The Year 1973 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 1973. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. Richard M. Nixon was the president of the United States, and Spiro T. Agnew was the nation’s vice president.
2. In 1973, high inflation, an oil crisis, rising unemployment, and the worst recession since the 1930s plagued the U.S. economy. The recession came about because of an OPEC oil embargo against the U.S., major government spending on the Vietnam War, a large Soviet purchase of corn, wheat, and soybeans during 1972, and a Wall Street crash that caused a bear market.
3. Because of the recession, General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler closed a number of plants, affecting an estimated 100,000 workers.
4. Due to the increase in gas prices, Japanese cars with smaller engines had an impact on the U.S. auto industry, adversely affecting the sales of American-made cars.
5. In 1973, the average household income in the United States was $12,900, the average home price was $32,500, and the average monthly rent was $175.
6. On January 1, CBS sold the New York Yankees MLB team for $10 million to a “12-person syndicate” led by George Steinbrenner.
7. On January 22, the landmark Supreme Court case—Roe v. Wade—“established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide in the United States.” The Court “ruled in favor of ‘Jane Roe’ (Norma McCorvey), striking down a Texas law that heavily restricted abortion access.”
8. On January 27, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, thus ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong signed the agreement.
9. On February 12, the first metric-distance road signs in the United States were posted between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.
10. On March 2, Grammy Award winners were Bette Midler (Best New Artist) and Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly with His Song (Best Pop Female Vocal, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year).
11. On March 17, the few remaining United States soldiers began to leave Vietnam.
12. On March 27, Academy Award winners included The Sting (Best Picture), Jack Lemmon (Best Actor), Glenda Jackson (Best Actress), and George Roy Hill (Best Director).
13. On April 17, Federal Express began operating in Memphis, Tennessee, with 389 team members. That night, 14 aircraft delivered 186 packages to 25 U.S. cities, including Rochester (NY) and Miami.
14. In May, Archibald Cox, who served as the U.S. solicitor general under President John F. Kennedy, became the special prosecutor in the Watergate Scandal.
15. On May 20, Emmy Award winners were Masterpiece Theatre: Upstairs, Downstairs (PBS, Best Drama), M*A*S*H* (CBS, Best Comedy), Alan Alda (Best Actor in Comedy), Mary Tyler Moore (Best Actress in Comedy), and The Carol Burnett Show (Best Variety).
16. On July 12, a massive fire destroyed the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
17. On September 2, English author and poet J. R. R. Tolkien passed away. He was the author of “high fantasy” works such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
18. On October 10, Spiro T. Agnew resigned as the U.S. vice president and pleaded no contest to charges of income tax evasion.
19. On November 16, President Nixon signed legislation that approved the construction of the Alaska pipeline.
20. On December 28, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the ESA was “a response to the declining populations of many species of animals and plants. The act was designed to protect and recover species at risk of extinction and to promote the conservation of ecosystems and habitats necessary for the survival of those species.”
21. In 1973, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was invented.
22. Motorola engineer Martin Cooper invented the first handheld mobile phone.
23. Nathaniel Wyeth received a patent for shatter-resistant PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles. Over the years, the PET bottle has replaced the glass bottle for many consumer products, including alcohol, beer, cooking oils, household cleaning agents, juice, personal care items, soda, water, and wine.
24. For the first time in United States history, women were allowed to serve on juries in all 50 states.
25. In 1973, sales of vodka surpassed whiskey sales for the first time in U.S. history.
26. The Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car to have airbags.
27. The ever-popular Stove Top stuffing first appeared on grocery store shelves.
28. Colman's Mustard celebrated its 150th anniversary.
29. H. J. Heinz was unable to fill ketchup orders to McDonald’s because of a tomato shortage.
30. Popular Christmas gifts for the year included the board game Anti-Monopoly, Raleigh Chopper bikes, Dungeons & Dragons, Pente, and Shrinky Dinks.
31. The Exorcist was the most popular film, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was the best-selling fiction book, and All in the Family (CBS) was the top TV show.
32. The following television shows ended their runs in 1973: Bonanza, Laugh-In, Mission Impossible, and The Mod Squad.
33. The most popular CDs in 1973 were Brothers and Sisters (Allman Brothers), Chicago VI (Chicago), Goat’s Head Soup (Rolling Stones), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), and Living in a Material World (George Harrison).
34. Here are some sports facts from 1973: The Miami Dolphins were the Super Bowl champs, the Oakland Athletics won the World Series, and the Montreal Canadiens clinched the Stanley Cup. In addition, Yankee Stadium closed for a two-year renovation on September 30 that would cost $160 million.
35. In 1973 as well, the words "automated teller machine," "cash-strapped," "closed-captioning," "factoid," "fight-or-flight," "food processor," "hot tub," "NSAID," "paratransit," "pepper jack cheese," "pro-choice," "soccer mom," "T-Bill," "televangelist," and "trauma center" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1973-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_in_the_United_States
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1973
4. https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1973/top-grossing-movies
5. https://www.patagonia.com/core-values/
6. https://www.patagonia.com/core-values/
7. https://vhs1973.weebly.com/fun-facts-about-1973.html
8. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/1970-stagflation.asp
9. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1971.html
10. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1973
11. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices/Historic-Prices-1970s/Historic-Prices-1973

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor