Monday, March 5, 2018

THE YEAR 1976

Cost of Living

Yearly Inflation Rate ― 5.75%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average ― 1004
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve ― 6.25%
Average Cost of new house ― $43,400
Average Income per year ― $16,000
Average Monthly Rent v\
― $220
Cost of a gallon of Gas ― 59 cents
Zenith 25" Color TV― $599
CB Radio 
― $147
Micro Wave Oven ― $169

Major Events in 1976

The Apple Computer Company was established by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak during April of 1976. Jobs and Wozniak created their company with the intention of developing small, easy to use computers that could be used at home or in offices, what would later become known as the personal computer.” Apple Computers emphasized graphics, portability, and a simple user interface. While their very first product, the Apple I, was not exactly the ideal machine for their cause, they were able to improve the design in subsequent models and accomplish their goals. The company struggled to stay relevant between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, a time period which saw the departure of Steve Jobs. Jobs’ return and a partnership with Microsoft in 1997 marked a return to innovation for the company. The early 2000s saw Apple increase its standing in the tech world with the creation of the iMac, iPod, iTunes, and iPhone. In the early-2010s the company became the largest tech company in the world having been valued at over $700 billion.

The President of Argentina, Isabel Peron, is overthrown by a military coup on March 24, 1976. Isabel Peron was the third wife of Juan Peron, who had been the Argentine president during the 1940s and 1950s, and again from 1973 to 1974 after having been in exile for 18 years. She was his vice president and took office after his death in 1974, making her the first female president in the world. While she was in power the economy suffered high levels of inflation. She was also accused of sanctioning political murders and was suspected of being responsible for the disappearance of hundreds of political dissidents. She initially tried to flee the coup but was detained until her eventual exile in 1981. She went to Spain where she has remained since, despite efforts to extradite and charge her for human rights violations by Argentina.

The CN tower in Toronto, Canada is completed and is the the tallest free standing structure in the world.More Information for the CN Tower
1. The CN Tower opened in Toronto, Canada during June of 1976.
2. It took over 3 years of construction to build the 1,815 foot tower.
3. The CN Tower held the title of the tallest free-standing structure in the world for 34 years.
4. It has featured several unique entertainment options throughout the years such as rides, the 360 restaurant, and various shopping opportunities.
5. The Tower is also functional in that it is used for radio, television, and cellular data transmission.
6. In 1995 it was categorized as one of the Wonders of the Modern World.

The first commercial Concorde flights take off during January of 1976 as regular passenger service began. There were two simultaneous flights, one from London to Bahrain and another from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. The Concorde aircrafts could carry about 100 passengers and flew at much faster speeds than the typical aircraft. Its cruising speed was about 1,350 miles per hour and could travel between London and New York in just under three hours, cutting the travel time in half for most flights. The Concorde aircrafts were retired in 2003 as interest in the service declined due to safety concerns.

The popular filmof the year, “Rocky”, is released in the United States during December of 1976. It was written by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the title role. The cast of “Rocky” included Carl Weathers, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, and Burt Young. The plot of the movie revolved around underdog boxer Rocky Balboa and his high profile match against champion Apollo Creed. It was a huge hit film, earning over $200 million at the box office and it was critically successful, too. “Rocky” was also nominated for several Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Directing, and Best Film Editing. “Rocky” was so popular that Stallone turned it into a franchise with six sequels and counting.

Jimmy Carter wins Presidential Election
1. The U.S. Presidential election between Democrat Jimmy Carter and Republican incumbent Gerald Ford takes place in November of 1976.
2. Ford had the distinction of being the only U.S. politician to serve as the Vice President and President without having been elected to either office, rising to power after the resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon.
3. In a nation embroiled in political scandals, Carter, a one-term Governor and peanut farmer from Georgia, emerged as the ultimate political outsider and won in one of the biggest political upsets in the history of United States elections.
4. The results were extremely close with Carter winning with just 50.1 percent of the popular vote and 297 electoral votes.

NASA unveiled the first space shuttle, the Enterprise, to the public during September of 1976. The Enterprise was only a prototype created to conduct test flights and the official launch of the Space Shuttle Program did not occur until April of 1981 with the launch of the Columbia. The Enterprise weighed about 150,000 pounds and cost nearly $10 billion to create. While the first space shuttle never actually made it into space, it did become the first of the space shuttles to fly during a test in the following year after it was unveiled.

The United States launches the LAGEOS-1 satellite.More Information for LAGEOS-1
NASA launched the LAGEOS-1 (Laser Geodynamic Satellite) during May of 1976. The nine-hundred pound satellite was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It measured about two feet in diameter and resembled a giant aluminum golf ball. Its mission was to measure geophysical activity using laser beams, resulting in extremely accurate measurements. The launch of LAGEOS-1 was successful and it was put into Earth’s orbit where it continues to study the shape of Earth and tectonic plate movement associated with continental drift.

Iceland and the United Kingdom come to an agreement over fishing rights in the North Atlantic during June of 1976, ending a series of conflicts known as the “Cod Wars.” The first Cod War took place from 1958 to 1961, the second from 1972 to 1973, and the third and final from 1975 to 1976. The outcome of the wars proved to be positive for Iceland but somewhat devastating for British fishing communities. The terms of the agreement stated that fishing enterprises from the United Kingdom would have to stay specific distances away from Iceland’s fishing regions and would be excluded from using some of the best fishing regions in the North Atlantic.
 
After the death of former leader Mao Zedong in September of 1976, a new Chairman of the Communist party in China is chosen. Hua Guofeng is announced as the new leader of China on October 7, 1976. One of Hua Guonfeng’s first tasks as the new leader of the People’s Republic of China was ordering the arrest of the so-called Gang of Four which is consisted of party officials accused of treasonous actions. The group included Mao's widow Jian Qing, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Zhang Chunqiao. Their arrest and Hua Guofeng’s leadership ended the Cultural Revolution.

