October 1976 - Jane Pauley, Cincinnati Reds, Quincy

Quack, Quack, it's October 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in October 1976 was 'Disco Duck' by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots.  Despite speculation to the contrary, Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, did not perform on this song...the duck was voiced by a guy Rick met at the gym! 

October 4 - Barbara Walters joins Harry Reasoner as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News. 

October 3 - Quincy, M.E. tv series premieres on NBC, starring Jack Klugman.  Quincy's first name is never mentioned on the show, though a business card in one episode revealed his first initial is 'R'.

October 6 – During his second televised debate with Jimmy Carter, U.S. President Gerald Ford mistakenly says that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe".

October 8 - Marathon Man movies premieres.

October 11 - Jane Pauley makes her debut on NBC's Today.

October 13 – The United States Commission on Civil Rights releases the report, Puerto Ricans in the Continental United States: An Uncertain Future, which highlights Puerto Ricans high poverty rate.

October 15 - The Sylvia L. Ossa cargo ship is reported missing in the Bermuda Triangle.  The ship did not send out an emergency distress message.  Only some debris, an oil slick and a lifeboat were found. 

October 16 - Most Wanted tv series premieres on ABC.

October 18 – Ford launches significant production of Fiesta at its Valencia plant in Spain.

October 18 - Burnt Offerings movie premieres.

October 20 – The Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana to Luling, Louisiana, killing 78 passengers and crew.

October 21 – The Cincinnati Reds sweep the New York Yankees in four games to win the 1976 World Series.

October 21 - Willis Reed becomes the first New York Knicks basketball player to have his uniform number (19) retired.

October 22 - Car Wash movie premieres.

Albums released in October (album / artist):
Chestnut Street Incident / Johnny Cougar
Crystal Ball / Styx
Virgin Killer / Scorpions
Arrival / ABBA
Four Seasons of Love / Donna Summer
Hoppkorv / Hot Tuna
Triumph / Triumph
Johnny the Fox / Thin Lizzy
Zoot Allures / Frank Zappa
Blue Moves / Elton John
Night Moves / Bob Seger
The Song Remains the Same / Led Zeppelin Live 1973
On the Road to Kingdom Come / Harry Chapin
Calling Card / Rory Gallagher
Land of the Midnight Sun / Al Di Meola
Hardcore Jollies / Funkadelic
Brass Construction II / Brass Construction

Nielsen top 20 shows for the week of October 25-31:

Happy Days, Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman and Laverne and Shirley (ABC); Bob Hope
Special ( NBC ); Baretta and Six Million Dollar Man (ABC); All in the Family (CBS); Amelia Earhart (NBC); M-A-S-H and The Waltons (CBS); Live and Let Die (ABC); Disney (NBC);
Alice and Hawaii Five-O (CBS); Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC); One Day at a Time and
Maude (CBS); NBC Saturday Movie; and NFL Monday Night Football.

Sears Fall/Winter 1976 Catalog:

Shazam comic for October:

Welcome Back, Kotter colorforms play set (released 1976):

Disney magazine for October:

Railroad Modeler magazine for October:

Travel and Leisure magazine for October:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood magazine for October:

Playboy playmate of the month, Hope Olson and Playgirl man for October (and later man of  the year), David White:

Peanuts comic strip from October 1976:

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

June 1976 - Teton Dam, J. Paul Getty, The Omen

Get Up and Boogie, it's June 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in June 1976 was 'Get Up and Boogie' by Silver Convention.

June 2 – A car bomb fatally injures Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles.  The murder was linked to his coverage of the mafia.

June 2 - Breaking Point movie premieres.

June 3 - British parliamentarians came to the U.S. Capitol to present lawmakers with a one-year loan of the oldest known copy of the Magna Carta, one of only four that survive.  It was later displayed for public viewing in the Rotunda of the Capital.

June 4 - CBS broadcasts Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns. This triple-overtime contest has since been heralded as the greatest NBA game ever played.

June 5 – The Teton Dam collapses in southeast Idaho in the U.S., killing 11 people.

June 6 – J. Paul Getty, industrialist dies. (born 1892)

June 7 - After several years providing commentaries for the show, David Brinkley joins John Chancellor as co-anchor of NBC Nightly News.

