850 posts ago I published my first post at the Catholic Bard. 50 years ago,
Kristin and I were growing up in the glorious decade of the 1970’s.
I chronicled our first few years in the article 55 Years Ago, I Was Baptized | A Timeline Of The Catholic Bard’s Life In The Early 70s. In this post I inserted bits of my life recorded by my mother in her diary amongst a timeline of what was going on in the wider world. This post concludes the decade of those formative years of young Mark and Kristin. Stroll down the timeline of history of major and unknown events that happen half a century ago and see how a young boy grew up in the years in which Rocky and Star Wars became part of our cultural heritage. It was also the 200th anniversary of the United States. And we now enter our 250th year.
In this 850th post our stroll down memory lane begins in….
1975
Recent History
100 Posts And 100 Years Ago…
Catholic Bard History 101
Catholic Thought Since Vatican 2
Sufferings, Trials And Hope
Accomplishments And Discoveries
50 Years of Catholic History During My Life:
The First 25 1970 – 1995
50th Post
50 Years Of Catholic History During My Life:
The Next 25 1996 – 2020
.CB’ Guide To Holy Catholics Of The 1980s And 90s |
A List Of Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, Servants Of God And Others
Who Died In The 80’s And 90’s.
Books Hot of the Press that year include
Natalie Babbitt – Tuck Everlasting is published.
Ramona the Brave, Morrow, 1975 ‡ In 1975, Cleary won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association for “substantial and lasting contributions to children’s literature”.
The Microcosmic God
ed. Sam Moscowitz
The Grey King (1975) Susan Cooper
January 1975 – (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song – B. J. Thomas
January 1, 1975 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up.
January 5, 1975 – The Wiz, a new musical version of the classic Wizard of Oz story, opens at Broadway‘s Majestic Theater in New York City.
January 24, 1975 – Larry Fine (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975) of the The Three Stooges dies.
January 28, 1975 – Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
February 1975
Star Prince Charlie by Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson
Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
February 6, 1975 -Thieves in Italy broke into the Ducal Palace art museum at Urbino, and stole the paintings La Muta by Raphael, and the masterpieces The Flagellation of Christ and Madonna di Senigallia, by Piero della Francesca, considered to be three of the ten most famous Italian paintings from the Renaissance. The works were recovered, unharmed, on March 24, 1976, from a hotel room in Locarno, Switzerland.
March 1975
That’s the Spirit by H. L. Gold
in Amazing Science Fiction, March 1975
March 15, 1975 – In Brazil, Guanabara State merges into the state of Rio de Janeiro. The state’s capital moves from the city of Niterói to the city of Rio de Janeiro.
March 21, 1975 – Escape to Witch Mountain
March 24, 1975 – The beaver becomes an official symbol of Canada.
April 3, 1975- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
April 8, 1975 – Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson becomes the first African American man to manage a Major League Baseball team, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 5–3 victory over the New York Yankees. Robinson homers in his first at bat as a playing manager; Boog Powell, Robinson’s longtime teammate in Baltimore, adds another solo blow in the fourth. Both homers are off Yankee starter Doc Medich. A crowd of 56,715 watch the historic game at Cleveland Stadium.
Lyman Bostock makes his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins, getting one hit in four at bats against the Texas Rangers. Bostock will become a star, batting .311 in 526 games, before his life comes to a tragic end in late September 1978 when he is shot while sitting in a parked car at age 27.
April 30, 1975– The Vietnam War ends with the Fall of Saigon: The Vietnam War concludes as Communist forces from North Vietnam take over Saigon, resulting in mass evacuation of the remaining American troops and South Vietnam civilians. As the capital is taken, South Vietnam surrenders unconditionally and is replaced with a temporary Provisional Government.
May 1975: In order to create the necessary special effects for his film, Star Wars, George Lucas forms Industrial Light and Magic.
May 1975 – The Hiding Place
The Zanzibar Cat • (1971) • short story by Joanna Russ in Quark/3
May 4, 1975 –Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975) of The Three Stooges dies.
May 21, 1975 –The Return of the Pink Panther
May 23, 1975 – “I Write the Songs” – Barry Manilow
May 28, 1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
June 1975 (US) The Ballroom Blitz –
June 1975 – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” – James Taylor
June 7–June 21, 1975 – The first Cricket World Cup, the 1975 Cricket World Cup, is held in England with West Indies defeating Australia in the final.
June 20, 1975: Jaws is released and becomes the highest-grossing movie of all time and the highest-grossing movie of the year and the first movie to earn $100 million in US and Canadian theatrical rentals, setting the standard for future blockbusters.
June 26, 1975 – Josemaría Escrivá (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) founder of Opus Dei dies.
July 1975 – The Infinity Box – Kate Wilhelm
July 1, 1975– The Apple Dumpling Gang
July 10, 1975 – That’s the Way (I Like It)” – KC and the Sunshine Band
July 14th, 1975 – I have neglected writing down so many things. Mark is such a comical little guy. I should have kept a running diary and I could have had a best seller. He has gone to playground for five days now. And come home with a bloody nose four out of the five days. He is such a tough little guy. Mrs. Maddix says he just gets up and gets on his way again. The first day he was middle guy on a train on the slide. He isn’t big and just didn’t make out too well. He is about a year too small for his age. But what a Dynamo. He says some of his word so comically.
“Smooze me” – Excuse Me”
“gog” Dog
“hotgog” Hotdog
“Mory” Mary
The smokestack at the United Shoe is a rocket ship. The church in the center of Beverly is “Disney World”.
July 21, 1975 – The Parliament of India voted to approve Prime Minister Indira Gandhi‘s declaration of a state of emergency, with a 301-76 vote in the lower house and a 147-32 vote in the upper house.
July 25, 1975 – “Can’t Smile Without You” – Barry Manilow
July 30, 1975 – Jimmy Hoffa disappears. He is believed to have been murdered by the Mafia and was declared legally dead in 1982. Hoffa’s legacy continues to stir debate. Jimmy was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971.
August 1975
Shatterday
short story by Harlan Ellison
in Science Fiction Monthly, August 1975
The Early Williamson –Jack Williamson
August 20, 1975 – Viking program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
August 21, 1975 (renewed in 2003) Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
August 25, 1975 – Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
September 1975– Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case
Grandfather Clause • short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
The Final Fighting of Fion Mac Cumhaill • novelette by Randall Garrett
in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September 1975
The End of the Dreams • (1975) • collection by James E. Gunn
September 7th, 1975 – A few notes before I forget things. Mark stated Nursery School at the Wenham First Church. Sept 8th and likes it very much. He has no artistic ability to date and refuses to color or try to write. e knows his alphabet & remembers & has for some time. He says to me” Mommy, what’s today tomorrow?” Friday is “coffee day “ as he has no school.
