October 1977 - New York Yankees, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Don't Space Out, Enjoy October 1977!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in October 1977 was 'Star Wars Theme' by Meco.

October 1 - We've Got Each Other tv show debuts on CBS.

October 2 - Julia movie premieres.

October 3 - Knockout and To Say the Least game shows debut on NBC.

October 6 – Irish American mobster Danny Greene is murdered with a car bomb by the Cleveland crime family in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

October 7 - Oh, God! movie premieres.  This movie briefly ended Star Wars' 15 week reign as #1 at the box office, before Star Wars returned to the top spot the following week.

October 9 - On Our Own tv show debuts on CBS.

October 12 – Dorothy Davenport, actress, dies. (b. 1895)

October 14 – Bing Crosby, singer and actor, dies. (b. 1903)

October 14 – Anita Bryant is famously pied by four gay rights activists during a press conference in Des Moines, Iowa. This event resulted from her anti-gay activism.

October 14 - Starship Invasions movie premieres.

October 18 – Reggie Jackson hits three home runs to lead the New York Yankees to victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series in six games.

October 19 - Equus movie premieres.

October 20 – Three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd killed in plane crash:
Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer (b. 1948)
Cassie Gaines, lead singer (b. 1948)
Steve Gaines, lead singer and guitarist (b. 1949)

October 27 - James at 15 debuts on NBC.

1977 Ford Ranchero:

Speed Burners toy (released 1977):

McDonald's Happy Meal was created in October 1977.

Star Wars comic for October:

Playboy playmate of the month, Kristine Winder, and Playgirl man for October, Richard Burke Davis:

Nielsen top 10 shows for the week ending Oct 16th:  1 World Series Game 2;  2 World Series Game 1; 3 World Series Game 3; 4 Three's Company; 5 All in the Family; 6 Big Event "Good Old Days"; 7 White Line Fever (NBC Sunday Movie); 8 60 Minutes; 9 What's Happening; 10 Big Event "79 Park Avenue"

Albums released in October (album / artist):

Waitin' for the Night / The Runaways

Elvis in Concert / Elvis Presley

Out of the Blue / Electric Light Orchestra

Midnight Wind / The Charlie Daniels Band

Goin' Places / The Jacksons

Send It / Ashford and Simpson

Point of Know Return / Kansas

Heroes / David Bowie

Street Survivors / Lynyrd Skynyrd

Bat Out of Hell / Meat Loaf

Seconds Out / Genesis

Once Upon a Time / Donna Summer

Watermark / Art Garfunkel

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols / Sex Pistols

News of the World / Queen

Here You Come Again / Dolly Parton

McCall's magazine for October:

New Yorker magazine for October 3rd:

Soap Opera Digest magazine for October:

'The Silmarillion' by J.R.R. Tolkien moves to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list.

Charles Schultz Peanuts comic strip from October 1977:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in October 1977, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

February 1979 - Hood Canal Bridge, Afghanistan

So Sexy in February 1979!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in February 1979 was 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' by Rod Stewart.

Cost of Living in 1979
Average household income $19,553.86
Minimum wage (per hour) $2.90
Median cost of a new home $61,500
Postage stamp $0.15
Gas (1 gallon) $0.86
Gold (1 oz.) $459.00 (huge increase from 1978 because of high inflation due to oil prices and global political instability)
Movie ticket $2.52

February 1 - Makin' It tv series debuts on ABC.

February 2 – Sid Vicious, musician, dies. (b. 1957)

February 2 - The First Great Train Robbery movie premieres.

February 3 - The New Fred and Barney Show debuts on NBC.

Febraury 4 - Co-Ed Fever tv series debuts on CBS.  An attempt to imitate National Lampoon's Animal House, it's cancelled after this one episode is aired. 

February 7 - Supertrain tv series debuts on NBC.

February 8 - Angie tv series debuts on ABC.

February 9 - Agatha, Murder by Decree, The North Avenue Irregulars and The Warriors movies premiere.

February 11 - Forty-three million viewers watch Elvis, an ABC movie starring Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley.

February 13 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.

February 14 – In Kabul, Muslim extremists kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.

February 15 - The 21st Annual Grammy Awards are held.  Record of the Year was Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel.  Album of the Year was Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack.  Song of the Year was Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are.  Best New Artist was A Taste of Honey.

