1973 Angolan Legislative Assembly election, Background
Candidates were required to be Portuguese citizens who had lived in Angola for more than three years and be able to read and write Portuguese. Voters were required to be literate. As the Portuguese constitution banned political parties at the time, the majority of candidates were put forward by the ruling People's National Action movement, although some civic associations were allowed to nominate candidates.


1973 Angolan Legislative Assembly election, Results
Out of a total population of 5,673,046, only 584,000 people registered to vote. Voter turnout was 85.6%. The elected members included 29 whites and 24 blacks.


1973 Antrim District Council election
Elections to Antrim District Council were held on 30 May 1973 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.


1973 Antrim District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent, 1 x Independent Nationalist


1973 Antrim District Council election, Districts results, Area C
1973: 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Vanguard


1973 Ards Borough Council election
Elections to Ards Borough Council were held on 30 May 1973 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 17 councillors.


1973 Ards Borough Council election
The elections were the first following the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland, brought about by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 & Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, which replaced the previous FPTP ward system with a new system of proportional representation using multi-member district electoral areas.


1973 Ards Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1973: 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x NILP, 1 x Loyalist Coalition


1973 Ards Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland
The 1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Scotland and Ireland was a series of eight matches played by the Argentina national rugby union team (the Pumas) in Scotland and Ireland in October and November 1973. The Pumas won only of two of their matches, lost four and drew the others; they lost both of their international matches, against Ireland and Scotland. Neither Ireland nor Scotland regarded the matches as full internationals and did not award caps for the games.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland
A Match in England was cancelled after that in May the Rugby Football Union cancelled a tour of the English national team in Argentina, worried about the political situation in the South American country.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Munster: D.Spring; P.Pratt, P.Parfrey, S.Dennison, P.Lavery; B.Mc Gann (capt. ), D.Canniffe; J.Buckley, T.Moore, S.Deering; M.Keane, B.Foley; J.Me Loughlin, P.Wheland, P.O'Callaghan. Argentina:  A.Rodríguez Jurado; E.Morgan, R.Matarazzo, A.Travaglini, G.Pérez Leirós; H.Porta, A.Etchegaray; J.Carracedo, R.Sanz, H.Miguens (capt. ); J.Virasoro, J.Fernández; F.Insúa, G.Casas, M.Carluccio.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Ulster: G.Crothers; J.Miles.R.Patterson, R.Milliken, W.Mac Mas¬ter; A.Harrison, W.Oakes; A.S.Mac Kinney, H.Steele, J.Davison; R.Hakin, W.J.McBride (capt. ); R.Clegg, K.Kennedy, P.Aghew. Argentina:  Alonso; R.Matarazzo, A.Travaglini, A.Rodriguez Jurado, E.Morgan; T.Harris Smith, L.Gradín; J.Carracedo, H.Miguens (capt. ), N.Carbone; J.Virasoro, J.Fernández; M.Carluccio, J.Dumas, R.Faríello.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Connacht: T.Corley; P.Flynn, N.Jennings, J.Kerin, M.Connolly; C.Smyth, M.Mahoney; T.Cuningham, M.Casserley, M.Staple¬ton; M.Me Hugh, L.Galvin (capt. ); D.Frawley, B.Troy, P.Me Loughlin. Argentina:  M.Alonso; A.Altberg.,R.Matarazzo , A.Ro¬driguez Jurado, E.Morgan; H.Porta (T.Harrís Smíth), A.Etchegaray; J.Fernández, H.Miguens (capt. ), N.Carbone; C.Bottarini, J.Virasoro; F.Insúa, G.Casas, R.Fariello.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Glasgow-Edinburgh: A.Irvine; R.Hannah, M.Hunter, I.Forisyth, L.Dick (G.Hogg); D.Reid, D.W.Morgan; G.Strachan (A.Fraser), W.Watson, J.Dixon; R.Wright, G.Brown; A.B.Carmichael, R.Balfour, A.Wilson.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Argentina:  M.Alonso; A.Altberg, R.Matarazzo, A.Travaglini, E.Morgan; T.Harris Smith, L.Gradín; J.Carracedo, R.Sanz, H.Miguens (capt. ); J.Virasoro, J.Fernández; R.Fariello, J.Dumas, M.Carluccio (F.Insúa).


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
South of Scotland A.Brown A.Gill, J.Renwick, A.Cronston, A.White; C.Telfer, R.Laidlaw; C.Hegarty, C.Oliver, W.Davies; H.Bar¬nes, J.Scott; E.Pender, C.Anderson, N.Suddon


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Argentina:  M.Alonso; A.Travaglini, A.Brown (R.Matarazzo), A.Rodríguez Jurado, E.Morgan; T.Harris Smith, L.Gradín; N.Carbone, R.Sanz, H.Miguens (capt. ); J.Fernández, J.Virasoro; R.Fariello, J.Dumas, M.Giargia (F.Insúa).


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
North of Scotland: D.Aitchison; T.D.Dunlop, M.B.Paul, J.Adams, J.McGregory; D.Arneil e I.McRae; 1.Coull, David Leslie, Nairn McEwan; George Mackie, C.Snape; J.Braid, J.Hardie (S.Frazer), M.Clark.


1973 Argentina rugby union tour of Ireland and Scotland, Results
Argentina:  A.Rodríguez Jurado; G.Pérez Leirós, A.Travaglini, E.Morgan, L.Gradín; H.Porta, A.Etchegaray; J.Carracedo, H.Miguens (capt. ), N.Carbone; C.Bottarini, J.Fernández; F.Insúa, G.Casas, R.Fariello.


1973 Argentine Grand Prix
The 1973 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Buenos Aires circuit on 28 January 1973. It was race 1 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 96-lap race was won by Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi after he started from second position. François Cevert finished second for the Tyrrell team and his teammate Jackie Stewart came in third.


1973 Argentine Primera División
The 1973 Primera División season was the 82nd season of top-flight football in Argentina. Huracán won the Metropolitano (5th title) while Rosario Central won the Nacional (2nd title).


1973 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team
The 1973 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1973 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Sun Devils played their home games at Packard Stadium. The team was coached by Jim Brock in his second season at Arizona State.


1973 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team
The Sun Devils reached the College World Series, finishing as the runner up to Southern California.


1973 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 1973 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season and outscored its opponents 519 to 171. Led by 16th-year head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils stayed home and won the Fiesta Bowl to finish at 11–1 and ninth in the final AP poll.


1973 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Season summary, Arizona
Arizona State clinches a share of WAC title and third straight trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Morris Owens went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season while both Woody Green and Benny Malone surpassed the same mark in rushing yardage.


1973 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, NFL draft
Four Sun Devils were selected in the 1974 NFL Draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).


1973 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Jim Young in his first year, the Wildcats shared the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with rival Arizona State, with ASU winning the head-to-head matchup to clinch the conference’s bowl bid and Arizona was left out of the postseason as a result.


1973 Arizona Wildcats football team
Young was brought in by Arizona to replace Bob Weber, who was fired after the 1972 season. The Wildcats believed that Young would rebuild the team and to return them to their winning ways.


1973 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 1973 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In their 16th year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled a 5–5–1 record (3–3–1 against SWC opponents), finished in a tie for fourth place in the SWC, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 184 to 124.


1973 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
Running back Dickey Morton averaged 118 yards per game on the ground, the ninth highest average in the nation.


1973 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, TCU
Quarterback Mike Kirkland threw for one touchdown and ran for another in Arkansas' 15th straight win over TCU. It was the SWC opener for both teams.


1973 Armagh District Council election
Elections to Armagh District Council were held on 30 May 1973 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.


1973 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent


1973 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area C
1973: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance


1973 Armidale state by-election
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Armidale on 17 February 1973 because of the resignation of Davis Hughes (Country) who had accepted the position of Agent-General in London.


1973 Army Cadets football team
The 1973 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In their eighth and final year under head coach Tom Cahill, the Cadets compiled an 0–10 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 382 to 67. In the annual Army–Navy Game, the Cadets lost to the Midshipmen by a 53 to 0 score and also lost to Notre Dame by a 62 to 3 score.


1973 Army Cadets football team
No Army players were selected as first-team players on the 1973 College Football All-America Team.


1973 Aryamehr Cup
The 1973 Aryamehr Cup was a men's professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Imperial Country Club in Tehran in Iran. The event was part of the 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix as a Group A category event. It was the second edition of the tournament was held from 22 October through 28 October 1973. Raúl Ramírez won the singles title and the trophy and first–prize cheque for $9,000 was presented by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.


1973 Aryamehr Cup, Finals, Doubles
Rod Laver /  John Newcombe defeated  Ross Case /  Geoff Masters 7–6, 6–2


1973 Asia Golf Circuit
The 1973 Asia Golf Circuit was the 12th season of golf tournaments that comprised the Asia Golf Circuit, formerly known as the Far East Circuit.


