35 Photos of What the World Looked Like in 1974

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 11/13/2024 in wow

Between Watergate at home, and the Vietnam War & Portuguese revolution abroad, 1974 was a year of turmoil.

After resigning on August 8th, Richard Nixon became the first president to be officially pardoned on September 8th.

But life in 1974 was more than politics. To give you an idea, here are 35 photos of what the world looked like in 1974.

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1.
Woman grocery shopping in 1974.
2.
John McCain, 1974.
3.
In the White House, Gerald Ford is announcing his decision to grant a pardon to Richard Nixon. Washington DC, United States. September 8, 1974.
4.
These guys were known to all as the Lords of Flatbush in 1974.
5.
McDonald's prices in 1974.
6.
Teri Garr, 1974.
7.
Reporters who exposed the Watergate scandal watch President Nixon resign, 1974.
8.
25th of April, 1974, Lisbon, during Portugal's Carnation Revolution, a military coup that put an end to a dictatorship.
9.
Breakfast on the National Mall, Washington D.C., 19 July 1974.
10.
Groucho Marx suffered from severe insomnia. When he couldn’t sleep, he would call his neighbour, Alice Cooper, and ask him to come over and join him. Alice would bring over a six-pack of beer and Groucho and he would drink beer and watch old movies on TV until Groucho nodded off. 1974.
11.
ABBA sings "Waterloo" in 1974, becoming Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.
12.
Donna Halper, the American DJ who discovered the band Rush in 1974.
13.
Jane Goodall with her favorite chimpanzee, David Greybeard, 1974.
14.
A 16-year-old Madonna in 1974.
15.
Opening ceremony of the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.
16.
Richard Nixon's loyal secretary Rose Mary Woods takes one for the team as she demonstrates her implausible claim that she erased part of an incriminating White House audio tape.
17.
Hiroo Onoda, Japanese soldier who refused to surrender until 1974.
18.
“My parents got married this day in 1974.”
19.
Halloween, 1974.
20.
Christmas in 1974.
21.
10-cent beer night. June 4th, 1974, Cleveland Ohio. Beers being sold for 10 cents turned a baseball game into chaos.
22.
Richard Nixon waves goodbye as he boards a helicopter after resigning the presidency earlier that day.
23.
My parents in Yellowstone, 1974.
24.
Television shopping in 1974.
25.
Fifth Avenue, NYC, 1974.
26.
Captain Salgueiro Maia, walking towards loyalist soldiers with his arms at his sides in an attempt to persuade them in joining the coup against Portugal's authoritarian regime. 25th April 1974, Lisbon, Portugal.
27.
The National Maximum Speed Law in the United States has workers replacing the 70 mile per hour sign with 55. May 31, 1974.
28.
World War II ruins in East Berlin display the words "never war again" in graffiti, 1974.
29.
School's out for summer in Belleville, Illinois, in 1974.
30.
Admiration for Mona Lisa, Moscow, 1974.
31.
Evel Knievel, 1974.
32.
J.C. Penny ad from 1974.
33.
Young couples rejoice outside the White House during the broadcast of President Nixon's resignation speech. August 8, 1974.
34.
Robin Williams in 1974.
35.
A Sesame Street Thanksgiving in 1974.

1.
Woman grocery shopping in 1974.
2.
John McCain, 1974.
3.
In the White House, Gerald Ford is announcing his decision to grant a pardon to Richard Nixon. Washington DC, United States. September 8, 1974.
4.
These guys were known to all as the Lords of Flatbush in 1974.
5.
McDonald's prices in 1974.
6.
Teri Garr, 1974.
7.
Reporters who exposed the Watergate scandal watch President Nixon resign, 1974.
8.
25th of April, 1974, Lisbon, during Portugal's Carnation Revolution, a military coup that put an end to a dictatorship.
9.
Breakfast on the National Mall, Washington D.C., 19 July 1974.
10.
Groucho Marx suffered from severe insomnia. When he couldn’t sleep, he would call his neighbour, Alice Cooper, and ask him to come over and join him. Alice would bring over a six-pack of beer and Groucho and he would drink beer and watch old movies on TV until Groucho nodded off. 1974.
11.
ABBA sings "Waterloo" in 1974, becoming Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.
12.
Donna Halper, the American DJ who discovered the band Rush in 1974.
13.
Jane Goodall with her favorite chimpanzee, David Greybeard, 1974.
14.
A 16-year-old Madonna in 1974.
15.
Opening ceremony of the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.
16.
Richard Nixon's loyal secretary Rose Mary Woods takes one for the team as she demonstrates her implausible claim that she erased part of an incriminating White House audio tape.
17.
Hiroo Onoda, Japanese soldier who refused to surrender until 1974.
18.
“My parents got married this day in 1974.”
19.
Halloween, 1974.
20.
Christmas in 1974.
21.
10-cent beer night. June 4th, 1974, Cleveland Ohio. Beers being sold for 10 cents turned a baseball game into chaos.
22.
Richard Nixon waves goodbye as he boards a helicopter after resigning the presidency earlier that day.
23.
My parents in Yellowstone, 1974.
24.
Television shopping in 1974.
25.
Fifth Avenue, NYC, 1974.
26.
Captain Salgueiro Maia, walking towards loyalist soldiers with his arms at his sides in an attempt to persuade them in joining the coup against Portugal's authoritarian regime. 25th April 1974, Lisbon, Portugal.
27.
The National Maximum Speed Law in the United States has workers replacing the 70 mile per hour sign with 55. May 31, 1974.
28.
World War II ruins in East Berlin display the words "never war again" in graffiti, 1974.
29.
School's out for summer in Belleville, Illinois, in 1974.
30.
Admiration for Mona Lisa, Moscow, 1974.
31.
Evel Knievel, 1974.
32.
J.C. Penny ad from 1974.
33.
Young couples rejoice outside the White House during the broadcast of President Nixon's resignation speech. August 8, 1974.
34.
Robin Williams in 1974.
35.
A Sesame Street Thanksgiving in 1974.