On this day

October 21, 1971

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 October 21, 1971

RUSSIAN DERIDES U.S PLAN ON CHINA

By Henry Tanner Special to The New York Times

USSR Amb Malik charges US proposal to admit Communist China to UN and prevent expulsion of Nationalists is 'unsavory policy intended to sever Taiwan from People's Repub of China,' s, Assembly; with other speakers, derides US contention expulsion of Nationalists amounts to expulsion of a member state; Albanian resolution backed by Amb Fack (Netherlands), Kosciusko‐Morizet (France), and Mojsov (Yugoslavia); voting date set several days earlier than had been expected

None833 words

PRIME‐RATE CUT BEGUN BY BANKS

By H. Erich Heinemann Special to The New York Times

under heavy Adm pressure, major US banks begin to cut prime rate to 5 3/4% from 6%, move initiated by Morgan Guaranty Trust; Sec Connally 'delighted'; sees prevailing circumstances warranting such cut; indicates that Adm favors broad rollback in lending charges; ABA pres Stults sees no econ justifcation for cut, but notes 'pol justification'; speculation

None1254 words

NIXON IS EXPECTED TO PICK ARKANSAN FOR SEAT ON COURT

By Fred P. Graham Special to The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20—The Nixon Administration has informed John L. McClellan, Arkansas's senior Senator, that the President will nominate Herschel H. Friday of Little Rock to the Supreme Court, probably tomorrow, qualified sources reported today.

None1036 words

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of October 20, 1971, covering October 21, 1971.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Every Picture Tells A Story by Rod Stewart

    Every Picture Tells A Story

    Rod Stewart

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    19
  2. 2
    Album cover for Imagine by John Lennon

    Imagine

    John Lennon

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    6
  3. 3
    Album cover for Shaft by Soundtrack

    Shaft

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    10
  4. 4
    Album cover for Santana III by Santana

    Santana III

    Santana

    Last week
    13
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    2
  5. 5
    Album cover for Tapestry by Carole King

    Tapestry

    Carole King

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    29

Notable Births

Hal Duncan

1971Hal Duncan, Scottish author and poet[†]

Hal Duncan is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer.

Damien Martyn

1971Damien Martyn, Australian cricketer[†]

Damien Richard Martyn is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer, who played Tests and ODIs. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player from 1999 to 2000 and a regular Test player in 2000 until his retirement in late 2006. He was primarily a right-handed middle-order batsman with a 'classical' technique, known in particular for his elegant strokemaking square of the wicket on the off-side and through the covers. Martyn was a member of the Australian team that won two consecutive world titles in a row: the 1999 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, as well as being a member of the team that won the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.

Nick Oliveri

1971Nick Oliveri, American singer-songwriter and bass player[†]

Nick Steven Oliveri is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and frequent contributor to his friends' albums and tours, including Winnebago Deal, Masters of Reality, Turbonegro, Moistboyz, Svetlanas and Big Scenic Nowhere among many others. He is currently the frontman of his project, Mondo Generator, a punk and metal hybrid that he formed in 1997, and the co-founder of the stoner rock power trio, Stöner. He has also worked periodically with the Dwarves since 1993.

Conor O'Shea

1971Conor O'Shea, Irish rugby player and coach[†]

Conor O'Shea is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the Italy national team from 2016 to 2019. He played as a full back and occasionally at out-half and centre for Ireland, Lansdowne and London Irish. He has also coached London Irish and Harlequins, and held management positions with the English Rugby Football Union and the English Institute of Sport.

1971Paul Telfer, Scottish footballer and coach[†]

Paul Norman Telfer is a Scottish football coach and former professional footballer.

Thomas Ulsrud

1971Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler[†]

Thomas Ulsrud was a Norwegian curler from Oslo. He won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, one World Curling Championship, two European Curling Championships, and fourteen Norwegian titles. He was also known for being the skip of the team that competed while wearing colourful harlequin trousers at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Team Ulsrud's combined showmanship and sportsmanship became iconic and contributed to reviving worldwide interest in curling since then. In 2024, he was posthumousely inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame.

Notable Deaths

Minnie Evans

1971Minnie Evans, American artist (born 1888)[†]

Minnie Eva Evans was an African-American artist who worked in the United States from the 1940s to the 1980s. Evans used different types of media in her work such as oils and graphite, but started with using wax and crayon. She was inspired to start drawing due to visions and dreams that she had all throughout her life, starting when she was a young girl. She is known as a southern folk artist and outsider artist, as well as a surrealist and visionary artist.

Historical Events

Clarkston explosion

1971A gas explosion kills 22 people at a shopping centre near Glasgow, Scotland.[†]

The Clarkston explosion was a disaster that occurred on 21 October 1971 in a row of shops on the main street of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Sources from the time state the death toll as 21, whilst modern sources state 22.

Historical Context for October 21, 1971

In 1971, the world population was approximately 3,769,847,865 people[†]