100 Fun Facts About 1975

Which climber, buried by an avalanche twelve days earlier, became the first woman to summit Everest on 16 May?

Junko Tabei was knocked unconscious under the snow and dug out by her Sherpa guides, then reached the top with Ang Tsering; in 1992 she became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits.

Which 'Bayonne Bleeder' was finally floored with 19 seconds left in the 15th round against Muhammad Ali?

Chuck Wepner's stand moved Sylvester Stallone to write Rocky, released the following year. The nickname began as an insult about his facial cuts, and he adopted it as his own.

Which Soviet grandmaster became world champion on 3 April by forfeit, after the American holder refused FIDE's terms?

Anatoly Karpov, determined to prove himself a legitimate champion, played nearly every major tournament for the next ten years. FIDE president Max Euwe made the declaration.

Which company's engineer Steven Sasson built the first self-contained digital camera, needing 23 seconds per image?

Kodak's 8-pound prototype saved each 100-by-100-pixel image to cassette tape, yet the company later struggled with the very switch from film to digital that Sasson's camera began.

Which Sony home-video format went on sale in Japan on 10 May, with early tapes limited to an hour of recording?

Betamax lost the format war to VHS, yet Sony kept making recorders until August 2002 and blank cassettes until March 2016. The first US model came bundled with a 19-inch Trinitron television.

Which band's 'Bye, Bye, Baby' was the UK's best-selling single of the year, spending six weeks at number one from March?

The Bay City Rollers' chart-topper was a cover that outdid its original: the Four Seasons' 1965 single had reached only number 12 in America.

Which BBC sitcom, first shown on 4 April, has a 40-year-old plastics designer quit the rat race to go self-sufficient?

The Good Life starred Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal, and its 1978 farewell episode was recorded as a Royal Command Performance before the Queen and Prince Philip.

Which 18-year-old, beaten by Chris Evert in the US Open semi-finals, went to a New York immigration office to defect?

Martina Navratilova was stripped of her Czechoslovak citizenship for seeking political asylum and became a US citizen in 1981; she took Czech citizenship as well in 2008.

Which North American Soccer League club brought Pelé out of semi-retirement to debut against Dallas Tornado on 15 June?

The New York Cosmos spray-painted the bare Downing Stadium pitch green for the CBS cameras, and Pelé scored in a 2–2 draw; he bowed out in 1977 by playing a half each for the Cosmos and Santos.

Which side won the first Cricket World Cup final at Lord's, helped by Clive Lloyd's 82-ball century, by 17 runs?

The West Indies beat Australia in a game that ended at 8:43pm after nearly ten hours, with Viv Richards, who had failed with the bat, running out three batsmen.

Which Bryan Forbes film of an Ira Levin novel has Katharine Ross uncover the secret of a too-perfect Connecticut town?

The Stepford Wives has the town's men swap their spouses for submissive robot replicas, explaining that they do it 'because they can', and 'Stepford wife' passed into the language.

Which trio topped the US chart in March with 'Lady Marmalade', an Allen Toussaint production with a French chorus?

Labelle's lead singer Patti LaBelle later said nobody had told her what the French refrain meant: 'Do you want to sleep with me tonight?'

Which golfer, invited after winning the 1974 Monsanto Open, became the first Black player to compete in the Masters?

Lee Elder returned to Augusta in April 2021 to take part in the Masters' traditional ceremonial start, 46 years after his debut.

Which footballer, born in Leytonstone on 2 May, was given the middle name Robert in honour of Bobby Charlton?

David Beckham's parents were such fanatical Manchester United supporters that they drove 200 miles from London to Old Trafford for home matches. He signed for the club as a trainee in July 1991.

Which actress, born on 4 June, had a bit part aged seven in Lookin' to Get Out, a film starring her father?

Angelina Jolie's father is Jon Voight, but it was watching films with her mother, not his career, that drew her to acting, and in 2002 she legally dropped his surname.

Which golfer, born in Cypress, California on 30 December, putted against Bob Hope on TV before turning three?

