May 25
Star Wars Released
George Lucas' 'Star Wars' opened in 32 theaters and became the highest-grossing film of all time. Luke, Leia, Han, and Darth Vader entered the collective imagination forever.
🇺🇸United States · 70s
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever, and the King is dead.
What happened
4 milestones of 1977
Aug 16
Elvis Presley Dies
Elvis Aaron Presley died at Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis. The King of Rock and Roll was gone.
Jul 13-14
New York City Blackout
Lightning strikes knocked out power across NYC for 25 hours. Widespread looting and over 1,000 fires. The city's economic crisis laid bare.
Urban crisis — nuanced, acknowledge systemic poverty
Aug-Sep
Voyager Spacecraft Launched
NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, carrying the Golden Record with sounds and images of Earth. Still traveling through interstellar space today.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Star Wars
George Lucas — Changed cinema forever. $775 million worldwide. A new mythology.
Saturday Night Fever
John Badham — Travolta on the dance floor. Disco's crowning moment.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg — Wonder and aliens. Spielberg at his most hopeful.
Annie Hall
Woody Allen — Best Picture. Reinvented the romantic comedy.
Eraserhead
David Lynch — Box office hit in the US — TMDB 7.3
What was on TV
Roots
Jan 1977 — 130 million Americans watched the final episode. Confronted slavery head-on.
Three's Company
1977-1984 — Slapstick sitcom that pushed boundaries with innuendo.
The Love Boat
1977-1986 — ABC's floating romance anthology. Pure escapism.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$1.68
Gallon of gas$0.62
Movie ticket$2.23
New car (avg)$5,814
Inflation: 6.5%
Jimmy Carter in the White House. Energy crisis loomed. The economy struggled between recession and inflation.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
1977 (USD)
$1.68
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
1977 (USD)
$0.62
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
1977 (USD)
$2.23
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (avg)BLS
1977 (USD)
$5,814
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
Apple II
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs shipped the Apple II — the personal computer revolution began.
Atari 2600
Home video game console that put arcades in your living room.
VHS vs Betamax
The format war was on — VHS would eventually win.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Three-piece suits on the dance floorTube topsDesigner jeans (Gloria Vanderbilt)Gold chains
Slang
Boogie— Dance, have a good time
The Man— Authority, the establishment
Dy-no-mite!— Amazing! (from Good Times)
Behavior
- Disco dominated nightlife — Studio 54 opened in April
- Star Wars merchandise became a kids' obsession
- CB radio craze — everyone wanted a 'handle'
Share
Download or share cards from this year
1200×630 · WhatsApp/Facebook