1970 in the United States

Events from the year 1970 in the United States.

Federal government

 * President: Richard Nixon (R-California)
 * Vice President: Spiro Agnew (R-Maryland)
 * Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger (Minnesota)
 * Speaker of the House of Representatives: John William McCormack (D-Massachusetts)
 * Senate Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield (D-Montana)
 * Congress: 91st

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" ! Governors and lieutenant governors

Governors
• Governor of Alabama: Albert Brewer (Democratic)

• Governor of Alaska: Keith Harvey Miller (Republican) (until December 7), William A. Egan (Democratic) (starting December 7)

• Governor of Arizona: Jack Richard Williams (Republican)

• Governor of Arkansas: Winthrop Rockefeller (Republican)

• Governor of California: Ronald Reagan (Republican)

• Governor of Colorado: John Arthur Love (Republican)

• Governor of Connecticut: John N. Dempsey (Democratic)

• Governor of Delaware: Russell W. Peterson (Republican)

• Governor of Florida: Claude R. Kirk Jr. (Republican)

• Governor of Georgia: Lester Maddox (Democratic)

• Governor of Hawaii: John A. Burns (Democratic)

• Governor of Idaho: Don Samuelson (Republican)

• Governor of Illinois: Richard B. Ogilvie (Republican)

• Governor of Indiana: Edgar Whitcomb (Republican)

• Governor of Iowa: Robert D. Ray (Republican)

• Governor of Kansas: Robert Docking (Democratic)

• Governor of Kentucky: Louie B. Nunn (Republican)

• Governor of Louisiana: John J. McKeithen (Democratic)

• Governor of Maine: Kenneth M. Curtis (Democratic)

• Governor of Maryland: Marvin Mandel (Democratic)

• Governor of Massachusetts: Francis W. Sargent (Republican)

• Governor of Michigan: William Milliken (Republican)

• Governor of Minnesota: Harold LeVander (Republican)

• Governor of Mississippi: John Bell Williams (Democratic)

• Governor of Missouri: Warren E. Hearnes (Democratic)

• Governor of Montana: Forrest H. Anderson (Democratic)

• Governor of Nebraska: Norbert T. Tiemann (Republican)

• Governor of Nevada: Paul Laxalt (Republican)

• Governor of New Hampshire: Walter R. Peterson Jr. (Republican)

• Governor of New Jersey: Richard J. Hughes (Democratic) (until January 20), William T. Cahill (Republican) (starting January 20)

• Governor of New Mexico: David F. Cargo (Republican)

• Governor of New York: Nelson Rockefeller (Republican)

• Governor of North Carolina: Robert W. Scott (Democratic)

• Governor of North Dakota: William L. Guy (Democratic)

• Governor of Ohio: Jim Rhodes (Republican)

• Governor of Oklahoma: Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican)

• Governor of Oregon: Tom McCall (Republican)

• Governor of Pennsylvania: Raymond P. Shafer (Republican)

• Governor of Rhode Island: Frank Licht (Democratic)

• Governor of South Carolina: Robert Evander McNair (Democratic)

• Governor of South Dakota: Frank Farrar (Republican)

• Governor of Tennessee: Buford Ellington (Democratic)

• Governor of Texas: Preston Smith (Democratic)

• Governor of Utah: Cal Rampton (Democratic)

• Governor of Vermont: Deane C. Davis (Republican)

• Governor of Virginia: Mills Godwin (Democratic) (until January 17), Linwood Holton (Republican) (starting January 17)

• Governor of Washington: Daniel J. Evans (Republican)

• Governor of West Virginia: Arch A. Moore Jr. (Republican)

• Governor of Wisconsin: Warren P. Knowles (Republican)

• Governor of Wyoming: Stanley K. Hathaway (Republican)

Lieutenant governors
• Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: vacant

• Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Robert W. Ward (Republican) (until December 7), H. A. Boucher (Democratic) (starting December 7)

• Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Maurice Britt (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of California: Edwin Reinecke (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Mark Anthony Hogan (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Attilio R. Frassinelli (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Eugene Bookhammer (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Ray C. Osborne (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: George T. Smith (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Thomas Gill (Democratic) (until December 2), George Ariyoshi (Democratic) (starting December 2)

• Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Jack M. Murphy (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Paul Simon (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Richard E. Folz (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Roger Jepsen (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: James H. DeCoursey Jr. (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Wendell H. Ford (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: C. C. Aycock (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Francis W. Sargent (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Michigan:

• * until month and day unknown: vacant

• * month and day unknown: Thomas F. Schweigert (Republican)

• * starting month and day unknown: vacant

• Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: James B. Goetz (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Charles L. Sullivan (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: William S. Morris (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Thomas Lee Judge (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: John E. Everroad (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Edward Fike (political party unknown)

• Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Elias Lee Francis II (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of New York: Malcolm Wilson (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr. (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Richard F. Larsen (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: John William Brown (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: George Nigh (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Raymond J. Broderick (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: J. Joseph Garrahy (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: John C. West (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: James Abdnor (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: Frank Gorrell (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Ben Barnes (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Thomas L. Hayes (Republican)

• Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Fred G. Pollard (Democratic) (until January 17), J. Sargeant Reynolds (Democratic) (starting January 17)

• Lieutenant Governor of Washington: John Cherberg (Democratic)

• Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Jack B. Olson (Republican)
 * }

January

 * January 5 – The first episode of All My Children is broadcast on the ABC television network.
 * January 11 – Super Bowl IV: The Kansas City Chiefs beat the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings 23–7.
 * January 14 – Diana Ross & The Supremes perform their farewell live concert together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, and Ross' replacement, Jean Terrell, is introduced onstage at the end of the last show.

February

 * February 17 – MacDonald family massacre: Jeffrey R. MacDonald kills his wife and children at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, claiming that drugged-out "hippies" did it.
 * February 18 – A jury finds the Chicago Seven defendants not guilty of conspiring to incite a riot, in charges stemming from the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Five of the defendants are found guilty on the lesser charge of crossing state lines to incite a riot.

