World History 1976

About the history of the world in 1976, riots erupt in South Africa, a terrible earthquake in China, the Viking spacecraft land on Mars.

TWO CENTURIES OF WORLD HISTORY: 1778-1978

1976

June Riots erupted in the black enclave of Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa.

July An earthquake in China, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, killed over 650,000 people and leveled the city of Tangshan.

July 3--4 Israeli paratroopers swooped down on Entebbe Airport in Uganda and rescued 110 Israeli passengers and French crew members of an Air France jet hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. All hostages but one were flown to safety. Ailing Dora Bloch, 74, holding British and Israeli citizenship, had been removed to a hospital in Kampala. After the raid, Uganda's erratic Pres. Idi Amin reportedly ordered the woman killed in reprisal. The incident led Britain to sever diplomatic relations with Uganda.

July 20 The first of two U.S. Viking spacecraft landed on Mars to photograph the planet, analyze soil samples, and search for life. No signs of life were detected.

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