Timeline July 1971

Events in July 1971 16

• 1901 – 1971 Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (4 August 1901 -- 6 July 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader who is widely considered the most important individual in the history of jazz. Born into poverty in New Orleans, Armstrong transformed the trumpet from a section instrument into a solo voice, invented the jazz cadenza, established the primacy of the improvising soloist, and popularised scat singing. His recordings of the 1920s with the Hot Five and Hot Seven are the foundation documents of jazz. He subsequently became the most beloved entertainer in America -- a global ambassador for jazz and for a particular vision of American optimism that transcended the racism he navigated throughout his life.
• 1908 – 1971 Van Heflin (1908-1971) American actor, Oscar winner for Johnny Eager and the homesteader in Shane.
• 1923 – 1971 Diane Arbus (1923-1971) Died 26 July 1971, aged 48 Diane Arbus was an American photographer known for stark portraits of marginalized and unconventional subjects, including circus performers, transgender people, and psychiatric patients. Her work challenged conventions of beauty and normalcy in documentary photography. She died by suicide in New York City.
• 1943 – 1971 Jim Morrison American singer, songwriter & poet James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (1943-1971) was the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors, celebrated for his baritone voice, poetic lyrics and theatrical, unpredictable stage presence. Known as "The Lizard King", he became one of the defining and most controversial icons of 1960s counterculture before his death in Paris at the age of 27.
• 1971 Carole King's You've Got a Friend a number one for James Taylor Shared song Recorded by both — Taylor's version tops the charts.
• 1971 James Taylor tops the charts with You've Got a Friend Carole King song His only number one single.
• 1971 Wimbledon 1971 Men: John Newcombe · Women: Evonne Goolagong
• 1971 26th Amendment Ratified US voting age lowered to eighteen The amendment barred states from setting a minimum voting age above eighteen, extending the franchise to millions of young Americans. It was ratified faster than any other US constitutional amendment, driven partly by the argument that soldiers old enough to be drafted for Vietnam should be old enough to vote. President Nixon signed the certification on 5 July 1971.
• 1971 – 1972 Secret Opening to China Conducted secret negotiations that led to President Nixon's historic visit to China in February 1972, fundamentally reshaping the Cold War geopolitical landscape.
• 1971 Shaft Released Blaxploitation classic reshapes Black representation in film Gordon Parks's crime thriller Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree as a private detective, became a landmark of the blaxploitation genre and a major box-office success. Isaac Hayes's Academy Award-winning score helped define the film's cultural impact. It opened doors for a wave of Black-led studio productions in the 1970s.
• 1971 Jim Morrison dies in Paris 3 July 1971, aged 27 Found dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment by Pamela Courson on 3 July 1971, at the age of 27. French officials recorded the cause of death as heart failure; no autopsy was performed, leaving the exact circumstances permanently disputed.
• 1971 The Doors' Jim Morrison dies in Paris Aged 27 Found dead in his bathtub, buried at Pere Lachaise.
• 1971 The Allman Brothers Band release At Fillmore East Live breakthrough Recorded in March, often called the best live rock album ever.
• 1971 Black Sabbath release Master of Reality Down-tuned guitars A heavier, down-tuned sound that shapes doom and stoner metal.
• 1971 Van Heflin dies in Los Angeles Van Heflin dies aged 62.
• 1971 Apollo 15 Mission First mission with a Lunar Roving Vehicle David Scott and James Irwin drove the first Lunar Roving Vehicle across the Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon while Alfred Worden orbited overhead. The mission collected the largest sample of lunar material returned to that point. It was the first of NASA's extended-duration J missions.