Timeline September 1973

Events in September 1973 17

• 1882 – 1973 Gustaf VI Adolf The Archaeologist King A respected scholar and botanist whose dignity helped preserve the monarchy.
• 1892 – 1973 J. R. R. Tolkien English fantasy writer Tolkien created The Lord of the Rings, defining modern epic fantasy literature and world-building.
• 1892 – 1973 J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English author, philologist and academic whose creation of Middle-earth — its languages, histories, myths and peoples — constitutes one of the most sustained acts of world-building in literary history. A professor of Anglo-Saxon and later English Language and Literature at Oxford, Tolkien spent forty years constructing a mythology he called 'a mythology for England,' rooted in Old English, Norse and Finnish literary traditions. The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55) transformed fantasy literature and have sold over 600 million copies combined. He died before completing The Silmarillion, which his son Christopher edited and published posthumously in 1977.
• 1904 – 1973 Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) Died 23 September 1973, aged 69 Chilean poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda, winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature, died in Santiago days after the military coup that overthrew his close ally Salvador Allende. His work remains among the most widely translated poetry in the world.
• 1907 – 1973 W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Died 29 September 1973, aged 66 British-American poet W. H. Auden, regarded as one of the great English-language poets of the 20th century, died in Vienna. His work spanned political, religious, and love poetry across five decades.
• 1908 – 1973 Anna Magnani (1908-1973) Died 26 September 1973, aged 65 Italian actress Anna Magnani, known for her role in Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City and winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Rose Tattoo, died in Rome.
• 1908 – 1973 Salvador Allende (1908-1973) Died 11 September 1973, aged 65 Salvador Allende, the democratically elected socialist president of Chile, died during the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet that overthrew his government. His death marked the end of Chile's democratic period and the start of a 17-year dictatorship.
• 1946 – 1973 Gram Parsons (1946-1973) Died 19 September 1973, aged 26 American musician Gram Parsons, a pioneer of country rock through his work with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and as a solo artist, died of a drug overdose in Joshua Tree, California. His influence shaped the sound of country rock for decades after his death.
• 1973 J.R.R. Tolkien dies in Bournemouth — aged 81 Tolkien dies on 2 September 1973 in Bournemouth, aged 81, from a chest infection and bleeding gastric ulcer. He is buried beside Edith at Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxford; his gravestone bears the name 'Beren.' The Silmarillion — the mythology he had worked on for 56 years — remains unfinished. His son Christopher Tolkien devotes the next four decades to editing and publishing his father's posthumous writings: The Silmarillion (1977), Unfinished Tales (1980), and the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth (1983–1996). The world Tolkien created outlives him by a century.
• 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series Following the live-action series' cancellation, an animated continuation runs for two seasons (1973-74) on NBC Saturday mornings, with most of the original cast returning to voice their characters. It is later declared canon by some fan communities and ignored by others. Wins a Daytime Emmy — the first Star Trek production to win an Emmy.
• 1973 Chilean coup d'état Pinochet overthrows President Salvador Allende Chile's armed forces, led by General Augusto Pinochet, staged a coup against the elected government of President Salvador Allende. Allende died during the assault on the presidential palace, La Moneda, and Pinochet established a military dictatorship that lasted until 1990.
• 1973 – 2013 Paul Walker (1973-2013) Died 30 November 2013, aged 40 Paul Walker was an American actor known for starring in the Fast & Furious film franchise. He died in a car crash in Santa Clarita, California, as a passenger in a vehicle driven by a friend.
• 1973 – present Carl XVI Gustaf King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf became king in 1973 and is Sweden’s longest-reigning monarch.
• 1973 – present Prince Daniel Duke of Västergötland A former personal trainer who married the Crown Princess and became a member of the Royal House.
• 1973 East and West Germany join the United Nations Both German states admitted as full UN members The German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany were both admitted to the United Nations as separate member states. The move reflected the formal acceptance of German division sixteen years before reunification.
• 1973 Battle of the Sexes tennis match Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in televised exhibition Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in straight sets in a televised exhibition tennis match at the Houston Astrodome, watched by an estimated 90 million viewers worldwide. The match became a landmark moment for gender equality in sport.
• 1973 Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina Exiled leader wins election and is inaugurated president Juan Perón, in exile since being overthrown in 1955, won the Argentine presidential election with his wife Isabel as vice president. He was inaugurated for a third term on 12 October 1973, but died less than a year later.