Dashed left edge = started before January 1971 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond January 1971
Events in January 1971 19
1883 – 1971Coco Chanel (1883-1971)Died 10 January 1971, aged 87Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, the founder of the Chanel fashion house, died at the Hotel Ritz in Paris where she had lived for decades. She revolutionized women's fashion with simple, comfortable designs and created enduring products including Chanel No. 5 perfume and the tweed suit. She remained active in her business until shortly before her death.
1883 – 1971Coco ChanelFashion RevolutionaryFounder of the Chanel brand; she popularized a casual, chic feminine style.
1895 – 1971Bill Wilson (1895-1971)Died 24 January 1971, aged 75Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935 and wrote much of its foundational literature, including the organization's Twelve Steps. His approach to peer-support recovery influenced addiction treatment worldwide. AA grew during his lifetime into a global fellowship with millions of members.
1971Australian Open 1971Men: Ken Rosewall · Women: Margaret Court
1971Tom Fogerty leaves Creedence Clearwater RevivalRhythm guitarist quitsTensions with his brother John drive him out.
19711971: Jackie StewartTyrrellStewart won his second title with the Tyrrell team, taking six victories in a dominant season.
1971 – 1981Basel Institute for ImmunologyJoined the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland. Despite knowing almost nothing about immunology, he applied molecular biology techniques to one of the field's greatest mysteries: how do vertebrates produce millions of different antibodies from a small number of genes?
1971 – 1978Cincinnati Politics and MayorServed on the Cincinnati City Council and as the city's 56th Mayor from 1977 to 1978. Had earlier resigned from the council in 1974 over a prostitution scandal but was re-elected at the next election.
1971Coat of Many ColorsReleased the album Coat of Many Colors, its title track inspired by a true story from her childhood about a coat her mother sewed from rags. The song became one of her most beloved recordings and she later called it her favourite of all her compositions.
1971 – 1974Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryJoined Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, New York, where he began working on the molecular biology of tumour viruses. This period laid the groundwork for his Nobel Prize-winning research on gene structure.
1971 – presentDavos - World Economic ForumGlobal SummitThe annual gathering of world political and business leaders in the Swiss Alps.
1971Hannie CaulderStarred in the revenge western Hannie Caulder, becoming one of the first women to play the lead role — not the love interest — in a western. The film later inspired Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.
1971Proud MaryWon a Grammy Award for the Ike & Tina Turner version of Proud Mary, which became one of their signature songs.
1971Royal Opera House DebutMade her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London.
1971 – 1986Weather ReportCo-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report with keyboardist Joe Zawinul. The group achieved international success and redefined the possibilities of electric jazz over fifteen years.
1971ZZ Top's First Tres HombresReleased the band's debut album ZZ Top's First Album, beginning a run of Texas blues-rock records that would establish them as one of the great American bands.
1971Janis Joplin's Pearl releasedPosthumous number oneNumber one for nine weeks, with Me and Bobby McGee.
1971Idi Amin Seizes Power in UgandaMilitary coup ousts President Milton OboteArmy commander Idi Amin overthrew President Milton Obote while Obote was abroad at a Commonwealth summit, installing himself as Uganda's president. Amin's eight-year rule became notorious for mass killings and economic collapse. The coup was initially welcomed by some Ugandans hoping for relief from Obote's policies.
1971Apollo 14 Moon LandingThird crewed Moon landingAlan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell landed in the Fra Mauro highlands while Stuart Roosa orbited in the command module. Shepard became the fifth person to walk on the Moon and hit two golf balls on the lunar surface. The mission restored public confidence in NASA after the Apollo 13 failure.