March

 * March 6 – A bomb constructed by members of the Weathermen and meant to be planted at a military dance in New Jersey explodes, killing three members of the organization.
 * March 17
 * My Lai massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.
 * The critically wounded pilot of Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 saves the 68 passengers and five crew of the DC-9 jet, landing safely in Boston despite being shot by a hijacker who killed the co-pilot.
 * March 18 – United States Postal Service workers in New York City go on strike; the strike spreads to the state of California and the cities of Akron, Ohio, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and Denver; 210,000 out of 750,000 U.S. postal employees walk out. President Nixon assigns military units to New York City post offices. The strike lasts two weeks.
 * March 21 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.
 * March 31 – NASA's Explorer 1, the first American satellite and Explorer program spacecraft, reenters Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.

April

 * April 1
 * The 1970 United States Census begins. There are 203,392,031 United States residents on this day.
 * President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning cigarette television advertisements in the United States, starting on January 1, 1971.
 * American Motors Corporation introduces the Gremlin.
 * April 6 – In the worst day of California law enforcement, 4 California Highway Patrolmen are killed in what is known as the "Newhall Incident". This led to new procedures & training for law enforcement, nationwide.
 * April 7 – The 42nd Academy Awards ceremony is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the second in a row with no official host. John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy wins both Best Picture and Best Director, while George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid wins four awards and Charles Jarrott's Anne of the Thousand Days is nominated for ten. It is, to date, the highest-rated televised ceremony, according to Nielsen ratings.
 * April 11 – Apollo program: Apollo 13 (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Jack Swigert) is launched toward the Moon.
 * April 13 – An oxygen tank in the Apollo 13 spacecraft explodes, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return in 4 days.
 * April 17 – Apollo program: Apollo 13 splashes down safely in the Pacific.
 * April 22 – The first Earth Day is celebrated in the U.S.
 * April 29 – The U.S. invades Cambodia to hunt out the Viet Cong; widespread, large anti-war protests occur in the United States.

May

 * May 1
 * Demonstrations against the trial of the New Haven Nine, Bobby Seale, and Ericka Huggins draw 12,000 people.
 * President Richard Nixon orders U.S. forces to cross into neutral Cambodia, threatening to widen the Vietnam War, sparking nationwide riots and leading to the Kent State Shootings.
 * Colorado State College changes its name to the University of Northern Colorado.
 * May 4 – Kent State shootings: Four students at Kent State University in Ohio are killed and nine wounded by Ohio State National Guardsmen, at a protest against the incursion into Cambodia.
 * May 6 – Robert Rex Vice self-immolates in protest of the Vietnam War and the Kent state killings.
 * May 8
 * Hard Hat Riot: Unionized construction workers attack about 1,000 students and others protesting the Kent State shootings near the intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street and at New York City Hall.
 * The New York Knicks win their first NBA championship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 113–99 in Game 7 of the world championship series at Madison Square Garden.
 * May 9 – In Washington, D.C., 100,000 people demonstrate against the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon makes an impromptu visit to the Lincoln Memorial to meet with protestors.
 * May 10 – The Boston Bruins win their first Stanley Cup since 1941 when Bobby Orr scores a goal 40 seconds into overtime for a 4–3 victory which completes a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues.
 * Self-immolation of George Winne Jr. in Sand Diego in protest of the Vietnam War
 * May 11
 * Henry Marrow is killed in an alleged hate crime in Oxford, North Carolina.
 * Lubbock Tornado: An F5 tornado hits downtown Lubbock, Texas, the first to hit a downtown district of a major city since Topeka, Kansas, in 1966; 28 are killed.
 * Race riots erupt in Augusta, Georgia, after the suspicious death of a teenage inmate in the county jail. The disorder, the largest of its kind in the South, results in six fatalities.
 * May 12 – The 1976 Winter Olympics are awarded to Denver, Colorado, but it is later rejected.
 * May 14 – In the second day of violent demonstrations at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, state law enforcement officers fire into the demonstrators, killing two and injuring twelve.
 * May 26 – Pufnstuf, the film adaptation of the TV series H.R. Pufnstuf, is released.

June

 * June 6 – A D-Day celebration is held in Washington, D.C., on the 26th anniversary of the event.
 * June 11 – The United States gets its first female generals: Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington.
 * June 21 – Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy, the largest ever US corporate bankruptcy up to this date.
 * June 22 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signs the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970, a measure lowering the voting age to 18.
 * June 23 – Kelly's Heroes is released in the US.
 * June 24 – The United States Senate repeals the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
 * June 28
 * U.S. ground troops withdraw from Cambodia.
 * First pride parade in history, Stonewall riot.
 * June 30 – Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati opens.

July

 * July 1
 * The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is subordinated to the Public Health Service.
 * July 4
 * Bob Hope and other entertainers gather in Washington, D.C., for Honor America Day, a nonpartisan holiday event.
 * American Top 40, a nationally syndicated radio program featuring a countdown of the Top 40 hits of the past week according to the Billboard Hot 100, premieres. Hosted by Casey Kasem, the show is a major success.
 * Riots break out in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
 * July 16 – Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh opens.
 * July 31 – NBC anchor Chet Huntley retires from full-time broadcasting.

August

 * August 3 – NBC Nightly News premieres on NBC.
 * August 7 – Harold Haley, Marin County Superior Court Judge, is taken hostage and murdered, in an effort to free George Jackson from police custody.
 * August 13–15 – Special Olympics World Summer Games are held in Chicago.
 * August 17–18 – The U.S. sinks 418 containers of nerve gas into the Gulf Stream near the Bahamas.
 * August 24 – Vietnam War protesters bomb Sterling Hall at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, leading to an international manhunt for the perpetrators.
 * August 26 – The Women's Strike For Equality takes place down Fifth Avenue in New York City.
 * August 29 – The Chicano Moratorium, against the Vietnam War, begins in East Los Angeles, California, and leads to a riot that kills three people, including journalist Rubén Salazar.

