Sep 17
Camp David Accords
Carter brokered peace between Egypt's Sadat and Israel's Begin after 12 days at Camp David. The first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab nation. Carter's greatest achievement.
🇺🇸United States · 70s
Jonestown and Camp David
Camp David peace, Jonestown horror, and the first test-tube baby.
What happened
5 milestones of 1978
Nov 18
Jonestown Massacre
918 people died in a mass murder-suicide at Jim Jones' People's Temple in Guyana. Congressman Leo Ryan was murdered. 'Drinking the Kool-Aid' entered the language. The worst cult tragedy in history.
mass death
Nov 27
Harvey Milk Assassinated
Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US, and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in San Francisco City Hall by former supervisor Dan White.
assassination
Jul 25
First Test-Tube Baby Born
Louise Brown, the world's first baby conceived through IVF, was born in England. The procedure sparked ethical debates but gave hope to millions of couples struggling with infertility.
Oct 24
Airline Deregulation Act
Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act, ending government control of fares and routes. Cheap flights followed. Flying was no longer just for the wealthy.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Grease
Randal Kleiser — Travolta and Newton-John. 1950s nostalgia as a blockbuster musical.
Superman
Richard Donner — 'You'll believe a man can fly.' Christopher Reeve was Superman. The superhero blockbuster was born.
The Deer Hunter
Michael Cimino — Robert De Niro, Russian roulette, and the devastating cost of Vietnam. Won Best Picture.
Animal House
John Landis — John Belushi and the Delta fraternity. 'Toga! Toga!' The college comedy template.
Halloween
John Carpenter — Michael Myers. Jamie Lee Curtis. Made for $325,000. Invented the slasher genre.
What was on TV
Dallas
1978-1991 — J.R. Ewing was the man America loved to hate. Prime-time soap opera royalty.
Mork & Mindy
1978-1982 — Robin Williams from Ork. 'Nanu nanu!' made him a star overnight.
WKRP in Cincinnati
1978-1982 — The funniest show about a radio station. The Thanksgiving turkey drop episode is legendary.
Taxi
1978-1983 — Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman, and the Sunshine Cab Company.
Laverne & Shirley
1976-1983 — #1 show on television. Schlemiel! Schlimazel!
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$1.44
Gallon of gas$0.63
New house (median)$55,700
New car (average)$5,500
Loaf of bread$0.31
Movie ticket$2.34
Inflation: 7.6%
Inflation continued rising. The energy crisis wasn't over. Americans felt squeezed.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
1978 (USD)
$1.44
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
1978 (USD)
$0.63
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
1978 (USD)
$55,700
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (average)BLS
1978 (USD)
$5,500
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
1978 (USD)
$0.31
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
1978 (USD)
$2.34
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
IVF baby born
Louise Brown's birth launched the era of assisted reproduction.
GPS satellites launched
The first GPS satellite was launched, beginning the navigation revolution.
LaserDisc
The first commercial LaserDisc player went on sale — a precursor to DVD.
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell
The first handheld device with a speech synthesizer. Kids loved it.
Space Invaders
Taito released Space Invaders in Japan. The arcade golden age was beginning.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Disco glitter and spandexDesigner jeans (Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt)Roller disco culture
Slang
Gnarly— Extreme, awesome (surfing culture)
Boogie down— Dance, have a good time
Space cadet— Someone out of it, daydreamer
Behavior
- Saturday Night Fever made disco a global phenomenon
- Roller skating rinks boomed
- Garfield the cat debuted and became a merchandising empire
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