February 17 – William Gargan, actor, dies. (b. 1905)

February 18 - The Daytona 500 is broadcast live in its entirety for the very first time by CBS.  On the final lap, race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided with each other on the backstretch. Both drivers' races ended in the grass infield. The wreck allowed Richard Petty, then over one-half lap behind both, to claim his sixth Daytona 500 win.

February 18 - A snowstorm hits the Sahara!  

February 20 - This Old House tv series debuts on PBS.

February 23 - Fast Break movie premieres.

February 26 – A total solar eclipse occurred in North America.

February 26 - Billy and Flatbush tv series debut on CBS.

February 27 – The annual Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana is canceled due to a strike called by the New Orleans Police Department.

February 27 - Cliffhangers tv series debuts on NBC.

Butch and Sundance wagon toy (released in 1979):

1979 Mercury Cougar XR 7:

Spiderman comic for February:

Playboy playmate of the month, Lee Ann Michele, and Playgirl man for February, David Grant:

Albums released in February 1979 (album / artist):
Inflammable Material / Stiff Little Fingers
Spirits Having Flown / Bee Gees
Frenzy / Split Enz
George Harrison / George Harrison
Live (X Cert) / The Stranglers
Scared to Dance / The Skids
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle / Sex Pistols
Rickie Lee Jones / Rickie Lee Jones

Nielsen top 15 for the week ending February 18th:  1 Mork and Mindy ABC; 2 Three's Company (Tuesday) ABC; 3 Laverne and Shirley ABC; 4 Angie ABC; 5 Happy Days ABC; 6 “Gone With Wind” CBS; 7 Three's Company (Thursday) ABC; 8 Taxi (Tues.) ABC; 9 “Roots II” (Ep. I) ABC; 

10 60 Minutes CBS; 11 Eight Is Enough ABC; 12 Backstairs‐White House NBC; 13 Starsky and Hutch ABC; 14 Different Strokes NBC; 15 Charlie's Angels ABC.

Heavy Metal magazine for February:

Life magazine for February:

Vogue for February:

'War and Remembrance' by Herman Wouk is at the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.

Garfield comic strip from February 1979:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in February 1979, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

July 1978 - Test Tube Baby, Animal House

Missing You in July 1978!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in July 1978 was 'Miss You' by the Rolling Stones.

July 3 - Tic Tac Dough game show premieres on CBS.

July 5 - Hot Lead and Cold Feet movie premieres.  Although promotional material for this Western prominently featured Don Knotts, he was only fourth-billed and in a supporting role.

July 8 - 1978 Wimbledon Championships end.  Martina Navratilova won her first grand slam singles title at this event.  She defeated Chris Evert in the final, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5.

July 10 - The ABC Evening News gets a revamp and becomes ABC World News Tonight, employing a unique three-anchor setup (Frank Reynolds serving as lead anchor from Washington, Max Robinson presenting national news from Chicago, and Peter Jennings with international news from London).

July 14 - Foul Play, Hooper and The Swarm movies premiere.

July 18 – Claude P. Dettloff, photographer, dies. (born 1899)

July 19 - Revenge of the Pink Panther and International Velvet movies premiere.

July 20 – Alan Hirschfield is fired as president and CEO of Columbia Pictures. He is replaced by Francis T. Vincent.

July 21 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie premieres.

July 25 - The world's first test tube baby, Louise Brown, is born in the United Kingdom.

July 28 - Animal House movie premieres.

Superman's Action Comics for July:

1978 Mercury Cougar:

Incredible Hulk Pencil By Numbers set (released 1978):

Playboy playmate of the month, Karen Morton, and Playgirl man for July, Michael Montelbano:

Albums released in July (album / artist):
Under Wraps / Shaun Cassidy
Nightwatch / Kenny Loggins
Cheryl Lynn / Cheryl Lynn
Heartbreaker / Dolly Parton
Touchdown / Bob James
Can't Stand the Rezillos / The Rezillos
More Songs About Buildings and Food / Talking Heads

Nielsen top shows for the week ending July 16th:  1 Quincy NBC; 2 All‐Star Game ABC; 3 Alice CBS; 4 All in the Family CBS; 5 Happy Days ABC; 6 Switch CBS; 7 All‐Star Preview ABC; 8 Lou Grant CBS; 9 One Day at a Time CBS; 10 Charlie's Angels ABC; 11 The Love Boat ABC; 12 Death of Richie NBC; 13 (tie) Three's Company ABC and Barnaby Jones CBS; 15 Girl in Empty Grave NBC.