September

 * September 5 – Vietnam War – Operation Jefferson Glenn: The United States 101st Airborne Division and the South Vietnamese 1st Infantry Division initiate a new operation in Thua Thien Province (the operation ends in October 1971).
 * September 6 – Terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijack four passenger aircraft from Pan Am, TWA and Swissair on flights to New York from Brussels, Frankfurt and Zürich.
 * September 7 – An anti-war rally is held at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, attended by Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and future Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.
 * September 9 – Elvis Presley begins his first concert tour since 1958, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
 * September 10 – The Chevrolet Vega is introduced.
 * September 11 – The Ford Pinto is introduced.
 * September 13
 * The first New York City Marathon begins.
 * The covert incursion of Operation Tailwind is instigated by the American forces in southeast Laos.
 * September 18 – Jimi Hendrix dies at age 27 in London, due to alcohol-related complications.
 * September 21 – Monday Night Football debuts on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network. The Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Jets by a score of 31–21.
 * September 23 – The first women's only tennis tournament begins in Houston, known as the Houston Women's Invitation.
 * September 24 – American television series The Odd Couple premieres on ABC.
 * September 26 – The Laguna Fire starts in San Diego County, burning 175,425 acres (710 km2).
 * September 27 – Richard Nixon begins a tour of Europe, visiting Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
 * September 29 – The U.S. Congress gives President Richard Nixon authority to sell arms to Israel.

October

 * October 2
 * The Wichita State University football team's "Gold" plane crashes in Colorado, killing most of the players. They were on their way (along with administrators and fans) to a game with Utah State University.
 * Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) Corps, one of seven federal uniformed services of the United States, is renamed to NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps under the soon to be formed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
 * October 4
 * National Educational Television ends operations, being succeeded by PBS.
 * In Los Angeles, rock musician Janis Joplin dies in her hotel room at age 27 from a heroin overdose. Joplin died exactly 16 days after Jimi Hendrix, both at 27 years of age.
 * October 5
 * The Public Broadcasting Service begins broadcasting.
 * U.S. President Richard Nixon's European tour ends.
 * October 8
 * The U.S. Foreign Office announces the renewal of arms sales to Pakistan.
 * Vietnam War: In Paris, a Communist delegation rejects U.S. President Richard Nixon's October 7 peace proposal as "a maneuver to deceive world opinion."
 * October 12 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will withdraw 40,000 more troops before Christmas.
 * October 15 – The Baltimore Orioles defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Game 5 of the World Series, 9–3, to win the series 4 games to 1 for their 2nd World Championship.
 * October 21 – A U.S. Air Force plane makes an emergency landing near Leninakan, Soviet Union. The Soviets release the American officers, including 2 generals, November 10.
 * October 25 – The wreck of the Confederate submarine Hunley is found off Charleston, South Carolina, by pioneer underwater archaeologist, Dr. E. Lee Spence, then just 22 years old. Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink a ship in warfare.
 * October 26
 * Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury debuts in approximately two dozen newspapers in the United States.
 * Gary Gabelich drives the rocket-powered Blue Flame to an official land speed record at 622.407 mph on the dry lake bed of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The record, the first above 1,000 km/h, stands for nearly thirteen years.

November

 * November – The 1969–1970 recession ends.
 * November 3 – Democrats sweep the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections; Ronald Reagan is re-elected as Governor of California; Jimmy Carter is elected as Governor of Georgia.
 * November 4
 * Vietnam War – Vietnamization: The United States turns control of the air base in the Mekong Delta to South Vietnam.
 * Social workers in Los Angeles, California take custody of Genie, a girl who had been kept in solitary confinement since her birth.
 * November 5 – Vietnam War: The United States Military Assistance Command in Vietnam reports the lowest weekly American soldier death toll in five years (24 soldiers die that week, which is the fifth consecutive week the death toll is below 50; 431 are reported wounded that week, however).
 * November 8 – Tom Dempsey, who was born with a deformed right foot, sets a National Football League record by kicking a 63-yard field goal to lift the New Orleans Saints to a 19–17 victory over the Detroit Lions at Tulane Stadium.
 * November 9 – Vietnam War: The Supreme Court of the United States votes 6–3 not to hear a case by the state of Massachusetts, about the constitutionality of a state law granting Massachusetts residents the right to refuse military service in an undeclared war.
 * November 10 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: For the first time in five years, an entire week ends with no reports of United States combat fatalities in Southeast Asia.
 * November 14 – Southern Airlines Flight 932 crashes in Wayne County, West Virginia; all 75 on board, including 37 players and 5 coaches from the Marshall University football team, are killed.
 * November 17 – Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai massacre.
 * November 18 – U.S. President Richard Nixon asks the U.S. Congress for US$155,000,000 in supplemental aid for the Cambodian government (US$85,000,000 is for military assistance to prevent the overthrow of the government of Premier Lon Nol by the Khmer Rouge and North Vietnam).
 * November 21 – Vietnam War – Operation Ivory Coast: A joint Air Force and Army team raids the Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American POWs thought to be held there (no Americans are killed, but the prisoners have already moved to another camp; all U.S. POWs are moved to a handful of central prison complexes as a result of this raid).
 * November 23
 * The American Indian Movement seizes a replica of the Mayflower in Boston.
 * Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! makes its network TV debut, when CBS telecasts the 1955 film version as a three-hour Thanksgiving special.

December

 * December 2 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
 * December 19 – The final episode of H.R. Pufnstuf, "An Old Fashioned Christmas," airs on NBC.
 * December 23 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
 * December 24 – Walt Disney Productions' 20th feature film, The Aristocats, is released. It is the studio's final film that Disney personally approved before his death. Though reception is middling compared to past efforts, the film is a box office success.
 * December 29 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signs the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) into law.

Ongoing

 * Cold War (1947–1991)
 * Space Race (1957–1975)
 * Vietnam War, U.S. involvement (1964–1973)
 * Détente (c. 1969–1979)

Sport

 * May 10 – Boston Bruins win their fourth (and first since 1941) Stanley Cup by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 0. The deciding Game 4 is played at the Boston Garden.