Pat has field hockey at school and loves sports and is right up on baseball. She thinks the Wenham Jr. High is too small and says it is boring. Mary is a book worm and always reading. (except when she has her head in the idiot box) She made a lovely patch work quilt that she can be proud of and took it too school yesterday to show to her teacher. Laurie loves to clown around. And usually when she and Pat get going she is the one who gets in trouble because it is so hard to turn her off. She is a giggler and also loves to have the last word. Daddy is almost finished with the wall under Mark’s room and works every night. What a Worker. Only hope Mark grows up with half the work capacity. –Louise Wilson’s Diary
“Lyin’ Eyes – Eagles
September 9, 1975 – Welcome Back, Kotter on ABC (1975–79)
September 14, 1975 – Rembrandt‘s painting The Night Watch is slashed a dozen times at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Elizabeth Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) is canonized, becoming the first American Roman Catholic saint. (Way to go America). She is also a former Episcopalian.
“I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself.”
This was the confirmation name of the Carmelite. The Carmelite was sick when she was born, but her mother prayed for St. Elizabeth Seaton’s intercession and miraculously the Carmelite lived and writes for you today.
September 30, 1975 -(US time) Home Box Office becomes the first pay television network to deliver a continuous signal via satellite by broadcasting the “Thrilla in Manila” boxing match live.
September 19, 1975 – Fawlty Towers on BBC Two in the UK (1975, 1979)
October 1975 – “My Little Town” – Simon & Garfunkel
The Wind’s Twelve Quarters – Ursula K. Le Guin
Anniversary Project • short story by Joe Haldeman in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, October 1975
October 1, 1975 – “Thrilla in Manila“: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines. The fight is viewed live by well over 100 million people worldwide.
October 11, 1975 – Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
October 28, 1975 – You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown
November 1975 – The Silent Eyes of Time by Algis Budrys
Wish Fiddle • novelette by Ward Moore
in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1975
November 15, 1975 – “Take It to the Limit – Eagles
November 21, 1975 – Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” goes to number one in the U.K., where it remains for five weeks of 1975 and four weeks of 1976.
November 23, 1975: Sneak Previews, the first American film review show, premieres and launches the careers of critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. They will remain a team, and a staple among film critics, through various programs for the next twenty-four years.
November 28, 1975 – You’re My Best Friend – Queen
December 8, 1975– Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi (“On Evangelization in the Modern World”), exactly ten years after the December 8, 1965 close of the Second Vatican Council.
December 20, 1975 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (re-release)
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon
December 31, 1975
The fourth annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve airs on ABC, with performances by Average White Band, Melissa Manchester, Freddy Fender, and Neil Sedaka.
Elvis Presley performs before the biggest audience of his career, at Pontiac, Michigan‘s Silverdome. During the show, Elvis rips his pants onstage and has to leave to change.
50 Years Ago
1976
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction –William Zinsser
The Best of Frank Herbert 1952-1964
The Best of Frank Herbert 1965-1970 (1976)
Legends from the End of Time (1976) [C]
by Michael Moorcock
1976 – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Öyster Cult
“Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
Recuerdos – Gran Coquivacoa – YouTube Music
January 14, 1976 – The Bionic Woman
January 27, 1976 – Laverne & Shirley
January 30, 1976 – Chronicle, Vol. 1 – Creedence Clearwater Revival
February 4, 1976 – The 1976 Winter Olympics begin in Innsbruck, Austria.
March 1976 – Happy Days (TV theme) –Pratt & McClain
Dragonsong (Harper Hall, #1) – Anne McCaffrey
Doorways in the Sand – Roger Zelazny
1976 Best Novel (Hugo Award)
1976 Best SF Novel (Locus Poll Award)
1976 Novel (Nebula Award)
March 17, 1976 – It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown
April 3, 1976 – The Eurovision Song Contest 1976 is won by Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, with their song Save Your Kisses for Me
April 7, 1976– The Bad News Bears
April 9, 1976 – Alfred Hitchcock‘s last film, Family Plot, is released.
April 12, 1976 – Anne Rice – Interview with the Vampire
April 23, 1976 – Eat My Dust!
April 25, 1976 – Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday snatches an American flag from two fans who are about to set it on fire in the outfield during a game at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers win 5–4 in 10 innings. The next day, the Illinois legislature unanimously approves May 4 as Rick Monday Day.
May 1976
May 7, 1976 – Gordon R. Dickson – The Dragon and the George
May 13, 1976 – The Atari video arcade game Breakout is released.
May 16, 1976 – That’s Entertainment, Part II
May 21, 1976 – Hawmps!
June 1976 – Shower the People
The Best from the Rest of the World:
European Science Fiction
ed. Donald A. Wollheim
June 4, 1976 – The Boston Celtics defeat the Phoenix Suns 128–126 in triple overtime in Game 5 of the National Basketball Association Finals at the Boston Garden. In 1997, the game is selected by a panel of experts as the greatest of the NBA’s first 50 years.
June 7, 1976 – The nation’s first McDonald’s restaurant opens in central Porirua, New Zealand; a Big Mac initially cost 75c.
June 16, 1976 – The Soweto uprising in South Africa begins.
June 17, 1976 – Silent Movie
June 20, 1976 – “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (duet with Kiki Dee)
June 23, 1976 – Murder by Death
July 1976 – Anthology – The Jackson 5
July 1976 – A Galaxy of Strangers – Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
July 1, 1976 – It’s Always Demons? (Testing the Spirits) Anna Elisabeth “Anneliese” Michel (21 September 1952 – 1 July 1976) was a German woman who underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. She died of malnutrition, for which her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis (temporal lobe epilepsy) and had a history of psychiatric treatment that proved ineffective. Several films are based on her story, including the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the award-winning 2006 film Requiem and the 2011 film Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes. Remember if it isn’t demons it might be Alien-Demons?
July 4, 1976 – The U.S. celebrates its bicentennial, in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the 1776 adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
July 17, 1976 -The 1976 Summer Olympics begin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
July 29, 1976 – In New York City, the “Son of Sam” pulls a gun from a paper bag, killing one and seriously wounding another, in the first of a series of attacks that terrorize the city for the next year.
