Ode to Thirty - Part One

In 1977:

• Jimmy Carter was elected President of United States.
• French was adopted as the official language of Quebec.
• Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Amnesty International.
• A cyclone in India kills 20,000 and leaves 2 million homeless.
• Jubilee celebrations are held in the United Kingdom to celebrate twenty-five years of Elizabeth II's reign.
• The New York City Blackout lasts for 25 hours and results in looting and disorder.
• The World Trade Center in New York was completed.
• The US Population reached 216 million.
• Opium Perfume was introduced.
• The Trans Alaskan Oil Pipeline opened.
• The US returned the Panama Canal back to Panama.
• The first Apple II computers went on sale.
• NAVSTAR Global Positioning System GPS was inaugurated by the US Department of Defense.
• The first MRI Scanner was tested in Brooklyn.
• The Voyager I and Voyager II were launched unmanned to explore the outer solar system.
• Star Wars opened in cinemas and filmgoers lined up for hours to see it.
• Perhaps most important in Popular Culture was the development of punk music from groups like the Ramones, Iggy Pop's ,Clash, Elvis Costello, The Stranglers, and the Sex Pistols.
• Average Cost of new house: $49,300.00
• Average Income per year: $15,000.00
• Average Monthly Rent: $240.00
• Gas per Gallon: 65 cents
• Bikini: $9.00
• BMW 320i: $7990.00
• Porsch 924: $9395.00
• The US space shuttle prototype 'Enterprise' flew for the first time.
• The last case of smallpox in the wild occured in Somalia.
• First woman Episcopal priest was ordained (Jan. 1).
• Carter pardoned Vietnam war draft evaders (Jan. 21).
• Supreme Court ruleed that states are not required to spend Medicaid funds on elective abortions (June 20).
• US GDP (1998 dollars): $2,026.90 billion
• Federal spending: $409.22 billion
• Federal debt: $706.4 billion
• Median Household Income(current dollars): $13,572
• Consumer Price Index: 60.6
• Unemployment: 7.1%
• Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.13