1975 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1975 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Events
January
February
March
- March 9 – Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.[3]
- March 10 – The Rocky Horror Show opens on Broadway in New York City with 4 performances.
- March 19 – The release of Tommy, a musical/drama produced by Ken Russel and Robert Stigwood.
- March 29 – Blow by Blow by Jeff Beck is released. It would become his most successful album in the United States, reaching the top five and selling over one million copies.
- March 30 - James Ruppert murders 11 family members inside his home on Easter Sunday.
- March 31 – In his final game on the sideline, John Wooden coaches UCLA to its 10th national championship in 12 seasons when the Bruins defeat Kentucky 92–85 in the title game at San Diego.
April
The first military Operation Babylift flight, C5A 80218, crashes 27 minutes after takeoff, killing 138 on board; 176 survive the crash.
May
June
July
August
September
October
- October 1 – Thrilla in Manila: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines.
- October 11 – NBC airs the first episode of Saturday Night Live (George Carlin is the first host; Billy Preston and Janis Ian the first musical guests).
- October 21 – 1975 World Series: US baseball team the Boston Red Sox defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Game 6 off Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning home run in one of the most famous World Series games ever played.[7] The following day, the series ends with Game 7 victory by the Reds, in a broadcast that breaks records for a televised sporting event.
November
- November 3
- An independent audit of Mattel, one of the United States' largest toy manufacturers, reveals that company officials fabricated press releases and financial information to "maintain the appearance of continued corporate growth".
- The long-running television game show The Price Is Right expands from 30 minutes to its current hour-long format on CBS.
- November 5 – Travis Walton, a 22-year-old logger, is working in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest with six co-workers near Snowflake, Arizona, when he suddenly disappears.[8] Walton is found five days later and says that he has been abducted by extraterrestrial aliens.[9] His book, The Walton Experience (1978), will become the basis for a film, Fire in the Sky (1993).[10]
- November 10 – The bulk carrier Edmund Fitzgerald sinks 15 miles off of Whitefish Point, Michigan, losing all 29 crew on board.
- November 20 – Former California Governor Ronald Reagan enters the race for the 1976 Republican presidential nomination, challenging incumbent President Gerald Ford.
- November 29
December
Ongoing
Births
January
- January 2
- January 3
- Danica McKellar, actress and education advocate
- Jason Marsden, actor
- January 4
- January 5
- January 6
- January 7
- January 8 - Justin Alfond, politician and real estate developer
- January 9 - Vince Amey, football player and coach
- January 10 - Jake Delhomme, football player
- January 11
- January 13 - Andrew Yang, entrepreneur, political commentator, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
- January 14
- January 16
- January 17
- Brian Brushwood, magician, podcaster, author, lecturer, YouTuber, and comedian
- Coco Lee, Hong Kong-born singer/songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress (d. 2023)
- Freddy Rodriguez, actor
- January 18 - Marcus Brandon, politician
- January 19
- January 20
- January 21
- January 22
- January 23
- Kevin Alexander, football player
- B.G. Knocc Out, rapper and songwriter
- Brian Balmages, composer, conductor, and educator
- Phil Dawson, football player
- Tito Ortiz, mixed martial artist, referee, and actor
- Fred Coleman, football player and coach
- January 24 - Matt B. Britton, new media entrepreneur and consumer trend expert
- January 25
- January 27 - Darrin Bell, cartoonist and comic writer
- January 28 - Terri Conn, actress
- January 29
- January 31 - Zenarae Antoine, basketball player and coach
February
- February 1 - Big Boi, rapper, actor, and member of Outkast