July 31, 1976 –NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1.
August 1976 –The Best of Poul Anderson
August 1 – 8, 1976 – 41st Eucharistic congress 
Philadelphia Hungers of the Human Family -Attended by 1,500,000 people, including 44 Cardinals and 417 bishops.[16] Theme: “The Eucharist and the Hungers of the Human Family” (physical and spiritual hungers).[17] Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day were panelists at a conference on Women and the Eucharist.[18] Future Pope John Paul II gave the homily for Freedom and Justice.[19] US President Ford spoke of freedom and the Church’s work for peace.
August 5, 1976 – The clock of “Big Ben” at the Palace of Westminster in London suffers internal damage and requires frequent repairs. The clock is stopped at times on 26 of the next 275 days.
August 11, 1976 – John Wayne appears in his final film, The Shootist
August 10, 1976 – Catholic Ireland keeps popping up in important Catholic news in this decade. Around 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland.
August 17, 1976 – Alex Haley – Roots: The Saga of an American Family
August 16, 1976 (Sweden) Dancing Queen – ABBA
August 18, 1976 – At Panmunjom, North Korea, two United States soldiers are killed while trying to chop down part of a tree in the Korean Demilitarized Zone which has obscured their view.
August 19, 1976 – U.S. President Gerald Ford edges out challenger Ronald Reagan to win the Republican Party presidential nomination in Kansas City.
August 20, 1976 – The Gumball Rally
September 1976 – “More Than a Feeling” – Boston
Isaac Asimov – The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories
September 5, 1976 – The Muppet Show
September 15, 1976 – Bugsy Malone
September 6, 1976 – Cold War: Soviet Air Force pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko lands a MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō in Japan, and requests political asylum in the United States.
Frank Sinatra brings Jerry Lewis‘s former partner Dean Martin onstage, unannounced, at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas, reuniting the comedy team for the first (and only) time in over 20 years.
September 22, 1976 – Charlie’s Angels
October 1976 – Picnic at Hanging Rock, directed by Peter Weir, is released.
October 1976 – The Best of C. M. Kornbluth
October 7, 1976 – The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
October 12, 1976 – The People’s Republic of China announces that Hua Guofeng is the successor to Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party following the latter’s death on September 9 from a heart attack.
November 1976 – “This Old Heart of Mine” – Rod Stewart
November 12, 1976 – Disappearance of Renee MacRae and her 3-year-old son Andrew from Inverness in Scotland; this becomes Britain’s longest-running missing persons case.
November 15, 1976 – The first megamouth shark is discovered off Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi.
November 19, 1976 – “Carry On Wayward Son –Kansas
November 21, 1976 – Rocky, the first in the film series opens. It becomes the highest-grossing film released in the year and goes on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
November 15, 1976 – “Take It To The Limit” – Eagles
December 1976 – Starlight: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester
December 6, 1976– A retired Catholic bishop, a Catholic priest and a Catholic nun were shot dead in a guerrilla ambush in Lupane. They were 71-year-old retired Bishop of Bulawayo, Rt. Rev. Adolph Schmitt, 65-year-old Fr Possenti Weggarten, principal of Regina Mundi Secondary School in Lupane, and Sr Maria Frances van den Berg.
December 8, 1976 – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is established by the five Latinos in the United States Congress: Herman Badillo of the Bronx, E. de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas, Edward R. Roybal of California, and the nonvoting Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Baltasar Corrada del Río.
December 10, 1976 – Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
December 13, 1976 – The Little Drummer Boy Book II
December 15, 1976 – The Pink Panther Strikes Again
December 16, 1976 – Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Spring 1977 – 1st Issue
December 17, 1976
December 20, 1976 – Across the Great Divide
December 26, 1976 – Nickelodeon
1977
This is a big year for the world.
May 25, 1977
Scientist George Lucas opens a wormhole to A Galaxy Far Far Away. Catholics and non-Catholics alike learn of this ‘Star Wars’ light years away from our planet.
Star Wars Opens in Theaters.
So many interesting and wonderful things happened in 1977, it is going to get its own chronological series of blog posts.
Here are some of the non-chronological series of events.
Picture This
Angelic Landscape, by Salvador Dali
Newsmakers of the World
Paul Binder
(born October 19, 1942)
He is the founder, founding artistic director, and former ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus.
In 1977, inspired by his time with the Nouveau Cirque de Paris, Binder founded the Big Apple Circus in New York City, with Christensen later being named co-founder. Glen Collins, reporting for The New York Times, described Binder as, “big of voice, broad of shoulder and barrel of chest, the impresario is a fast-talking six-footer with a carny barker‘s lung power and a smoldering cigarette perpetually threatening to burn his index finger.”
Terry Cavaretta
aka Terry Cavaretta-St. Jules
(born 1953)
She is an American aerialist. In 1977, she became the first woman to perform a quadruple somersault on flying trapeze. She is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for achieving the most triple somersaults. She was also the first aerialist to perform a triple back somersault with one and a half twists
She was inducted into the Ring of Fame in 2009 and the International Circus Hall of Fame in 2014.
David Vetter
(September 21, 1971 – February 22, 1984)
He was an American boy who was a prominent person with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a hereditary disease which dramatically weakens the immune system.etter was baptized a Roman Catholic with sterilized holy water once he had entered the bubble. In 1977, researchers from NASA used their experience with the fabrication of space suits to develop a special suit that would allow Vetter to get out of his bubble and walk in the outside world. The suit was connected to his bubble via an eight-foot (2.5 m) long cloth tube and although cumbersome, it allowed him to venture outside without serious risk of contamination. Vetter was initially resistant to the suit, and although he later became more comfortable wearing it, he used it only seven times. He outgrew the suit and never used the replacement one provided for him by NASA. A friend arranged for a special showing of Return of the Jedi at a local theater so that Vetter could attend the movie in his transport chamber.
Herbert James “Burt” Munro
(March 25, 1899 – January 6, 1978)
He was a motorcycle racer from New Zealand, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, on the 26th of August 1967. This record still stands; Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record.
Having had angina since the late 1950s, Munro had a stroke in 1977, and was admitted to hospital. He found his coordination had diminished. Frustrated, but wanting his motorcycles to remain in Southland, he sold both machines to his friend, Norman Hayes, of E. Hayes & Sons.