June 13 – Severe thunderstorms pass through Iowa, spawning several tornadoes, including an F-5 tornado that destroys the town of Jordan.

June 14 - The Gong Show tv series premieres on NBC.

June 16 – Francis E. Meloy, Jr., the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Lebanon, is assassinated in Beirut.

June 17 – The National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association agree on the ABA-NBA merger.

June 18 - Midway movie premieres.

June 20 – Hundreds of Western tourists are moved from Beirut and taken to safety in Syria by the U.S. military, following the murder of the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

June 23 - The Big Bus, Logan's Run and Murder by Death movies premiere.

June 25 - The Omen movie premieres.

June 26 - Bugsy Malone movie premieres.

June 30 - The Outlaw Josey Wales movie premieres.

1976 Toyota Land Cruiser:

Playboy playmate of the month, Debra Peterson, and Playgirl man for June, Greg Hamilton:

Esquire magazine for June:

MAD magazine for June:

New York magazine for June 7 (cover story was inspiration for Saturday Night Fever movie):

Scooby Doo comic for June:

Albums released in June (Album / Artist):

The Runaways / The Runaways

All Things in Time / Lou Rawls

Rock 'n' Roll Music / The Beatles

Beautiful Noise / Neil Diamond

Chicago X / Chicago

A Night on the Town / Rod Stewart

Unorthodox Behaviour / Brand X

Alice Cooper Goes to Hell / Alice Cooper

Whistling Down the Wire / Crosby & Nash

Steal Your Face / Grateful Dead

Two for the Show / Trooper

Nielsen top 20 shows for the week of June 21-28:

McMillan and Wife (NBC), All in the Family (CBS), Starsky and Hutch (ABC), M-A-S-H (CBS), The Rookies (ABC), Maude (CBS), One Day at a Time (CBS), Happv Days (ABC), Baretta (ABC), Medical Center (CBS), Laverne and Shirley (ABC), Jigsaw John (NBC), Bob Newhart (CBS), Barnaby Jones (CBS), HawaiiFive-0 (CBS), Phyllis (CBS), Bionic Woman (ABC), Joe Forrester (NBC), Six Million Dollar Man (ABC), and Rhoda (CBS).

Fun YouTube video featuring some commercials from June 1976: 
1976 Commercials

Evel Knievel Super Jet Cycle toy (released in 1976):

'Trinity' by Leon Uris moves to the top of the New York Times fiction best seller list.

Peanuts comic strip from June 1976:

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

March 1976 - Patty Hearst, Kiss, Family

Dig it, Man, it's March 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in March 1976 was 'Dream Weaver' by Gary Wright.

March 1 – Bradford Bishop allegedly murders five of his family members in Bethesda, Maryland. The crime goes undiscovered for 10 days and the suspect is never caught. In 2014, he is placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

March 9 - Family tv show premieres on ABC.

March 9–11 – Two coal mine explosions claim 26 lives at the Blue Diamond Coal Co. Scotia Mine in Letcher County, Kentucky.

March 11 - Gable and Lombard, Robin and Marian movies are released.

March 12 - I Will, I Will... for Now movie released.

March 14 - Buzby Berkley (director/choreographer) dies.

March 16 - Harold Wilson announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Great Britain.  He had been Labour leader for 13 years and Prime Minister for nearly 8 years.

March 18 - The Man Who Fell to Earth movie released.  Filmed mostly in New Mexico, it starred David Bowie, who's stated he was using cocaine at the time.

March 20 – Patty Hearst is found guilty of armed robbery of a bank.

March 22 – Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film. In one of the most lucrative business decisions in film history, Lucas declines his directing fee of $500,000 in exchange for complete ownership of merchandising and sequel rights.

March 26 - Ride a Wild Pony and Sky Riders movies released.

March 29 - At the 48th Academy Awards, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest wins best picture.  Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher win best actor and actress for their work in that movie.  George Burns wins best supporting actor for The Sunshine Boys.  Lee Grant wins best supporting actress for Shampoo.

March 31 – The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that persistent vegetative state patient in the Karen Ann Quinlan case can be disconnected from her ventilator. She remains comatose and dies in 1985.

March 31 - W.C. Fields and Me movie released.