 People magazine for July 31st:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood for July:

Preview magazine for July:

'The Holcroft Covenant' by Robert Ludlam moves to the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.  Ludlum says the novel was inspired by a "what if" question. "What if Nazi children at the end of World War Two were being saved [secretly groomed] so that in the next generation they could revive the Third Reich?"

Peanuts comic strip from July 1978:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in July 1978, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

September 1976 - Viking, Charlie's Angels

Being Foxy in September 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in September 1976 was 'Play that Funky Music' by Wild Cherry.  The group formed in Ohio in 1970.  This was their only number one hit.  

rocketcalendar.com

September 3 – The Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars.

September 6 - 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 from the United States.

September 6 - Frank Sinatra brings Jerry Lewis's former partner Dean Martin onstage, unannounced, at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas, Nevada, reuniting the comedy team for the first (and only) time in over 20 years.

September 6 - In Search of... tv series premieres in syndication.

September 9 - Delvecchio tv series premieres on CBS.

September 10 – Dalton Trumbo, screenwriter and novelist, dies. (born 1905)

September 11 Ark II, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and Way Out Games tv series premiere on CBS.  Big John, Little John, The Kids From C.A.P.E.R., McDuff the Talking Dog, Monster Squad and Muggsy premiere on NBC.  Jabberjaw, The Krofft Supershow, The Mumbly Cartoon Show and The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour premiere on ABC.

September 17 – The space shuttle Enterprise is rolled out of a Palmdale, California hangar.

September 17 - Spencer's Pilots tv series premieres on CBS.

September 19 - Cos tv series premieres on ABC.

September 20 All's Fair tv series premieres on CBS.  The Muppet Show premieres in syndication.

September 21 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

September 21 - Rich Man, Poor Man Book II premieres on ABC.  Baa Baa Black Sheep premieres on NBC.

September 22 - The Quest and Ball Four tv series premiere on CBS.  Charlie's Angels premieres on ABC.

September 23 - The first of three debates between U.S. presidential candidates Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter air in prime time; they are the first presidential debates ever televised in color, as well as the first debates between major party nominees for U.S. president since 1960.

September 23 - The Tony Randall Show and Gemini Man tv series premiere on NBC.

September 25 - Holmes and Yo-Yo tv series premieres on ABC.

September 30 - The Nancy Walker Show premieres on ABC.

Albums released in September (album / artist):

Blackheart Man / Bunny Wailer

A New World Record / Electric Light Orchestra

Car Wash: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Rose Royce

Hard Rain / Bob Dylan

One More from the Road / Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ringo's Rotogravure / Ringo Starr

Long May You Run / The Stills-Young Band

Tales of Kidd Funkadelic / Funkadelic

Technical Ecstasy / Black Sabbath

Songs in the Key of Life / Stevie Wonder

All the World's a Stage / Rush

Nielsen's top 20 shows for the week ending Sept. 12:  Miss America Pageant NBC; Laverne and Shirley and Starsky and Hutch both ABC; All in the Family CBS; Happy Days and Baretta both ABC; Maude CBS; Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman both ABC; Perry Como Special NBC; "Sunday Movie" ABC; Delvecchio, and Phyllis both CBS; Friday Movie ABC; Kojak and Jeffersons CBS; Police Story and Van Dyke and Co. both NBC; M-A-S-H CBS; and Columbo NBC.

Great YouTube video featuring intros to the new shows of fall 1976: 
New Fall Shows of 1976

Starsky and Hutch puzzles (released in 1976):

Playboy playmate of the month, Whitney Kaine, and Playgirl man for September, Jim Lampier:

1976 Chevrolet Camaro:

Howard the Duck comic for September:

Dorothy Benham from Minnesota is crowned Miss America:

Harper's Bazaar for September:

 The New Yorker magazine for September 20th:

 Rolling Stone for September:

Peanuts comic strip from September 1976:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in September 1976, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com