January

 * January 1 – Kimberly Page, wrestling personality, actress, dancer, and valet
 * January 2
 * Royce Clayton, baseball player
 * Eric Whitacre, composer
 * Nancy St. Alban, actress
 * January 3
 * Christian Duguay, comic actor
 * Matt Ross, actor
 * January 4
 * Basil Iwanyk, filmmaker
 * Chris Kanyon, wrestler (d. 2010)
 * January 6
 * Julie Chen, news anchor and host
 * Keenan McCardell, football player
 * Gabrielle Reece, volleyball player and model
 * January 7
 * Todd Day, basketball player
 * Doug E. Doug, comedian, actor and director
 * January 8 – Adam Reed, voice actor and animator
 * January 10 – Buff Bagwell, wrestler and actor
 * January 12 – Zack de la Rocha, musician
 * January 13
 * Keith Coogan, actor
 * Shonda Rhimes, producer and writer
 * January 15
 * Bonnie "Prince" Billy, musician
 * Shane McMahon, wrestler and businessman, son of Vince McMahon
 * January 17
 * Steve Asheim, drummer for Deicide and Order of Ennead
 * Jeremy Roenick, hockey player
 * Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-born animator
 * January 18
 * Leo Araguz, football player
 * DJ Quik, rapper and producer
 * January 20
 * Joe Allison, football player
 * Kerri Kenney-Silver, actress, comedian, writer, singer, and musician
 * Edwin McCain, singer/songwriter and guitarist
 * Skeet Ulrich, actor
 * January 21 – Ken Leung, actor
 * January 24
 * Jake Ellzey, politician
 * Matthew Lillard, actor and producer
 * January 28
 * James Atkins, football player
 * Andrea Berger, tennis player
 * January 29
 * Heather Graham, actress
 * Cary Katz, businessman and poker player
 * Paul Ryan, politician, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2015 to 2019), and 2012 vice presidential candidate

February

 * February 1
 * Louis Age, football player
 * Malik Sealy, basketball player (died 2000)
 * February 3
 * Tom Graves, politician and businessman
 * Anthony Russo, director
 * February 4
 * Gabrielle Anwar, English-born actress
 * Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden
 * Jo Jo English, basketball player
 * Michael Guest, politician
 * February 7 – Michael Grimm, politician, U.S. Marine, and convicted felon
 * February 8 – Alonzo Mourning, basketball player
 * February 10
 * Sarah Aldrich, actress
 * Bobby Jones, baseball player
 * February 11
 * J. M. Allain, company executive
 * Josh Green, politician, 9th Governor of Hawaii (2022-present)
 * February 12 – Armando Gallop, record producer (d. 1996)
 * February 15 – Shepard Fairey, temporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator, and founder of OBEY
 * February 16
 * Kevin Allison, comedian, writer, actor, and storyteller
 * Armand Van Helden, DJ and music producer
 * February 17
 * Yari Allnutt, soccer player
 * Tommy Moe, Olympic alpine skier
 * February 18 – Susan Egan, actress, voice actress, singer, and dancer
 * February 19 – Bellamy Young, actress, singer and producer
 * February 23 – Niecy Nash, actress
 * February 24 – Sonya Anderson, politician
 * February 25 – Allan Fung, politician, Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island (2009-2021)
 * February 27 – Rob Adams, actor, acting coach, football player, and football coach
 * February 28 – Daniel Handler, author

March

 * March 1 – Warren Davidson, politician
 * March 3 – Julie Bowen, actress
 * March 5
 * John Frusciante, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers
 * Lisa Robin Kelly, actress (d. 2013)
 * Paul Whelan, Canadian-born detainee in Russia
 * March 6 – Brian Alvey, entrepreneur, programmer, designer, and blogger
 * March 7
 * Nwando Achebe, Nigerian-born historian
 * Rachel Weisz, British-born actress
 * March 8
 * Jason Elam, football player
 * Greg Stanton, politician, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona (2012-2018)
 * March 9 – Shannon Leto, drummer for 30 Seconds to Mars
 * March 10 – Antonio Edwards, football player
 * March 12
 * John Nemechek, race car driver (d. 1997)
 * Troy Winbush, actor
 * March 13
 * Michael Arrington, businessman, founder of TechCrunch
 * Tim Story, director, writer, and producer
 * March 14
 * Tom Allen, football coach
 * Meredith Salenger, actress
 * March 18 – Queen Latifah, actress and rapper
 * March 19 – Steve Light, children's book author and illustrator
 * March 20
 * Robert Arp, philosopher
 * Michele Jaffe, novelist
 * Linda Larkin, actress and voice actress
 * Michael Rapaport, actor
 * March 21 – Cenk Uygur, Turkish-born political commentator, activist, and attorney
 * March 23 – Kate Jennings Grant, actress
 * March 24
 * Lisa Albano, tennis player
 * Lara Flynn Boyle, actress
 * March 26 – Justin Meldal-Johnsen, songwriter
 * March 27 – Elizabeth Mitchell, actress
 * March 28 – Vince Vaughn, actor, writer, and producer
 * March 29 – Richard Irvin, lawyer, politician, and the mayor of Aurora, Illinois
 * March 30
 * Jeff Antebi, entrepreneur
 * Secretariat, thoroughbred racehorse (d. 1989)
 * March 31 – Samantha Brown, television host

April

 * April 1 – Mark Wheeler, football player
 * April 4
 * Janice Kawaye, actress and voice actress
 * Barry Pepper, Canadian-born actor
 * Tom Wiscombe, architect
 * April 7 – Matt Anoaʻi, wrestler (d. 2017)
 * April 8 – JR Bourne, actor
 * April 9 – Chris Apple, soccer player and coach
 * April 10
 * Deb Andraca, politician
 * Sean Gilbert, football player and coach
 * Kenny Lattimore, Contemporary R&B singer
 * Q-Tip, musician and actor
 * April 12 – Retta, actress and comedian
 * April 13
 * Monty Brown, wrestler and football player
 * Mike Ford, NASCAR crew chief
 * Ricky Schroder, actor
 * April 14 – Steve Avery, baseball player
 * April 15 – Flex Alexander, actor
 * April 17 – Redman, American rapper and actor
 * April 20 – Shemar Moore, actor
 * April 21
 * Jeff Anderson, actor, director, and screenwriter
 * Rob Riggle, actor and comedian
 * Nicole Sullivan, actress, comedian, and voice artist
 * April 22 – Paulie Ayala, boxer
 * April 24 – Brian Gamble, martial artist and wrestler
 * April 25 – Jason Lee, actor, comedian, and skateboarder
 * April 26
 * Melania Trump, Slovenian-born model, businesswoman, and First Lady of the United States (2017-2021)
 * Tionne Watkins, actress and singer/songwriter
 * April 29
 * Andre Agassi, tennis player
 * John C. Atkins, politician
 * Uma Thurman, actress
 * April 30 – Ralph Alvarado, physician and politician