- February 2 - Aramis Ayala, politician
- February 3 - Nicholas Anderson, rower
- February 4 - John Michael Phillips, lawyer, consumer and civil rights advocate, and legal commentator
- February 6
- February 7
- February 8
- February 9
- February 10 - Scott Elrod, actor
- February 11
- February 12
- February 13 - Lizzie Fletcher, politician
- February 16
- February 17 - David Goggins, marathon runner, triathlete, and Navy SEAL
- February 18
- February 20 - Brian Littrell, pop singer and member of the Backstreet Boys
- February 21
- February 22 - Drew Barrymore, actress, author, director, model, and producer
- February 23
- February 25 - Chelsea Handler, comedian and television host
- February 26 - Tunde Adebimpe, musician, singer/songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist
- February 27 - Joel Burns, basketball player
- February 28 - Adam Banton, BMX rider
March
April
- April 1
- April 2
- April 3
- April 4 - Scott Rolen, baseball player
- April 5
- Mike Bloom, musician, singer, composer, producer, and mixer
- Juicy J, rapper, songwriter, and record producer for Three 6 Mafia
- April 6
- April 7
- Ronde Barber, football player
- Tiki Barber, football player
- Ronnie Belliard, baseball player
- Mike Bundlie, artist, producer, entrepreneur, author, and publisher
- Heather Burns, actress
- John Cooper, guitarist, singer, and frontman for Skillet
- April 8
- April 9
- April 10
- April 11 - Scott O. Brown, writer, letterer, publisher, editor, and production manager
- April 12
- April 13 - Jeff Balis, filmmaker
- April 14
- April 15
- April 16
- April 18
- JD Albert, engineer, inventor, and educator
- Dre Allen, actor, singer/songwriter, music video director, and producer
- April 19
- April 20 - Killer Mike, rapper, actor, and activist
- April 21
- April 22 - Ginny Owens, singer/songwriter, author, and blogger
- April 23 - Stacey Borgman, Olympic rower
- April 24 - Thad Luckinbill, actor and producer
- April 25
- April 26
- April 27
- April 29
- April 30
May
- May 1
- May 2 - Kate Baldwin, singer and actress
- May 3
- May 4 - Andy Khachaturian, drummer for System of a Down (1994–1997)
- May 6
- May 7 - Big Noyd, rapper
- May 8
- May 9 - Lane Kiffin, football player and coach
- May 10
- May 11 - Coby Bell, actor
- May 12
- May 13
- May 14
- Rashid Atkins, basketball player
- Sean Bielat, businessman and political candidate
- May 15 - Ray Lewis, football player
- May 17
- May 18
- May 19 - London Fletcher, football player
- May 20
- May 21 - John David Anderson, writer
- May 22
- May 23 - LaMonica Garrett, actor and slamball player
- May 24
- Jamie Baldridge, photographer and educator
- Alex Lacamoire, musical arranger
- May 26
- Nicki Aycox, actress and musician (d. 2022)
- Lauryn Hill, actress, singer/songwriter, rapper and producer
- May 27
- May 28 - DJ EFN, record label executive and DJ
- May 29
- May 30
June
- June 1
- June 2 - Zia McCabe, keyboardist for The Dandy Warhols
- June 3
- June 4
- June 5 - Scott Holroyd, actor
- June 7
- June 8 - Michael Buckley, YouTube personality
- June 10 - Nicole Bilderback, South Korean-born actress
- June 12 - Bryan Alvarez, wrestler, martial artist, satellite radio host, podcaster, and journalist
- June 14 - Rob Bohlinger, football player
- June 15
- June 17 - Mark Brownson, baseball player (d. 2017)
- June 19
- June 20
- June 21
- June 22
- June 23 - Alisa Burras, basketball player
- June 24
- June 25 - Linda Cardellini, actress
- June 27
- June 28 - Cyron Brown, football player
July
- July 1
- July 2
- July 3 - Ryan McPartlin, actor
- July 4
- July 5
- Sope Aluko, Nigerian-born British-American actress
- Mike Richards, television producer, game show host, and television personality
- July 6
- 50 Cent, rapper, actor, and businessman
- Nate Barlow, director, actor, screenwriter, and producer
- July 7
- July 8 - Jamal Woolard, actor and rapper
- July 9
- July 11
- July 12
- July 13 - Danni Boatwright, actress, host, sports journalist, model, and beauty queen
- July 14
- July 17
- July 18
- July 19
- July 20
- July 21
- July 22
- July 24
- July 25
- July 26 - Kevin Barker, baseball player and analyst
- July 27
