1. The first scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) is introduced (price $395).
2. Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
3.The Godfather is released in cinemas in the United States.
4. Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
5. Comedian George Carlin is arrested by Milwaukee police for public obscenity, for reciting his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" at Summerfest.
6. The first episode of The Price Is Right is hosted on CBS by Bob Barker.
7. Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in a chess match in Reykjavík, Iceland, becoming the first American world chess champion.
8. The first female FBI agents are hired.
9. Atari kicks off the first generation of video games with the release of their seminal arcade version of Pong, the first game to achieve commercial success.
10. December 11 – Apollo 17 lands on the Moon.