May

 * May 1 – Dave Willis, voice actor, writer, animator, producer, and musician
 * May 3
 * Bobby Cannavale, actor
 * Michael Kang, director
 * May 4
 * Gregg Alexander, singer/songwriter and frontman for New Radicals
 * Will Arnett, Canadian-born actor
 * Dawn Staley, basketball coach
 * May 5
 * LaPhonso Ellis, basketball player
 * Kyan Douglas, television personality
 * Todd Newton, television personality
 * May 8
 * Reggie Freeman, football player
 * Dale Strong, politician
 * May 9
 * Dostie, basketball player and television personality
 * Ghostface Killah, rapper
 * Curtis Bray, football player and coach (d. 2014)
 * May 10 – Craig Mack, rapper (d. 2018) ***
 * May 12
 * Stevie Anderson, football player
 * Eric Champion, Christian musician
 * Raj Chandarlapaty, educator and author
 * Samantha Mathis, actress
 * David A. R. White, actor and producer
 * May 13
 * Eric Agol, astronomer and astrophysicist
 * Ian Agol, mathematician
 * May 14 – Daniel Lewin, American-born Israeli mathematician and entrepreneur (d. 2001)
 * May 15
 * Brad Rowe, actor, writer, producer, and public policy advocate
 * Prince Be, rapper, singer, record producer, and member of P.M. Dawn (d. 2016)
 * Rod Smith, football player
 * May 17
 * A.L.T., rapper
 * Jordan Knight, singer/songwriter and member of New Kids on the Block
 * May 18 – Tina Fey, comedian and actress
 * May 20 – Crissy Ahmann-Leighton, Olympic swimmer
 * May 22
 * Mark Bingham, businessman and passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93 (d. 2001)
 * Noah Feldman, legal scholar and academic
 * Brody Stevens, actor and comedian (d. 2019)
 * May 23
 * Matt Flynn, musician
 * Robert Peirce, attorney
 * May 24
 * Tommy Page, singer/songwriter (d. 2017)
 * Jeff Zgonina, football player
 * May 25
 * Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush, actresses
 * Jamie Kennedy, actor and comedian
 * Octavia Spencer, actress
 * May 26
 * Eric Anderson, basketball player (d. 2018)
 * Keith Gattis, country singer/songwriter (d. 2023)
 * John Hamburg, writer and director
 * May 27
 * Mara Brock Akil, screenwriter and producer
 * Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
 * May 29 – Pete Gas, wrestler

June

 * June 1 – Alexi Lalas, soccer player
 * June 2 – B-Real, rapper
 * June 3
 * Susan Abulhawa, Kuwaiti-born writer and human rights activist
 * Heather Cox, sports broadcaster
 * Greg Hancock, motorcycle racer
 * Ammon McNeely, rock climber (died 2023)
 * June 5 – Deborah Yates, dancer and actress
 * June 6
 * J. C. Adams, author, magazine editor, and reporter
 * Randy Jordan, football player and coach
 * Munky, musician
 * June 7 – Mike Modano, hockey player
 * June 8
 * Gabby Giffords, politician
 * Kwame Kilpatrick, politician
 * Kelli Williams, actress
 * June 11
 * Lonni Alameda, softball player and coach
 * Alex Kendrick, pastor, filmmaker, and actor
 * June 12 – Rick Hoffman, actor
 * June 13 – Rivers Cuomo, singer and frontman for Weezer
 * June 14 – Ray Luzier, musician
 * June 15
 * Kevin Mullin, politician
 * Leah Remini, actress, television presenter, and campaigner
 * June 16
 * Roslyn Clark Artis, lawyer, academic administrator, and 14th president of Benedict College
 * Phil Mickelson, golfer
 * June 17
 * Arnold Ale, football player
 * Alma Allen, sculptor
 * Will Forte, actor and comedian
 * Michael Showalter, actor, writer, and director
 * June 19
 * Head, musician
 * D-Nice, rapper and member of Boogie Down Productions
 * Quincy Watts, Olympic sprinter
 * June 20 – Marc Andreyko, comic book writer and screenwriter
 * June 21 – Pete Rock, rapper and DJ
 * June 22
 * Freddy Soto, comedian and actor (d. 2005)
 * Michael Trucco, actor
 * June 23 – Zen Gesner, actor
 * June 24 – Glenn Medeiros, singer/songwriter
 * June 26
 * Paul Thomas Anderson, screenwriter and director
 * Sean Hayes, actor, comedian and producer
 * Chris O'Donnell, actor
 * Matt Letscher, actor and playwright
 * Nick Offerman, actor, writer, and carpenter
 * David Teeuwen, managing editor of USA Today (d. 2015)
 * June 27 – Ahmed Ahmed, Egyptian-born actor and comedian
 * June 28
 * Ace Atkins, journalist and author
 * Steve Burton, actor
 * Mike White, writer, director, actor, and producer
 * June 29 – Mike Vallely, skateboarder, actor, and musician
 * June 30
 * Chris Conrad, actor
 * Brian Bloom, actor, voice actor, and screenwriter