1973 Asia Golf Circuit
Australian Graham Marsh won the circuit overall prize for the second year running.


1973 Asia Golf Circuit, Schedule
The table below shows the 1973 Asia Golf Circuit schedule. The only scheduling change from 1972 was the Hong Kong tournament moved to an early date.


1973 Asia Golf Circuit, Final standings
The Asia Golf Circuit standings were based on a points system.


1973 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships
The 6th edition of the Men's Asian Amateur Boxing Championships was held from 3 to 9 May 1973 in Bangkok, Thailand.


1973 Asian Athletics Championships
The inaugural Asian Athletics Championships  were held in 1973 at the Rodriguez Sports Center in Marikina, Rizal, Philippines from November 18–23, 1973.


1973 Asian Baseball Championship
The 1973 Asian Baseball Championship was the tenth continental tournament held by the Baseball Federation of Asia. The tournament was held in Manila, Philippines for the fourth time. The tournament was won by Japan; their seventh Asian Championship. Defending champions South Korea (2nd), Taiwan (3rd), Philippines (4th) and Australia (5th) were the other participants.


1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
The 1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, part of the 1973 bowl game season, took place on December 29, 1973, at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The competing teams were the Tulane Green Wave and Houston Cougars, with each competing as a football independent. Houston won the game 47–7.


1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Teams, Houston
The 1973 Houston squad finished the regular season with a 10–1 record with its lone loss coming against Auburn. The 10–1 record was the best recorded in the school's history to that point. The appearance marked the third for Houston in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, and their fifth overall bowl game.


1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Teams, Tulane
The 1973 Tulane squad finished the regular season with a 9–2 record with losses coming against Kentucky and Maryland. Prior to victory over Vanderbilt, the Green Wave accepted an invitation to play in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The appearance marked the first for Tulane in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, and their fifth overall bowl game.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack
The 1973 Hellinikon International Airport attack was an attack at the Hellinikon International Airport at Athens, Greece. The attackers were two Arabs, members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September. The militants used sub-machine guns and grenades against the passengers waiting at the passengers lounge. The attackers took hostages before they finally surrendered to the Greek police. It is believed that the gunmen wanted to hijack a plane, but they decided to attack when they were about to be searched by a Greek security inspector before boarding.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In December 1968, two Arabs made the El Al Flight 253 attack. The attackers had been arrested by the Greek authorities and said that their mission was to destroy an El Al's Boeing 707 plane and kill all the passengers.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In August 1969, there was the TWA Flight 840 hijacking.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In November 1969, two Arabs grenade attacked the El Al offices at Athens destroying part of the offices, injuring 14 people and killing a two years old baby. They had been arrested by the Greek authorities.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In December 1969 three other Arabs had been arrested by the Greek authorities before being able to hijack a TWA flight and they confessed that they were members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and arrived in Athens from Beirut for this mission.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In 1970, six Arabs from the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front hijacked an Olympic Airways's Boeing 727 (Flight 255) on its way from Beirut to Athens, demanding the release of the seven Arab guerrillas held in Greek jail. After an International Red Cross plea for the lives of the hostages, the Greek authorities promised to release the seven Arabs in one month's time. After refueled, the hijackers released the passengers but held hostage the crew and a Red Cross representative and flew to Cairo.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In 1972 and 1973, the Black September group have done terrorist attack in different countries, including the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics, the Israeli Bangkok Embassy hostage crisis, the Sabena Flight 571, the Attack on the Saudi embassy in Khartoum and the 1973 New York City bomb plot.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Background
In addition, in July 1973, an armed Palestinian with sub-machine gun, grenades and revolvers tried unsuccessfully to attack the Athens office of the El Al Israel Airlines. After his unsuccessful attack, he held 17 people hostages (including children) in a hotel nearby, threatening to kill them all including himself, and demanded a safe passage to the Middle East. He was deported to Kuwait.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Attack
The two Arabs, according to the Greek prosecutor were: Shafik el Arid (22 years old) and Tallal Khantouran (21 or 22 years old) both from Jordan, arrived in Athens the same day (5 August) from Beirut, Lebanon in order to make the attack. They had traveled to Athens again at 3 August from Benghazi, Libya to survey the transit lounge. Their orders were to attack Israel bound passengers of any nationality travelling by any airline.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Attack
The attackers opened fire and threw grenades to the crowd, killing 3, injuring 55 (including five police officers) and destroying parts of the building. Then, they took 35 hostages and held them for more than two hours before surrendering to the police.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Attack
Their target was a flight for Tel Aviv, but they made a mistake and attacked the passengers for a flight to New York.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath
The Greek Government protested to Arab ambassadors and asked them “to cooperate in order to avert such actions in the future.”


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Lufthansa plane hijack
In December 1973, there was the 1973 Rome airport attacks and hijacking. The hijackers demanded from the Greek government the release of the two terrorists. After failing to persuade the Greek authorities on releasing the terrorists, they limited their demands to just refuel and leave.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Courts decision
The Greek courts charged them with “premeditated homicide of a particularly odious nature, three counts; attempted homicide and grievous bodily injuries, 55 counts; considerable damage to foreign property and public utilities; illegal detention of persons; obstructing aerial communications and creating disorder in an airport, and illegal possession and use of weapons” and in January 1974 they sentenced to death.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Hostage in Pakistan
In February 1974, three guerrillas armed with pistols, grenades and plastic bombs hijacked the Greek freighter Vori, holding Greeks as hostages at Karachi, Pakistan, and demanded the release of the attackers. They threatened to blow up the ship and kill the hostages. They said that they were members of the Muslim International Guerrillas, a group which was active in the Philippines and Indonesia. The Palestine Liberation Organization officials from the Karachi office went to meet with the guerrillas in order to help with the negotiations.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Hostage in Pakistan
They eventually released the hostages and in return the Greek government changed the sentence of the Athens attackers from death to life imprisonment. One of the hostages said that the gunmen were under the impression that the terrorists in Athens would be released.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Hostage in Pakistan
After they released the hostages, the guerrillas, accompanied by the Libyan and Egyptian ambassadors, boarded a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 707 and traveled to Egypt. From there they took another flight to Libya. Egyptian authorities said that all three were identified as Pakistanis.


1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack, Aftermath, Deportation to  Libya
In May 1974, the Greek government decided to deport the two terrorists to Libya. Israel protested saying that their release would encourage terrorism.


1973 Atlanta 500
The 1973 Atlanta 500 was the sixth race in the NASCAR 1973 Winston Cup Series, held on April 1, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. The race took three hours and thirty-four minutes.


1973 Atlanta 500
Attendance to this event has varying estimates. Many racing statistic archives list it at 46,000 people; the Associated Press reported a figure of 72,000 the day after the race.


1973 Atlanta 500, Car flip world record
At this event, daredevil Dusty Russell flipped a stock car in the air and landed 157 feet after a five foot ramp, in what was then a world record. He suffered a broken nose.


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
No time trials were conducted due to weather. The average speed of the race was 139.351 miles per hour (224.264 km/h). Famous teams like Wood Brothers Racing, Nord Krauskopf's K&K Insurance Racing along with Penske Racing South would make their early impressions on the sport with their massive budgets and corporate sponsors paying for new tires and engines instead of an individual owner or driver. There were only five traditional single-car owners at this race.


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
Souvenir programs were sold at this event for $2 USD ($11.52 when adjusted for inflation).


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
David Pearson defeated Bobby Isaac in his 1971 Mercury Cyclone by two laps; Four cautions slowed the race for 31 laps. This would be David Pearson's second win in 1973 when he won 11 races of the 18 he entered.


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. was the last-place finisher due to an oil leak on lap 9 out of 328. After Darrell Waltrip's car was eliminated from the race (he charged to fifth place but was involved in a crash with Richard Petty and Buddy Baker), he substituted for A.J. Foyt. Pete Hamilton and Mark Donohue would retire from NASCAR after this race while Charles Barrett and Bettenhausen, Jr. would make their introductions to the Cup Series during this race.


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
The winner received $16,625 in race winnings ($95,750 when adjusted for inflation) while the last place finisher received $900 ($5,183 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse was $103,485 ($596,008 when adjusted for inflation).


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report
Notable crew chiefs who participated in this race included Tim Brewer, Jake Elder, Travis Carter, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Tom Vandiver, and Bud Moore.


1973 Atlanta 500, Race report, Starting grid
Failed to qualify: Eddie Bond (#0), Tony Bettenhausen Jr (#38), John Utsman (#49)


1973 Atlanta Braves season
The 1973 Atlanta Braves season was the eighth season in Atlanta along with the 103rd season as a franchise overall. The highlight of the season was Hank Aaron finishing the season just one home run short of Babe Ruth as baseball's all-time home run king. The 1973 Atlanta Braves were the first team to boast three 40 home run hitters. They were Aaron, Darrell Evans, and Davey Johnson. Of note, it marked the first time in Johnson's career that he hit 40 home runs in one season.


