1971 World Events

January 25: Charles Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, and Leslie Van Houten are found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the high profile Tate-LaBianca murders. At the time it was the longest and most expensive trial in United States history.

January 31: NASA launches Apollo 14 on a mission to the Fra Mauro region of the Moon. The crew for Apollo 14 consists of Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell.

February 5: Lunar Module Antares with Astronauts Shepard and Mitchell lands on the Moon. I am 12 years old. For my photographic diary from the television coverage of the Apollo 14 mission follow the AP 14 TV 1 link on this page.

February 9: Apollo 14 Command Module Kitty Hawk returns to Earth upon the successful completion of its mission.

March 8: World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in boxing at Madison Square Garden.

March 29: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder in the Vietnam War massacre at My Lai.

April 22: The Soviet Union launches manned spacecraft Soyuz 10 with a crew of Vladimir Shatalov, Aleksey Yeliseyev, and Nikolay Rukavishnikov. The crew docks with space station Salyut 1 but is unable to enter the space station.

April 24: The Soyuz 10 crew returns to Earth safely aboard their Soyuz spacecraft.

May 19: The Soviet Union launches probe Mars 2 on a mission to the red planet.

May 28: The Soviet Union launches probe Mars 3 on a mission to the red planet. Mars 2 and Mars 3 are identical vehicles.

May 29: Al Unser, Sr. wins the 55th running of the Indianapolis 500.

May 30: NASA launches probe Mariner 9 on a mission to Mars.

June 6: The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 11 with crew member Georgy Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev , and Vladislav Volkov for a long duration mission to space station Salyut 1. They spend 22 days in space setting the world space endurance record.

June 29: During the reentry of manned spacecraft Soyuz 11, a faulty air valve allows the cabin atmosphere to escape. Cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Patsayev, and Volkov perish when they suffocate due to lack of oxygen.

July 26: NASA launches Apollo 15 on a mission to the Apennine region of the Moon. The crew for Apollo 15 consists of Dave Scott, Al Worden, and Jim Irwin.

July 30: Lunar Module Falcon with Astronauts Scott and Irwin lands on the Moon. I am 13 years old. For my photographic diary from the Apollo 15 television coverage of the Apollo 15 mission follow the Apollo 15 TV links on this page.AP 15 TV 1 AP 15 TV 2 AP 15 TV 3

October 1: Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida.

November 14: NASA's Mariner 9 probe becomes the first man made object to orbit another planet.

November 27: Soviet space probe Mars 2 releases a lander intended for landing on the surface of Mars. The lander malfunctions and the lander crashes into the surface. It is the first man made object to do so. The orbiter of Mars 2 achieves Martian orbit.

November 23: The hijacker of a Northwest Orient Airlines jet, parachutes from the aircraft with $200,000 in ransom money. The man who referred to himself as Dan Cooper, is never heard from again.

December 2: Soviet space probe Mars 3 releases a lander that makes the first successful landing of a man made object on Mars. After 20 seconds the lander's instruments stop working. The orbiter of Mars 3 achieves Martian orbit.