Fourteen-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci wins 5 total medals in gymnastics at the Montreal Olympics. She became the first female gymnast to be award a perfect ten score for her uneven bar routine and went on to garner a total of seven perfect scores throughout the rest of the games. Comaneci also went on to win medals at the 1980 Olympic Games held in Moscow.

NASA’s Viking 1 Lander arrives at Mars during July of 1976. The two-part space probe had been launched during August of the previous year and it consisted of an orbiter and a lander. The Viking 1 Lander’s mission was to land on the Martian surface in order to conduct scientific experiments and take photos. Many of the lander’s experiments tested the atmosphere, soil and looked for signs of life on the planet. The Viking 1 Lander remained operational until November of 1982 when contact with it was lost by NASA.

The 1976 Winter Olympics begin during February of 1976. The games were held in Innsbruck, Austria but had been originally given to the U.S. state of Colorado. Colorado was unable to properly prepare for the games as citizens of the state had voted against using any public funds to support the games. Innsbruck had hosted the Winter Olympics only twelve years before and offered to take over. A total of 1,123 athletes from 37 countries completed in these games with the Soviet Union, East Germany, and United States taking home the most medals. These games marked the debut of Ice Dancing as an event and also featured the very first successful back flip in figure skating by Terry Kubicka of the United States.


More News and Key Events From 1976

  • Argentina Peso, British Pound and Italian Lira all lose value against the US Dollar.
  • Eccentric American billionaire Howard Hughes who had been a recluse for 20 years dies at the age of 70.
  • Earthquake in Tabgshan China on July 28th kills 655,000.
  • Earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale strikes in North Eastern Italy.
  • Tidal Wave in Philippines kills 5,000.
  • The First Commercial Concorde Flights take off.
  • Worst Drought on record hits Britain forcing the use of Standpipes.
  • First Legionnaires Disease affects 4,000 delegates in Pennsylvania on July 23rd from a chapter of the American Legion.
  • Soweto riots in South Africa mark the beginning of the end of apartheid
  • In New York City, the "Son of Sam" pulls a gun on July 29th and begins a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year.
  • The United States celebrates 200th birthday of independence from British Rule
  • Three Gunmen abduct a school bus with 26 children and the driver near Chowchilla, CA (all children and driver are saved after they dig a tunnel out of the quarry they were buried in).
  • Rioting breaks out at the Notting Hill Carnival, London, England
  • The $2.00 bill is issued.
  • Two passenger jets collide over Zagreb, Yugoslavia due to air traffic controller errors.
  • The end of the world's longest pier (Southen Pier in Britain) is destroyed by fire.
  • The world’s first recorded Ebola virus epidemic begins in Sudan on June 27th.
  • Palestinian extremists hijack an Air France plane in Greece with 246 passengers and 12 crew. They take it to Entebbe, Uganda, where Israeli commandos storm the plane freeing the hostages.
  • A hijacked Sabena Boeing is stormed by Israeli soldiers releasing 100 hostages
  • Seychelles Gains Independence From Great Britain.
  • Princess Margaret Announces Separation from Lord Snowdon (Antony Armstrong-Jones).
  • Hurricane Belle hits US East Coast,
  • James Callaghan becomes Britain's Prime Minister,
  • 32 Black African Nations Boycott Montreal Olympics in protest to continued sporting links between New Zealand and South Africa,
  • In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
  • Fidel Castro becomes The President of Cuba,

Popular Culture

Sports

NFC  Dallas Cowboys

AFC  Pittsburgh Steelers


Super Bowl  Pittsburgh defeats Dallas in Super Bowl X (1975 season)


NCAA Football  USC

MLB  Cincinnati Reds

NCAA Baseball  University of Texas

NBA  New York Knicks

NCAA Basketball  UCLA

NHL  Philadelphia Flyers

NCAA Hockey  Michigan Tech

Golf

Masters Tournament – Raymond Floyd

U.S. Open – Jerry Pate

British Open – Johnny Miller

PGA Championship – Dave Stockton

LPGA Championship – Betty Burfeindt

U.S. Women's Open – JoAnne Carner


Popular Films

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • All the President's Men
  • The Omen
  • Taxi Driver
  • The Outlaw Josey Wales
  • Rocky

Popular Musicians and Songs

  • Bay City Rollers
  • Barry Manilow
  • Diana Ross
  • Paul Simon
  • The Four Seasons
  • Paul McCartney and Wings
  • Elton John
  • Rod Stewart
  • Queen
  • ABBA

Popular TV Programs

  • The Six Million Dollar Man
  • Kojak
  • The Jeffersons
  • All in the Family
  • Maude
  • Good Times
  • M*A*S*H
  • The Carol Burnett Show

Born This Year

  • Colin Farrell May 31st
  • Reese Witherspoon March 22nd
  • Jennifer Capriati March 29th
  • Melissa Joan Hart April 18th

Technology

  • Concorde operated by Britain and France enters service cuts transatlantic flying time to 3 1/2 hours
  • Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
  • First laser printer introduced by IBM - the IBM 3800
  • NASA Unviels first space shuttle, the Enterprise
  • An American Panel warns that CFC's Chloro-fluorocarbons used in Aerosol Cans damage the Ozone layer
  • The Olympics, broadcast from Montreal, Canada, draw an estimated one billion viewers worldwide.
  • Matsushita introduces the VHS home video cassette recorder to compete with Sony's Beta max system.
  • Landing Vehicles from the US Spacecraft Viking I and Viking II set down safely on Mars

Inventions
  • Ink Jet Printer

From thepeoplehistory, Wikipedia, and Google.

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