Margaret Mead
(December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978)
She was a communicator of anthropology in modern American and Western culture and was often controversial as an academic. agatha Her reports detailing the attitudes towards sex in South Pacific and Southeast Asian traditional cultures influenced the 1960s sexual revolution. She was a proponent of broadening sexual conventions within the context of Western cultural traditions. She was elected a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society in 1977.
John Paul Getty III
(November 4, 1956 – February 5, 2011)
John was the grandson of American oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) who was once the richest man in the world. In 1977 he had an operation to rebuild the ear that his ‘Ndrangheta kidnappers had cut off who had kidnapped him in Rome on July 10, 1973 and had cut off his ear as proof they had him and that they meant business.
Eileen Gray
(August 9, 1878 – October 31, 1976)
Table E 1027 is an adjustable steel and glass table designed by this Irish designer in 1927. Originally created for her E-1027 house, the table has since become one of Gray’s most famous designs.The E1027 Table has been in the permanent design collection of the MoMA since 1977/1978.
Martin Luther King Jr.
(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
In 1977 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his battle against prejudice.
Elizabeth II
(April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022)
Silver Jubilee
In 1977, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 25 years on the throne . It was a year that saw the Queen and Prince Philip travel extensively on “goodwill” visits. Throughout 1977 they visited 36 counties in Britain and they embarked on a Commonwealth tour later that year, taking in Tonga and Fiji, then on to New Zealand and Australia.
They rounded this off by travelling on to Papua New Guinea, then to the West Indies, and finally ending in Canada where they were joined by Prince Charles. Also, in this year, the Queen welcomed her first grandchild as Princess Anne gave birth to her first child, Peter. Queen Elizabeth II Through The Decades – The Seventies (hattonsoflondon.co.uk)
Ming Ming (giant panda) (1977 – May 7, 2011) was the world’s oldest giant panda. She died of kidney failure at age 34 at the Xiangjiang Wild Animal World in Guangdong Province. Her name translates from Chinese as “bright”.
Food Makers
Double Seven (soft drink) was an Indian soft drink brand. It was manufactured and marketed by the Indian government after Coca-Cola quit the Indian market in 1977 due to changes in government policies.
In 1977 the breakfast menu would be expanded from just Egg McMuffins, coffee, and milk to include the Sausage McMuffin, the Sausage and Egg McMuffin, Hotcakes, scrambled eggs, Hash Browns, and the Big Breakfast.Let’s Read an Old Menu! Featuring: McDonald’s Through The Ages – The Avocado (the-avocado.org)
McDonalds Commercial Come Out and Play McDonaldland, 1977 – YouTube
70’s Ads: Pillsbury Poppin’ Fresh Dough Chocolate Chip Cookies 1977 (youtube.com)
The “Be a Pepper” campaign was introduced at the 1977 Dr Pepper’s Bottler Meeting Las Vegas, Nevada. (For those that are interested – It was at the Sahara Hotel and Casino where the 1960 version of Ocean’s 11 was filmed.) At the meeting, the company’s executive officers highlighted the success of the company’s previous landmark campaigns including “Drink a Bit to Eat at 10-2- 4 o’clock” and “America’s Most Understood Soft Drink.” The company recognized that in order for its success to continue it needed to gain additional volume by introducing greater usage frequency among current drinkers. In particular the company wanted to focus on drinkers between the ages of 13-30. With those ideas in mind, the advertising was introduced.
Are You a Pepper? (drpeppermuseum.com)
Toy and Game Designers
Classic Slinky Toy Commercial (1977)
Dog-opoly | Monopoly Wiki | Fandom
1977 was the nineteenth year of production for Barbie. In 1977, Superstar Barbie had a wide smile and fuller hair, blue shimmer eye shadow, brightly painted eyes, and pale pink lip gloss that were in-step with the glittering disco glam look found gyrating on dance floors across the country. Barbiemedia
On the Airwaves
- Doctor Who (1963–1989)
- The Carol Burnett Show – September 11, 1967 –March 29, 1978
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show -September 19, 1970 –March 19, 1977
- The Bob Newhart Show September 16, 1972 –April 1, 1978
- M*A*S*H (September 17, 1972 – February 28, 1983)
- The Six Million Dollar Man -March 7, 1973 –March 6, 1978
- Kojak – October 24, 1973 – March 18, 1978
- Happy Days -January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984
- Good Times -February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979.
Little House on the Prairie – September 11, 1974 –March 21, 1983 - Chico and the Man – September 13, 1974, to July 21, 1978
- The Jeffersons January 18, 1975 – July 2, 1985
- Starsky & Hutch -April 30, 1975 –May 15, 1979
- Welcome Back, Kotter – September 9, 1975, through May 17, 1979.
- Laverne & Shirley -January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983.
- The Bionic Woman – January 14, 1976 – May 4, 1977 ABC /September 10, 1977 –May 12, 1978 NBC
- The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams – February 9, 1977 – May 12, 1978
- Wonder Woman (November 7, 1975 –September 11, 1979)
Fantasy Island – January 14, 1977 –May 19, 1984: Before it became a television series, Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 and 1978 through two made-for-television films. - The New Mickey Mouse Club – January 17, 1977 –1979
- Lucy Calls the President – November 21, 1977
Some of the
Publications Hot of the Press
Children’s Books
Lloyd Alexander – The Town Cats and Other Tales
Eleanor Coerr – Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Susan Cooper –Silver on the Tree (The Dark is Rising, #5)
Diana Wynne Jones – Charmed Life
E.C. Segar is Honored By His Birthplace To honor Popeye’s creator, E.C. Segar, a 6 ft. tall, 900-pound bronze statue of Popeye is erected in Chester, IL in Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park. The “Home of Popeye,” Chester, IL was E.C. Segar’s birthplace and the Popeye & Friends Character Trail begins there. It includes statues honoring many other Thimble Theater characters, and features a new installment each year. An annual Popeye Picnic and parade is also held in Chester the weekend after Labor Day. Popeye | Timeline – History
Christian Books
The Joyful Christian -C.S. Lewis
A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph by Sheldon Vanauken with C.S. Lewis
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity Ronald J. Sider
More Than a Carpenter – Josh McDowell
General Fiction
Horror
The Face of Fear – Brian Coffey (Pseudonym), Dean Koontz
Humor
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
The Fog Horn and Other Stories – Ray Bradbury
The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972
The Book of Merlyn – T.H. White
Suspense/Mystery
Otto Penzler is the co-author of the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection for which he won an Edgar Award in 1977.
