1971

• January 2 – A ban on television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.
• January 3 – BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom
• January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand resignation of interior minister Kazimierz Switala. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic
• January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices. February 14 they sign a treaty with six Persian Gulf countries
• January 25 – Charles Manson and three female "family members" are found guilty of the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate and others at Sharon's house
• January 25 – Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president
• January 25 – Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state
• West Pakistan attacks the Republic of India in retaliation and the Republic of India attacks the former East Pakistan.
• August 10 – Mr. Tickle, the first book in the Mr. Men series is first published.
• December 6 – The Government of India recognizes the former East Pakistan region as Bangladesh.
• December 16 – East Pakistan becomes a nation as Bangladesh by surrender of West Pakistani combined forces.
• DIC, an animation company, is founded in Paris, France
• November 24 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington, a man calling himself D. B. Cooper hijacks a plane and gets US$200,000 in ransom money. He jumps from the plane and is never seen again (this is the only unsolved skyjacking in history).

• January 17 - Sylvie Testud, French actress
• February 17 – Denise Richards, American actor
• February 25 – Sean Astin, American actor
• February 27 – Roman Giertych, Polish Minister of Education
• March 10 – Timbaland, American music producer
• April 2 – Zeebra, Japanese rapper
• April 18 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
• April 18 – Aphex Twin, Irish-English musician
• May 10 – Kim Jong-nam, Son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
• June 5 – Mark Wahlberg, American actor and singer
• June 16 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper (d. 1996)
• July 30 – Tom Green, Canadian actor
• August 20 – Ke Huy Quan, Vietnamese-American actor
• September 11 - Richard Ashcroft, English singer-songwriter
• September 18 – Lance Armstrong, American athlete
• October 2 – Tiffany Darwish, American singer & actress
• October 13 – Sacha Baron Cohen, English actor and comedian
• October 20
  • Snoop Dogg, American rapper & actor
  • Dannii Minogue, Australian model & singer, sister of Kylie Minogue
• October 21 - Damien Martyn, Australian cricketer
• December 24 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer

January

• January 10 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer (b. 1883)

February

March

• March 8 – Harold Lloyd, American film actor (b. 1893)

April

• April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
• April 21 – François Duvalier, 32nd President of Haiti (b. 1907)

May

• May 19 – Ogden Nash, American poet (b. 1902)

June

• June 18 – Paul Karrer, Swiss biochemist (b. 1889)

July

• July 3 – Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (b. 1943)
• July 6 – Louis Armstrong, American jazz musician (b. 1901)
• July 7 – Ub Iwerks, American animator (b. 1901)

August

September

• September 11 – Nikita Khrushchev, Leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1894)

October

November

• November 3 – Thawi Bunyaket, 5th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1904)

December

• Clockwork Orange
• Carnal Knowledge
• Duel
• Dauria
• Dirty Harry
• The French Connection
• THX 1138

• "Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
• "Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
• "Stairway to Heaven" – Led Zeppelin
• "What's Going On" – Marvin Gaye
• "Another Day" – Paul & Linda McCartney
• "Black Dog" – Led Zeppelin
• "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
• "Brown Sugar" – The Rolling Stones
• "Coz I Love You" – Slade
• "Draggin' the Line" – Tommy James
• "Family Affair" – Sly & the Family Stone
• "Get It On" – T. Rex
• "Go Away Little Girl" – Donny Osmond
• "Got to Be There" – Michael Jackson
• "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" – Cher
• "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – The Bee Gees
• "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" – The Partridge Family
• "If You Really Love Me" – Stevie Wonder
• "Imagine" – John Lennon
• "Indian Reservation" – The Raiders
• "It Don't Come Easy" – Ringo Starr
• "It's Too Late" – Carole King
• "Maggie Mae" – Rod Stewart
• "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison
• "Never Can Say Goodbye" – The Jackson Five
• "One Bad Apple" – The Osmonds
• "One Less Bell to Answer" – Fifth Dimension
• "Peace Train" – Cat Stevens
• "Proud Mary" – Ike & Tina Turner
• "She's a Lady" – Tom Jones
• "Sooner or Later" – The Grass Roots
• "Temptation Eyes" – The Grass Roots
• "Treat Her Like a Lady" – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
• "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" – Paul & Linda McCartney
• "Where Do I Begin" (Love Story) – Andy Williams

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