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Hank Aaron's Chase for the Record
At the age of 39, Aaron managed to slug 40 home runs in 392 at bats, ending the season with 713, which at that time one home run short of the record. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season, many expected him to tie the record. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (led by manager Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to hit one out of the park.


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Regular season, Hank Aaron's Chase for the Record
After the game, Aaron stated that his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season. That statement was not just about the death threats: one year earlier, September 30, 1972, was the last day that the legendary Roberto Clemente ever played, as he perished in the offseason.


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1973 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1973 Atlanta Falcons season
The 1973 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's eighth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their previous season's output of 7–7 and achieved their best record until 1980, but failed to reach a maiden playoff berth.


1973 Atlanta Falcons season
Despite entering the last month of the regular season at 8–3, they were upset by the Buffalo Bills, forcing them into a race with the Washington Redskins for the wild card playoff spot. The NFL's tiebreaker format at the time, which favored teams with the best combined scoring offense and defense, necessitated a blowout win over a Cardinals team that had won only one of its last ten and was playing an unknown quarterback, Gary Keithley.


1973 Atlanta Falcons season
However, while Keithley completed only ten of 32 passes (he and Falcons quarterback Bob Lee recorded a 0.0 passer rating in the game), the Falcons were instead blown out 32–10 at home courtesy of an unexpected Cardinals rushing game and six field goals from Jim Bakken. Although the Falcons won the regular season finale to end the season at 9–5, they lost the wild card tiebreaker to the 10–4 Redskins.


1973 Atlanta Falcons season
A highlight for the 1973 Falcons was defeating the Vikings when that team was 9–0 and looking at emulating the previous season‘s Dolphins’ perfect season. Despite the Falcons’ success between 2008 and 2012, this was the last time the Falcons defeated the last unbeaten NFL team until they defeated the 14–0 Carolina Panthers in week 16 of the 2015 season.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election
The 1973 Atlanta mayoral election was held on October 16, 1973, in Atlanta, Georgia. Vice Mayor Maynard Jackson was elected as the city's first African-American mayor, defeating incumbent Mayor Sam Massell.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election
In the primary election that preceded the general election, Jackson finished first with 46.4 percent of the vote. Massell finished second with 19.9 percent, followed closely by former United States Representative Charles Weltner with 19.1 percent. Former State of Georgia Department of Industry and Trade Deputy Commissioner Harold A. Dye finished with 8.4 percent and State Senator Leroy Johnson finished with 3.9 percent. Other candidates were former Atlanta Police Officer John Chambers, Socialist Workers Party activist Debby Bustin, Hare Krishna community leader William Ogle, attorney John Genins, Betty Morrison, Ernest Moschella and write-in candidate Howard Tucker. Jackson then defeated incumbent Mayor Sam Massell in a runoff election.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election
In the same election, Atlanta voters elected Alderman Wyche Fowler as President of the Atlanta City Council. Fowler defeated Reverend Hosea Williams in a runoff election. In the primary election, Fowler and Williams finished first and second, respectively, followed by former Alderman Wade Mitchell and Rector Robert B. Hunter.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election
The 1973 election saw a rise in the influence of African-American politicians in Atlanta. Five new black City Council members were added to create a 9-9 split, while two black women were elected to the Atlanta Board of Education for a 5-4 black majority.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election, Background
Sam Massell was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1970. The first Jewish mayor of Atlanta, he had gained the support of Leroy Johnson of the Atlanta Negro Voter's League, helping Massell win 90 percent of Atlanta's black vote. Massell was the first Atlanta mayor to receive more votes from black voters than white voters. Shortly after his election, Massell clashed with his vice mayor Maynard Jackson when Jackson tried to handle negotiations during a strike by Atlanta sanitation employees.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election, Background
Jackson was fond of speaking to the local media about racial inequalities within Atlanta's government, but Massell complained that Jackson was "playing to the gallery". In October 1971, Massell gave a speech to Atlanta's black community, exhorting them to "think white" to halt the flight of white Atlantans to the suburbs. With this speech, Massell alienated key members of the black community; his speech was criticized by John Lewis and alderman Henry Dodson. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Urban League resisted Maynard Jackson's attempts to gain support for his campaign until he showed them the results of a Cambridge Survey Research poll that demonstrated he could win 54 percent of the total vote.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election, Mayoral primary
The primary election was held on October 2, 1973. Jackson received the most votes with 46.4 percent. Massell finished second with 19.9 percent, and Charles Weltner earned 19.1 percent. Harold A. Dye finished with 8.4 percent of the vote and Leroy Johnson finished with 3.9 percent. Since Maynard Jackson finished 3,500 votes under the majority required for a win, he faced Massell in a runoff election. Jackson received over 80 percent of the black vote in the primary; he received less than 5 percent of the white vote.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election, Mayoral runoff election
For the runoff election, Massell changed his slogan to "Atlanta's Too Young to Die" and ran a series of print and television ads depicting Atlanta under Maynard Jackson as a barren wasteland. He also appeared on WQXI and labelled Jackson and his political ally Hosea Williams as racists. Massell ran a second ad campaign, naming himself as "Atlanta's Greatest Black Leader" who "Doesn't Happen To Be Black". As a result of Massell's campaigning tactics, the Atlanta Constitution and the Atlanta Journal changed their endorsements to Jackson. Jackson gave speeches urging racial unity and campaigned for the runoff in black churches. In the days leading up to the runoff, Jackson's staffers called local radio stations and warned that black turnout was expected to be low.


1973 Atlanta mayoral election, Mayoral runoff election
The mayoral runoff election was held between incumbent Mayor Sam Massell and Maynard Jackson on October 16, 1973. Early returns demonstrated that Jackson was scoring 20 percent in white districts and 95 percent in some black districts. By 11:00 pm, it became clear that Jackson had won, and he delivered his acceptance speech at the Sheraton Biltmore ballroom. Jackson received 95 percent of the black vote and 21 percent of the white vote.


1973 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1973 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament was the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) baseball tournament. It was held in Chapel Hill, NC from April 19 – April 22, 1973. NC State won the tournament and earned the ACC's automatic bid to the 1973 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1973 Atlantic hurricane season was the first season to use the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale, a scale developed in 1971 by Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson to rate the intensity of tropical cyclones. The season produced 24 tropical and subtropical cyclones, of which only 8 reached storm intensity, 4 became hurricanes, and only 1 reached major hurricane status. Although more active than the 1972 season, 1973 brought few storms of note. Nearly half of the season's storms affected land, one of which resulted in severe damage.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season
The season officially began on June 1, 1973, and lasted until November 30, 1973. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the first system formed on April 18, more than a month before the official start. Three more depressions formed before June 1; however, none attained storm intensity. The first named storm of the year was Hurricane Alice which formed on July 1 and became the first known cyclone to affect Bermuda during July. More than a month later, the second hurricane, Brenda, formed and was considered the worst storm to strike Mexico along the eastern coast of the Bay of Campeche, killing 10 people.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season
Later in August, Tropical Storm Christine became the easternmost forming tropical cyclone on record when it formed over Guinea. The most intense storm of the season was Hurricane Ellen, a Category 3 cyclone that remained over open water. The final named storm was meteorologically significant in that it became the first recorded tropical cyclone to transition into a subtropical cyclone. No names were retired during the season; however, due to the addition of male names into the list of Atlantic hurricane names in 1979, several of the names were removed and have not been used since.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
The first storm of the 1973 hurricane season, forming in mid-April, developed more than a month before the official start of the season. Several other short-lived, weak depressions formed before and during June; however, none reached storm intensity. The first named storm, Alice, formed on July 1. Tracking generally to the north, Alice also became the first hurricane of the season as well as the first known cyclone to impact Bermuda during July. Shortly after Alice dissipated over Atlantic Canada, another depression formed.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
By the end of July, two more non-developing depressions formed and the first subtropical cyclone, given the name Alfa, developed off the east coast of the United States. This storm was short-lived and dissipated on August 2 just offshore southern Maine. The first half August was relatively quiet, with only one depression forming. However, later in the month, the season's second hurricane, Brenda, formed in the northwestern Caribbean. Peaking just below Category 2 status on the newly introduced Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale, Brenda made the first recorded landfall in the Mexican State of Campeche.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
Later in August, Tropical Storm Christine became the easternmost forming tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record, developing over the western African country of Guinea on August 25. The system traveled for several thousand miles before dissipating in the eastern Caribbean Sea in early September. At the start of the month, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico. This storm, named Delia, became the first known cyclone to make landfall in the same city twice. After moving inland a second time, Delia eventually dissipated on September 7.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
As Delia dissipated another depression formed in the same region, eventually making landfall in the same city as Delia, Freeport, Texas. Another brief depression formed several days later. On September 13, the strongest storm of the season, Ellen, formed over the eastern Atlantic. After tracking northwest for several days, Ellen eventually attained hurricane status as it turned westward. Several days later, the hurricane turned northeast due to an approaching frontal system. Shortly before becoming extratropical, Ellen reached major hurricane intensity at a record northerly latitude.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
In late September, a brief depression affected northern Florida before dissipating. After a week of inactivity, the second subtropical storm of the year formed over the central Atlantic. This storm, named Bravo, gradually intensified, becoming fully tropical, at which time it was renamed Fran, a few days later. Upon being renamed, Fran had intensified into a hurricane and maintained this intensity for several days before dissipating east of the Azores on October 12. A few days after Fran dissipated, the final named storm of the year formed in the central Caribbean Sea.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
A slow moving system, Gilda gradually intensified just below hurricane-intensity before striking Cuba and moving over the Bahamas. A few days after passing through the islands, Gilda became the first storm on record to transition from a tropical cyclone into a subtropical cyclone. A large storm, Gilda eventually became extratropical near Atlantic Canada and dissipated later that month. Around the time Gilda was dissipating, a weak depression briefly existed near the Azores. The final storm of the year was a strong depression in the southern Caribbean Sea. This system was active for less than two days but may have briefly attained tropical storm intensity as it made landfall in southern Nicaragua.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Alice
The first named storm formed out of the interaction between tropical wave and a mid-level tropospheric trough northeast of the Bahamas in late-June. A well-defined circulation became apparent by June 30 and satellite images depicted cyclonic banding features. The following day, the system intensified into a tropical depression and shortly thereafter became a tropical storm as reconnaissance aircraft recorded gale-force winds. An area of high pressure to the east of Alice steered the storm generally to the north. Decreasing wind shear allowed the storm to become increasingly organized and a well-defined eye developed by July 3. By this time, reconnaissance had determined that the storm had intensified into a hurricane, with maximum winds reaching 80 mph (130 km/h).


