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Thursday, April 26, 2007

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

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