Information for the Year 1977

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  • Deng Xiaoping, purged Chinese leader, restored to power as Gang of Four is expelled from Communist Party (July 22).
  • South African activist Steve Biko dies in police custody (Sept. 12).
  • Nuclear-proliferation pact, curbing spread of nuclear weapons, is signed by 15 countries, including US and USSR (Sept. 21).
  • Population:  4.230 billion
  • Nobel Peace Prize:  Amnesty International
  • First woman Episcopal priest ordained (Jan. 1).
  • Scientists identify previously unknown bacterium as cause of mysterious "legionnaire's disease" (Jan. 18).
  • Carter pardons Vietnam war draft evaders (Jan. 21).
  • President:  James Earl Carter, Jr.
  • Vice President:  Walter F. Mondale
  • Population:  220,239,425
  • Life expectancy:  73.3 years
  • 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
  • Super Bowl  Oakland Raiders defeated Minnesota Vikings(SCORE 32-14)
  • World Series of Baseball  New York Yankees defeated Los Angeles Dodgers
  • National Basketball Association Championship  Portland defeated Philadelphia 76ers
  • National Hockey League Stanley Cup  Montreal Canadiens defeated Boston Bruins
  • Women Wimbledon Tennis  Virginia Wade defeated B. Stove (4-6 6-3 6-1)
  • Men Wimbledon Tennis   Bjorn Borg defeated J. Connors (3-6 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-4)
  • Kentucky Derby Horse Race Champion  Seattle Slew
  • National College Athletic Association Basketball Championship  Marquette defeated North Carolina (SCORE 67-59)
  • National College Athletic Association Football Champions  Notre Dame (RECORD 11-1-0)
  • The TV miniseries Roots draws an audience of 130 million.
  • Star Wars hits theaters--for the first time--and will go on to be the second highest-grossing film of all time.
  • Saturday Night Fever sparks the disco inferno and the popularity of movie soundtracks.
  • Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, his Memphis, Tenn. home. He was 42.
  • Academy Award, Best Picture:  Rocky
  • Grammy Award - Record of the Year  This Masquerade by George Benson
  • Emmy Award - Best Television Comedy   The Mary Tyler Moore Show - CBS
  • Miss America:  Dorothy Kathleen Benham (Minnesota)
  • The neutron bomb is developed.
  • The space shuttle Enterprise makes its first test glide, from the back of a 747.
  • Paul MacCready (US) develops the Gossamer Condor, the first successful human-powered aircraft.
  • Lasers are first used to initiate a fusion reaction.

 

All of the Information on this site is from Fact Monster