1970
First Earth Day
Twenty million Americans turned out in parks and school auditoriums for a day of teach-ins about pollution, wildlife, and the fragility of the planet.
Allende elected in Chile
Salvador Allende, a Marxist physician, won a narrow plurality in the Chilean presidential election, becoming the first Marxist leader elected…
Bhola cyclone kills five hundred thousand
A tropical cyclone drove a storm surge up the Bay of Bengal and across the low-lying islands of East Pakistan at night.
Black September expels the PLO from Jordan
Yasser Arafat's PLO had become a state within Jordan, running parts of Amman.
Mishima commits ritual suicide
Japan's most famous living novelist and his followers seized a military headquarters in Tokyo, tried to rouse the garrison to restore imperial rule…
Kent State shootings
Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on student antiwar protesters at Kent State University, killing four.
Want 1970 in context? Print the whole 20th century as a one-sheet timeline chart.
Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1970?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1970. The most significant is First Earth Day: Twenty million Americans turned out in parks and school auditoriums for a day of teach-ins about pollution, wildlife, and the fragility of the planet.
What era was 1970 part of?
1970 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1970?
The events from 1970 span North America, South America, South Asia, Middle East and East Asia.