On the basis of recollecting historical records and materials comprehensively and thoroughly, the monitoring and forecasting and disaster relief of two M_s7.2 earthquakes occurring on Songpan and Pingwu from August 16 to 23, 1976 were analyzed retrospectively. It showed that the seismological personnel in Gansu province and Sichuan province organized and carried out lot of effective work for the earthquake. It made Songpan earthquake, as an important example of predicting the earthquake successfully, have a more thorough, complete and scientific record in the history of the development of seismic work in our country. According to the seismic parameters offered by China Earthquake Networks Center, we discussed the name of this earthquake and suggested that it would be more appropriate to name it as "Songpan-Wenxian earthquake", or "Pingwu-Wenxian earthquake"，or "Songpan-Wenxian-Pingwu earthquake".