On this day

December 20, 1970

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

Portrait 1080 × 1920 PNG · created on your device

Filter by:

Headlines from December 20, 1970

Hughes Signature Upheld; Maheu Loses Court Plea

By Robert A. Wright; Special to The New York Times

Maheu loses his legal attempt to keep control of Hughes's Nev empire when Dist Judge Babcock denies preliminary injunction sought by Maheu against take-over attempt by C Davis, F Gay and R Holliday, who have said that they hold proxy from Hughes to manage his Nev properties; judge holds proxy is valid and that signature on it is valid

None826 words
Continue reading...
Share

Strain in U.S.‐Bonn Relations Reported

By David Binder; Special to The New York Times

Brandt, considering opposition in US to his drive to improve ties with E Eurs, reptd concerned that he has not convinced critics that policy is rooted in firm support of NATO

None1053 words
Continue reading...
Share

Reading Scores Here Continue to Fall

By Leonard Buder

Met Achievement Test, given to 565,205 NYC ps students, grades 2-9, '70, shows 63.3% are below natl avg in reading ability; draft rept indicates students in lower grades, particularly in 2d grade, surpass natl norms by 2 mos; links improvement to special efforts by system, especially in use of Fed funds under Title I of Elementary and Secondary Educ Act; finds 2 of every 5 pupils in system are at least 1 yr behind in reading, 1 in 5 is 2 yrs behind and 1 in 10 over 3 yrs behind; graph; some educators question validity of comparison of urban school populations against natl norm that includes rural and suburban pupils

None1744 words
Continue reading...
Share

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 16, 1970, covering December 20, 1970.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Abraxas by Santana

    Abraxas

    Santana

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    11
  2. 2
    Album cover for Greatest Hits by Sly & The Family Stone

    Greatest Hits

    Sly & The Family Stone

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    7
  3. 3
    Album cover for Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin

    Led Zeppelin III

    Led Zeppelin

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    9
  4. 4
    Album cover for Stephen Stills by Stephen Stills

    Stephen Stills

    Stephen Stills

    Last week
    7
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    4
  5. 5
    Album cover for All Things Must Pass by George Harrison

    All Things Must Pass

    George Harrison

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    1

Notable Births

Nicole de Boer

1970Nicole de Boer, Canadian actress[†]

Nicole de Boer is a Canadian actress. She is best known for starring in the cult film Cube as Joan Leaven, playing Ezri Dax on the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998–1999), and as Sarah Bannerman on the series The Dead Zone (2002–2007). From 2016 to 2021, she had a recurring role as Becca Dorsay, ex-wife of one of the series leads on the Canadian-produced crime drama Private Eyes.

Grant Flower

1970Grant Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach[†]

Grant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former cricketer. He was the batting coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team, Pakistan cricket team, and Sussex.

Jörg Schmidt (footballer)

1970Jörg Schmidt, German footballer[†]

Jörg Schmidt is a German former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder.

Historical Events

Koza riot

1970Koza riot: After a series of hit-and-runs and other vehicular incidents involving American service personnel, roughly 5,000 Okinawans take to the streets, clashing with American law enforcement in protest against the U.S. occupation of Okinawa.[†]

The Koza riot was a violent and spontaneous protest against the US military presence in Okinawa, which occurred on the night of December 20, 1970, into the morning of the following day. Roughly 5,000 Okinawans clashed with roughly 700 American MPs in an event which has been regarded as symbolic of Okinawan anger against 25 years of US military administration. In the riot, approximately 60 Americans and 27 Okinawans were injured, 80 cars were burned, and several buildings on Kadena Air Base were destroyed or heavily damaged.

Historical Context for December 20, 1970

In 1970, the world population was approximately 3,694,683,794 people[†]