Albums released in March (album / artist):
A Love Trilogy / Donna Summer
Nobody's Fools / Slade
Wings of Love / The Temptations
Destroyer / Kiss
I Want You / Marvin Gaye
Takin' It to the Streets / The Doobie Brothers
The Sun Sessions / Elvis Presley (recorded 1954–55)
Sad Wings of Destiny / Judas Priest
Wings at the Speed of Sound / Wings
Amigos / Santana
Jailbreak / Thin Lizzy
Moonmadness / Camel
Presence / Led Zeppelin

Nielsen top 10 for the week of March 14: 1 Rich Man, Poor Man 2 Welcome Back, Kotter 3 The Wizard of Oz 4 All In The Family 5 Happy Days 6 ABC Sunday Movie (High Plains Drifter) 7 (tie) M-A-S-H and Laverne and Shirley 9 (tie) Barney Miller and Police Woman

National Geographic for March:

McCall's for March:

People magazine for March 29th:

Playboy playmate of the month, Ann Pennington and Playgirl man for March, Marc Rodriguez:

1976 Volkswagen Beetle:

Incredible Hulk comic for March:

Sonny and Cher dolls (released in 1976):

Peanuts comic strip from March 1976:

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

January 1979 - China, UNICEF Concert, Brenda Ann Spencer

Don't Freak Out...It's January 1979!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in January 1979 was 'Le Freak' by Chic.

Federal Government
President: Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia)
Vice President: Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota)
Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger (Minnesota)
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Tip O'Neill (D-Massachusetts)
Senate Majority Leader: Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
Congress: 95th (until January 3), 96th (starting January 3)

January 1 – The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations.

January 1 - Take Down movie premieres.

January 3 – Conrad Hilton, hotelier, dies. (b. 1887)

January 4 – The State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of those who were killed or injured from the Kent State shootings.

January 5 - Billy Bletcher, actor, dies. (b. 1894)

January 8 - All Star Secrets and Password Plus game shows debut on NBC.

January 9 – 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 included Donna Summer, ABBA, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind and Fire.

January 11 – Jack Soo, actor, dies. (b. 1917)

January 16 – Ted Cassidy, actor, dies. (b. 1932)

January 18 - Delta House tv series debuts on ABC.

January 19 – Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell is released on parole after 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama for multiple crimes he committed in the Watergate affair.

January 19 - President Jimmy Carter announces that he is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.

January 20 - Salvage 1 tv series debuts on ABC.

January 21 - Brothers and Sisters tv series debuts on NBC.

January 21 – Super Bowl XIII: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Dallas Cowboys 35–31 at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.  Here's a good highlights video from YouTube:

Super Bowl XIII Highlights

January 26 – Nelson Rockefeller, 41st Vice President of the United States, dies. (b. 1908)

January 26 - Hello, Larry, Sweepstakes and Turnabout debut on NBC.  The Dukes of Hazzard debuts on CBS.

January 26 - Richard Pryor: Live in Concert movie premieres.

January 28 - CBS News Sunday Morning debuts.

January 29 – Brenda Ann Spencer opens fire at a school in San Diego, California, killing two faculty members and wounding eight students.

Star Wars action figure released in 1979:

1979 Cadillac Seville:

X-Men comic for January:

Playboy playmate of the month, Candy Loving, and Playgirl man for January, Jesse Cutler:

Albums released in January (album / artist):
Feets, Don't Fail Me Now / Herbie Hancock
Look Sharp! / Joe Jackson
Lovedrive / Scorpions
Sleep Dirt / Frank Zappa
We Are Family / Sister Sledge
Take Me Home / Cher
Bustin' Out of L Seven / Rick James
Valley of the Dolls / Generation X

Top 15 Nielsen shows for the week ending January 14th: 1 Mork and Mindy ABC; 2 Laverne and Shirley ABC; 3 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders ABC; 4 Three's Company ABC; 5 Happy Days ABC; 6 60 Minutes CBS; 7 What's Happening ABC; 8 M•A•S•H CBS; 9 Alice CBS; 10 All in the Family CBS; 11 Little House on the Prairie NBC; 12 Barney Miller ABC; 13 Charlie Brown CBS; 14 Taxi ABC; 15 CHiPs NBC.

Christopher Street magazine for January:

Cracked magazine for January:

Good Housekeeping for January:

Garfield comic strip from January 1979:

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