Saturday, November 11, 2023

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