The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection is a comprehensive reference guide edited by Chris Steinbrunner and Otto Penzler. First published in 1976, it covers a wide range of topics related to mystery and detective fiction. This includes biographies of over 500 authors, summaries of key works, and profiles of famous fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple
The encyclopedia also delves into the adaptations of these works across various media, including films, radio, and television. It’s a treasure trove for any mystery fan, offering insights into the genre’s history and evolution.
Are you a fan of mystery and detective stories? If so, do you have a favorite author or detective?
Young Adult
The CB radio caper – Gary Paulsen
I Am the Cheese –Robert Cormier
Non-Fiction
Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story
Patrick Leigh Fermor – A Time Of Gifts
Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s by Ray Kroc
With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hey a Movie
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Italian filmmaker Luigi Cozzi released to Italian theaters a further modified and colorized version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, with a soundtrack that used a magnetic tape process similar to Sensurround.
The Real Bruce Lee is a 1977 martial arts documentary that comes complete with a feature-length Korean martial arts film titled Last Fist of Fury (최후의 정무문, Choihui Jeongmumun).
The version of the film that is commonly distributed in the West (USA) on public domain-type DVD and video labels runs 93 minutes in length. The British VHS-version released in 1979 runs 118 minutes.
‘The Displaced Person (TV Movie 1977) A conscientious but driven Polish refugee disrupts the hierarchy of power on a Georgia farm in the 1940s.- IMDB Based on a story by Flannery O’Connor.
The Sound of Music performed by Julie Andrews (youtube.com)
The first American television broadcast of The Sound of Music was on February 29, 1976, on ABC, which paid $15 million ($84.9 million in 2023) for a one-time only broadcast that became one of the top 20 rated films shown on television to that point with a Nielsen rating of 33.6 and an audience share of 49%. he film was not shown again until NBC acquired the broadcast rights in June, 1977 for $21.5 million for 20 showings over 22 years. The first NBC broadcast of the film was on February 11, 1979. NBC continued to broadcast the film annually for twenty years. During most of its run on NBC, the film was heavily edited to fit a three-hour time slot—approximately 140 minutes without commercials, which inevitably cut around 30 minutes out of the original film.
Good Sports
In 1977, Hank Aaron received the American Academy of Achievement‘s Golden Plate Award.
Hank Aaron
(February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021)
Nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank“, was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one of the greatest baseball players in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game’s key career power-hitting records. He broke the long-standing MLB record for career home runs held by Babe Ruth and remained the career leader for 33 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed his famous total of 755 in 2007. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.
Sanctifying Time
Evangelist Billy Graham traveled to the Philippines last month and preached the Gospel for five days to the high and mighty as well as to the masses. Afterward, the Metro Manila Crusade office reported that 412,000 people had gathered at Rizal Park to hear him, and that 22,512 persons—three-fourths of them under age 30—came forward in response to Graham’s invitations to make a commitment to Christ. More than 60 per cent of the inquirers made first-time decisions for Christ, according to crusade officials. But much more happened than what took place at Rizal Park.Billy Graham’s Mission to Manila – Christianity Today
On October 2, 1979, two months before Sheen’s death, Pope John Paul II visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and embraced Sheen, saying, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church.” Beginning in 1977, Sheen underwent a series of surgeries that sapped his strength, thus making delivering a sermon a difficult task. Throughout this time, he continued to work on his autobiography, parts of which were recited from his sickbed as he clutched a crucifix. Soon after an open-heart surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, Sheen died on December 9, 1979, in his private chapel while praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Throughout his life, Sheen had made a daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) – Find a Grave Memorial
Holdings: Family Rosary Crusade, 1942-1977 (35th anniversary). (catholicresearch.org)
The Sound of Music
Elvis Presley
The best selling solo artist of all time Elvis Presley, promoted Coca-Cola during his last tour of 1977 The Coca-Cola Company used Presley’s image to promote the product. For example, the company used a song performed by Presley, “A Little Less Conversation“, in a Japanese Coca-Cola commercial. 1977 Coke 75th Anniversary Bottle
“Weird Al” Yankovic
He attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, earning a bachelor’s degree in architecture After graduation he worked at Westwood One, first in the mail room and then calling stations confirming that paid advertisements had indeed run on air.
In 1976, Dr. Demento spoke at Yankovic’s school, where the 16-year-old Yankovic gave him a homemade cassette tape of original and parody songs performed on the accordion in Yankovic’s bedroom into a “cheesy little tape recorder”. The tape’s first song, “Belvedere Cruisin'” (about his family’s Plymouth Belvedere) was played on Demento’s comedy radio show, launching Yankovic’s career. Demento said, “‘Belvedere Cruising’ might not have been the very best song I ever heard, but it had some clever lines […] I put the tape on the air immediately.”[15][25] Yankovic also played at local coffeehouses, accompanied by fellow dorm resident Joel Miller on bongos.
In 1978, he released his first recording (as Alfred Yankovic), “Take Me Down”, on the LP Slo Grown, as a benefit for the Economic Opportunity Commission of San Luis Obispo County. The song mocked famous nearby landmarks such as Bubblegum Alley and the waterfall toilets at the Madonna Inn.
1977-1980 Weird Al Yankovic Cal Poly College Radio show flashbacks (youtube.com)
15 Years On is the eleventh studio album by the Irish folk band The Dubliners. This album was created to celebrate the band’s 15th anniversary from the day they started music together. The album was released on the Chyme label in 1977. The album features 24 tracks on two records (nine of which were previously unreleased). In spite of having only nine previously unreleased tracks, it is still regarded as an original album. They also released Live at Montreux which was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1976 and released on the former German Intercord label. The album was never released on CD, however, single tracks appeared on compilations. In 2016, the album was released on Spotify, Amazon music and other music services as an mp3 download with a new cover.
1978
Books Hot off the Press
Don Freeman – A Pocket for Corduroy (1978)
L. Sprague de Camp – The Best of L. Sprague de Camp
Lives You Wished to Lead But Never Dared by L. Ron Hubbard
January 25–27, 1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978 strikes the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes, killing 70.
February 1978 – The Best of Robert Silverberg
February 5–7, 1978 – The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 hits the New England region and the New York metropolitan area, killing about 100, and causing over US$520 million in damage.
