* Atlas Computer ( Manchester ) ( 1962 – 1971 ), an early computer built at the University of Manchester

* 1971 – Lou Merloni, American baseball player

* 1971 – Sanjay Suri, Indian actor and model

* 1971 – Nick Hexum, American singer and musician ( 311 )

* 1971 – Nicholas Brendon, American actor

* 1971 – Shannen Doherty, American actress, producer, director, and author

* 1971 – John Boyne, Irish novelist

* 1971 – Darren Emerson, English DJ ( Underworld )

* 1971 – An attempted coup fails in the African nation of Chad.

* 1971 – Julian Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer

* 1971 – Ernest Faber, Dutch footballer and coach

* 1971 – Aygül Özkan, German politician

* 1882 – Ernst Eklund, Swedish actor ( d. 1971 )

* 1886 – Edward Ballantine, American composer ( d. 1971 )

* 1971 – Merrin Dungey, American actress

* 1971 – Scott Minto, English footballer

* 1971 – Piyal Wijetunge, Sri Lankan cricketer

* 1971 – The Troubles: The British security forces in Northern Ireland launch Operation Demetrius.

* 1971 – Mack 10, American rapper and actor ( Westside Connection )

* 1971 – James Kim, American journalist and technology expert ( d. 2006 )

* 1971 – Mark Povinelli, American actor

* 1971 – Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist

* 1971 – Nikki Ziering, American model and actress

* 1943 – Michael Willetts, English soldier, George Cross recipient ( d. 1971 )

* 1971 – Moritz Bleibtreu, German actor

* 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacred approximately 3, 000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan ( now Bangladesh ).

A Pakistan Air Force T-33 trainer was hijacked on August 20, 1971 before Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 in Karachi when a Bengali instructor pilot, Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, knocked out the young Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas with the intention of defecting to India with the plane and national secrets.

* 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the Pakistan army brings an end to both conflicts.

* 1972 – Vijay Diwas: ( Victory Day ) is commemorated every 16 December in India as it marks its military victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

* 1971 – Pakistan severs diplomatic relations with India following New Delhi's recognition of Bangladesh.

* 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches pre-emptive strike against India and a full scale war begins claiming hundreds of lives.

* 1971 – The Indian Army recaptures part of Kashmir occupied forcibly by Pakistan.

* 1971 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto takes over as the fourth President of Pakistan.

East Pakistan (; Purbo Pakistan, ; Mashriqī Pākistān ) was a provincial state of Pakistan that existed in Bengal region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent from 1955 until 1971, following the One Unit programme which laid the existence of East Pakistan.

As response to this operation, the Awami League announced the declaration of independence of East Pakistan on March 26, 1971 and began an armed struggle against the Pakistan, with India staunchly supporting Awami League by the means of providing arm ammunition to its guerrilla forces.

A nine month long war ended on December 16 of 1971, when the Pakistan Armed Forces overran in Dhaka, ultimately signing the instrument of surrender which resulted the largest in number of prisoners of war since World War II.

Finally on December 16, 1971, East Pakistan was officially disestablished and was succeeded as the independent state of Bangladesh.

By the mid-1960s, the East Pakistan was accounting for less than 60 % of the nation's export earnings, and by the time of Bangladesh's independence in 1971, this percentage had dipped below 50 %.

1971 documentary film about East Pakistan

On 26 March 1971, the day after the military crackdown on civilians in East Pakistan, Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh.

Angola-Vietnam relations were established in August 1971, four years before Angola gained its independence, when future President of Angola Agostinho Neto visited Vietnam.

* 1971 – President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.

* 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian politician, 40th President of Haiti ( b. 1907 )

* 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to increase the rate of American troop withdrawals from Vietnam.

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act ( ANCSA ) was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history.

The departure of Uganda's President Milton Obote to the 1971 CHOGM allowed Idi Amin to overthrow Obote's government.

The Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California was named after the President in 1971.

* 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.

In March 1971 elements of the military were deployed to Freetown in Sierra Leone after the Sierra Leonean President, Stevens, appeared to start losing his control of the military.

Sometimes a head of state assumes office as a state becomes legal and political reality, before a formal title for the highest office is determined ; thus in the since 1 January 1960 independent republic Cameroon ( Cameroun, a former French colony ), the first President, Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo, was at first not styled président but ' merely ' known as Chef d ' état ( literal French for ' Head of State ') until 5 May 1960 ; in Uganda, military coup leader since 25 January 1971 Idi Amin was formally styled military head of State till 21 February 1971, only from then on regular ( but unconstitutional, not elected ) President.

* 1971 — Myron Tribus ( Senior Vice President, Xerox Corp .)

moved to Pittsburgh in 1971 when he was promoted to Senior Vice President for the North America and Pacific region, and by 1973, R. Burt Gookin and Jack Heinz made him COO and President.

* 1971 – President Richard Nixon declares the U. S. War on Drugs.

* 1971 – Right to vote: the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, is formally certified by President Richard Nixon.

* 1971 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.

President Tolbert ( 1971 – 80 ) continued to suppress opposition harshly.

In 1970 Hastings Banda was declared President for life of the MCP, and in 1971 Banda consolidated his power and was named President for life of Malawi itself.

* 1971 – President of Pakistan Yahya Khan indefinitely postpones the pending national assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.