1976

Events

March 1 - Bradford Bishop murders his wife, mother, and three sons, then goes on the run.
March 29 - The National Reorganization Process takes power in Argentina following a successful coup. Their leader, Jorge Rafael Videla, declares himself president.
May 5 - The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran.
June 12 - Juan María Bordaberry resigns as President of Uruguay.
July 7 - Donald Neilson is found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of blackmail, and is sentenced to five concurrent life sentences.
July 29 - David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, commits his first confirmed murder, killing 18-year old Donna Lauria by shooting her in the head in the Pelham Bay area of The Bronx. Her friend, 19-year old Jody Valenti, was also shot, but survived.
September 21 - Orlando Letelier, a leading opponent of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, is assassinated in a car bombing in Washington D.C. by members of DINA.
November 1 - Michel Micombero is overthrown as dictator of Burundi by Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, who declares himself president.
December 2 - Fidel Castro is elected President of Cuba.
December 4 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa declares the formation of the Central African Empire, crowning himself Emperor and taking the regnal name Bokassa I.