February 8, 1978 – United States Senate proceedings are broadcast on radio for the first time
February 17, 1978 – Stephen King – Night Shift (collection of short stories including “Children of the Corn“)
February 23, 1978 – What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown!
February 24, 1978 –America’s Dyatlov Pass? The Yuba County Five disappear. They were a group of young men from Yuba City, California, United States, each with mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions, who attended a college basketball game at California State University, Chico (Chico State). Four of them—Bill Sterling, 29; Jack Huett, 24; Ted Weiher, 32; and Jack Madruga, 30—were later found dead; the fifth, Gary Mathias, 25, has never been found.
February 25, 1978 – Visions, Prophecies, Private Revelations The Vatican document Norms regarding the manner of proceedings in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations (vatican.va is released.
February 27, 1978 – The first global positioning satellite, the Rockwell International-built Navstar 1, is launched by the United States.
February 28, 1978 – Robin Williams makes his first appearance as Mork from Ork on an episode of Happy Days on ABC. The episode proved to be such a success, that it would soon give way to a spin-off starring Williams entitled Mork & Mindy.
March 1978 – Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for The Empire Strikes Back, but dies only two weeks later.
Alan Dean Foster – Splinter of the Mind’s Eye
Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
March 1, 1978 – Charlie Chaplin’s coffin was dug up and stolen from its grave by Roman Wardas and Gantcho Ganev. The body was held for ransom in an attempt to extort money from his widow, Oona Chaplin. The pair were caught in a large police operation in May, and Chaplin’s coffin was found buried in a field in the nearby village of Noville. It was re-interred in the Corsier cemetery in a reinforced concrete vault.
March 8, 1978 – Douglas Adams‘ comic science fiction series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy originates as a radio comedy broadcast on the U.K. BBC Radio 4.
March 10, 1978 – Return from Witch Mountain
March 22, 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies, after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
April 1978
The Best of Murray Leinster (US)
The Near-Zero Crime Rate on JJ Avenue
short story by Wilson Tucker
in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, April 1978
April 2, 1978 – Dallas debuts on CBS, and gives birth to the modern day primetime soap opera.
April 3, 1978 – The 50th Academy Awards are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, with Annie Hall winning Best Picture.
April 7, 1978 – “Roxanne” – The Police
U.S. President Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb, a weapon that kills people with radiation, but leaves buildings relatively intact.
April 14, 1978 – Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against an attempt by Soviet authorities to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
April 21, 1978 – I Wanna Hold Your Hand
April 25, 1978 – St. Paul, Minnesota becomes the second U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance, after Anita Bryant‘s successful 1977 anti-gay campaign in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
May 1, 1978 –Ellen Raskin – The Westing Game
May 5, 1978 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds becomes the 13th player in Major League history to collect 3,000 career hits.
May 17, 1978 – Charlie Chaplin‘s coffin is found some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the cemetery from which it was stolen, near Lake Geneva.
May 18, 1978 – Sarajevo is selected to host the 1984 Winter Olympics, and Los Angeles is selected to host the 1984 Summer Olympics.
May 20, 1978 – Mavis Hutchinson, 53, becomes the first woman to run across the U.S.; her trek took 69 days.
June 1978 – “Copacabana (At the Copa) – Barry Manilow
June 2, 1978 – Good Guys Wear Black
June 16, 1978 – Grease
June 19, 1978 – England cricketer Ian Botham becomes the first man in the history of the game to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a Test match.
Garfield‘s first comic strip, originally published locally as Jon in 1976, goes into nationwide syndication.
The first Jon strip, which ran in the Pendleton Times on January 8, 1976. It was redrawn as the first Garfield strip published on June 19, 1978, with the dialogue in the second panel removed and Garfield’s line in the first panel moved there.
July 20, 1978 – Revenge of the Pink Panther
June 24, 1978 – The Gay & Lesbian Solidarity March is held in Sydney, Australia to mark the 9th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots (which later becomes the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras; later incorporating a festival).
In Acapulco, Mexico, Margaret Gardiner of South Africa is crowned Miss Universe.
July 1978 – Samaritan (1978) by Connie Willis in Galileo, July 1978
July 25, 1978 – Louise Brown, the world’s first test tube baby, is born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK.
June 30, 1978 – The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
July 1, 1978 – A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3) –Madeleine L’Engle
July 5, 1978 –Hot Lead and Cold Feet
August 1, 1978 – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, #1) Judi Barrett, Ron (Illustrator)
August 2, 1978 – The Magic of Lassie
This is the year that shakes things up in the Catholic Church. It is …
The Year of 3 popes
August 6, 1978– Pope Paul VI dies in Castel Gandolfo.
August 12th, 1978 – Mark has been making progress. He has learned to ride his two wheeler although I sill am at the “worrying” Stage. One might as he was heading for the hill & we are hollering “Put on your brakes”, he puts both feet up & says “what brakes?”
He can swim a little now puts his head under water. He reads good- although guess rather than sounds out the words. He like s to read what he thinks it should say. I draw from his imagination every night- he tells me what to draw & in that way we make “books”. He is well known in school for the books he brins in-he is the author & I am the illustrator. At night I also have to sing him a lullaby-which is a song we make up with his own characters. It takes at least an hour to “put Mark to bed”, what with reading, eating, drawing, lullaby etc. Pretty soon he will be off to school again- 2nd grade. -Louise Wilson’s Diary
August 26, 1978 – Pope John Paul I succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope.
September 1978 – The Best of Lester del Rey
September 14, 1978 –Mork & Mindy
September 17, 1978 – Battlestar Galactica
September 23, 1978 – California Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock is shot to death at age 27 while visiting friends in Gary, Indiana during an Angels’ road trip in Chicago, Illinois.
September 28, 1978 – Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of being pope. Cue the conspiracy theorists.
October 1978 – The Best of Eric Frank Russell
October 2, 1978 – Mommie Dearest, written by Christina Crawford that discusses her adoptive mother Joan Crawford‘s abusive nature, is published. It is the first celebrity tell-all memoir.
October 1978
“My Life” – Billy Joel
“I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard
October 3, 1978 – Stephen King – The Stand
October 10, 1978 -“My Best Friend’s Girl“
October 14, 1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs a bill into law which allows homebrewing of beer in the United States.