Tiger Woods was nicknamed after his father's South Vietnamese army friend, colonel Vuong Dang Phong, also known as 'Tiger'. The 1978 putting contest came on The Mike Douglas Show.

Which Merv Griffin game show, based on hangman, premiered on NBC on 6 January with Chuck Woolery as host?

Wheel of Fortune grew out of a 1973 pilot called Shopper's Bazaar, built around a shopping element; Pat Sajak took over in 1981 after Woolery left in a salary dispute with Griffin.

Which club won the FA Cup 2–0 against a Fulham side including Bobby Moore, with both goals scored by Alan Taylor?

West Ham United were facing their former captain: the Wembley final on 3 May was Bobby Moore's last appearance at the stadium.

Which team beat the Boston Red Sox in a seven-game World Series famed for Carlton Fisk waving his Game 6 homer fair?

The Cincinnati Reds, the 'Big Red Machine', trailed 3–0 in Game 7 before Joe Morgan's ninth-inning single won their first title since 1940.

Which Euston Films series, launched on ITV on 2 January, takes its name from the rhyming slang for the Flying Squad?

The Sweeney is short for Sweeney Todd, Cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad; John Thaw's Jack Regan had first appeared in Regan, a 1974 film for Armchair Cinema.

Which Ken Russell film of a Who rock opera had Elton John play the Pinball Wizard in gigantic Dr. Martens boots?

Tommy's Ann-Margret won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination, while Elton John reportedly took the part on condition he could keep the boots. Roger Daltrey played the deaf, mute and blind title role.

Which Gerry Anderson series, Britain's costliest yet, has a nuclear-waste explosion hurl the Moon out of Earth's orbit?

Space: 1999 began life as a planned second series of the Andersons' UFO, reworked with a new cast led by the American couple Martin Landau and Barbara Bain.

Which TV detective star took a spoken-word reading of Bread's ballad 'If' to two weeks at UK number one in March?

Telly Savalas, television's Kojak, topped the British and Irish charts by speaking rather than singing, yet at home the record reached only number 12 on Billboard's easy-listening chart.

Which sitcom's Windsor Davies and Don Estelle, in character, took 'Whispering Grass' to UK number one for three weeks?

It Ain't Half Hot Mum drew on writer Jimmy Perry's own Royal Artillery concert party in India, and Windsor Davies's sergeant major was based on Perry's real battery sergeant major.

Which BBC drama from Winston Graham's novels has Robin Ellis reviving derelict copper mines in 18th-century Cornwall?

Poldark's hero loses his fiancée Elizabeth to his cousin Francis and ends up marrying his servant Demelza, played by Angharad Rees; the series ran until 1977.

Which creator of the Daleks debuted in Terry Nation's serial Genesis of the Daleks, opposite Tom Baker's Doctor?

Davros, played by Michael Wisher, debuts in the serial where the Doctor, poised to destroy the Daleks, asks 'Do I have the right?'; Doctor Who Magazine readers voted it the greatest story in 1998.

Which club won the League title in Dave Mackay's first full season as manager, a second championship in four years?

Derby County had lost Brian Clough after a row with the chairman in 1973; Mackay, whom Clough had signed as a player in 1968, returned as his successor and won the title.

Which club retained the European Cup in Paris, beating Leeds United 2–0 with late goals from Franz Roth and Gerd Müller?

Bayern Munich were held until the 71st minute, after Leeds had a Peter Lorimer goal disallowed for offside against Billy Bremner and two penalty appeals refused.

Which lander sent the first pictures from another planet's surface, lasting 53 minutes on Venus on 22 October?

Venera 9 was still working when it fell silent: the Soviet orbiter relaying its signal simply moved out of radio range, after readings of about 90 atmospheres and 485 °C.

Which Soviet hydrogen-bomb designer won the Nobel Peace Prize but was refused permission to collect it in Oslo?

Andrei Sakharov's wife, Yelena Bonner, read his speech at the ceremony in his place. His 'Third Idea' design matched the Teller–Ulam configuration used in the United States.

