Wounded Knee

About 200 Oglala Lakota Native Americans and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) began their occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota during February of 1973. AIM, a militant civil rights organization, was created in the late 1960s with the intention of bringing attention to injustices faced by Native Americans. Wounded Knee was located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and in 1890 it was the site of a massacre of 300 unarmed Sioux by the U.S. Cavalry. At the start of their occupation AIM took 11 hostages and asked that The U.S. Government start investigating broken treaties, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and all of the South Dakota Sioux reservations. The occupation lasted 71 days during which they negotiated with U.S. Marshals and exchanged regular gunfire with federal agents. In May the group surrendered and government officials agreed to start investigations as demanded.

United States -- Vice President Agnew Resigns

Spiro Agnew, the Vice President of the United States under Richard Nixon, resigned during October of 1973. Agnew had been dealing with charges of tax evasion and receiving bribes prior to his resignation. After he left office he pleaded no contest to the criminal charges and was fined and given probation. He was replaced by Gerald Ford, who, less than a year later, would become the President after Nixon resigned. Spiro Agnew was the second US Vice President to resign, the first for criminal reasons.

USA -- Sears Tower

The Sears Tower is completed during May. The 108 floor 1,729 foot tall structure became the tallest building in the world, a title that it held for 25 years until the Petronas Towers in Malaysia were completed in 1998. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the building originally housed the Sears, Roebuck & Co. headquarters. It was designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Khan, who had previously worked together creating another iconic Chicago skyscraper, the John Hancock Center.

United States -- Battle of the Sexes Tennis Match

1. Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs competed in “The Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match during September of 1973.

2. 29-year-old King, who had already won 10 Grand Slam titles and was a pioneer in women’s tennis, went up against 55-year-old Riggs, who was at one point considered the best tennis player in the world, and defeated him handily winning three sets 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3.

3. King expressed relief at the end of the match, stating that she was worried losing it would have set women back.

4. She also took home the $100,000 prize.

5. Over 30,000 spectators attended it in Houston and an estimated 90 million people viewed the televised match worldwide, making it the most viewed tennis match in history.

European Union

Britain Ireland and Denmark join the EEC

United States Mariner 10

NASA launches the Mariner 10 Mercury probe spacecraft.

More Information for the Mariner 10 Spacecraft.

The Mariner 10 spacecraft launched at the beginning of November in 1973. It had the mission of becoming the first probe to study the planet of Mercury. The Mariner 10 probe also became the first spacecraft to visit two planets during a single mission, as it passed Venus on its way to Mercury. The craft sent over 12,000 images of the two planets back to Earth. The mission was considered successful and ended in March of 1975 as it began its orbit around the Sun that it continues in to this day. The total cost of the spacecraft was about $100 million which would be equivalent to nearly $500 million today.

More News and Key Events From 1973

Car Plants Close

Chrysler and other US car makers close a number of plants affecting 100,000 workers

US Troops withdrawn from Vietnam

US Troops withdrawn from Vietnam and U.S. involvement in Vietnam War ends with the signing of peace

World Trade Center

World Trade Center in New York becomes the tallest building in the world

King's Cross Bombing

IRA bombs explode in King's Cross and Euston station on September 10th , the Whitehall, the Old Bailey and Manchester city center.

Watergate Hearings begin

Watergate Hearings begin in the United States Senate and President Richard Nixon tells the nation , “I am not a crook.”

Yom Kippur War

Yom Kippur War - Fourth and largest Arab-Israeli conflict begins as Egyptian and Syrian forces attack Israel

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is opened

Basque Terrorists

Basque Terrorists Kill Spanish Prime Minister

Bosporus Bridge

The Bosporus Bridge is completed joining Europe and Asia in Istanbul

Greece student rioting

Following student rioting Marshal Law is imposed

Military coup Chili

Military coup in Chili led by General Augusto Pinochet.

Israel

Israel Shoots Down Libyan Passenger Plane

Bangladesh

Newly created Bangladesh Elects First Prime Minister Sheikh Mujib Rahman

UK Union Strikes

TUC brings 1.5 Million on Strike in UK as Day Of Protest at pay restraint policy

Princess Anne

Princess Anne, marries Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey

UK Three-Day Week

In the UK, as a result of high coal and oil prices, the Three-Day Week officially comes into force.

Belize Gains Independence

Belize Gains Independence From Great Britain

referendum in Northern Ireland

A referendum in Northern Ireland results in a vote to stay as part of the United Kingdom

Secretariat

Secretariat Wins Triple Crown first winner for 25 years

Endangered Species Act of 1973

The wide ranging Endangered Species Act of 1973 is signed into law to "protect species and the ecosystems upon which they depend."

Bahamas

The Bahamas Gains Independence From Great Britain

Cod War

Royal Navy Protect Trawlers in Cod War In Icelandic Waters

Mississippi River Flood

The Mississippi River reaches its peak level in St. Louis during a record 77-day flood.

Calendar For The Year 1973