- July 28
- July 29 - Terrence Wilkins, football player
- July 31
August
- August 2
- August 3
- August 4 - Andy Hallett, singer and actor (d. 2009)
- August 6
- August 7 - Charlize Theron, South African-born actress
- August 8
- August 11
- August 12
- Casey Affleck, actor and film director
- Carter Bays, author, composer, and showrunner
- August 14 - Jill Bennett, actress
- August 15
- August 16
- August 18
- August 19
- August 20
- August 21 - Mike Altman, Olympic rower
- August 23 - Joe Andruzzi, football player
- August 27
- August 28
- August 29 - Dante Basco, actor
- August 30 - Francesco Bilotto, television design and entertaining expert
- August 31 - Sara Ramirez, actress
September
- September 1
- September 2
- September 3 - Redfoo, disc jockey
- September 5
- September 6 - Derrek Lee, baseball player
- September 8 - Mike Brown, mixed martial artist
- September 10
- September 11 - Brad Fischetti, singer and member of LFO
- September 12 - Casey Alexander, cartoonist, animator, storyboard artist, writer, director, and producer
- September 13
- September 14 - John Haughm, singer, guitarist, and frontman for Agalloch (1996–2016) and Pillorian (2016–2019)
- September 15 - Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Olympic volleyball player and coach
- September 16 - Jesse Aron, Elvis tribute artist
- September 17
- September 18
- September 19
- September 20
- September 21
- September 22 - Mireille Enos, actress
- September 23
- September 24 - Peter Abbarno, politician
- September 25
- September 27 - Jason Annicchero, soccer player
- September 28 - Mandy Barnett, country singer
- September 29 - Waraire Boswell, fashion designer and entrepreneur
- September 30
- Javier Arau, composer, saxophonist, conductor, theorist, author, and entrepreneur
- Jay Asher, writer and novelist
- Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and journalist
- Christopher Jackson, actor, musician, and composer
October
- October 1 - Grace Meng, politician
- October 3
- October 4
- October 5
- October 6 - Lisa Ann Coleman, child murderer
- October 7
- October 8
- October 9
- Sean Lennon, British-born musician, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist
- Nate Newton, bassist and guitarist
- October 10
- October 11
- October 12 - Ahmad, rapper, songwriter, motivational speaker, and author
- October 14
- October 15
- October 16 - Alexandra Barreto, actress
- October 17
- October 18 - Brandon Wolff, mixed martial artist and Navy SEAL
- October 19
- October 20 - Natalie Gregory, actress
- October 21 - Frank Burns, politician
- October 22
- October 23
- October 24 - Melissa Hutchison, voice actress
- October 26
- October 27 - Aron Ralston, outdoorsman, mechanical engineer, and motivational speaker
- October 29
- Taberon Honie, murderer and rapist (d. 2024)
- Michael Schur, producer, writer, director, and actor
- October 30 - Keith Brooking, football player
November
- November 1 - Bo Bice, singer and American Idol contestant
- November 2
- November 3 - Demetrius Alexander, basketball player
- November 4 - Lorenzen Wright, basketball player (d. 2010)
- November 5
- November 7
- November 8
- November 9 - Sean Bennett, American-born Canadian football player
- November 10
- November 11 - Angélica Vale, Mexican-born actress, singer, and comedian
- November 12
- November 14
- November 15 - J. C. Brandy, British-born actress
- November 17
- November 18
- November 19
- November 20
- November 21
- November 22
- November 23 - Wiley Nickel, politician
- November 24 - Thomas Kohnstamm, writer
- November 26
- November 27 - Bad Azz, rapper (d. 2019)
- November 28 - Jonathan Brown, American-born Canadian football player
- November 30
December
- December 1 - David Hornsby, actor, screenwriter, and producer
- December 3
- December 4 - D'Wayne Bates, football player
- December 5
- December 6 - Mia Love, politician
- December 7
- December 8
- December 9 - Travis Atkins, U.S. Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2007)
- December 10
- December 12
- December 13
- Andy Bachetti, race car driver
- Brian Baenig, government official
- Bates Battaglia, ice hockey player
- Michael Baumgartner, politician