July

 * July 1
 * Joni Ernst, politician
 * Henry Simmons, actor
 * July 2
 * Derrick Adkins, Olympic hurdler
 * Scott Aukerman, writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host
 * Spice 1, rapper
 * Amy Weber, actress, model, producer, singer, real estate broker, and wrestling valet
 * July 3 – Audra McDonald, actress and singer
 * July 5
 * Kenny Dope, record producer and DJ
 * Mac Dre, rapper (d. 2004)
 * July 7 – Robia LaMorte, actress and dancer
 * July 8
 * Beck, singer/songwriter and record producer
 * Todd Martin, tennis player
 * July 9 – Trent Green, football quarterback
 * July 10
 * Dexter Allen, blues singer and musician
 * Gary LeVox, singer/songwriter and frontman for Rascal Flatts
 * July 11
 * Billy Ashley, baseball player
 * Justin Chambers, actor and fashion model
 * Michael Saucedo, Hispanic Irish actor
 * July 15
 * Jenifer Alcorn, boxer
 * Amber Hood, voice actress
 * July 18
 * Sal Abruscato, metal singer and drummer for Type O Negative and Life of Agony
 * Cheryl Casone, news anchor
 * July 19 – Lenny Curry, politician, Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida (2015-present)
 * July 20
 * Anjanette Abayari, actress and beauty queen
 * Shannon Baker, football player
 * Howard Jones, singer and frontman for Blood Has Been Shed (1997-2005), Killswitch Engage (2002-2012), and Light the Torch (2012-present)
 * July 22 – Melvin Aldridge, football player
 * July 23 – Charisma Carpenter, actress
 * July 24 – Stephanie Adams, model, author, and murderer (d. 2018)
 * July 26 – Cress Williams, actor
 * July 29 – Kit Hoover, television host, sportscaster, and broadcast journalist
 * July 30 – Rob Ambrose, football player and coach

August

 * August 1 – Quentin Coryatt, football player
 * August 2
 * Elijah Alexander, football player (d. 2010)
 * Tony Amonte, ice hockey player
 * Kevin Smith, screenwriter, director, and actor
 * August 3 – Alejandro Alcondez, Mexican-born actor and filmmaker
 * August 4
 * Pete Abrams, webcomic artist
 * John August, screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist
 * Claudine Gay, political scientist, university professor, and 30th President of Harvard University
 * Hakeem Jeffries, politician
 * Ron Lester, actor (d. 2016)
 * August 6
 * Wendi Andriano, convicted murderer
 * M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-born filmmaker
 * August 7 – Kim Hill, singer
 * August 8 – Trev Alberts, sports administrator and football player
 * August 9
 * Chris Cuomo, journalist
 * Thomas Lennon, actor, comedian, and writer
 * August 10
 * Doug Flach, tennis player
 * Bret Hedican, ice hockey player
 * August 11 – Paul Durousseau, convicted serial killer
 * August 13 – Will Clarke, novelist
 * August 14 – Kevin Cadogan, musician, singer/songwriter, record producer, and guitarist
 * August 15
 * Anthony Anderson, actor, comedian and writer
 * Maddie Corman, actress
 * August 16 – Bonnie Bernstein, sportscaster
 * August 17
 * Januarius Jingwa Asongu, Cameroonian-born philosopher, scholar, journalist, author, entrepreneur, and activist
 * Jim Courier, tennis player
 * Tammy Townsend, actress and singer
 * August 18
 * Jay Obernolte, politician
 * Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor
 * August 19
 * Fat Joe, rapper
 * Jeff Tam, baseball player
 * August 20 – Fred Durst, rapper
 * August 21 – Chad Erickson, ice hockey player
 * August 22 – Giada De Laurentiis, Italian-born chef
 * August 23
 * Jay Mohr, actor and comedian
 * River Phoenix, actor, musician and activist (d. 1993)
 * August 25 – Jo Dee Messina, singer
 * August 26 – Melissa McCarthy, actress, comedian, writer, producer and fashion designer
 * August 27
 * Ann Aguirre, author
 * Jim Thome, baseball player
 * August 31
 * Debbie Gibson, singer
 * Epic Mazur, singer and rapper

September

 * September 1
 * Roland Gutierrez, politician
 * Padma Lakshmi, Indian-born author, activist, actress, and model
 * September 3
 * Maria Bamford, comedian and actress
 * Jeremy Glick, passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93 (d. 2001)
 * September 4 – Ione Skye, British-born actress
 * September 5 – Michael Akers, director, producer, screenwriter, and editor
 * September 6 – Ant, hip hop producer
 * September 7
 * Jay Adelson, internet entrepreneur
 * Tom Everett Scott, actor
 * September 8
 * Rosearik Rikki Simons, voice actor
 * Latrell Sprewell, basketball player
 * September 10
 * John Asimakopoulos, sociologist, author, and University professor
 * Molly McKay, attorney and LGBT activist
 * September 11
 * Taraji P. Henson, actress, singer and author
 * William Joppy, boxer and coach
 * Ted Leo, singer/songwriter and guitarist
 * Dan Quinn, American football coach
 * Laura Wright, actress
 * September 12 – Josh Hopkins, actor
 * September 13 – Lee Abramson, composer and musician (d. 2016)
 * September 14
 * Mike Burns, soccer player
 * Robert Ben Garant, actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director
 * Ketanji Brown Jackson, judge and justice for the U.S. Supreme Court
 * September 15 – Eric Garner, martyr to the New York City Police Department
 * September 16
 * Taalam Acey, spoken-word artist
 * Stan Boyd, stock car racing driver
 * Jerone Davison, football player and political candidate
 * Tamron Hall, journalist and tv talk show host
 * September 17
 * Ashley Ambrose, football player and coach
 * Mark Brunell, football player and coach
 * September 18 – Aisha Tyler, actress, author, producer, writer, director, and talk show host
 * September 19
 * Dan Bylsma, ice hockey player
 * Victor Williams, actor
 * September 20
 * Vaea Anitoni, rugby player
 * Raymond Arroyo, author, journalist, and producer
 * Patty Bentley, politician
 * September 21 – Samantha Power, diplomat
 * September 22
 * Scot Armstrong, screenwriter, director, and producer
 * Mike Matheny, baseball player
 * Mystikal, rapper
 * Chris Tallman, actor and comedian
 * September 23
 * Patrick Allen, bowler
 * Ani DiFranco, American-born Canadian musician
 * September 24
 * Glenn Allen Jr., racing driver and co-owner of Allen-Hock Motorsports
 * Marc Guggenheim, screenwriter, producer, comic book writer, and novelist
 * September 25 – David Benioff, producer and director
 * September 26 – Frank Guinta, politician
 * September 29
 * AMG, rapper
 * Natasha Gregson Wagner, actress
 * September 30
 * Aceyalone, rapper
 * Tony Hale, actor and comedian

