1970

The year begins with an outbreak of Asian flu. More than 2 million Greeks fall sick, while the death toll attributed to the virus is at least 85 people. The virus strikes Europeans very hard.

Events

January

• January 12: A Greek military airplane crashes on Mount Cithaeron. 23 dead.

March

• March 8: An attempt against the life of Archbishop Makarios III fails as his seriously wounded helicopter pilot manages to land the craft despite his injuries.
• March 16: Polykarpos Georkadjis is assassinated in Cyprus.

April

• April 5: Athens daily "Ethnos" ceases all operations.
• April 13: Composer and left-wing politician, Mikis Theodorakis, is allowed by the Junta to leave Greece.

June

• June 2: 43-year-old Ferenc Puskas, the Galloping Major of Real Madrid and national team of Hungary, becomes Panathianikos' coach. Puskas will lead Panathinaikos to the final of the Champions Cup against Ajax at Wembley one year later.
• June 28: Aris win the Greek Football Cup for the only time in their history by defeating PAOK 1-0.

July

• July 5: Cyprus holds its second parliamentary elections with the abstention of the Turkish Cypriot community.
• July 22: An Olympic Airways aircraft is hijacked on its way to Athens. To free the passengers, the Greek government is forced to release seven Arabs convicted of prior terrorist actions.

September

• September 9: Two Arabs, in possession of explosives, are arrested in Athens.
• September 19: University Student, Kostas Georgakis, sets himself on fire in Genoa, Italy, to protest againt the military government of Greece.

October

• October 24: Christos Papanikolaou breaks the world record in the pole vault with a jump of 5.49m.

November

• November 21: On their way to Wembley, Panathinaikos defeat Slovan Bratislava 3-0 in Athens.

December

• December 12: The discovery of an extended neolithic settlement near Sesklo (near Volos) is announced.

Births

June

• June 1: Alexi Lalas, Greek-American footballer.
• June 19: Antonis Remos, singer

July

• July 24: Elli Kokkinou, singer
• July 31: Giorgos Sigalas, basketball player

October

• October 3: Nikos Kostenoglou, footballer

November

• November 8: Juan Jose Borelli, former Panathinaikos footballer

Deaths

January

• January 8: Yiannis Christou, classical composer.

February

• February 19: Christoforos Nezer, actor

March

• March 10: Vasilis Avlonitis, comedy actor
• March 16: Polykarpos Georkadjis, former Interior Minister of Cyprus
• March 21: Manolis Chiotis, musician

May

• May 4: Evgenia Livanos, socialite, wife of Stavros Niarchos

July

• July 20: Panagiotis Pipinelis, politician, Prime Minister

September

• September 19: Kostas Georgakis, anti-Junta activist
• September 25: Minos Matsas, recording industry executive

November

• November 16: Konstantinos Tsaldaris, politician, Prime Minister