Which company's Forties field, the first major oil find in the UK North Sea, did the Queen inaugurate on 3 November?

BP struck oil there in 1970 and named the field after the nearby Long Forties bank; production began in September 1975, with the crude piped through a 36-inch line to landfall at Cruden Bay.

Which body did the Sex Discrimination Act, in force from 29 December, set up to work towards eliminating discrimination?

The Equal Opportunities Commission also policed the Equal Pay Act, which came into force the same day, and in 2007 it was folded into a single equality body.

Which Australian prime minister did Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismiss on 11 November, installing Malcolm Fraser as caretaker?

Gough Whitlam answered from the Parliament House steps: 'Well may we say God save the Queen, because nothing will save the Governor-General'; Fraser's coalition then won a record majority.

Which comic novelist was knighted in the New Year Honours aged 93, then died at a Long Island hospital six weeks later?

P. G. Wodehouse's KBE was secured by Harold Wilson, and The Times read it as 'official forgiveness for his wartime indiscretion'. He died of a heart attack on 14 February.

Which country gained independence from Australia on 16 September, keeping Michael Somare as its first prime minister?

Papua New Guinea chose to keep the Queen as head of state, and Somare, known as the 'father of the nation', went on to serve 17 years as prime minister across three spells.

Which five-time winner did Bernard Thévenet beat to take the first Tour de France to finish on the Champs-Élysées?

Eddy Merckx was punched by a spectator on the Puy de Dôme, then cracked on the climb to Pra-Loup, where Thévenet took the lead and denied him a record sixth Tour.

Which runner clocked the first sub-3:50 mile, 3:49.4 in Gothenburg on 12 August?

John Walker went on to win the 1500 m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, holding off Ivo Van Damme after an African boycott removed his rival Filbert Bayi, whose record he had broken.

Which country won Eurovision in Stockholm with Teach-In's 'Ding-a-dong', at the first contest to use 12-point top marks?

The Netherlands sang first on the night, the first winner ever drawn in the opening slot, and so hosted the 1976 contest in The Hague; the United Kingdom finished second for a ninth time.

Which Kurosawa film, shot with Mosfilm in the Russian Far East, won the foreign-language Oscar as a Soviet entry?

Dersu Uzala was shot on 70 mm from explorer Vladimir Arsenyev's 1923 memoir, and because the Academy treated it as Soviet it competed against the Japanese film Sandakan No. 8.

Which company was founded in Albuquerque on 4 April to sell a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800?

Microsoft's founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen had no Altair to work on, so they wrote and tested the interpreter on an emulator Allen built on another computer, and it ran first time at the demonstration.

Which Himalayan protectorate voted 97.5% to abolish its monarchy and became India's 22nd state on 16 May?

Sikkim's vote was held after the Indian Army had taken over the capital, Gangtok, and it ended the rule of the Chogyal, the kingdom's line of priest-kings.

Which colt beat Bustino by half a length at Ascot on 26 July in what was dubbed Britain's 'Race of the Century'?

Grundy's winning time of 2:26.98 broke the race record by almost two and a half seconds, and he never won again, finishing a tired fourth next time out before retiring to stud.

Which composer of Psycho and Vertigo died in his sleep on 24 December, the day after recording his Taxi Driver score?

Bernard Herrmann had that evening viewed a rough cut of Larry Cohen's God Told Me To, his next assignment, and dined with Cohen; both Scorsese and Cohen dedicated their films to him.

Which underdog team swept the favoured Washington Bullets 4–0 in the NBA Finals, with Rick Barry named series MVP?

The Golden State Warriors had to play their home games at the Cow Palace because their Oakland arena was already booked, yet still swept to a first title since 1956.

Which actress took a third Oscar for Murder on the Orient Express, then said Valentina Cortese should have won it?

Ingrid Bergman put the award down to Hollywood's guilt at having shunned her over her affair with Roberto Rossellini, and spent the rest of the evening in Cortese's company.

