1970 

* The Beatles disbanded

* Hit songs: “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago, “Get Up” by James Brown, “Ball of Confusion” by The Temptations, “Lola” by The Kinks,  “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel, “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison, and “The Rapper” by The Jaggerz

* Major movies: M*A*S*H, Woodstock, Five Easy Pieces, Love Story, Catch 22, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and The Aristocats

* Notable books: “The Late, Great Planet Earth” by Hal Lindsey, “Love Story” by Erich Segal, “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” by Judy Blume, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown

* Four students at Kent State University in Ohio, were killed and nine wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen, at a protest against the incursion into Cambodia

* The first Earth Day was celebrated

* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) began operations

* The US lowered the voting age to 18 from 21

* September 18 – American musician Jimi Hendrix died at age 27 from an overdose of sleeping pills

* October 4 – American singer Janis Joplin did, at age 27, from an overdose of drugs

* Fashion: Hungarian blouses, ponchos, capes, military surplus clothing, frayed jeans, native American patterns

* President Nixon signed legislation that officially banned cigarette ads on television and radio

* The world's first jumbo-jet—a Boeing 747—made its first commercial passenger trip from New York to London

* Popular TV shows:  The Waltons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Brady Bunch, The Carol Burnett Show, Dallas

* Best selling gifts; Nerfball, Apollo Moon Rocket, Sindy, Talking Viewmaster, Risk board game

 1971

 * Drugs become "Public Enemy Number One" 

 * Top songs:  "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night, "Knock 3 Times" by Dawn, "Me & Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin, "Love Her Madly" by The Doors, "Just my Imagination" by The Temptations, "It's Too Late" by Carole King, "Family Affair" by Sly & the Family Stone, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the BeeGees

 * Fruity and Chocolate Pebbles cereal are introduced by Post

 * D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane in the U.S., got $200,000 in ransom money, and then parachuted from plane, never to be seen again

 * Popular TV shows: All in the Family, The Flip Wilson Show, Marcus Welby, M.D., Sanford and Son, Mannix

 * Charles Manson & 3 of his followers are convicted for the murders of Sharon Tate & 6 others in 1969.

 * Notable books: "The Day of the Jackel" by Frederick Forsyth, "The Exorist" by Wm.P. Blatty; "The Drifters" by James Michener, "Love Story" by Erich Segal

 *  The final broadcast of "The Ed Sullivan Show" was aired on CBS

 * Chat rooms debuted on ARPANET, the precursor of the internet

 * Best selling gifts:  Space Hopper, Mastermind board game. Weebles, Clackers, Etch-a-Sketch

 * Notable movies: Willard, Big Jake, Billy Jack, Fiddler on the Roof, The Last Picture Show

 * Notable books: “The Exorcist” by William Peter Beatty, “Go Ask Alice” by Beatrice Sparks, “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass, “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss, “The End of the Summer” by Rosamunde Pilcher

 * Taco Bell opened in Downey, CA

 * Micro Processor invented

 * Ray Tomlinson invented internet-based email

1972

* Fashion: Maxi dresses, mini skirts, knee socks, pattern and geometric designs, bell bottoms, cheesecloth shirts, platform shoes

* Watergate

* NASA's Space Shuttle Program was oficially launched

* Munich Olympics terrorists attacks

* PONG became the first commercially successful video game

* Major movies: Last Tango in Paris, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The God Father, Deliverance, The Poseidon Adventure, Cabaret

* Best selling gifts:  Skateboard, Uno, Plasticraft modeling kit, Easy Bake Oven, talking Chrissy doll

* You could feed a family of four for under $4.00 at McDonald’s

* HBO came to television

* Popular TV shows: Hawii Five-O, Maude, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Wonderful World of Disney, Ironside

* The VW Beetle was the world’s best selling car

* Hit songs:"Rocket Man” by Elton John, “American Pie” by Don McLean, “Heart of Gold” by Neal Young, “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green, "Brandy" by Looking Glass, "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

* The pocket calculator made it’s debut

* Nike running shoes were launched

* Notable books: "The Joy of Sex" by Dr. Alex Comfort, "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot, "The Odessa File" by Frederick Forsyth

1973

* Roe vs Wade legalized abortion

* Major movies: The Exorcist, The Sting, American Graffiti, Jesus Christ Super Star, Papillion, The Way We Were

* Hit songs: “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Roberta Flack, “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon, “Knockin on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan, “Cover of the “Rolling Stone”” by Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show,“Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye, "Angie" by the Rolling Stones, "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce

* Notable books: “Fear of Flying” by Erica Jong,“Princess Bride” by William Goldman, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach, "Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut

* MRIs were invented 

* Best selling gifts:  Evel Knivel Stunt Cycle, Shrinky Dinks, Walkie Talkie sets, Baby Alive, Lone Ranger and Tonto figures