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Alice
On July 4, the storm reached its peak intensity with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 986 mbar (hPa; 29.12 inHg), as the eastern portion of the eyewall brushed Bermuda. After passing the island, Alice began to accelerate in response to a mid-level trough over the eastern United States and weakened. By July 6, winds head decreased below hurricane intensity as the storm neared Atlantic Canada. Later that day, Alice made landfall in eastern Newfoundland with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Alice
During its passage of Bermuda, Alice produced sustained winds up to 75 mph (120 km/h) and gusts to 87 mph (140 km/h). No major damage was recorded on the island, though the winds blew down a few trees and powerlines. The heavy rainfall, peaking at 4.57 in (116 mm), ended a three-month drought in Bermuda. Although Alice tracked through Atlantic Canada, no impact was recorded.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Subtropical Storm Alfa
During late July, an upper-level low, with a non-tropical cold core, formed near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and tracked southward. Gradually, the circulation lowered to the surface and developed subtropical characteristics. On July 31, the system attained gale-force winds off the Mid-Atlantic coast and was named Alfa, the first name from the list of subtropical storm names for the 1973 season. Tracking north-northeast, the system intensified very little as it paralleled the coastline. By August 1, the system weakened below subtropical storm intensity as it neared New England. The following day, Alfa dissipated just off the southern coast of Maine. The only effects from Alfa was light to moderate rainfall in New England, peaking at 5.03 in (128 mm) in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Most of southern Maine recorded around 1 in (25 mm), with a maximum of 2.59 in (66 mm) in Saco.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Brenda
Hurricane Brenda originated from a tropical wave that moved off the western coast of Africa on August 9; however, the initial wave quickly weakened upon entering the Atlantic Ocean. By August 13, the wave began to regenerate as it passed through the Lesser Antilles. Several days later, convection associated with the system consolidated into a central, organized mass and on August 18, the system had become sufficiently organized to be declared a tropical depression while situated near the Yucatán Channel.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Brenda
Early the next day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Brenda as it made landfall in the northern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. After moving inland, a strong ridge of high pressure over Texas forced the storm to take an unusual track, eventually leading it to enter the Bay of Campeche on August 20.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Brenda
Once back over water, Brenda began to intensify, attaining hurricane status late on August 20. The next day, a well-defined eye had developed and the storm attained its peak intensity as a high-end Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 977 mbar (hPa; 28.85 inHg). The storm made landfall later that day near Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico at this intensity, becoming the first hurricane on record to strike the region. After moving inland, Brenda rapidly weakened to a depression by the morning of August 22 and dissipated later that day.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Brenda
Already suffering from severe flooding that killed at least 18 people and left 200,000 homeless, Hurricane Brenda worsened the situation with torrential rainfall and additional flooding. The storm killed at least 10 people in the country. Following the damage wrought by Brenda, a large earthquake struck the region, hampering relief efforts and collapsing numerous structures. Winds on land gusted up to 112 mph (180 km/h), leading to severe wind damage. Two of the fatalities occurred in Campeche after 80% of the city was flooded. This was considered the worst flooding in the city in over 25 years. An estimated 2,000 people were left homeless as a direct result of Brenda throughout Mexico. Offshore, a freighter with 25 crewman became trapped in the storm after its engines failed. They were safely rescued several days later once the storm had dissipated.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Christine
The easternmost forming Atlantic tropical cyclone on record at the time, being surpassed by Subtropical Storm Alpha in 2020, Tropical Storm Christine, originated as a tropical wave over Africa in mid-August. As it neared the Atlantic Ocean, the wave spawned a tropical depression at 14.0°W, over the country of Guinea, unlike most cyclone producing waves which travel several hundred miles over water before spawning a depression. Although it was already a depression, advisories on the storm were not issued until August 30, five days after its formation.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Christine
For several days, the depression maintained its intensity as it steadily tracked west across the Atlantic. It eventually attained tropical storm intensity on August 28. Despite the lack of aircraft reconnaissance in the region, the intensity was determined by wind readings from a German cargo ship that passed through the storm.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Christine
On August 30, the first reconnaissance mission into the storm found tropical storm-force winds and the first advisory was issued that day, immediately declaring the system as Tropical Storm Christine. Three days later, Christine attained its peak intensity just below hurricane-status with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 996 mbar (hPa; 29.41 inHg). Shortly thereafter, increasing wind shear caused the storm to weaken as it neared the Leeward Islands. As it passed over Antigua on September 3, Christine weakened to a tropical depression and eventually dissipated near the Dominican Republic later that day.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Christine
During its passage through the Leeward Islands, Christine produced torrential rainfall, peaking at 11.74 in (298 mm) in southeastern Puerto Rico. These rains led to flooding on several islands. One person was killed during the storm after being electrocuted by a downed power line on a flooded road. Schools were closed ahead of the storm in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands as a precaution following the issuance of flood warnings. Six scientists had to be evacuated from the small island of Aves once the storm posed a threat to them. No major damage was reported on any of the affected islands in the wake of Christine.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Delia
On August 27, a tropical wave formed over the central Caribbean and tracked towards the west-northwest. The system gradually developed organized shower and thunderstorm activity. By September 1, a tropical depression developed from the wave. By September 3, the depression had intensified into a tropical storm, receiving the name Delia, and began tracking more towards the west. A complex steering pattern began to take place later on that day, resulting in the creation of a more hostile environment for tropical cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Delia
As Delia neared the Texas coastline, it managed to intensify into a strong tropical storm with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). The lowest pressure was recorded at 986 mbar (hPa; 29.12 inHg) at this time. Shortly thereafter, the cyclone made its first landfall in Freeport, Texas late on September 4. After executing a counterclockwise loop, the storm made landfall in Freeport again on September 5. After moving inland, the storm quickly weakened, becoming a depression on September 6 before dissipating early the next day over northern Mexico.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Delia
Due to the erratic track of the storm along the Texas coastline, widespread heavy rains fell in areas near the storm and in Louisiana. Tides up to 6 ft (1.8 m), in addition to rainfall up to 13.9 in (350 mm), caused significant flooding in the Galveston-Freeport area. Up to $3 million was reported in damages to homes due to the flooding. Throughout Louisiana, there was substantial flooding of farmland. Damages to crops amounted to $3 million. In addition to the flooding rains produced by Delia, eight tornadoes also touched down due to the storm, injuring four people. Five people were killed during Delia, two drowned during floods, two died in a car accident and the other died from a heart attack while boarding up his home.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Eleven
On September 6, a tropical depression formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea within a trough of low pressure extended southeastward from Delia, which was situated over southeast Texas at the time. The depression remained weak until it reached the Texas coastline on September 10. Once onshore, it produced significant rainfall, causing significant damage that was attributed to Tropical Storm Delia. After turning northeast and tracking inland, the depression quickly increased in forward speed before dissipating over North Carolina on September 14.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Eleven
Along the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the depression produced significant amounts of rainfall, peaking at 11.15 in (283 mm) near Freeport. Several areas in southern Louisiana recorded rainfall exceeding 5 in (130 mm) with a maximum amount of 9.2 in (230 mm) falling in Kinder. Significant rainfall was also recorded in the Carolinas and Georgia, with numerous areas recording over 3 in (76 mm). A maximum of 9.35 in (237 mm) fell near Whitmire, South Carolina before the system dissipated. In all, the depression resulted in an additional $22 million in crop losses in southern Louisiana.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ellen
The strongest storm of the season, Hurricane Ellen, began as a tropical wave that moved off the western coast of Africa on September 13. On the following day, the wave spawned an area of low pressure south of the Cape Verde Islands that quickly became a tropical depression. Tracking northeast, the system intensified into a tropical storm on September 15 after sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) were reported by a French naval vessel; however, due to sparse data on the storm, the first advisory on Ellen was not issued for two more days. A slightly elongated storm, Ellen gradually intensified over the open Atlantic and was steered by two troughs of low pressure. On September 18, the storm took a nearly due west track and the system became increasingly organized, with an ill-defined eye becoming present on satellite imagery.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ellen
The next day, Ellen intensified into a hurricane before taking a sharp turn to the north-northwest in response to a weak trough moving northeast from the Bahamas. Gradually, the hurricane turned more towards the northeast and began to accelerate as well as intensify. Despite being at an unusually high latitude for development, the storm underwent a brief period of rapid intensification, strengthening into a Category 3 hurricane on September 23. At that time, Ellen attained its peak intensity with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 962 mbar (hPa; 28.41 inHg).


