Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
- July 2 - North Vietnam and South Vietnam unite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - a Communist country.
- 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.
- July 3 - The great heat wave in the United Kingdom, which is currently suffering from drought conditions, reaches its peak.
- July 4 - United States Bicentennial: From coast to coast, United States celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- July 4 - The Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) leads 50,000 marchers in Philadelphia to demand a "Bicentennial Without Colonies" and independence for Puerto Rico.
- July 4 - Entebbe Raid: Israeli airborne commandos free 103 hostages being held by Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport; 1 Israeli soldier 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, MD.
- July 7 - German left-wing terrorists Monika Berberich, Gabriella Rollnick, Juliane Plambeck and Inge Viett escape from the Lehrter Straße maximum security prison in West Berlin.
- July 10 - Three British and 1 American mercenaries are shot by firing squad in Angola.
- July 10 - An explosion in Seveso, Italy, kills a large number of people.
- July 12 - Barbara Jordan is the first black person to keynote a political convention.
- July 15 - Jimmy Carter is nominated for U.S. President at the Democratic National Convention in New York City.
- July 16-July 20 - Albert Spaggiari and his gang break into the vault of the Societe Generale Bank in Nice, France.
- July 17 - The 1976 Summer Olympics begin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- July 17 - East Timor is declared the 27th province of Indonesia.
- July 19 - Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created.
- July 20 - Viking program: The Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
- July 21 - A bomb kills Christopher Ewart-Biggs, British ambassador to the Irish Republic.
- 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 Uganda.
- 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 1 and seriously wounding another, in the first of a series of attacks that terrorize the city for the next year.
- July 30 - In Santiago, Chile, Cruzeiro from Brazil beats River Plate from Argentina and are the Copa Libertadores de América champions.
- July 31 - NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1.
- July 31 - The Big Thompson River in northern Colorado floods, destroying more than 400 cars and houses.
August
September
- September 3 - Viking program: The Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, taking the first close-up color photos of the planet's surface.
- 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 from the United States.
- September 6 - Frank Sinatra brings Jerry Lewis's former partner Dean Martin onstage, unannounced, at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas, Nevada, reuniting the comedy team for the first (and only) time in over 20 years.
- September 6 - first appearance of Motley's Crew, American comic strip by Ben Templeton and Tom Forman
- September 9 - Chairman Mao Zedong, of the People's Republic of China, dies.
- September 10 - Zagreb mid-air collision: a British Airways Trident and a Yugoslav DC-9 collide near Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), killing all 176 aboard.
- September 10 - Osamu Tezuka begins serialising MW, a manga inspired by the 1974 Kakuei Tanaka government scandal.
- September 16 - Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from a trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir.
- September 17 - The space shuttle Enterprise is rolled out of a Palmdale, California hangar.
- September 20 - September 21 - The semi-legendary 100 Club Punk Festival ignites the careers of several influential punk and gothic rock bands, arguably sparking the Punk Movement's introduction into mainstream culture.
- September 21 - Seychelles joins the United Nations.
- September 21 - Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
- September 24 - Patricia Hearst is sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in a 1974 bank robbery (an executive clemency order from U.S. President Jimmy Carter will set her free after only 22 months).
- September 25 - The 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.
October
- October 6 - Cubana 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. [1]
- October 6 - Massacre of students gathering at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand to protest the return of ex-dictator Thanom by a coalition of right-wing paramilitary and government forces, triggering the return of the military to government.
- October 6 - In San Francisco, during his second televised debate with Jimmy Carter, U.S. President Gerald Ford stumbles when he declares that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" (there was at the time).
- October 10 - Taiwan Governor Hsieh Tung-ming 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 Communist Party of China.
- 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 had 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 15 - Schools in Eagle Point, OR close due to rejection of budget by voters prompting taxpayer creation of B.E.L.T. (Better Education for Less Taxes) Committee.
- October 19 - The Copyright Act of 1976 extends copyright duration for an additional 20 years in the United States.