Which Jhabvala novel, whose narrator traces her grandfather's first wife Olivia in India, won the Booker Prize?

Heat and Dust has Olivia cause a scandal by leaving her husband for an Indian prince, the Nawab; Jhabvala wrote the screenplay herself for the 1983 Merchant Ivory film.

Which Kensington store, famed for its Rainbow Room and up to a million customers a week, was closed by British Land?

Biba's founder Barbara Hulanicki quit after rows with the board over creative control, and the owners soon decided the Derry & Toms building was worth more than the ailing shop inside it.

Which island gave Typically Tropical a UK number one in August, a song the Vengaboys later reworked as a trip to Ibiza?

'Barbados' was written by two Trojan Records sound engineers after one of them, Jef Calvert, joined his father on a Caribbean cruise, and they recorded it in the studio after hours.

Which singer's 'Lovin' You', begun as a distraction for her baby daughter, hit US number one on 5 April?

Minnie Riperton's daughter grew up to be the comedian Maya Rudolph, whose name is sung at the end of the album version; Stevie Wonder co-produced the track. Its bridge shows off her whistle register.

Which waterway reopened on 5 June after eight years, freeing the fifteen 'Yellow Fleet' cargo ships trapped since 1967?

The Suez Canal's first northbound convoy to Port Said was led by an Egyptian destroyer carrying President Anwar Sadat; Egypt had shut it at the start of the Six-Day War.

Which director's 1975 thriller Jaws was first to earn $100 million in US theatrical rentals?

Steven Spielberg's shark film opened on just 464 screens, yet took only 78 days to pass The Godfather as North America's biggest earner.

Which company was founded in Albuquerque in 1975 to sell a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 computer?

Microsoft grew from a magazine cover: Paul Allen saw the Altair on the front of Popular Electronics and told Bill Gates they could write a BASIC for it.

Which capital city fell to North Vietnamese forces on 30 April 1975 and was renamed after Ho Chi Minh?

Saigon's capture ended the Vietnam War, and Operation Frequent Wind, which flew out the last Americans, was the largest helicopter evacuation in history.

Which NBC sketch show premiered in October 1975 with comedian George Carlin as its first host?

Saturday Night Live went out at first as NBC's Saturday Night, and three episodes in Candice Bergen became the first woman to host it.

Which dictator's death in November 1975 led to Juan Carlos being proclaimed King of Spain two days later?

Francisco Franco had ruled since 1939 and restored the monarchy to outlive him, but the king he was succeeded by led the country to democracy instead.

Which fictional detective was given a front-page obituary in The New York Times in August 1975?

Hercule Poirot is the only fictional character the paper has ever given an obituary, printed with a photograph as Agatha Christie's novel Curtain killed him off.

Which 1975 fad, sold in a cardboard box with air holes and straw bedding, made Gary Dahl a millionaire?

Pet Rock sales neared 1.5 million at just under $4 each, an idea that came to its inventor in a bar as friends complained about their real animals.

Which singer-songwriter appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week of October 1975?

Bruce Springsteen landed both covers two months after Born to Run made a New Jersey bar-band leader a star, and the double splash set critics asking whether he was real or record-company hype.

Which Queen single became the UK Christmas number one of 1975, holding the top spot for nine weeks?

Bohemian Rhapsody returned to number one for five weeks after Freddie Mercury died in 1991, making the same recording Christmas number one for a second time.

Which US president survived two assassination attempts by women in California in September 1975?

Gerald Ford was unhurt both times: a Secret Service agent grabbed Squeaky Fromme's gun in Sacramento, and Sara Jane Moore's shot in San Francisco missed by a few feet.

Which politician defeated Edward Heath in 1975 to become the first woman to lead a major British party?

Margaret Thatcher beat her former boss on the first ballot of the Conservative contest, and he never reconciled himself to her leadership.

Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar for the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

Jack Nicholson's award was one of five as the film swept every major Oscar, something only It Happened One Night had done before, back in 1934.

Which props replaced horses in 1975's Monty Python and the Holy Grail after the budget ruled out real ones?

