1971

1971 was a year marked by major economic, political, and technological shifts. On August 15, the United States initiated what would become known as the Nixon shock, with President Richard Nixon announcing the unilateral suspension of the dollar’s convertibility into gold and effectively ending the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates. In the United Kingdom, Decimal Day was observed on February 15, as the currency transitioned to decimal form, replacing pounds, shillings and pence with pounds and new pence.

Across South Asia, the Bangladesh Liberation War began in March 1971, as East Pakistan sought independence from West Pakistan. The conflict culminated in December with the surrender of Pakistani forces in Dhaka on December 16, leading to the establishment of an independent Bangladesh and substantial regional humanitarian and geopolitical repercussions.

Space, science, and technology also saw notable milestones. The United States conducted the Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 missions, sending crews to the Moon with landings in early and mid-1971. In computing, Intel released the 4004, the first commercially produced microprocessor, paving the way for the microcomputer era. Ray Tomlinson sent the first electronic mail on ARPANET, marking a foundational moment in computer communications. The environmental movement gained a new organization with Greenpeace founded in 1971 in Canada.

Other significant developments included the intensification of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which contributed to the creation of Bangladesh. The year thus featured a mix of breakthroughs, conflicts, and institutional shifts that shaped subsequent decades.