Queen Elizabeth II (pictured) died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland; her eldest son Charles III acceded to the throne as King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.
USAir Flight 427 crashed on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, resulting in 132 deaths and the longest accident investigation in the history of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Watergate scandal: U.S. president Gerald Ford gave his recently resigned predecessor Richard Nixon a controversial full and unconditional pardon for any crimes he committed while in office.
The science fiction show Star Trek made its American premiere with "The Man Trap", launching a media franchise that has since created a cult phenomenon and has influenced the design of many current technologies.
Opposed to António de Oliveira Salazar's support of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, the crews of the Portuguese Navy ships NRP Afonso de Albuquerque and NRP Dão mutinied while anchored in the harbour of Lisbon.