A year in photos: 1974 – Manchester Historian

Richard Nixon resigns as President of the USA over the Watergate scandal. Wikimedia Commons ABBA wins the Eurovision song contest in Brighton with Waterloo, beginning a path to worldwide fame. Wikimedia Commons Willy Brandt resigns as West German Chancellor over the Guillaume Affair, where an East German spy, Günter Guillaume, pictured above with Brandt, had infiltrated the West German government. Wikimedia Commons The Communist ‘Derg’ group pictured above, overthrows Emperor Haile Selassie, bringing an end to the ruling line of King Solomon that had existed since 1270 in Ethiopia. Wikimedia Commons Lucy is discovered in Ethiopia. Estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago, the small skull capacity appears ape-like whilst the stance is similar to humans. Public Domain Following a hung parliament, Conservative Edward Heath resigns and is succeeded by Labour’s Harold Wilson for his second term in office. Wikimedia Commons The Carnation Revolution commences – a military coup which overthrows the regime of Estado Novo. No shots were fired, but carnations were placed down the barrels of the guns. Creative Commons West Germany wins the World Cup on home soil, defeating the Netherlands 2-1. Creative Commons The Terracotta army, a collection of sculptures depicting the First Emperor of China’s army is discovered by local farmers. Wikimedia Commons The ‘Super Outbreak’ produces 148 tornadoes in 13 US states killing over three hundred people. Public Domain