1976

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.

Bradford Bishop allegedly murders five of his family members in Bethesda, Maryland. The crime goes undiscovered for 10 days and the suspect is never caught. From 2014 to 2018 he is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

The Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect is first reported by British astronomer Patrick Moore.

A train crash in Schiedam, the Netherlands, kills 24 people.

The Philippine government opens relations with the Soviet Union.

Seychelles gains independence from the United Kingdom.

Twenty-six Chowchilla schoolchildren and their bus driver are abducted and buried in a box truck within a quarry in Livermore, California. The captives dig themselves free after 16 hours. The quarry-owner's son and two accomplices are arrested for the crime.

In Santiago, Chile, Cruzeiro from Brazil beats River Plate from Argentina and are the Copa Libertadores de América champions in Association football.

At Panmunjom, North Korea, two United States soldiers are killed while trying to chop down part of a tree in the Korean Demilitarized Zone which has obscured their view.

Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong dies in Beijing after a series of heart attacks.

Taiwan Governor Hsieh Tung-min is injured by a letter bomb from a pro-independence activist.

Microsoft is officially registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.