October 14 – October 21, 1978 – Rescue from Gilligan’s Island
October 16,1978 – Pope John Paul II succeeds Pope John Paul I as the 264th pope after only 33 days as the Roman Catholic Pontiff who succeeded Pope Paul VI. This resulted in the first Year of Three Popes since 1605. He is the first Polish pope in history, and the first non-Italian pope since Pope Adrian VI (1522–1523).The Italian Monopoly on the Papacy is crumbling.
October 20, 1978 – Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
October 24, 1978 – Halloween
October 28, 1978 – Supermarket Pink – Final Pink Panther cartoon in the series.
October 31, 1978 – The South African Railways sets a still unbeaten world rail speed record on Cape gauge.
November 1978 – The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle
November 1, 1978 – Roald Dahl – The Enormous Crocodile
November 3, 1978 – Diff’rent Strokes premiers.
Nov 11th, 1978 –Mark will soon be 8 and hasn’t changed drastically. He is “allergic” to work. He was told if he wet his bed because he wouldn’t get up, that there would no Sat TV programs. When I came down at 7:30 AM he told me he was going to keep his pajamas as on all day. Knowing he was “fooling me” I wasn’t surprised to see him all dressed, wrapped in his blanket, laying on a made bed. I asked if the bed was wet & he replied “ don’t think so”. When I uncovered the bed- it was. I then got mad because he lied to me. He said he thought it would be dry by the time I looked & he was “afraid”. I pointed out that it was the lie I was mad at and TV was off.
We sat through a silent breakfast & he didn’t cry or complain as I got the wheels rolling to see how I could get out of that one. I sat him down & we discussed what a lie was (he knew) & I told him if he would clean the tile of leaves up in the back yard by himself he could come in & watch TV. He stated off on his big job. First he scattered the leaves all he could so there would be less to carry away. Then I brought a rake. Then he got a big barrel which he filled so he wouldn’t’ have to make more then one trip. He finally found out he couldn’t’ carry it- there upon I emptied it out & he continued with the smaller barrel.
He tried dumping the leaves out the back gate as it was closer- but I saw him & squashed that venture. Back he went to the grind of work. He kept calling to see if that “ was all”, but I hung in until it was all done I hope he has learned something today- (probably that work is pretty harsh he’ll have to work harder to keep away from it. -Louise Wilson’s Diary
November 15, 1978 –The Lord of the Rings
November 17, 1978 – Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming sequel. But he was not enough for the special to avoid negative reviews upon airing.
November 18, 1978 – In Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass murder–suicide in his commune, Jonestown, that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Representative Leo J. Ryan is assassinated by members of Peoples Temple shortly beforehand.
November 27, 1978 – Moscone-Milk assassinations: San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by disgruntled former Supervisor Dan White.
December 1978 – They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way
The Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller, Jr. –
1980 Best Single Author Collection (Locus Poll Award)
December 11, 1978 – Lufthansa heist: Six men rob a Lufthansa cargo facility in New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
December 15, 1978 – Superman Opens.
December 20, 1978 – Every Which Way but Loose
1979
USCCB’s Pastoral Letter on Racism (1979)
This document penned in 1979 during the 2nd year of the reign of St. John Paul 2 is still rather relevant today in 2020 as we see the damage racism has done to this country.
Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father. Racism is the sin that says some human beings are inherently superior and others essentially inferior because of races. It is the sin that makes racial characteristics the determining factor for the exercise of human rights. It mocks the words of Jesus: “Treat others the way you would have them treat you.” (4) Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth of the dignity of each human being revealed by the mystery of the Incarnation.
See Should We All Be Racists Now Father? for a comical look at this serious subject.
Books Hot of the Press
Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Love Comes Softly (Love Comes Softly, #1) –Janette Oke
Dragondrums (Harper Hall, #3) –Anne McCaffrey
The Fog Horn & Other Stories – Ray Bradbury
January 1979 – Heart of Glass” – Blondie
January 1979 – The Best of Avram Davidson
January 1, 1979 – United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the International Year of the Child. Many musicians donate to the Music for UNICEF Concert fund, among them ABBA, who write the song Chiquitita to commemorate the event.
In 1979, the United States officially severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This decision marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, turning to view the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China.
January 9, 1979 – The Music for UNICEF Concert is held at the United Nations General Assembly to raise money for UNICEF and promote the Year of the Child. It is broadcast the following day in the United States and around the world. Hosted by the Bee Gees, other performers include Donna Summer, ABBA, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind & Fire. A soundtrack album is later released.
January 20, 1979 – Capital punishment in Peru: Following a hasty conviction on espionage and treason charges, Air Force member Julio Vargas Garayar became the last person to be executed by Peru.
January 26, 1979 – The Dukes of Hazzard
February 1979 – “Message in a Bottle” – The Police
February 13, 1979 – The Guardian Angels are formed in New York City as an unarmed organization of young crime fighters.
February 26, 1979 -A total solar eclipse, the last visible from the continental United States until 2017, arcs over northwestern conterminous US and central Canada ending in Greenland. A partial solar eclipse is visible over almost all of North America and Central America including the eastern half of Alaska and the western half of the UK.
March 4, 1979 – The U.S. Voyager 1 spaceprobe photos reveal Jupiter’s rings.
March 10, 1979 – Uganda–Tanzania War: Battle of Lukaya: The Ugandan military, a Libyan expeditionary force and allied Palestine Liberation Organisation militants begin a counter-offensive against Tanzanian troops in south-central Uganda. The Ugandan-led alliance retakes Lukaya after a short clash with the Tanzanian military.
March 17, 1979 – “In the Navy” – Village People.
March 19, 1979 – C-SPAN, an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched.
You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown
March 26, 1979 – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign an Egypt–Israel peace treaty.
Michigan State University, led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, defeats Larry Bird-led Indiana State 75–64 in the NCAA tournament championship game at Salt Lake City.
March 31, 1979 – Milk and Honey win the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 for Israel, with the song Hallelujah.
April 1979 – Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
April 7, 1979 – In the earliest no-hitter in major league history, the Houston Astros‘ Ken Forsch shuts down the Atlanta Braves 6–0. His brother, the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Bob Forsch, had hurled a no-hitter the previous season against the Philadelphia Phillies—making them the first big league brothers to each toss a no-hitter.
In Japan, Yoshiyuki Tomino directs Mobile Suit Gundam, the first series of the metaseries of the same name.