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ellen
Upon attaining this intensity at 42.1°N, Ellen had become a major hurricane farther north than any other tropical cyclone on record, and is one of two storms to become a major hurricane north of 38°N, the other being Hurricane Alex in 2004. Shortly after peaking, Ellen transitioned into an extratropical cyclone before merging with a frontal system several hundred miles east of Newfoundland on September 23.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ellen
Hurricane Ellen was photographed by the Skylab 3 mission from orbit, from the Skylab space station.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Thirteen
On September 24, a depression formed northeast of the Bahamas. The following day, the NHC issued their first advisory on the system, declaring it a subtropical depression. The depression was displayed an asymmetrical structure, with most winds being recorded up to 300 mi (480 km) north of the center. Later that day, the subtropical depression organized into a tropical depression. Upon doing so, the NHC issued small craft advisories for coastal areas between North Carolina and St. Augustine, Florida. Tracking north-northwestward in response to a break in a subtropical ridge to the north, the depression eventually made landfall near Marineland, Florida and quickly weakened, dissipating before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Thirteen
Heavy rain fell in association with the depression in parts of Florida and Georgia. A maximum of 6.74 in (171 mm) fell in Orlando while several other areas recorded over 3 in (76 mm) of rain. Over land, wind gusts reached 40 mph (65 km/h) in some locations. Offshore, swells produced by the system reached 10 ft (3.0 m), impacting several vessels in the region. Minor beach erosion and coastal flooding was reported in parts of South Carolina as a result of the storm. In parts of coastal Georgia, high water resulted in several road closures and flooded a few homes. Police officers in Savannah reported that wave were topping the local seawall; however, no damage was reported.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Fran (Bravo)
The final hurricane of the season, Fran, originated from an area of convection north of Hispaniola on October 1. By October 4, the system interacted with a mid-tropospheric trough near the southeast United States, resulting in the formation of a surface low. Tracking eastward, showers and thunderstorms began to develop around the circulation; however, the structure of the system was not fully tropical. Late on October 8, the cyclone had become sufficiently organized to be classified a subtropical depression. Cold air from the remnants of a cold front became entrained within the circulation; however, the cold air gradually warmed. The following day, winds increased to gale-force and the depression was upgraded to a subtropical storm, at which time it was given the name Bravo.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Fran (Bravo)
By October 10, Bravo had intensified substantially, as hurricane hunters recorded hurricane-force winds roughly 15 mi (25 km) from the center of the storm. Following this finding, the National Hurricane Center reclassified the system as a tropical system and renamed it Fran, dropping its previous designation of Bravo. Steered generally eastward by a deep surface low in the westerlies, Fran accelerated towards the Azores Islands. Shortly after bypassing the islands on October 12, the central pressure of Fran decreased to 978 mbar (hPa; 28.88 inHg), the lowest recorded in relation to the hurricane. Shortly after reaching this intensity, the hurricane transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and quickly merged with a cold front off the coast of France. Although Fran passed near the Azores, no impact was recorded on any of the islands.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Gilda
The precursor to Tropical Storm Gilda was a large convective system partially due to a tropical wave. It gradually became better organized over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, and on October 15, a tropical depression formed off the coast of Nicaragua. As it drifted to the northeast, it strengthened to a tropical storm, peaking at 70 mph (110 km/h) winds. Before it hit the coast of Cuba, it weakened enough to cause only minor damage. By the time it struck the island, it had become very disorganized in nature.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Gilda
On October 24, cool, dry air entered the newly developed convection, and as a result it transitioned into a subtropical cyclone. Gilda became the first tropical system to pass through a subtropical stage prior to becoming extratropical. The large circulation continued northeast before becoming extratropical on October 27. The remnants of Gilda intensified as they tracked near Atlantic Canada, attaining a central pressure of 968 mbar (hPa; 28.59 inHg) near Cape Race, Newfoundland. The system eventually dissipated near southern Greenland on October 29.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Gilda
Gilda caused heavy rain and mudslides in Jamaica, destroying six homes and killing six people. In Cuba, Gilda dropped over 6 in (150 mm) of rain, while 60 mph (95 km/h) winds were reported in the northern part of the country. In the Bahamas, Gilda caused significant crop damage from heavy rainfall and high tides. The storm's persistent strong currents and easterly winds caused moderate beach erosion on the East Coast of the United States, mostly along the Florida coast. The extratropical remnants of the storm produced hurricane-force wind gusts over parts of Atlantic Canada, peaking at 75 mph (120 km/h); however, no damage was reported.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
In addition to the eight named storms of 1973 and two notable tropical depressions, there were several minor systems that were classified as depressions by the National Hurricane Center. The first four systems of the year were not classified as fully tropical, rather they were associated with the remnants of decaying cold fronts. On April 18, the first of these depressions formed northeast of the Bahamas and tracked in a curved motion before dissipating over open water on April 21.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
Several days later, on April 24, another depression formed in the same general region; however, this system was shorter lived and dissipated two days later without significant movement. On May 2, another partially tropical system formed over open waters. The cyclone tracked northeast and dissipated late on May 5 east-southeast of the Azores. On May 11, a brief depression formed near Bermuda but dissipated the following day. Roughly a week into the official hurricane season, the fifth depression of the year formed just offshore southeast Florida, near Miami. The system tracked northwest across the peninsula and briefly entered the Gulf of Mexico on June 8 before making landfall along the Florida Panhandle. The depression eventually dissipate on June 10 over South Carolina.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
On June 23, another depression formed along Florida, this time just onshore near the Georgia border. The system slowly tracked northeastward before dissipating on June 26 southeast of the North–South Carolina border. As Hurricane Alice neared Bermuda on July 9, a depression formed near the east coast of the United States; however, the storm dissipated the following day. On July 19, the first Cape Verde storm formed over the central Atlantic. This system did not intensify, remaining a weak depression and dissipated on July 21 without affecting land.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
The next day, a new depression formed over the southwestern Caribbean Sea near the coast of Nicaragua. The depression tracked over Central America, briefly moving back over water in the Gulf of Honduras before making a second landfall in Belize. The system persisted over land for a few days before entering the eastern Pacific late on July 25.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
Only one non-developing depression formed during the month of August, an unusually eastward forming system. The depression was first identified just offshore eastern Africa on August 8, near where Tropical Storm Christine formed later in the month. Tracking rapidly towards the west, the depression dissipated on August 11 over open waters. In addition to the two notable tropical depressions and two named storms in September, a slow-moving depression formed south-southeast of Bermuda on September 8. Tracking generally northward, the depression dissipated early on September 10 without affecting land.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other storms
Upon the declaration of Hurricane Fran on October 10, a new depression formed southwest of the strengthening hurricane. This system rapidly tracked northeast and dissipated two days later. Later that month, a slow-moving depression formed near the Azores. This system tracked southeast and dissipated on October 30 without affecting land. The final system of the year formed near the northern coast of Panama on November 17. The depression was noted as a "...strong depression..." by the National Hurricane Center and may have briefly attained tropical storm intensity before making landfall in northern Costa Rica on November 18; the system dissipated later that day over land.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1973. Storms were named Christine, Delia, Ellen and Fran for the first time in 1973. Due to the relatively minimal impact caused by storms during the season, no names were retired in the spring of 1974; however, due to the addition of male names in 1979, the list was removed and replaced with a new set of names. Fran, Kate, Rose, and Sally got placed onto the modern lists, with Fran being retired after 1996.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names, Subtropical storm names
The following names were used for subtropical storms in the Atlantic basin for this year. This year was the second and last year to use the phonetic alphabet. Although a storm was given the name Bravo, it was renamed Fran after acquiring tropical characteristics.


1973 Atlantic hurricane season, Season effects
This is a table of the storms in 1973 and their landfall(s), if any. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low.


