Events relating to north america
The Canadian province of Quebec introduces Bill 22, making French the province's sole official language
Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor for the second time, five years after divorcing
US author E.L. Doctorow sets his novel Ragtime in the early years of the 20th century
Milos Forman directs Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, based on a novel by Ken Kesey
Astronauts Tom Stafford and Aleksei Leonov shake hands when their Apollo and Soyuz craft successfully dock in space
US director Steven Spielberg has a major success with his second feature film, Jaws
School friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen found a software firm, calling it Microsoft
Canadian novelist Robertson Davies completes his semi-autobiographical Deptford Trilogy
Mikhail Baryshnikov dances in the New York premiere of Twyla Tharp's ballet Push Comes to Shove
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs design and market a personal computer, calling it the Apple
14-year-old Jodie Foster stars as a drug-addicted child prostitute in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver
The landing section of the US spacecraft Viking 1 detaches from the orbiter and makes a successful landing on Mars
Black American author Alex Haley traces his family origins in Africa in Roots
333 days after leaving Earth, the landing section of the US spacecraft Viking 2 touches down on Mars and begins sending back photographs
Bulgarian-born US artist Christo (Christo Javacheff) constructs a 24-mile Running Fence in California
The incumbent president Gerald Ford is defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the US election
Steven Spielberg writes and directs an inflential science fiction movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
A treaty provides for the gradual transfer of the Canal Zone from US to Panamanian control
George Lucas writes and directs a science fantasy, Star Wars, launching a narrative that will be expanded in a further five films
Elvis Presley dies, aged 42, at his home in Memphis, Tennessee
After making several films together, Woody Allen and his partner Diane Keaton have an Oscar-winning success with Annie Hall
US author John Irving has wide success with his novel The World According to Garp
Muhammad Ali is the first boxer to become world heavyweight champion three times, defeating Leon Spinks in a return match a year after losing the title
Czech-born US tennis player Martina Navratilova wins the first of nine singles titles at Wimbledon
Anwar el-Sadat and Menachem Begin sign an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty at Camp David in the USA