1977 - Star Wars Impact

Jane Ann McLachlan had this great idea for a blog challenge for the month of October to do one day for each of the first 25 years of your life.  This is the 14th installment. 

In 1977 the Dow closes at 831
Inflation was at 6.5%
Average cost of a new house: $49,300
Average income: $15,000, this is the 1^st year it’s gone down in a very long time
Gasoline: $0.65 a gallon
Movie ticket: $1.50

C.J. Cherryh wins the Campbell for best new SF writer.

President Carter pardons draft evaders.

Radio Shack releases the TRS-80.  I managed to get my hands on one years later.  Two months later the Apple II goes on sale.

Star Wars is released in May.

Elvis does his last concert in Indianapolis June 26^th. Elvis dies at Graceland at the age of 42.

Voyager 1 launches.


Bill Rogers wins the NYC Marathon.  Long distance running is becoming a fad.

The first three nodes of ARPAnet are connected.  The Internet is born.

What a great year for pop culture.
Movies: Star Wars, Wizards, Close Encounters of the 3^rd Kind, Saturday Night Fever, A Star is Born, Capricorn One
TV: Roots, Three’s Company, Soap, The New Mickey Mouse Club, The Love Boat, ChiPs, The Man from Atlantis
Music: Rumors by Fleetwood Mac released, The Sex Pistols release Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols, The Clash release their first album, The Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack goes nuts and Disco takes over the world (briefly) but not until 1978.

Elvis dies at Graceland at the age of 42.

Farrah Fawcett posters.  I had one on my wall. 
Digital watches. Skateboarding is making a comeback.

In 1977 I had hair down to my shoulders and was skateboarding and playing board games, like APBA Baseball, Football and Golf, Strat-o-matic Baseball, and Negamco Basketball and Golf. I even invented my own boxing and golf game.  I started playing golf with my dad that year and quit playing baseball.  

But the huge game changer was Star Wars.  I distinctly remember going downtown to Charleston watch it at the Kearse Theater and the line went all the way around the block.  Unheard of back then.  I knew kids at school that had seen it a dozen times.  My mom let us get the soundtrack.  It was the first movie soundtrack I ever owned.  I became obsessed with Science Fiction and wanted to be Han Solo.  I started buying Starlog and comics and Omni Magazine when it came out the following year. I started reading everything I could get my hands on.  It literally changed my life.  I would not be a pilot today if not for that movie.  I am still a huge Star Wars fan and even though I was deployed in 1999, when Episode 1 came out, I managed to see it in Germany. I still love Science Fiction as well and plan on writing in that genre for the foreseeable future.


Clear Ether!