- C. J. Bruton, American-born Australian basketball player
- Tom DeLonge, musician, author, UFOlogist, guitarist and singer for blink-182, Box Car Racer, and Angels & Airwaves
- December 14 - KaDee Strickland, actress
- December 17
- December 18
- December 19
- December 22 - Omar Dorsey, actor
- December 23
- December 24 - Stephanie Ruhle, journalist and news anchor
- December 24 - Daniel Mustard, singer-songwriter
- December 26 - Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, business woman and editor
- December 27 - Heather O'Rourke, actress (d. 1988)
- December 28
- December 29 - Shawn Hatosy, actor
- December 30 - Tiger Woods, golfer
Full date unknown
- David Adams, video game designer
- Pearl Aday, singer
- Deborah Adler, designer
- Shiva Ahmadi, Iranian-born artist
- Cardenas J. Alban, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and convicted murderer
- Ahmed Alsoudani, Iraqi-born artist
- Casey Anderson, filmmaker, wildlife naturalist, and television presenter
- John C. Anderson, lawyer and Attorney for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- Bryan Andrews, filmmaker
- Josephine Angelini, author
- Scott D. Anthony, author and senior partner for Innosight
- Sam Apple, writer
- Vicente Archer, jazz musician
- Jason Farnham, composer, performer, and record producer
- Teresa Alonso Leon, politician
- Shea Backus, politician
- Gaiutra Bahadur, Guyanese-born writer
- Kristin Baker, painter
- Dean Bakopoulos, writer
- Mandi Ballinger, politician
- Scott Banister, entrepreneur, angel investor, and founder of IronPort
- Rachel Barenblat, poet, rabbi, chaplain, and blogger
- Ty Barnett, actor and stand-up comic
- Kevin Baron, journalist
- Holly Bass, artist, poet, dancer, educator, and activist
- Mohamad Bazzi, Lebanese-born journalist
- Glenn Belverio, journalist
- Joshua Benton, journalist and writer
- Sigmar Berg, Austrian-born entrepreneur, artist, photographer, and fashion designer
- Cassie Berman, musician
- Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, basketball player and coach
- Katherine Bernhardt, artist
- Sherwin Bitsui, writer and poet
- Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, bassist and oud player
- Benjamin Bolger, perpetual student and University professor
- Shawnna Bolick, politician
- Ruschell Boone, Jamaican-born newscaster (d. 2023)
- Christian Bowman, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- Anu Bradford, Finnish-born author, law professor, and international trade law expert
- Joe Bradley, artist and singer
- Slater Bradley, artist
- Catherine P. Bradshaw, psychologist
- Tarren Bragdon, politician
- Adam L. Braverman, attorney
- Brian Bress, artist
- David Brooks, artist
- Jeffrey Brown, cartoonist
- Lars Brownworth, podcaster and educator
- Catherine Brunell, actress
- Thi Bui, Vietnam-born novelist and illustrator
- Abraham Burickson, poet and artist
- A.K. Burns, artist
- Casey Burns, illustrator, screen printer, rock poster artist, musician, and advertising art director
- Rachel Kramer Bussel, author, columnist, and editor
- Mark Bussler, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and comic creator
- Taylor Ho Bynum, musician, composer, educator, and writer
- Brian 'Brizz' Gillis, singer and member of LFO (d. 2010)
- Nadine Burke Harris, Canadian-born pediatrician
- Rake Yohn, television personality and stunt performer
Deaths
- January 4 – Bob Montana, comic strip artist (b. 1920)
- January 7 – Harry Gunnison Brown, economist (b. 1880)
- January 8 – Louis P. Lochner, political activist, journalist and author (b. 1887)
- January 18 – Evelyn Greeley, silent film actress (b. 1888)
- January 19 – Thomas Hart Benton, painter (b. 1889)
- January 24 – Larry Fine, comedian and actor (b. 1902)
- January 27
- February 4 – Louis Jordan, African American swing band leader (b. 1908)
- February 5 – George Rowe, silent film character actor (b. 1894)
- February 10 – Dave Alexander, musician (b. 1947)
- February 14 – P. G. Wodehouse, comic writer (b. 1881 in the United Kingdom)
- February 16 – Morgan Taylor, Olympic hurdler (b. 1903)
- February 20 – Robert Strauss, actor (b. 1913)