- October 19 - The Battle of Aishiya is fought in Lebanon.
- October 19 - 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, LA to Luling, LA, killing 78 passengers and crew.
- October 22 - Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, the fifth President of Ireland, resigns after being publicly insulted by the Minister for Defense.
- October 25 - Clarence Norris, the last known survivor of the Scottsboro Boys, is pardoned.
November
December
- December 1
- December 3 - Bob Marley and his manager Don Taylor are shot in an assassination attempt, at 56 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica. Marley is shot twice, but Taylor takes most of the bullets; both survive.
- December 3 - Patrick Hillery is elected unopposed as the sixth President of Ireland.
- December 8 - The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is established by the 5 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 Rio.
- December 8 - "The Hotel California", by The Eagles released.
- December 15 - Samoa joins the United Nations.
- December 20 - Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago for 21 years, dies.
- December 23 - A new volcano, Murara, erupts in eastern Zaire.
Undated
Ongoing
Births
January-February
- January 2 - Cletidus Hunt, American football player
- January 2 - Paz Vega, Spanish actress
- January 2 - Mahée Paiement, Canadian actress
- January 4 - Shiro Amano, Japanese manga artist/writer
- January 6 - Danny Pintauro, US actor
- January 6 - Johnny Yong Bosch, US actor
- January 7 - Éric Gagné, Canadian Major League Baseball player
- January 7 - Alfonso Soriano, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- January 8 - Jenny Lewis, US actress and musician (Rilo Kiley)
- January 13 - Bic Runga, New Zealand singer/songwriter
- January 19 - Marsha Thomason, British actress
- January 20 - Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
- January 20 - Kirsty Gallacher, TV presenter
- January 21 - Emma Bunton, English musician (Spice Girls)
- January 22 - Mikko Luoma, Finnish ice hockey player
- January 22 - James Dearth, American football player
- January 23 - Tony Lucca, US singer/songwriter
- January 23 - Angelica Lee, Taiwanese actress and singer
- January 23 - Tiffani Amber Thiessen, US actress
- January 27 - Ruby Lin, Taiwanese actress and singer
- January 27 - Mohamed Aly, Egyptian Reformist & Writer
- January 28 - Mark Madsen, US basketball player
- January 28 - Lee Ingleby, British actor
- January 29 - Tracy Lynn Cruz, US actress
- January 30 - Andy Milonakis, Internet and MTV star
- January 31 - Buddy Rice, US race car driver
- February 2 - James Hickman, British swimmer
- February 2 - Lori Beth Denberg, US comedian
- February 4 - Cam'ron, US rapper
- February 5 - Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
- February 5 - Tony Jaa, Thai martial art film actor/choreographer/director
- February 5 - Brian Moorman, American football player
- February 6 - Colin Teo, Singaporean D1 Professional Grand Prix drifter
- February 8 - Abi Titmuss, British TV presenter and model
- February 9 - Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- February 10 - Lance Berkman, baseball player
- February 12 - Silvia Saint, Czech actress
- February 12 - Jenni Falconer, British TV presenter
- February 13 - Martin Sastre, Uruguayan artist
- February 15 - Brandon Boyd, US musician (Incubus)
- February 15 - Ronnie Vannucci Jr., US drummer for Las Vegas based band The Killers
- February 16 - Kyo, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- February 20 - Ed Graham, British drummer (The Darkness)
- February 23 - Jeff O'Neill, Canadian hockey player
- February 25 - Rashida Jones, US actress, writer, model, and musician
- February 28 - Ali Larter, US actress, and model
- February 28 - Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Canadian actor
- February 29 - Ja Rule, US rapper
March-April
- March 3 - Fraser Gehrig, Australian rules footballer
- March 4 - Hiram Bocachica, Puerto Rican baseball player
- March 4 - Scott Sturgeon (Stza Crack), US musician (Choking Victim and Leftover Crack)
