Timeline Monday 31 December 1973

Events on Monday 31 December 1973 9

• 1970 – 1973 Final Years at United Became Manchester United's all-time record goalscorer with 249 goals, a record that stood until 2017. Made his final appearance for the club in 1973 after 758 games.
• 1973 1973: Jackie Stewart Tyrrell Stewart won his third and final title, retiring at the end of the season. His teammate François Cevert was killed in practice at the final race at Watkins Glen.
• 1973 American Debut with Pavarotti Made her American debut as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, starring alongside Luciano Pavarotti.
• 1973 Conversion to Buddhism Embraced the practice of Nichiren Buddhism, becoming a devoted member of the Soka Gakkai International. Buddhism would profoundly influence his music and worldview for the rest of his life.
• 1973 Jolene Released Jolene, which became one of the most recognisable songs in popular music history. Written about a red-haired bank teller who flirted with Carl Dean, the song reached number one on the country charts and has been covered by artists across every genre.
• 1973 Return to Japan Returned to Japan in ill health, mentally and physically exhausted. The Japanese art world received her unsympathetically — one collector recalled thinking of her as a 'scandal queen'. She continued writing surrealistic novels and poetry but struggled with severe depression.
• 1973 Tres Hombres and La Grange Released Tres Hombres, featuring the song La Grange, inspired by a notorious brothel outside La Grange, Texas. The album went gold and established ZZ Top's national reputation.
• 1973 The Rocky Horror Show — Stage Premiere Originated the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the seductive alien transvestite scientist, in Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show at a tiny upstairs venue at London's Royal Court Theatre. Belting out Sweet Transvestite in platform heels, fishnets and a sparkly black corset, his daring performance was a sensation. The show transferred to larger London venues and then to Broadway.
• 1973 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Lê Đức Thọ for negotiating the Paris Peace Accords to end US involvement in the Vietnam War. The award was one of the most controversial in Nobel history.