April 14th, 1979 – Mark has had kidney and bladder X-rays to see if anything can be done about his wetting his pants. They came out OK so next week he is going into Out-Patient for the day for more tests. If we can only get this problem solved, we can concentrate on others. June 22 Mark goes to the Children’s Hospital in Boston for testing. His teacher are baffled as to what to do with him next year. Hope he will get any necessary help, he seems very immature & don’t’ believe he is ready for 3rd grade. -Louise Wilson’s Diary
April 22, 1979 – The Albert Einstein Memorial is unveiled at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
May 1979 – Old Time Rock and Roll” – Bob Seger
The Instrumentality of Mankind – Cordwainer Smith
May 1, 1979 – Greenland is granted limited autonomy from Denmark, with its own Parliament sitting in Nuuk.
May 21, 1979 – Dan White is convicted of manslaughter, rather than murder, for the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, after using what would become known as the “Twinkie defense” and persuading a jury that the crime was not premeditated. The maximum sentence is seven years imprisonment, with eligibility for early parole, prompting the “White Night riots” in the gay community.
The Montreal Canadiens defeat the New York Rangers four games to one to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.
May 25, 1979 – The movie Alien is released in theaters. It gives ample evidence of why humans should not mess with aliens.
American Airlines Flight 191: In Chicago, a DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport, killing all 271 on board and 2 people on the ground in the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.
Etan Patz, six years old, is kidnapped in New York. He is often referred to as the “Boy on the Milk Carton” and the investigation later sprouts into one of the most famous child abduction cases of all time. This is a cold case until 2010 when it is re-opened. In April 2017, Pedro Hernandez is convicted of the murder and kidnapping and sentenced to life imprisonment.
June 1979 – The Best of Hal Clement
June 2, 1979 – Pope John Paul II arrives in his native Poland on his first official, nine-day stay, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country. This visit, known as nine days that changed the world, brings about the solidarity of the Polish people against Communism, ultimately leading to the rise of the Solidarity movement.
Los Angeles’ city council passes the city’s first homosexual rights bill signed without fanfare by mayor Tom Bradley.
June 15, 1979 – Rocky II
June 15, 1979 – McDonald’s introduces the Happy Meal in the United States in a nationwide advertising campaign after testing the product since February in franchises in the U.S. state of Missouri.
June 21, 1979 – Chris Van Allsburg – The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
June 22, 1979 – The Muppet Movie is released.
June 26, 1979 – Moonraker
June 27, 1979 –The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
July 1, 1979 – Sweden becomes the first country to outlaw corporal punishment in the home.
The Sony Walkman goes on sale for the first time in Japan.
July 11, 1979 – NASA‘s first orbiting space station, Skylab, begins falling back Earth as its orbit decays after more than six years.
July 16, 1979 – Iraqi President Hasan al-Bakr resigns and Vice President Saddam al-Tikriti, more commonly referred to in the Western press as “Saddam Hussein”, assumes the presidency.
August 1979 – The Best of James Blish
August 10, 1979 – Michael Jackson releases his breakthrough album Off the Wall. It sells 7 million copies in the United States alone, making it a 7× platinum album.
September 1979 – And Come from Miles Around (1979) by Connie Willis in Galileo, September 1979
September 1, 1979 – Michael Ende – The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte)
September 9, 1979 – The long-running comic strip For Better or For Worse begins its run, in Canada, before becoming syndicated elsewhere in North America and the world.
September 14, 1979 –The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
September 18, 1979 – Heartache Tonight” – Eagles
September 20, 1979 – Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
September 28, 1979 –Time After Time
October 1979 – Roadmarks – Roger Zelazny – 1980 Best SF Novel (Locus Poll Award)
October 1 – 7, 1979 – Pope John Paul II makes a six-city visit to the United States, starting in Boston.
October 17, 1979 – The Black Stallion
October 19, 1979 – Jesus
October 20, 1979 – The first McDonald’s in Singapore opens at Liat Towers in Orchard Road.
November 1979
Riverworld and Other Stories by Philip José Farmer
The Wonderful World of Robert Sheckley
The Golden Helix • collection by Theodore Sturgeon
November 1, 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini urges his people to demonstrate on November 4 and to expand attacks on United States and Israeli interests.
November 3, 1979 – In Greensboro, North Carolina, five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot to death and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis, during a “Death to the Klan” rally.
November 4, 1979 – Iran hostage crisis begins: 500 Iranian radicals, mostly students, invade the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and take 90 hostages (53 of whom are American). They demand that the United States send the former Shah of Iran back to stand trial.
November 7, 1979 – U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy announces that he will challenge President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.
November 10, 1979 – 1979 Mississauga train derailment: A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, causing a massive explosion and the largest peacetime evacuation in Canadian history and one of the largest in North American history.
November 13, 1979 – Ronald Reagan announces his candidacy for President of the United States, 9 days after the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis.
November 14, 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: U.S. President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States and U.S. banks in response to the hostage crisis.
November 17, 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and African American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
November 23rd, 1979 – Mark is ding very well in school. He repeated second grade and I am so glad because he seems happier and the kids seem better for him. The pants-wetting problem is now solved. Mark is growing up fast. We still make books. His pants are stretching. Think will keep him. – Louise Wilson’s Diary
November 28, 1979 – Air New Zealand Flight 901: an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes into Mount Erebus in Antarctica on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.
November 30, 1979 – The Wall, a rock opera concept album by Pink Floyd, is first released.
December 1979 – “What I Like About You” – The Romantics
December 3, 1979 – The Who concert disaster: Eleven fans are killed during a crowd crush for unreserved seats before The Who rock concert at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.
December 7, 1979 –Star Trek: The Motion Picture
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” – Queen.
December 9, 1979 – The Beloved Bishop of the airwaves dies. Fulton Sheen (May 8th, 1895 – December 9th 1979) The Carmelite often says his eyes were penetrating as she was watching him on EWTN. He stared into her soul.
December 13, 1979 – Jack Frost
December 21, 1979 –The Black Hole
December 24, 1979 – The Soviet Union covertly launches its invasion of Afghanistan – 3 days later, PDPA general secretary Hafizullah Amin is executed in Operation Storm-333 and Babrak Karmal replaces him, beginning the war.
Other interesting events that occur include…
Karl Keating first beings Catholic Answers.
Ignatius Press is started by Father Joseph Fessio. a former pupil of Fr. Joseph Ratzinger ( the future pope.)
Mother Theresa wins the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
John Michael Talbot releases his first album after his conversion to the Catholic church called ‘ The Lord’s Supper’ .
HE END OF THE 70’s
On to the 80’s
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