* Inflation tripled from 3.4% to 9.6%

* First Personal Computer was developed

* The modern Internet was designed

* Popular TV shows: Cannon, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bob Newhart Show, Happy Days, Good Times

* The Bar Code Scanner was first used

* First “Designated Hitter” went to bat

* Oil increased by 200%

* The first Lite Beer, Miller Lite was introduced

* Fashion: Bell Bottom Hip Huggers, Tie Dye T-shirts, Earth Shoes, Clogs, gypsy dresses, peasant blouses, leisure suits

1974

* President Richard Nixon, resigned after Watergate scandal

* Major movies: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, Chinatown, The Towering Inferno, The Longest Yard

* Hit songs: “The Way We Were” by Barbara Streisand, “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie, “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin, “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede, “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, "The Streak" by Ray Stevens,"The Locomotion" by Grand Funk Railroad

* Notable books: “Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein, "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" by  Vincent Bugliosi, “Jaws” by Peter Benchley, "Carrie” by Stephen King, 

* Heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army 

* Best selling gifts:  Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic 8 Ball, Spirograph, Twister 

* Fashion: fur coats, mens polyester sport suits, mens cardigans, big collars, knee length skirts and dresses, maxi dresses, womens pant suits, big loud prints, boots

* Lucy, a three million year old hominid skeleton was found in Ethiopia

* Popular TV shows: Chico and the Man, The Jeffersons, Rhoda, The Rockford Files, Little House on the Prairie

* The Rumble in the Jungle, Mohammad Ali knocks out George Foreman

* Rubik's Cube was invented

* Lorne Michaels offered $3000 on SNL for the Beatles to reunite.  John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who were both watching the show together at Lennon's home, considered walking over to the studio, which was a few blocks away, but decided not to because they were tired.

* The national speed limit was lowered to 55 miles per hour, intended to optimize fuel consumption

* Heimlich manuever was introduced

* TV sitcom Happy Days began it's eleven year run

1975

* Viet Nam War effectively ends 

* Bill Gates & Paul Allen create the company Microsoft 

* Jimmy Hoffa ex-teamster boss disappears

* Popular TV shows:  Charlie's Angels, The Big Event, Baretta, Welcome Back Kotter, Barney Miller

* VHS tapes introduced

* Cost of 1st class stamp $.10, gallon of regular gas $.57, dozen eggs $.77, quart of milk $.46, loaf of bread $.33

* Major movies: Jaws, Young Frankenstein, Tommy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Return of the Pink Panther

* Hit songs:  "Best of My Love” by the Eagles, “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Listen to What the Man Said” by Wings, “Sweet Thing” by Rufus and Chaka Khan, “Evil Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon

* Saturday Night Live debuts on NBC

* Motorola obtains patent for first portable mobile phone

* Notable books:  "Ragtime" by E.L. Docktorow, "The Moneychangers" by Arthur Hailey, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" by Judith Rossner,"The Choirboys" by Joseph Wambaugh

* Laser printer invented

* Fashion: loose peasant garments, tailored blazers, corduroy jumpers, shirt dresses, fleeced numeral sweatshirts, houndstooth checked slacks, polyester knit separates 

* Best selling gifts: Odessy200 game console, mood rings, pet rocks, Pong (home version), portable cassette player

* Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft take off for US-Soviet link-up in space

1976

* Bicentennial celebrations were held throughout the US

* Apple is formed by Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak

* The $2 bill was issued

* Fashion: capes, turbans, shirts with billowy sleeves, puffy skirts, pants with ankle bands, embroidered crewneck sweaters, denim separates

* No red M&M candies from 1976- 1986

* The Trix Rabbit was finally allowed to eat a bowl of Trix cereal as a result of the 1976 "Let the rabbit eat Trix" contest

* Popular TV shows:  Rich Man Poor Man, Lavern & Shirley, Phyllis, One Day at a Time, Starsky & Hutch

* Major movies: Rocky, Taxi Driver, All the President's Men, the Omen, A Star is Born, Carrie, Freaky Friday

* First commercial Concorde flights started on a regular schedule

* Frontier Airlines hired the US's first female pilot (Emily Howell Warner)

* Hit songs: “Tonight's the Night” by Rod Stewart, “Convoy” by C.W. McCall, “I write the Songs” by Barry Manilow, “Welcome Back” by John Sebastian, “Boogie Fever” by the Sylvers, “Play that Funky Music” by Wild Cherry

* "Son of Sam" begins a series of attacks in NYC

* Andre the Giant set the world record for beers consumed in a single sitting by drinking 119 12-ounce beers in 6 hours (roughly 2 gallons of beer an hour)

* Best selling gifts: Connect Four, Stretch Armstrong action figure, Pogo Sticks, Kites, Star Trek Phaser Battle Game