Coconut shells banged together by trotting porters became the film's running gag, and the German release was even titled The Knights of the Coconut.

Which boxer's trainer Eddie Futch stopped 1975's Thrilla in Manila after 14 rounds against Muhammad Ali?

Joe Frazier had told his corner he could no longer see some of the punches coming, so the third and last fight of the rivalry ended on his stool.

Which American beat defending champion Jimmy Connors in 1975 to become the first Black man to win Wimbledon?

Arthur Ashe had never beaten his opponent before, and won in four sets days before turning 32 while the favourite was suing him for $5 million.

Which American union leader vanished in July 1975 and was declared legally dead seven years later?

Jimmy Hoffa, the former Teamsters president, is thought to have been murdered in a Mafia hit, and his autobiography came out months after he disappeared.

Which cosmonaut, the first person to walk in space, flew on the Soyuz that docked with an American Apollo in July 1975?

Alexei Leonov shared a handshake in orbit with the American crew that became an emblem of Cold War détente, on what proved his last space mission.

Which former Beatle co-wrote David Bowie's 'Fame', which in 1975 became Bowie's first US number one single?

John Lennon came up with the hook during a one-day jam at Electric Lady Studios in New York, singing a rhyming word over the riff that became the title.

Which BBC sitcom, first broadcast in 1975, was inspired by a rude hotel owner the Monty Python team met in Torquay?

Fawlty Towers drew on Donald Sinclair of the Gleneagles Hotel, who once threw Eric Idle's briefcase out of a window in case it contained a bomb.

Which Great Lake claimed the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald and all 29 of her crew in a November 1975 storm?

Lake Superior gave up none of the bodies, and Gordon Lightfoot wrote his famous 1976 ballad about the wreck after reading a Newsweek report on it.

Which movement led by Pol Pot captured Cambodia's capital in April 1975 and forcibly emptied the country's cities?

Khmer Rouge fighters had won a civil war despite a massive American bombing campaign against them, and began the evacuations as soon as they took power.

Which European country's Carnation Revolution led to independence for Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde in 1975?

Portugal let go of five African colonies inside two years once the 1974 coup ended its long colonial war, and East Timor declared independence in 1975 as well.

Which prime minister declared a 21-month state of emergency in 1975, jailing opponents and censoring the press?

Indira Gandhi cited threats to India from inside and out, and during the crackdown her son Sanjay launched a compulsory sterilisation programme.

Which newspaper heiress, kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, was arrested in San Francisco in September 1975?

Patty Hearst was caught 19 months after her abduction, by then a fugitive who had been filmed robbing a bank with a carbine alongside her captors.

Which silent-film star, too weak to kneel, received his 1975 knighthood from Elizabeth II in a wheelchair?

Charlie Chaplin was 85 and had been left struggling to communicate by a series of strokes; he died at home on Christmas Day two years later.

Which Atari arcade hit reached living rooms at Christmas 1975 as a home console sold only through Sears?

Pong for the home had been turned down by toy and electronics retailers, until Atari's boss spotted a rival console advertised in the department store's catalog.

Which actor first appeared on screen as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Tim Curry had already played the part in the original London stage show, and the film became the longest-running theatrical release in cinema history.

Which Nordic capital gave its name to the accords that 35 states signed in August 1975 to ease East–West tension?

Helsinki welcomed every European state of the day except Andorra and Albania, plus the US and Canada, all seated alphabetically by their names in French.

Which band hired Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks before a self-titled 1975 album that later topped the US chart?

Fleetwood Mac only went looking for a guitarist, but he was unlikely to join unless his musical and romantic partner could come too.

Which NFL team won its first Super Bowl in January 1975, beating the Minnesota Vikings 16–6?

Pittsburgh Steelers had never won a title since joining the league in 1933, making them the last of the NFL's original eight teams to win a championship.

Which Beat writer's novel, bought second-hand with a dated note scribbled inside, gave the band The 1975 its name?

Jack Kerouac's On the Road supplied it: Matty Healy's preowned copy had a page of scribblings dated 1 June, with the year written as The 1975.

