA players in 1971?

    Who were the best NBA players in 1971?

    The best NBA players in 1971 were Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), John Havlicek, Billy Cunningham, Jerry West and Dave Bing.
  • Best soccer players.

    Best soccer players

    In 1971, the best soccer players were Johan Cruyff, Sandro Mazzola, George Best, Günter Netzer, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Josip Skoblar, Martin Chivers, Piet Keizer, Bobby Moore and Ferenc Bene.
  • The French Connection.

    The French Connection

    "The French Connection" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1971.
  • James Taylor & Carole King - "You've Got a Friend"

    James Taylor & Carole King - "You've Got a Friend"

    "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor & Carole King won a Grammy for 1971's Song of the Year.
  • 1971 in movies.

    1971 in movies

    Movies released in 1971 included Fiddler on the Roof, The French Connection, Dirty Harry, Diamonds Are Forever, Billy Jack, Summer of '42, The Last Picture Show, Carnal Knowledge, A Clockwork Orange, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Harold and Maude, Klute and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
  • Richard Nixon.

    Richard Nixon

    US President Richard Nixon was named Time Person of the Year in 1971.
  • 1971 in music.

    1971 in music

    The Billboard Charts in 1971 were dominated by the likes of Dawn, Three Dog Night, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees, Carole King, Melanie, The Osmonds, The Temptations, The Raiders, Isaac Hayes, Donny Osmond and Cher.
  • Wallpaper.

    Wallpaper

    Wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.
  • Office workers are using typewriters.

    Office workers are using typewriters

    Although personal computers began to emerge during the 1970s, typewriters were still the norm for most office workers.
  • The Volkswagen Beetle.

    The Volkswagen Beetle

    The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the most common cars on the road. Sales of the vehicle increased following the release of the 1968 film The Love Bug (and its subsequent spin-offs).
  • The Hippie movement.

    The Hippie movement

    The hippie counterculture reached its peak during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The movement, which sprung up in opposition to the Vietnam War, was centered around peace, psychedelic music, sexual liberation, bright colors, and drugs such as LSD and marijuana.
  • Lava lamps are all the rage.

    Lava lamps are all the rage

    Sales of lava lamps increased in the late 1960s. It wasn't until the second half of the 1970s that they started to go out of fashion.
  • The afro hairstyle is at its peak in popularity.

    The afro hairstyle is at its peak in popularity

    The afro hairstyle took off during the 1960s and early 1970s. Public figures such as Angela Davis, Pam Grier, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jackson 5 were among those who sported the style.
  • Color TV.

    Color TV

    Although color television was rising in popularity, black-and-white TV sets were still the most popular.
  • The push-button telephone.

    The push-button telephone

    Push-button telephones were beginning to replace the older rotary-style landlines.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on January 1, 1971.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Events

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around January 1, 1971.

  • December 2, 1970: The US Environmental Protection Agency begins operating.
  • December 13, 1970: The stop-motion TV special "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is aired on ABC.
  • December 23, 1970: The North Tower of the World Trade Center is topped, making it the tallest building in the world.
  • December 24, 1970: Disney releases the animated film "The Aristocats".
  • December 30, 1970: Former boxer Sonny Liston dies from a suspected heroin overdose at the age of 38.
  • This date: January 1, 1971
  • January 2, 1971: 66 people are crushed to death at a Rangers vs. Celtic football match.
  • January 5, 1971:
    • Boxing legend Sonny Liston is found dead by his wife at their home in Las Vegas.
    • The first episode of the American Western series "Alias Smith and Jones" is aired on TV.
  • January 10, 1971: French fashion designer Coco Chanel passes away at the age of 87.
  • January 12, 1971: The first episode of "All in the Family" is aired.
  • January 14, 1971: Soul group The Temptations release their song "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)".
  • January 17, 1971: Super Bowl V: The Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 at the Miami Orange Bowl.
  • January 20, 1971: The song "What's Going On" is released by Marvin Gaye.
  • January 25, 1971:
    • Idi Amin seizes power in Uganda.
    • Charles Manson and 3 others are found guilty of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders.

1970s fashion

Photographs of 1970s fashion and hairstyles.

1970s fashion

Television shows

Television shows in January 1971

Television shows that people were watching in January 1971:

TV shows from January 1971.

The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Flip Wilson Show
The Flip Wilson Show
McCloud
McCloud
Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
Medical Center
Medical Center
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Room 222
Room 222
The Main Chance
The Main Chance

Cars in 1971

1971 saw the introduction of cars such as the Buick Centurion, the Subaru Leone, the AMC Matador, the Morris Marina, the Alpine A310, and the Pontiac Grand Safari.

Cars in 1971.

Children TV shows

Cartoons and children's TV shows in January 1971

Children and teenagers were watching the following cartoons and TV series:

Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Groovie Goolies
Groovie Goolies
Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats

Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Clangers
The Clangers
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
Cattanooga Cats
Cattanooga Cats
The Pink Panther Show
The Pink Panther Show
Toys

Toys in 1971

Children were playing with the following toys and games:

VertiBird (toy helicopter)
VertiBird (toy helicopter)
G.I. Joe Adventure Team
G.I. Joe Adventure Team
Nerf Balls
Nerf Balls
Frisbee
Frisbee
Crissy (doll)
Crissy (doll)
Clackers
Clackers
Battleship (game)
Battleship (game)
Lite-Brite
Lite-Brite
Twister mat
Twister mat
Suzy Homemaker
Suzy Homemaker
Operation
Operation
Motorific (slot car toys)
Motorific (slot car toys)

Were you born on January 1, 1971?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1971.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out January 1, 1977, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on January 1.

J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover

The first Director of the FBI Deceased
Born on January 1, 1895
He turned 76 on this day in 1971.

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash

Hip Hop DJ
Born on January 1, 1958
He turned 13 on this day in 1971.

Verne Troyer

Verne Troyer

Actor Deceased
Born on January 1, 1969
He turned 2 on this day in 1971.

Ice Spice

Ice Spice

Rapper
Born on January 1, 2000
She was born exactly 29 years after this date.

Holidays

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on January 1:

USA

US President

Richard Nixon was the President of the United States on January 1, 1971.

UK

UK Prime Minister

Edward Heath was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Ireland

Irish Taoiseach

Jack Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

  • A baby that was born on January 1, 1971 was most likely conceived around April 10, 1970.
  • The due date for a baby that was conceived on January 1, 1971 is close to September 24, 1971.

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Stats for January 1, 1971

Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about January 1, 1971:

  • 19,687 days have passed since this date.
  • 2,812 weeks have passed.
  • 1,700,960,400 seconds have passed since January 1, 1971.
  • If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 1,984,453,800 times.
  • Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 877,695,566,400 miles through space.
  • If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 283,493,400 times.
  • You have taken approximately 146,282,594 steps. That's roughly 65,014 miles.
  • 20,411,525 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
  • How many years ago was 1971?

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