On this day

December 4, 1971

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

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Headlines from December 4, 1971

Mrs. Gandhi Vows to Repel the Foe

By Charles Mohr; Special to The New York Times

Gandhi declares Pakistan has launched full-scale war against India, pledging that aggression will be decisively and finally repelled, s, radio; says there is no option but to out country on war footing; illus; reptdly told Parliament Nov 27 that Pakistan had declared war on India and Parliament unanimously voted state of natl emergency; Indian planes reptdly carry out out air strikes on Dacca and ??? other E Pakistani towns; Indian spokesman charges Pakistani troops attacked in strength near Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir; says Pakistani planes bombed and strafed Indian air bases at Amritsar, Srinagar, Pathankot, Avantipur, Uttarlai, Jodhpur, Amabla, Agra and 'heavy mil vehicles' near Sadik in Punjab; says Pakistanis are shelling Punjab border; Indian Air Marshal M M Engineer says strikes were ineffectual; Pakistan charges India with launching attack on 9 fronts in W Pakistan

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Buying of Stocks On Credit Eased

By Eileen Shanahan; Special to The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—The Federal Reserve Board reduced today the margin requirement on stock purchases to 55 per cent from 65 per cent, effective Monday.

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In Marble Hill, Entente on Plebiscite

By Edward C. Burks

Bronx Boro Pres Abrams and Manhattan Boro Pres Sutton reach agreement to allow 6,800 Marble Hill residents to have plebiscite on whether to make community, which is now part of Manhattan, legally part of Bronx; Marble Hill was originally connected to Manhattan but was severed from boro in 1880's by Harlem ship canal; maps of Marble Hill showing area before 1890 and today; illus

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 1, 1971, covering December 4, 1971.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Santana III by Santana

    Santana III

    Santana

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    8
  2. 2
    Album cover for Teaser And The Firecat by Cat Stevens

    Teaser And The Firecat

    Cat Stevens

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    9
  3. 3
    Album cover for Shaft by Soundtrack

    Shaft

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    16
  4. 4
    Album cover for There's A Riot Goin' On by Sly & The Family Stone

    There's A Riot Goin' On

    Sly & The Family Stone

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

    Tapestry

    Carole King

    Last week
    6
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    35

Notable Births

Shannon Briggs

1971Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor[†]

Shannon Briggs is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1992 and 2016. He held the lineal heavyweight title from 1997 to 1998, and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title from 2006 to 2007. Nicknamed "the Cannon", Briggs was known for his formidable punching power and aggression, possessing an 88.3% knockout-to-win rate with 37 knockout wins in the first round.

Notable Deaths

Shunryƫ Suzuki

1971ShunryĆ« Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (born 1904)[†]

Shunryu Suzuki was a Sƍtƍ Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia. Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West.

Historical Events

PNS Ghazi

1971The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.[†]

PNS/M Ghazi (S–130), SJ, was a Tench-class diesel-electric submarine, the first fast-attack submarine in the Pakistan Navy. She was leased from the United States Navy in 1963.

Frank Zappa

1971During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.[†]

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrÚte works; he additionally produced nearly all the 60-plus albums he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.

Historical Context for December 4, 1971

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