Which climate activist delivers a spoken monologue to open the 2020 album Notes on a Conditional Form by The 1975?

Greta Thunberg based it on 'Our House Is on Fire', her speech to the World Economic Forum, and the track's proceeds went to Extinction Rebellion.

Which country banned The 1975 in 2023 after Matty Healy criticised its anti-LGBT laws on a festival stage?

Malaysia's authorities cut short the band's Good Vibes Festival set, and the rest of the three-day event was cancelled, after the singer also kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage.

Which British festival announced The 1975 as one of its headliners for 2025?

Glastonbury confirmed the booking on 6 March, the same day the band's social media accounts switched over to a new logo.

Which Loose Women panellist and former Coronation Street actress is the mother of The 1975 singer Matty Healy?

Denise Welch played Natalie Barnes in the soap, and the singer's father, actor Tim Healy, is a guest contributor on the band's 2020 album.

Which drummer of The 1975 produced tracks on Charli XCX's album Brat and married the singer in July 2025?

George Daniel produced 'Club Classics' and 'Apple' for the record, and the second of those climbed to number eight on the UK singles chart.

Which producer, admired by Matty Healy for his Lana Del Rey records, worked on the 2022 album by The 1975?

Jack Antonoff was told the singer would keep full creative control, and the sessions set out to stay as live and free of computers as possible.

Which independent label did manager Jamie Oborne set up to sign The 1975 when the band had no record deal?

Dirty Hit signed the group for just £20, after their genre-hopping approach had put other labels off.

Which virtual assistant voices the spoken interlude 'The Man Who Married a Robot' on a 2018 album by The 1975?

Siri recites a satirical poem about a man who falls in love with the internet and dies, before the track turns into an orchestral love theme.

Which American singer-songwriter duets on 'Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America', a 2020 song by The 1975?

Phoebe Bridgers was a longtime fan who traded appreciative Instagram messages with the singer, and ended up contributing to four songs on the album.

Which 1993 film, and Patricia Arquette's character in it, inspired the heist story of 'Robbers' by The 1975?

True Romance fixated Matty Healy from about the age of 18, above all its heroine Alabama Worley.

Which 2018 single by The 1975, begun as a collection of tabloid headlines, did Pitchfork name song of the year?

Love It If We Made It has been called the millennial answer to Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire', and The New York Times also ranked it first.

Which 2016 single by The 1975 had a video flashing criticisms of the band on pink screens around a glass cube?

The Sound peaked at number 15 in the UK, at the time the highest chart placing the group had managed.

Which band did The 1975 support at London's Hyde Park in July 2013, shortly before releasing a debut album?

The Rolling Stones show capped a year of opening for bigger acts, and the debut album that followed topped the UK chart.

In which Cheshire town did the members of The 1975 meet at high school and first play together in 2002?

Wilmslow High School is where guitarist Adam Hann recruited Matty Healy, at first as the drummer, for a group with bassist Ross MacDonald.

Which name did The 1975 perform under before adopting their current one in 2012?

Drive Like I Do was one identity in a ten-year wait: the four first played together as teenagers in 2002 but released nothing professionally until 2012.

Which producer of Arctic Monkeys' debut EP went on to produce the first two albums by The 1975?

Mike Crossey invited that earlier band into the studio after seeing them perform, and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015 for the second of the two records.

Which 2013 single by The 1975 takes its title from a euphemism for cannabis in a story of fleeing the police?

Chocolate grew out of Matty Healy's own small-town brushes with the authorities while smoking with friends.

Which 2016 song by The 1975 did Lorde cover and credit as a significant influence on her album Melodrama?

Somebody Else stalled at number 55 on the UK singles chart yet still went platinum there, and Charlie Puth has covered it too.

Which raw food did Matty Healy eat on stage during the 'Consumption' interlude of The 1975's At Their Very Best tour?

Steak was only the start: he followed it with 20 press-ups in front of television screens showing news clips, then appeared to climb into one.