- February 23 – Frank Smith, animator and film director (b. 1911)
- February 25 – Elijah Muhammad, Nation of Islam leader (b. 1897)
- February 27 – Muriel Hazel Wright, Oklahoma author and historian (b. 1889)[13]
- March 7 – Ben Blue, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1901)
- March 8 – George Stevens, film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1904)
- March 14 – Susan Hayward, film actress (b. 1917)[14]
- March 16 – T-Bone Walker, blues musician, composer, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1910)
- March 30 – Pancho Barnes, pioneer aviator (b. 1901)
- April 10 – Marjorie Main, actress (b. 1890)
- April 14 – Fredric March, actor (b. 1897)
- April 15 – Richard Conte, actor (b. 1910)
- April 16 – Joe Kirk, actor (b. 1903)
- April 19 - Percy Lavon Julian, African American research chemist (b. 1899)
- April 20 – John Vachon, photographer (b. 1914)
- May 4
- May 13 – Bob Wills, musician, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1905)
- May 18 – Leroy Anderson, composer (b. 1908)
- May 22 – Lefty Grove, baseball player (b. 1900)
- May 23 – Moms Mabley, comedian and actress (b. 1897)
- May 28 – Ezzard Charles, professional boxer (b. 1921)
- June 3 – Ozzie Nelson, actor, musician, and filmmaker (b. 1906)
- June 6 – Larry Blyden, actor and game show host (b. 1925)
- June 15 – William Austin, film character actor (b. 1884 in the United Kingdom)
- June 28 – Rod Serling, writer, producer, narrator, and host (b. 1924)
- July 24 – Barbara Colby, actress (b. 1939)
- July 16 – Lester Dragstedt, surgeon (b 1893)
- August 8 – Cannonball Adderley, jazz alto saxophonist (b. 1928)
- August 23 – Hank Patterson, actor and musician (b. 1888)
- September 6 – Shelton Brooks, African American song composer (b. 1886 in Canada)
- September 9 – John McGiver, actor (b. 1913)
- September 28 – Sidney Fields, actor (b. 1898)
- September 29 – Casey Stengel, baseball player and manager (b. 1890)
- October 1
- October 4 – May Sutton, tennis player (b. 1886)
- October 16 – Benjamin McCandlish, Governor of Guam (b. 1886)
- October 18 – Al Lettieri, actor (b. 1928)
- November 5 – Julian C. Smith, general (b. 1885)
- November 14 – Harry J. Anslinger, 1st Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (b. 1892)
- December 7 – Thornton Wilder, playwright and novelist (b. 1897)
- December 13 – Cyril Delevanti, English actor (b. 1889)
- December 14 – Arthur Treacher, English actor (b. 1894)
- December 24 – Bernard Herrmann, composer and husband of Lucille Fletcher (b. 1911)
- December 29 – Euell Gibbons, outdoorsman, writer, and health food advocate (b. 1911)
See also
Notes and References
- News: Women Cagers Make TV Debut . Ocala Star-Banner . 16 . 1975-01-27 .
- Smookler, Michael (2005). San Mateo County Coast. Arcadia. p. 125. . .
- Book: Mitchell K. Hall. Historical Dictionary of the Nixon-Ford Era. 2008. . 978-0-8108-6410-8 . Chronology . https://books.google.com/books?id=af6xAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR13 .
- News: Ford Falls but is Unhurt . The New York Times . 2 June 1975 . 24 March 2013.
- Web site: NYCdata Disasters . 2023-12-05 . www.baruch.cuny.edu.
- Book: Bell . Daniel . Encyclopedia of International Games . 17 March 2016 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-1527-1 . 519 . en.
- Book: Sporting News. Baseball: A Doubleheader Collection of Facts, Feats & Firsts. 1994. Galahad Books. 978-0-88365-785-0. 12.
- News: Did a UFO Kidnap Navajo County Man?. Arizona Daily Sun. Flagstaff, AZ. 1975-11-08. 1.
- News: Brother finds "UFO kidnap" victim. Scottsdale Daily Progress. Scottsdale, AZ. 1975-11-11. 1.
- Book: Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations. Penguin Books. 2002.
- Web site: FLOOD, Mike . bioguide.congress.gov.
- Book: Dule Hill. Performing Arts Databases. Library of Congress. https://web.archive.org/web/20180726005812/http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tdabio.116/default.html. 2018-07-26.
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=WR005 WRIGHT, MURIEL HAZEL (1889–1975).
- Web site: Susan Hayward Biography & Facts . Encyclopedia Britannica . 20 October 2020 . en.