October

 * October 1
 * Adele Anthony, Singaporean-born Australian-American violinist
 * Marne Levine, businesswoman
 * October 2 – Kelly Ripa, actress and TV personality
 * October 3 – Tyji Armstrong, football player
 * October 5 – Audie Pitre, singer and bass player (d. 1997)
 * October 6 – Amy Jo Johnson, actress
 * October 7 – Nicole Ari Parker, actress and model
 * October 8 – Matt Damon, actor
 * October 9
 * Kenny Anderson, basketball player
 * David Benkof, political commentator
 * Jason Butler Harner, actor
 * October 11 – Chidi Ahanotu, football player
 * October 12
 * Herman Arvie, football player
 * Kirk Cameron, actor and Christian activist
 * Hillary Schieve, politician, mayor of Reno, Nevada (2014-present)
 * Charlie Ward, football and basketball player
 * October 13 – Serena Altschul, journalist
 * October 14 – Jon Seda, actor
 * October 15
 * Reid Anderson, bassist and composer
 * Ginuwine, R&B singer/songwriter, dancer, and actor
 * Chris Mims, football player (d. 2008)
 * October 18
 * Mahdi Abu-Omar, Israeli-born chemist and University professor
 * Jose Padilla, convicted terrorist
 * October 19 – Chris Kattan, comedian and actor
 * October 20
 * Harold Alexander, football player
 * Michelle Malkin, political commentator
 * October 22
 * D'Lo Brown, wrestler
 * Sebastian Gorka, British-born Hungarian-American media personality
 * October 23
 * Matthew Barzun, diplomat and businessman
 * Bruce Kennedy, producer, screenwriter, and director
 * October 25 – Adam Goldberg, actor, filmmaker, musician, and photographer
 * October 26
 * Jessie Armstead, football player
 * Chavo Guerrero Jr., wrestler
 * October 28
 * Ayad Akhtar, playwright, novelist, and screenwriter
 * Greg Eagles, actor and voice actor
 * October 30
 * Ben Bailey, host
 * Nia Long, actress
 * October 31
 * Ray Austin, boxer
 * Nolan North, actor and voice-over artist

November

 * November 1 – Corey Barlow, football player
 * November 2 – Sharmell, wrestling valet
 * November 3 – Dawn Marie Psaltis, wrestler
 * November 4
 * Anthony Ruivivar, actor
 * Tony Sly, singer (d. 2012)
 * November 5
 * Joe Aresimowicz, politician
 * Heather Pick, television news anchor (d. 2008)
 * November 6
 * Bryant Anderson, wrestler
 * Jason Atkinson, politician
 * Ethan Hawke, actor
 * November 7
 * Chris Adrian, author
 * Mo Alexander, comedian
 * Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker and activist (d. 2024)
 * November 8 – Tom Anderson, internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Myspace
 * November 9
 * Chris Jericho, American-born Canadian wrestler
 * Scarface, rapper
 * Dan Schlissel, record producer
 * November 10
 * Orny Adams, comedian
 * Trent Dimas, Olympic gymnast
 * Warren G, rapper
 * November 12 – Tonya Harding, Olympic figure skater
 * November 15 – Jack Ingram, country music singer
 * November 16
 * Dave Johnson, basketball player
 * Martha Plimpton, actress
 * Beth Van Duyne, politician, Mayor of Irving, Texas (2011-2017)
 * November 18
 * Elizabeth Anne Allen, actress
 * Mike Epps, comedian and actor
 * Megyn Kelly, journalist and media personality
 * November 19 – Mark Abboud, soccer player
 * November 20
 * Phife Dawg, rapper for A Tribe Called Quest (d. 2016)
 * Joe Zaso, actor and producer
 * November 21 – Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League
 * November 22
 * Jamie Arentzen, guitarist for American Hi-Fi
 * Joe Son, South Korean-born actor, wrestler, and convicted felon
 * November 23 – Oded Fehr, Israeli-born actor
 * November 24 – Julieta Venegas, American born-Mexican singer, guitarist, and producer
 * November 26 – John Amaechi, American-born British psychologist, consultant, and basketball player
 * November 27
 * David August, computer scientist and University professor
 * Mr. Lobo, television personality
 * Kelly Loeffler, politician
 * November 29 – Larry Joe Campbell, actor and comedian
 * November 30
 * Walter Emanuel Jones, actor
 * Natalie Williams, basketball player

December

 * December 1
 * Sarah Silverman, actress and comedian
 * December 2
 * Treach, rapper
 * Joshua Seth, voice actor and hypnotist
 * Joe Lo Truglio, actor, comedian, writer, and producer
 * December 3 – Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, politician
 * December 4
 * Antwun Echols, boxer (d. 2023)
 * Fat Pat, rapper (d. 1998)
 * Kevin Sussman, actor and comedian
 * December 6
 * Katie Arrington, politician
 * Adrian Fenty, politician, Mayor of Washington, D.C. (2007-2011)
 * December 8 – Randy Altschuler, businessman and politician
 * December 9 – Kara DioGuardi, American Idol judge
 * December 10 – Kevin Sharp, country music singer, and motivational speaker (d. 2014)
 * December 11
 * Chris Anderson, golfer
 * Chris Henderson, soccer player
 * December 12
 * Mädchen Amick, actress
 * Jennifer Connelly, actress
 * Regina Hall, actress
 * December 13 – Bart Johnson, actor
 * December 14 – Nicholas Angelich, pianist (d. 2022)
 * December 15 – Greg Abbey, voice actor
 * December 17 – Sean Patrick Thomas, actor
 * December 18
 * DMX, rapper (d. 2021)
 * Miles Marshall Lewis, author
 * Rob Van Dam, wrestler
 * December 19
 * Eric Alva, U.S. Marine and Iraqi War veteran
 * Adrian Smith, politician
 * December 21
 * Monique Ambers, basketball player and coach
 * Tim Armstrong, business executive
 * December 22
 * Ted Cruz, Canadian-born politician
 * Clay Dreslough, game designer
 * December 23
 * Karl Buechner, metalcore singer
 * Robert John Burck, singer/songwriter and street performer known as the Naked Cowboy
 * Jeff Landry, politician
 * December 24
 * Breck Eisner, director
 * Amaury Nolasco, Puerto Rican-born actor and producer
 * December 28 – Elaine Hendrix, actress
 * December 29
 * Dallas Austin, musician, songwriter, record producer, and filmmaker
 * Glen Phillips, singer/songwriter and frontman of Toad the Wet Sprocket
 * Kevin Weisman, actor
 * December 30 – Bart Evans, baseball player
 * December 31
 * Dunstan Anderson, football player (d. 2004)
 * Bryon Russell, basketball player

