Show Top stories of 1976 President elect t Jimmy Carter the only Southerner elected to the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House in this century dominated much of the news of 1976 He entered d all 30 state primaries and methodically eliminated a huge field of fellow Democrats well before his party's party's party's part part- ys y's summer mid-summer national convention Meanwhile President Ford had his hands more than full with Ronald Reagan barel barely squeaking out a victory over the popular Californian at the GOP's Kansas City showdown Although Ford erased most of Carters Carter's huge early lead the Georgian won the day The nation also had a glorious birthday birthday birthday birth birth- day party celebrating years of freedom freedom freedom free free- dom and in the process giving itself a he healthy shot in the arm of fresh con con- Also making news hews roughly in this order were the following 1 Angola falls to the Russian and Cuban-backed Cuban factions after the US U.S. Congress refuses to allow President Ford to aid western pro-western forces The year ends with thousands of Cuban troops still in Angola 2 2 Lebanon greets the start of 1976 virtually in total anarchy After a long bloody civil war Syrian troops maintain order at year end 3 3 The CIA revises its estimate of Soviet defense spending from a previously previously previously pre pre- believed 8 6 6 percent to around 15 percent of Gross National Product 4 4 Harold Wilson quits as Britain's prime minister Later Britain's pound drops to an historical low as its economy founders 5 5 Italian Communists gain strength in national elections but fail to win a majority in a campaign that had the free world holding its breath 6 Communist Chinese leader Mao tung Tse-tung dies at 82 7 7 Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and black nationalist leaders meet on transfer-of-power transfer talks Still deadlocked at year |