Deaths on December 24

Maria Koepcke

Died on December 24, 1971

Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1924)

Maria Koepcke (15 May 1924 – c. 24 December 1971) was a German ornithologist known for her work with Neotropical bird species. Koepcke was a well-respected authority in South American ornithology in a time when the field was largely dominated by men, and her work is still referenced today. For her efforts, she is commemorated in the scientific names of four Peruvian bird species and, along with her husband, a Peruvian lizard species.

References

Maria Koepcke

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Events on 1971

8 Jan

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
7 Jun

First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The United States Supreme Court overturns the conviction of Paul Cohen for disturbing the peace, setting the precedent that vulgar writing is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
11 Jul

Chile
Copper mines in Chile are nationalized.
21 Sep

Bhutan
Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.
24 Nov

D. B. Cooper
During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.

Deaths on December 24

Maria Koepcke

Died on December 24, 1971

References

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Events on 1971

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

First Amendment to the United States Constitution

Chile

Bhutan

D. B. Cooper