1973 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1973 Auburn Tigers football team achieved an overall record of 6–6 and 2–5 in the SEC under head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan. They were invited to the 1973 Sun Bowl where they lost to Missouri 17–34.


1973 Auburn Tigers football team
On September 13, 1973, the Thursday before Auburn's first home game of the season, Auburn's home stadium, known up to that time as Cliff Hare Stadium, was renamed in honor of the Ralph Jordan, marking the first time a stadium has been renamed for an active coach. Harry Philpott, President of Auburn University at that time, said "Renaming the stadium is really in keeping with the outstanding job Coach Jordan has done during his outstanding career", adding that, "It also brings together two great eras of athletic achievement."


1973 Auburn Tigers football team
Four players were named to the All-SEC first team for 1973: Benny Sivley (DT), Steve Taylor (C), Mike Fuller (DB), and David Langner (DB).


1973 Auburn Tigers football team
On December 1, Alabama avenged their stunning loss the previous year in the Iron Bowl game that became known as "Punt Bama Punt" by shutting out Auburn 35–0.


1973 Australia rugby union tour of Europe
The 1973 Australia rugby union tour of Europe was a series of nine matches played by the Australia national rugby union team (the Wallabies) in England and Wales in October and November 1973. The Wallabies won only of three of their matches, lost five and drew the other one; they lost both of their international matches, against Wales and England. The final match with Italy, is not considered as a capped Test match by Australian Rugby Union


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 cars. It was the seventeenth Australian Drivers' Championship and the championship winner was awarded the 1973 CAMS "Gold Star".


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship
The championship was won by John McCormack driving an Elfin MR5 Repco Holden.


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship, Schedule
The championship was contested over a five-round series with one race per round. There was to be a round at Symmons Plains on 23 September in an event shared with the 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship. However, as just four Formula 5000 cars were entered, organisers decided to run the event only for Formula Two cars. There was also originally to be an event at Warwick Farm before that facility closed suddenly earlier in 1973. As a result of these cancellations, a second event was added at Phillip Island in late November.


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the top six places in each round  with all rounds counting towards each driver's points total. Only drivers holding a CAMS General Competition License were eligible to score points.


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship, Results
Note: The Australian Grand Prix was won by New Zealander Graham McRae. However, as the Australian Drivers' Championship was open only to holders of a CAMS General Competition License, 9 points were awarded to the highest placed eligible driver, John McCormack, 6 points to the second highest placed eligible driver etc.


1973 Australian Drivers' Championship, Championship name
Conditions for the championship were promulgated by CAMS under the name "Australian Formula 1 Championship – Gold Star Award", with mention of the requirement for the phrase "Australian Champion Driver" to be reserved exclusively for the winner of the CAMS Gold Star. Historic records published by CAMS use the term Australian Drivers' Championship and that title has been used here.


1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship
The 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the seventh Australian Formula 2 Championship to be awarded by CAMS.


1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship
The championship was dominated by multiple-championship winning driver Leo Geoghegan, who scored a perfect 54 points from six round wins over the course of the season.


1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested over a seven-round series with one race per round.


1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six eligible finishers at each round. Only holders of a General Competition License issued by CAMS were eligible for points and each driver could retain points only from his/her best six round results.


1973 Australian Grand Prix
The 1973 Australian Grand Prix was a race for Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars, the former class incorporating Formula 5000 cars. It was held on 4 November at Sandown and was the second AGP in a row to be held at that circuit.


1973 Australian Grand Prix
It was the thirty eighth Australian Grand Prix and doubled as round four of the 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship. Defending winner Graham McRae won his second AGP ahead of John McCormack and Johnnie Walker.


1973 Australian Indoor Championships
The 1973 Australian Indoor Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. It was part of the 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix as a Group B category tournament. The tournament was held from 4 November through 11 November 1973. Rod Laver won the singles title and the accompanying $10,000 first-prize money.


1973 Australian Indoor Championships, Finals, Singles
Rod Laver defeated  John Newcombe 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4


1973 Australian Indoor Championships, Finals, Doubles
Rod Laver /  John Newcombe defeated  Mal Anderson /  Ken Rosewall 7–6, 6–2


1973 Australian Indoor Championships – Doubles
Rod Laver and John Newcombe won in the final 7–6, 6–2 against Malcolm Anderson and Ken Rosewall.


1973 Australian Indoor Championships – Singles
Rod Laver won in the final of the Australian Indoor Tennis Championships singles event 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 against John Newcombe. Ken Rosewall won the play-off match for third place against Phil Dent in three sets, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0.


1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
The 1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for automobile manufacturers. It was the third Australian Manufacturers' Championship and the first to be contested with Group C Touring Cars.


1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first nine positions in each class plus 4-3-2-1 for the first four outright positions for all rounds except the Bathurst round. For the Bathurst round only, championship points were awarded on an 18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 basis for the first nine positions in each class plus 4-3-2-1 for the first four outright positions. Only the best placed car from each manufacturer in each class at each round was eligible to score points.


1973 Australian Open
The 1973 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Australia and was held from 26 December 1972 to 1 January 1973. It was the 61st edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.


1973 Australian Open, Seniors, Men's doubles
John Newcombe /  Malcolm Anderson defeated  John Alexander /  Phil Dent, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6


1973 Australian Open, Seniors, Women's doubles
Margaret Court /  Virginia Wade defeated  Kerry Harris /  Kerry Melville, 6–4, 6–4


1973 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Second-seeded John Newcombe defeated Onny Parun 6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–1 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1973 Australian Open. Ken Rosewall was the two time defending champion, but was upset in the second round by unseeded Karl Meiler.


1973 Australian Open – Men's Singles
The format was the first round was best of 3 sets and the rest of the tournament was best of 5 sets.


1973 Australian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. John Newcombe is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1973 Australian Open – Women's Singles
First-seeded Margaret Court defeated Evonne Goolagong 6–4, 7–5 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1973 Australian Open.


1973 Australian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Margaret Court is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1973 Australian Rally Championship
The 1973 Australian Rally Championship was a series of six rallying events held across Australia. It was the sixth season in the history of the competition.


1973 Australian Rally Championship
Peter Lang and navigator Warwick Smith in the Holden Torana GTR XU-1 were the winners of the 1973 Championship.


1973 Australian Rally Championship, Season review
The sixth Australian Rally Championship was decided over six events, staged across the Eastern States of Australia with two events each in New South Wales and Victoria and one each in Queensland and South Australia. The series saw more domination from the Holden Torana GTR XU-1's which won all six rounds, three wins for Peter Lang/Warwick Smith, two wins for Colin Bond/George Shepheard and one win for Steward McLeod/Adrian Mortimer. Lang and Smith managed high placings in the events that they didn't win and thus convincingly took out the 1973 championship.


1973 Australian Rally Championship, The Rallies
The six events of the 1973 season were as follows.


1973 Australian Rally Championship, The Rallies, Round Six – Golden Alpine Rally
Note that Kilfoyle and Osborne won this event outright in a works Datsun 180B SSS but were ineligible for ARC points.


1973 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1973 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group A Sports Cars and Group D Production Sports Cars. It was the fifth Australian Sports Car Championship. The title was won by South Australian Phil Moore,  driving a 2.5 litre Repco V8 - engined Elfin 360.


1973 Australian Sports Car Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested over a six round series with one race per round.


1973 Australian Sports Car Championship, Classes and points system
Championship points were allocated on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six place-getters in each class   at each round. Additional points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis to the first four outright place-getters, regardless of class, at each round.


1973 Australian Sports Car Championship, Results
Only the top ten championship positions are shown in the above table.


1973 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.


1973 Australian Touring Car Championship
The night before Round 6 of the series at the Adelaide International Raceway, Moffat's GTHO Falcon was stolen from Stillwell Ford in the northern Adelaide suburb of Medindie. Rather than see Moffat out of the race (he was the series points leader at the time having won the opening 4 rounds and finishing 3rd in round 5), Murray Carter loaned Moffat his GTHO Falcon for the race. Peter Brock won the race while Moffat kept his points lead by finishing second. Moffat's stolen Falcon was later found abandoned in the Adelaide Hills where the thieves who had taken it for a "joy ride" dumped it when it ran out of fuel.


1973 Australian Touring Car Championship, Teams and drivers
The following drivers competed in the 1973 ATCC. The series consisted of eight rounds held in six different states.


1973 Australian Touring Car Championship, Calendar
The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship consisted of eight rounds.


1973 Australian Touring Car Championship, Drivers Championship
Points were awarded 4-3-2-1 for the first four race positions, and then 9-6-4-3-2-1 for the top 6 of each class.