- March 4 - Thierry Renaer, Belgian field hockey player
- March 4 - Vic Wunderle, US archer
- March 5 - Sarunas Jasikevicius, Lithuanian basketball player
- March 8 - Freddie Prinze Jr., US actor
- March 13 - Danny Masterson, US actor
- March 14 - Hunter Burgan, US musician (AFI)
- March 16 - Kim Johnsson, Swedish hockey player (Minnesota Wild)
- March 19 - Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
- March 19 - Alessandro Nesta, Italian football player
- March 20 - Chester Bennington, US musician (Linkin Park)
- March 22 - Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
- March 22 - Reese Witherspoon, US actress
- March 22 - Kellie Shanygne Williams, US actress
- March 22 - Wayne Turner, US professional basketball player
- March 23 - Keri Russell, US actress
- March 24 - Aaron Brooks, American football player
- March 24 - Peyton Manning, American football player
- March 26 - Amy Smart, US actress
- March 27 - Carl Ng, Hong Kong/British actor and model
- March 28 - Dave Keuning, US guitarist for the Las-Vegas based band The Killers
- March 30 - Ty Conklin, US ice hockey player
- April 2 - Lucy Diakovska, German-Bulgarian pop singer
- April 2 - Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
- April 3 - Drew Shirley, US guitarist (Switchfoot)
- April 5 - Jonathan Ian Mathers, Creator of Neurotically Yours
- April 6 - Candace Cameron, US actress
- April 9 - Kris Radlinski, English rugby league player
- April 13 - Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- April 13 - Yoo Ji-tae, South Korean actor
- April 15 - Steve Williams, British rower
- April 15 - Jason Bonsignore, Canadian ice hockey player
- April 16 - Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress and singer
- April 18 - Melissa Joan Hart, US actress
- April 20 - Joey Lawrence, US actor
- April 21 - Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
- April 22 - Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
- April 23 - Darren Huckerby, English footballer
- April 25 - Tim Duncan, West Indian basketball player
- April 25 - Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player
- April 26 - Emily Booth, English actress and TV presenter
- April 26 - Jose Pasillas, drummer of the American alternative rock band Incubus
- April 29 - Jay Orpin - Swedish composer and record producer
- April 30 - Amanda Palmer - Lead vocalist and pianist of The Dresden Dolls
May-June
- May 1 - Darius McCrary, US actor
- May 3 - Beto, Portuguese footballer
- May 4 - Jason Michaels, Major League Baseball
- May 8 - Martha Wainwright, Canadian American folk-pop singer
- May 10 - Udo Mechels, Belgian singer
- May 14 - Martine McCutcheon, British actress and singer
- May 15 - Tyler Walker, Major League Baseball player
- May 15 - Jacek Krzynówek, Polish soccer player
- May 15 - Ryan Leaf, former NFL quarterback
- May 17 - Wang Lee Hom, US born Taiwanese singer/songwriter
- May 19 - Kevin Garnett, National Basketball Association player
- May 20 - Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- May 22 - Chris Brazzell, Canadian football league player and ex NFL player
- May 25 - Miguel Tejada, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- May 25 - Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
- May 26 - Paul Collingwood, English Cricket Captain
- May 26 - Justin Pierre, US musician (Motion City Soundtrack)
- May 31 - Colin Farrell, Irish actor
- June 1 - Angela Perez Baraquio, Miss America 2001
- June 2 - Tim Rice-Oxley, composer/pianist for British rock band Keane
- June 2 - Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Queen consort of Lesotho
- June 4 - Reggie Rolle, US actor
- June 6 - Geoff Rowley, proffesional skateboarder
- June 8 - Lindsay Davenport, US tennis player
- June 10 - Freddy Garcia, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- June 10 - Esther Ouwehand, Dutch politician, parliamentarian for the Party for the Animals
- June 13 - Jason 'J' Brown, English musician (5ive)
- June 13 - Kym Marsh, British singer and actress
- June 14 - Alan Carr, comedian in The Friday Night Project
- June 13 -
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