10 70s Events that Changed Things FOREVER

Microsoft, Apple, and Computers Everywhere (1971-)

As ubiquitous as they are now, it's hard to imagine a time when personal computers were the hot new commodity. The first ones were born in the 1950s and 1960s, but it wasn’t until the early 1970s that they became commercially available with devices like the Kenback-1 and Micral N. In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne unveiled the Apple I computer. Designed by Wozniak, it became the first in a long line of products from one of the world’s largest tech companies. A year earlier, two young men pitched an Albuquerque electronics company their interpreter software. The result: Microsoft, a multi-trillion-dollar company, was founded in April 1975. ARPANET, a precursor to the modern-day Internet, was also first used in 1971.

The First Earth Day (1970)

A 1969 well blowout that dumped over 3 million gallons of oil off of California quickly became a call to action. Many people, including Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, felt the time was right for a national movement promoting environmental preservation. It was initially meant to be a series of teach-ins inspired by those of the 1960s civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements with activist Dennis Hayes as the lead coordinator. The first Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970, bringing together 20 million Americans with different socioeconomic and political backgrounds in demonstrations honoring the earth. It was the start of decades of climate action in the US and has since gone global with events in around 150 nations, including the Paris Agreement signing in 2016.

The Watergate Scandal and Nixon’s Resignation (1972-1974)

On June 17, 1972, Metropolitan Police arrested five individuals breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. The break-ins were soon linked to the Nixon White House and re-election campaign. An initial cover-up allowed Nixon to win reelection, but subsequent Senate investigations and the release of secret White House tapes proved too damning. Facing growing impeachment calls and little Congressional support, Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, the only president so far to do so. He was fully pardoned by Gerald Ford a month later. Watergate remains one of the most well-known political scandals in history and shaped U.S. events and policy for years to come. The “-gate” suffix is a common term for describing scandals, cover-ups, or embarrassing events.

The Munich Olympics Massacre (1972)

On the morning of September 5, 1972, eight Palestinian militants from the Black September organization entered the Munich Olympic village. They killed two Israeli athletes and held another nine hostage, demanding the release of hundreds of prisoners. The demands were refused, and West German authorities set out to rescue the hostages, though an initial attempt failed after law enforcement actions were broadcast by the media. The second attempt was a catastrophic tactical failure that led to the death of all hostages and one German officer. This was history’s first televised hostage crisis, with approximately 900 million people watching events unfold in real time. It led to the development of multiple counterterrorism and special forces units and drastically increased the security requirements at future Olympic Games.

The Helsinki Accords (1975)

The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was initially proposed by the Soviet Union and organized by Finland to improve relations between Europe’s eastern and western blocs. It was divided into three phases that ran from 1973 to August 1975 where it concluded with thirty-five signatures on the Helsinki Accords. Divided into four primary “baskets,” the accords included topics such as territorial sovereignty, human rights, and scientific and economic cooperation. They were simultaneously a useful tool in the path towards reduced Cold War tensions and a PR victory for the USSR. The accords, and preceding conference, played a key role in the founding of organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Abortion laws in the United States first appeared in the mid-to late 1800s, and by 1970 most states had at least some restrictions on the practice. Abortions in Texas were legal only to save the mother’s life. In 1969, Texas resident Norma McCorvey, pregnant with her third child, sued Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade in order to have an abortion. The case made it to the Supreme Court which ruled that abortion was a constitutional right and part of the privacy expectation set by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process clause. The ruling legalized abortion before fetal viability nationwide and vastly increased women’s access to healthcare. It was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, allowing states to set their own abortion laws.

The Fall of Saigon (1975)

The Vietnam War was a long and bloody conflict. Ostensibly a war between North and South Vietnam, it became a proxy fight in the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union. The two-decade conflict finally came to an end in April 1975 when the People's Army of Vietnam took over South Vietnam’s capital city Saigon. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the North Vietnamese leader and its population was significantly reduced with many expelled to farms or re-education camps. A year later, North and South Vietnam would be reunified as a single nation under a Communist government. April 30, the day of the fall, is celebrated in Vietnam and commemorated around the world.

The 1973 Oil Crisis (1973)

Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations were displeased with the U.S.’s military and financial support of Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As a result, members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries implemented a total oil embargo against the U.S. and other western nations. They also cut back their production by as much as 25%. The crisis sent oil prices soaring and impacted economies around the world. It ended decades of prosperity in the west and added significant wealth to the coffers of oil producing nations like Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria. It is believed to be one of the precursors of the Iranian Revolution. The embargo lasted until March 1974 with much debate on whether it was successful.

The Iranian Revolution (1978-1979)

Iran's prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a 1953 coup that strengthened the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Shah attempted to modernize Iran through policies of liberalization and westernization that led to widespread dissatisfaction and hardship among the people. He gained both secular and hardline religious rivals, the latter led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Protests against the Shah’s rule took place all across the country in 1978, growing in intensity and violence as he struggled to quash the unrest. Demonstrations in mid-December reportedly included over 10% of the population. Seeing no hope for victory, the Shah and his family left Iran on January 16, 1979. The Ayatollah and his supporters soon consolidated power, creating what would become Iran’s current theocratic government.

The Passage of Title IX (1972)

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the United States had approximately 3.8 million female high school and college athletes, a dramatic increase from approximately 326,000 in 1971. This rise in female athletic participation has largely been credited to the 1972 passage of Title IX. This landmark civil rights law prohibited sex-based discrimination at any educational institution that receives federal funding. It led to massive gains in female collegiate attendance and banned sexual harassment and violence at these institutions, citing women’s right to free and equal access to education. Title IX has faced a lot of pushback, resistance, and criticism since its passing, and many institutions have come under fire for not doing enough to address or prevent sexual abuse.

Which of these events have impacted your life the most? What other ones should have been on this list? Let us know in the comments below.