1973 Australian referendum
The 1973 Australian Referendum was held on 8 December 1973. It contained two referendum questions.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes)
The Constitution Alteration (Incomes) 1973 was a referendum proposed by the Australian Labor Party in December 1973 which sought to alter section 51 of the Australian Constitution to give the Commonwealth legislative power over incomes. The Whitlam government's most prominent reason for posing this amendment was the issue of inflation, as they argued that with government power over incomes, inflation would be better managed.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes)
The proposal did not pass due to a majority 'no' vote from all states. This referendum was extremely unpopular and had the lowest percentage of public support when compared to any other referendum held in Australia.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Question
Do you approve the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled "An Act to alter the Constitution so as to enable the Australian Parliament to make laws with respect to incomes"?


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Background, Economic Context
Inflation escalated rapidly from the early 1970s to 1980s. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in 1970 was 3.5% pa but quickly rose to 15.3% pa in 1975, indicating a significant increase in the rate of inflation. In addition, a supply shock hit the Australian economy with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) strikes and "Oil Shock", which not only led to an increase in oil prices but an international recession. The Australian economy became increasingly unstable within the global context. Significant pressure was placed on the Whitlam government to overcome these economic issues and restabilise the economy resulting in the 1973 Referendum (Incomes), Whitlam’s main attempt to control inflation.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Background, Political Context
The Whitlam government held power from 1972-1975, and was the first Labor government to be elected in 23 years. Whitlam’s government was prone to criticism over the number of policies his government tried to implement in a short period of time. Whitlam was also frequently criticised by some media, economists and the public for his management of the economy, especially in a time of economic crisis.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Background, Political Context
Many Australians supported Whitlam for his charisma and charm, believing he made positive impacts on Australia. Whilst others believed that he failed to effectively govern Australia, especially economically. ABC political journalist Annabel Crabb stated that it was Whitlam’s "irrepressible curiosity and quest for wisdom in his life" that was so appealing. However, some Australian commentators, such as Andrew Bolt, argue that this charisma was not enough, and that Whitlam governed "chaotically" as Prime Minister. Whitlam’s government remained controversial, especially in regard to its economic decisions and support for First Nations Australians. This overall controversy meant that there was no likely outcome for Whitlam’s 1973 Income referendum, especially considering the failed history of many Australian referendums.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
At the beginning of the campaign before any major press or debates surrounding the income referendum, public opinion polls revealed that three states (NSW, VIC, and SA) would potentially vote ‘Yes’. However, as more press was garnered and Whitlam and Snedden began to make their cases for and against, public approval dwindled significantly, and polls suggested that no state was predicted to vote ‘Yes’.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
The McNair Gallup opinion poll was published in the Melbourne Herald in October 1973. This poll was conducted before the referendum campaign had properly begun and therefore only showed early opinions. It contained the following data:


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
The Bulletin opinion poll was conducted in mid-November 1973, published on 8 December 1973 and indicated the following spread of public opinion:


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
The Age opinion poll was conducted on 6 December 1973 and revealed the following data:


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
This level of opposition to the referendum was a result of many factors. The referendum was posed at a time when Whitlam’s government was dealing with the Watergate scandal as well as anxieties surrounding the conflict in Vietnam. Much of the Australian public blamed Whitlam for these issues and were therefore less willing to place more power and trust in his government. Furthermore, polls suggested the public felt that the Whitlam government was not being clear enough about how the Labor government intended to use its power over income and believed their campaign to be unconvincing and vague. The general public confusion surrounding the referendum was emphasised by newspapers and journalists, such as Kenneth Davidson from The Australian, reporting that the parties themselves were confused about how income powers would be exercised.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Public Opinion and Polls
The Sydney Morning Herald stated that incomes were a particularly personal and "hip pocket" issue for Australians, justifying the large degree of hesitation and apprehension around the proposed bill, revealed in numerous public opinion polls. The Sydney Morning Herald also argued that due to the personal nature of this referendum, The Liberal Party has been using this apprehension to foster a sense of fear, promoting a "When in doubt vote No" campaign. Public opinion polls revealed that the public had a general lack of understanding of the implications of the referendum and an overall ambivalent attitude towards the income referendum. The public's general lack of understanding, and their ambivalent attitude surrounding the incomes referendum was reflected throughout much of the campaign, revealed in many public opinion polls.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition
Whitlam’s Labor government proposed this bill and argued the ‘Yes’ case. Snedden’s Liberal party was the opposing party, arguing ‘No’.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Labor (Support)
The main arguments from Whitlam’s Labor government in support of increasing income power were:


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Liberal (Opposition)
The main arguments in opposition to the increase of income power from Snedden’s Liberal party were:


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Other Opposition
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), and other trade unions, almost unanimously advocated for a ‘No’ vote to federal powers over incomes. The leader of the ACTU, Bob Hawke, had significant influence in leading the trade union campaigns against the income referendum. Their main concerns focused on what those powers could be used for in the future by non-labor governments and they did not believe wages should be controlled by the federal government. The unions did not believe that the proposed powers would be effective in controlling inflation.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Other Opposition
Other minor political parties including the Country Party, led by Doug Anthony, also voted and supported the ‘No’ campaign as they believed that by controlling incomes and capping wages it would be more difficult to maintain productive workplaces.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Other Support
Whilst the support for the passing of the income referendum did fall in the minority, some economists and academics in support of increasing income controls, such as Stephen J. Turnovsky and Michael Parkin, believed that the government had little choice to do anything else. Their views were that if the government did not increase their controls over income, they would have to allow for unemployment to grow and the economy to stagnate. However, they believed that if they didn’t gain control over incomes, inflation would be likely to continue escalating.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Support and Opposition, Other Support
Economists from The Australian Economic Review acknowledged that inflation in Australia in 1973 was a result of a ‘wage-price spiral’. They argued that the increasing price levels in Australia resulted in the Australian public demanding higher wages, thus, resulting in a 'wage-price spiral'. Many economists, including those at The Australian Economic Review, argued that if the Whitlam government did not step in and take control over incomes and manage this ‘wage-price spiral’, inflation would continue to escalate, and the public would be negatively impacted.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Results
The 1973 Referendum (Incomes) failed to achieve a ‘Yes’ majority from any state. 34.42% of voters voted ‘Yes’ to the incomes question with a minority of 2 191 770 votes.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Legacy
Due to the failure of this referendum and the majority opposition towards increased controls over income, the Labor government were unable gain control over incomes. Whitlam’s main impact on issues surrounding income was the implementation of universal healthcare and policies to improve social housing. Both of these reforms aimed to give more equal opportunities to those with lower incomes, however, they could not manage inflation. Academic Joan Rydon, writing in 1974, asserted that "Already the referendum seems to have faded into the past. ", indicating the insignificant legacy of this referendum.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Reasons for Rejection
The rejection of the income referendum was believed to be due to a multitude of reasons. Alec Robertson, a political journalist for Tribune, the newspaper for the Communist Party of Australia, stated that this rejection of the referendum would significantly impact Australians on lower wages. This was due to the disproportionate impact that inflation, and particularly 'stagflation', had on those with lower socio-economic statuses as unemployment increased along with the increase of prices. Furthermore, Robertson argued that a major reason that this referendum did not pass was due to the Labor government’s insistence on posing two referendum questions at once.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Reasons for Rejection
One question on government control over prices and one on incomes. Robertson asserted that "workers were torn between loyalty to the Labor Government and loyalty to the trade union movement." He believed that if one question had been asked, this would have allowed the government to gain some economic controls to manage inflation as there would have been less confusion and the public would have been less divided.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Reasons for Rejection
For the Whitlam government, the failure of this referendum was a clear sign that no other referendum proposed by his government, succeeding the 1973 referendum, would have any hope of passing. This referendum ultimately served to affirm the notion that the Australian constitution is notoriously difficult to amend, and continued the history of failed referendums. Of the twenty seven referendums posed since Federation in 1901, the incomes referendum was the twenty second failed referendum. It also became the most unpopular referendum in Australian history, with the lowest amount of support from voters.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Economic Trajectory
Inflation continued to escalate rapidly, exacerbated by a ‘wages explosion’ in 1974. Inflation levels peaked at 19 percent in 1974 and continued to remain at a high level for the next two decades. Economists, such as Richard Holden, in hindsight, view Whitlam’s increase in government spending after the failed referendum to be a large failing by the Labor government. Holden believed that Whitlam only served to worsen the inflation crisis and ‘wage price spiral’ at the time with his economic management.