* Albert Spaggiari robbed a bank for 10 million dollars-was arrested-went to court-distracted the judge and jumped out of a court window onto a waiting motorcycle. Albert nor the money were ever found 

1977

* Apple II and Commodore PET personal computers first sold

* Atari launched it's 2600 gaming system 

* Elvis performed his last concert in June and died in August 

* Best selling gifts:  Atari 2600, Star Wars figures, Bat Mobile, Portable 8-track player, Farrah Fawcett-Majors bean bag chair 

* Notable books: “The Shining” by Stephen King, “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough, “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson, “The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien   

* France stopped using the guillotine

* New York City blacked out for 25 hours

* Major movies: Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky, Smokey and the Bandit, Annie Hall

* Average income$15000; Stamp $.13; gal of milk$1.44; Gas $.82 gal; new house $49300

* Popular TV shows:  How the West Was Won, Eight is Enough, Soap, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island

* Inventions: Artificial Heart, Personal stereo, Fiber One Optic communications, Neutron bomb, Linked ATMs

* Hit songs: “You light up my life” by Debby Boone, “Southern Nights” by Glenn Campbell, “Best of my Life” by the Emotions, “Rich Girl” by Hall& Oates, “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Car Wash” by Rose Royce, “Don't it Make my Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle

* Fashion: sporty jumpsuit, perma-prest double knit slacks, hooded sweaters, Nordic pattern cardigans, gaucho pants, solid color dresses, flounced long skirts

* Residents of Dover, Massachusetts, reported sightings of the “Dover Demon,” an alien creature with “a watermelon head, glowing eyes, and no facial features”

* Al Capp’s satirical comic strip, “L’il Abner,” ended it’s 43 year run in newspapers

1978

* First test tube baby, Louise Brown,was born

* Cabbage Patch dolls sprouted 

* Popular TV shows:  Mork & Mindy, Angie, The Ropers, Taxi, The Dukes of Hazard

* Ben & Jerry’s open first ice cream shop 

* Major movies: Grease, Superman, Saturday Night Fever, National Lampoons Animal House, The Deer Hunter, Heaven Can Wait

* Blues Brothers debut on SNL

* Fashion: four piece vested suit, cape collared dresses, lace yoke blouses, turtlenecks, corduroy overalls, shawl collared cardigans, satin shirt and pants

* Nike redefined Running Shoes

* Best selling gifts: Hungry Hippos, Matchbox Powertrack, Air Hockey, Erector Construction Set, Star Quest Electric Pin Ball

* Indira Ghandi Expelled from government

* Notable books: “Chesapeake” by James A. Michener, “Bloodlines” by Sidney Sheldon, “Scruples” by Judith Krantz, “Eye of the Needle” by Ken Follett

* Hit songs: “You’re the One That I Want” by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers, “Kiss You All Over” by Exile, “Hot Child in the City” by Nick Gilder, “Boogie Oogie Oogie” by A Taste of Honey, “Three Times a Lady” by the Commodores, “I Love The Night Life” by Alicia Bridges 

* Volkswagen stops production of the Beetle after 30 years

* Harriet Tubman was the first Afro-American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp

* GPS or Global Positioning System was developed

1979

* The price of oil reached $25 / barrel which caused the U.S. to set specific days to get gas based on license plate number

* Trivial Pursuit launched

* Hit Songs: “The Wall” by Pink Floyd, “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson, “My Sherona” by the Knack, “Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward, “Don’t Bring Me Down” by Electric Light Orchestra, “After the Love Has Gone” by Earth Wind & Fire, “Lonesome Loser” by Little River Band

* The most serious nuclear power plant accident in the US occurred at Three Mile Island

* Fashion: polyester flared pants, platform shoes, bow blouse, sideburns, mullets, afros

* The US Supreme Court ruled that “the police cannot constitutionally stop a motorist at random to check HIS license and registration unless there is some reason to believe that the motorist is violating a law”

* Major movies: Apocalypse Now, Escape from Alcatraz, Superman the Movie, StarTrek: The Motion Picture, All That Jazz, The Jerk, Kramer vs Kramer

* Deadliest aviation accident in U.S. -  American Airlines Flight crashed during takeoff at O’Hare Airport killing 271 people on board

* Notable Books: “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas, “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, “Sophie’s Choice” by William Styron, “The Matarese Circle” by Robert Ludlum

* SONY Walkman & the Dustbuster were introduced

* China instituted the “one child per family rule” to help control population increase

* Best selling gifts: Sony Walkman, Millenium Falcon, Strawberry Shortcake, Meccano Construction Set, Rubik’s Cube

* The first snowboard was invented in the USA

* A major gay rights arch takes place in Washington DC as thousands participate and portrays how serious Americans felt about this issue

* Popular TV shows: 60 Minutes, Three’s Company, That’s Incredible, Alice, Mash

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