Full date unknown

 * luciana achugar, dancer and choreographer
 * Danielle Ackley-McPhail, author and editor
 * Derrick Adams, artist and curator
 * Greg Adams, writer
 * J. A. Adande, sportswriter, commentator, and educator
 * Ahmed Ahmed, Egyptian-born actor and comedian
 * Robert Ahrens, producer
 * Haluk Akakçe, Turkish-born artist
 * Romeo Alaeff, artist, photographer, filmmaker, author, and editor
 * Nate Albert, music executive, songwriter, producer, and guitarist
 * Chaz Allen, politician, mayor of Newton, Iowa (2004-2012)
 * Rachel Allen, architect
 * Todd M. Allen, Canadian-born immunologist and virologist
 * Ellen Altfest, painter
 * Christopher Anderson, photographer
 * Greg Anderson, guitarist for Goatsnake and co-founder of Southern Lord Records
 * Keith Anderson, saxophonist
 * Paul Anderson, politician
 * Chris Applebaum, music video director
 * Jason A. Archinaco, attorney
 * Treena Livingston Arinzeh, University professor
 * Oliver Arms, painter
 * Dorsey Armstrong, scholar
 * Scott Arpajian, technology executive, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Download.com
 * Marina Arsenijevic, Serbian-born pianist and composer
 * Susan Athey, economist
 * Jeff Atwood, software developer, author, blogger, and entrepreneur
 * Shalom Auslander, novelist, memoirist, and essayist
 * Bela Bajaria, English-born businesswoman and media executive
 * Grant Barrett, lexicographer and radio personality
 * Regina Barzilay, Moldovan-born Israeli-American computer scientist
 * Matthew Burtner, composer
 * Geoff Edgers, journalist, author, filmmaker, television and podcast host
 * Wanda Ewing, artist (d. 2013)
 * Lisa Fairfax, legal scholar and professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
 * Garrett Fisher, composer
 * Gordon Gallagher, judge
 * Roman Glick, bassist and guitarist
 * Eric Heisserer, filmmaker, writer, producer, and comic book writer
 * Patrick Lachman, heavy metal singer and guitarist
 * Matt Letscher, actor, director, and playwright
 * Jeffrey Sebelia, fashion designer
 * Kate Snyder, politician, mayor of Portland, Maine (2019-present)

Deaths

 * January 5 – Cyril Fagan, Irish-American astrologer and author (b. 1896)
 * January 19 – Hal March, comedian, actor, and emcee (b. 1920)
 * January 20 – George M. Humphrey, lawyer and politician, Secretary to the Treasury (b. 1890)
 * February 2 – Lawrence Gray, actor (b. 1898)
 * February 6 – Roscoe Karns, actor (b. 1891)
 * February 7 – Abe Attell, boxer (b. 1883)
 * February 11 – Lee W. Stanley, cartoonist (b. 1885)
 * February 14 – Arthur Edeson, cinematographer (b. 1891)
 * February 22 – Edward Selzer, film producer (b. 1893)
 * March 6 – William Hopper, actor (b. 1915)
 * March 11 – Erle Stanley Gardner, author and lawyer (b. 1889)
 * March 16 – Tammi Terrell, singer (b. 1945)
 * March 23
 * Del Lord, Canadian-born film director and actor (b.1894)
 * Joe Pyne, radio and television host (b. 1924)
 * March 30 – Heinrich Brüning, German politician and former Chancellor of Germany (born 1885)
 * April 6 – Sam Sheppard, neurosurgeon (b. 1923)
 * April 11 – Cathy O'Donnell, actress (b. 1923)
 * April 15 – Ripper Collins, American baseball player (b. 1904)
 * April 18 – Glenn Tryon, actor, screenwriter, and film director (b. 1898)
 * April 26 – Gypsy Rose Lee, entertainer, stripper, actress, writer and vedette (b. 1911)
 * April 28 – Ed Begley, actor (b. 1901)
 * April 30 – Inger Stevens, Swedish-American actress (b. 1934)
 * May 9 – Louise Freeland Jenkins, astronomer (b. 1888)
 * May 14 – Billie Burke, Canadian-American actress (b. 1884)
 * June 16 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (b. 1943)
 * July 13 – Leslie Groves, military officer (b. 1896)
 * August 1 – Frances Farmer, actress and TV hostess (b. 1913)
 * August 20 – Mickey Daniels, actor (b. 1914)
 * August 30 – Abraham Zapruder, Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer and witness to the assassination of John F. Kennedy (b. 1905)
 * September 3
 * Vince Lombardi, American football coach and National Football League executive (b. 1913)
 * Alan Wilson, musician and composer (b. 1943)
 * September 8 – Percy Spencer, inventor of the microwave oven (b. 1896)
 * September 11 – Chester Morris, actor (b. 1901)
 * September 15 – Blue Washington, actor and Negro league baseball player (b. 1898)
 * September 18 – Jimi Hendrix, musician, singer, and songwriter (b. 1942)
 * September 25 – Erich Maria Remarque, German-born American novelist (b. 1898)
 * September 29 – Edward Everett Horton, actor (b. 1886)
 * October 4 – Janis Joplin, singer and songwriter (b. 1943)
 * October 21 – John T. Scopes, teacher and football coach (b. 1900)
 * November 26 – Benjamin O. Davis Sr. US Army General. First African-American to rise to the rank of Brigadier General. (b. 1877)
 * December 7 – Rube Goldberg, cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor (b. 1883)
 * December 12
 * Carolyn Craig, actress (b. 1934)
 * George Terwilliger, film director and screenwriter (b. 1882)
 * December 23 – Charlie Ruggles, actor (b. 1886)
 * December 24 – Charles M. Cooke Jr., admiral (b. 1886)
 * December 30 – Sonny Liston, professional boxer (b. 1930