1973 Australian referendum (Incomes), Aftermath, Economic Trajectory
The rejection of Whitlam's 1973 income referendum gave way to later policies that attempted to manage the Australian economy such as the 1975 Wage Indexation Policy. This policy was in response to rapidly increasing wages and attempted to restrict any further growth. However, Bruce Hockman, former Chief Economist at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, argues that this indexation policy only ended up "locking in inflation in the long run". The Australian economy fell into a greater recession from 1982-83.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices)
The Constitution Alteration (Prices) 1973 was a bill proposing amendments to section 51 of the Australian Constitution which would give the Commonwealth legislative power over prices. The proposed changes to the constitution were not upheld, with Australians voting against the constitutional alteration.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices)
The Whitlam Government proposed the amendments to the constitution reasoning that by granting increased power to federal government over prices they would be able to control inflation, which at the time was increasing significantly. However, it was ultimately determined by the voters that this was an unnecessary intervention by government, with concerns raised about the future possibility of the abuse of such powers.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Economic context
The economic context that led to the eventual proposition of the 1973 Prices Referendum was driven by numerous economic factors. A resource boom derived from the demands of Japanese industrialisation and increased capital inflows due to the Australian dollar being perceived as undervalued drove Australia's economy in the early 1970s. These factors contributed to an economic environment in 1971 that was generally considered strong, with the AUD rising to $1.40, unemployment at 2% and economic growth rising 5% per year.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Economic context
However, in the same period, inflation rose steadily to 7.3% as average weekly earnings rose to over 10% per annum. Australia's inflation post World War II averaged around 2%. Therefore, this increase in inflation was very significant at the time. Fiscal policy was expansionary with concerns over the slow rise of unemployment. The Whitlam Labor government announced tax cuts, along with spending on education, health, urban development and the environment. Additionally, Whitlam's government supported pay rises, improvements in working conditions and gender equality in income. This led to an increase in minimum wage for women by 75% and 100% for men.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Economic context
In 1973, average weekly earnings had increased to 15.3% driven by wage decisions and consequently the inflation rate began to push double figures. In October 1973, the Arab-Israel conflict quadrupled world oil prices, triggering global high unemployment and high inflation or "stagflation". Australia's own inflation rate rose to 10.1% in 1973.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Political context
By 1973, Gough Whitlam's government was under growing pressure to slow the rising inflation. Snedden's Liberal party opposition accused Whitlam of allowing inflation to get out of control, while instead spending extensively on social issues like education and health. They also criticised Labor as hypocritical, because as the opposition Labor scrutinised the Liberal government for not acting on inflation which at the time was in a more stable state.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Political context
Whitlam argued the Labor Party had inherited 'stagflation' from the previous government who had instigated wage rises and created circumstances for an overvalued dollar. Whitlam offered several policies to address the issue, such as famously cutting tariffs by 25% across the board. In August 1973, Whitlam introduced legislation that established the Prices Justification Tribunal, which ultimately scrutinised price changes by large corporations. Although this provided the federal government with some general powers on pricing, the Prices Justification Tribunal was not given the power to act on decisions found from their enquiries.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Political context
Opponents of the tribunal criticised its ineffectiveness, arguing that the tribunal had no real power in effecting market prices and thus curbing inflation. The ineffective nature of the tribunal was under fire with Snedden ironically calling it the Prices "Exemption" Tribunal. However, supporters of the tribunal argued that it was effective in holding back price rises. The first Prices Justification Tribunal Annual Report identified the difference between prices originally proposed to the tribunal and the prices found to be justified by the tribunal was $253 million.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Background, Political context
Additionally, the existence of the tribunal made companies more cautious about price rises, although the effect of this is unquantifiable. In a ploy to boost the effectiveness of the tribunal and silence critics, Whitlam on 22 September proposed the Prices Referendum that sought to give power to Australian Parliament to control prices as one element in an anti-inflationary strategy.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Question
Do you approve the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled "An Act to alter the Constitution so as to enable the Australian Parliament to control prices"?


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Public opinion polls
Numerous polls were published before the referendum by reputable polling organisations. Overwhelmingly, these public opinion polls predicted that voting intentions were to affirm the referendum.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Public opinion polls
A poll published in The Age on 6 December predicted:


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Public opinion polls
Another poll was taken by the McNair Gallup Poll on 23 October, which was published in The Herald. It must be noted that this poll was taken early in the referendum campaign and thus may not have captured accurate public voting intentions. The poll predicted:


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Public opinion polls
Morgan Polls published a poll in The Bulletin in mid-November. This poll predicted:


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Arguments for and against, Major political parties
The referendum was debated primarily on party lines, with Whitlam's Labor Party proposing the "Yes" case and Snedden's Liberal Party proposing the "No" case.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Arguments for and against, Major political parties
A Melbourne-based newspaper, The Age, summarised the debate: "If you hate inflation, love your country and trust Gough Whitlam, vote "yes"... If you hate controls, fear the unknown and believe Bill Snedden, vote "no"..."


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Arguments for and against, Minor parties
Other minor party stances included support for the proposal by the Australia Party and Aarons Communist Party. Opposition to the proposed changes were supported by the Democratic Labour Party and Maoists.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Arguments for and against, Organised groups
Groups other than political parties took clear sides in regard to the proposal outside of Parliament. It is a common occurrence for organised groups to participate actively in referendum's, where they usually would not in general elections.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Arguments for and against, Organised groups
Trade unions such as the ACTU and Queensland Trades and Labour Unions along with other unions generally advocated in favour of the proposed change. Strong public promotion and advertisement in opposition to the proposed changes came from organisation that considered the government's control of prices a direct threat to their industry. Such organisations included the Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Manufacturers, Real Estate Institutes, the Wool Growers and Grazer’s Association, the NSW Institute of Public Affairs and various other organisations that had vested interest in the proposal.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Results
Before the 1977 Australian Referendum citizens living in Australian Territories were not able to vote in referendums.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Prices Justification Tribunal
Following the failed referendum in 1974 Whitlam further strengthened the powers of the Prices Justification Tribunal. The power was extended so that the tribunal could inquire and report on prices charged by a company irrespective of their annual turnover. Where previously the tribunal could only inquire and report on companies with annual turnover of $20 million or more. These changes were aimed at examining retail prices and the price of imported goods, which were previously not examined by the tribunal.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Prices Justification Tribunal
However, the jurisdiction of the tribunal was not extended to make the findings of inquiries mandatory for companies to comply with. Therefore, the tribunal was scrutinised for lacking the appropriate power to make real economic differences. Additionally, separate legislation that gave pricing power to state governments such as New South Wales, South Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory meant that giving the tribunal further power over prices would contradict this existing legislation.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Prices Justification Tribunal
The coverage and role of the Prices Justification Tribunal was reduced, as Fraser's Liberal party took office in 1975. In addition to scrutiny over the ineffective nature of the tribunal, concerns were raised about compliance costs, the overlapping of the tribunals operations with existing government bodies and the effect of the tribunal on industry efficiency and investment decisions. The tribunal was ultimately abolished in 1981.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Economic policy
The rejection of the referendum and the ultimate reduction of the Prices Justification Tribunal, meant that other economic policies took greater credence. As such two key economic policies were adopted; monetary targeting and indexation.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Economic policy
Following the global trend of inflation targeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia employed a loose form of monetary targeting. The policy objective was to reduce the rate of increase in domestic prices. From 1976 to 1985, between which monetary targeting was employed, the inflation rate decreased from 13% to 8.4%. Although the decline in inflation would suggest this policy was a success, the policy relied on a consistent and stable relationship between growth rates and price changes. However, this period proved this consistent relationship was not the case suggesting a causal link between the decrease in domestic prices and monetary targeting. This led to the RBA's ultimate transition to inflation targeting.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Economic policy
Indexation was adopted by the Arbitration Commission in 1975, on the basis that it would restrain wage increases. Indexation linked wage increases to past price increases. Inflation began to decrease with the establishment of indexation, decreasing from a peak of nearly 20% in 1975 to 10% by 1977. This showed the effectiveness of wage indexation in constraining wage increases. However, after 1977 wages rapidly increased due to pressure from unions who argued that wage increases were falling behind cost of living increases. The Arbitration Commission was unable to keep relevant parties in agreement with its indexation approach. As such indexation was abolished in 1981.


1973 Australian referendum (Prices), Aftermath, Economic policy
Although these policies had contributed to decreasing the inflation rate to 10% in 1977, further success proved difficult. In 1977 Australia experienced high economic growth and rising oil prices which forced an increase in inflation before it was back under control.


1973 Austrian Alpine Rally
The 1973 Austrian Rally (formally the 44. Austrian Alpine Rally) was the ninth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-September around Baden, Austria, the rally was entirely on gravel surface special stages. 1973 would be the only year to see the WRC hold an event in Austria, despite the strong presence of Austrian drivers in the series through the present.


1973 Austrian Alpine Rally, Report
In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. Austria hosted BMW's first ever win of the World Rally Championship, with front-runners Alpine-Renault, Saab, and Fiat also making strong bids for points.


1973 Austrian Grand Prix
The 1973 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 19 August 1973. It was race 12 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.


1973 Austrian Grand Prix
The 54-lap race was won by Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson, driving a Lotus-Ford, after he started from second position. Scotland's Jackie Stewart achieved his final podium finish, coming second in his Tyrrell-Ford, while Brazil's Carlos Pace achieved his first, coming third in a Surtees-Ford.


1973 Austrian Grand Prix
Niki Lauda was forced to miss his home race after breaking his wrist at the Nürburgring two weeks previously. BRM did not replace him for the event.


1973 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
1973 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was the ninth occasion on which the  BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held.