THE '70'S
In the 60's we watched and learned from "Leave it to Beaver," and "Father Knows Best." The westerns were amazingly tame. The Lone Ranger never killed anybody. Usually he shot the gun out of the bad guy's hand. You never saw any blood.
But in the 70's, the networks tossed us "The Brady Bunch," a blended family, and "The Partridge Family." They certainly were not the nuclear family that prevailed for the first 60 years of the decade. Archie Bunker exposed all of his prejudices right on the screen for us. And "The Jefferson's" introduced an interracial couple to television. And in "Three's Company," nobody was married (except for the fuddy-duddy Ropers). We were led to believe the young adults were just roommates. But sexual innuendo that you would not have ever seen in the 60's, permeated every episode of "Three's Company." It was a complete reversal of the 60's. cop shows.
In the 60's, comedian George Carlin performed a 10-minute comedy sketch about the seven dirty words you could not say on television or radio. The boomer society whittled that down to about two or three in the 70's. In the mid-to-late 60's, many kids began wearing bellbottom pants. They let their hair grow long; they wore flowers in their hair. Kid's stuff compared to the 70's.
In the 70's, many kids wore platform shoes and paisley shirts. Blacks, including Jesse Jackson, grew beards mustaches and and wore afros. The bizarre even went mainstream: leisure suits became standard attire for some adults; we wore those horrible wide ties, and even ABC News dude Sam Donaldson grew long, thick sideburns; and his superiors let him get away with it.
The sexual revolution may have been born in the 60's, but it came of age in the 70's. In the 60's, good girls did not do it; and if they did, they did not talk about it. And if a girl "got in trouble," she either went away for several months, or she forced the father into what our parents called a "shotgun wedding." That is how it was done. Very few adults lived under the same roof unless they were members of the same family. The term "family" had a distinct and clear definition. The birth control pill was not readily available, and abortion was still illegal. You were likely to be suspended if you were caught with a condom in school.
But the Supreme Court sanctified the sexual revolution by declaring abortion to be legal in the early 70's. And the birth control pill opened the floodgates to sex without consequence - or guilt. By the mid 70's, adults and teens were living together... because they could, and nobody frowned on them for doing so. There was no such thing as "living in sin," because there was no sin. The phrase of the 70's was "Do your own thing."
In 1976, President Jimmy Carter admitted that he had lusted in his heart, but he asked his staff members to grow up and get married. Astrology gained a dubious popularity. The standard pickup line was, "What's your sign?" Uri Geller made a fortune convincing people that he could bend spoons with his mind. The 70's proved that P.T. Barnum was right. Suspicion and intrigue replaced facts in the 70's. Conspiracy theorists began to convince us that Lee Harvey Oswald did not shoot President Kennedy, that James Earl Ray did not shoot Dr. Martin Luther King, and that Sirhan Sirhan did not shoot Robert Kennedy, despite overwhelming evience to the contrary.
The U.S. Congress helped in this effort, too. In the late 70's, they conducted hearings and found portions of a tape recording from a police radio in Dealy Plaza on November 22, 1963 that suggested a second gunman. This was actually an ego trip for several congressmen running for re-election. And never mind that later evidence proved that the radio signals showed nothing at all. Apparently we wanted to believe the ridiculous. Many Americans honestly believed that the moon landings were events staged by NASA in an abandoned airplane hanger in Arizona. The truth was too often white shirts and straight pants. The conspiracies were paisley shirts and bellbottoms. We preferred the later in the 70's.
But we were into public confession in the 70's, too. First lady Betty Ford admitted that she had been addicted to pain killers, and had been a little tipsy on more than one occasion. Later, she got a face lift, and proudly showed it to everyone. And then she told the story of her breast cancer. This public candor spawned a huge spate of confessions which actually made careers for Oprah, Geraldo, and Jerry Springer in the 80's and 90's. As Jimmy Durante said, "Everybody wants in on de act." But Betty Ford did it with class.
In addition to the hippies, there seemed to be Hari Krishna devotees at every street corner. These were young adults who shaved their heads, wore white sheets, sold incense, and tried to get everyone to read their pamphlets. They were generally harmless. But nobody could figure out exactly what their objective was. And by the 80's, nobody could figure out where they went. One day they were just gone; and that was that. Another bizarre 70's thing, just like the disco and 8-track tape players.
In the 60's, the songs and the lyrics were generally gentle, or sometimes just goofy. The artists sang of love, but only implied physical contact. And when they dealt with love, it was in the context of a true, complete, and permanent relationship. The Beach Boys still wore suits and ties, or matching outfits, when they performed. By contrast, at Woodstock (in 1969), some performers wore little or nothing at all. This set the tone for the music performers of the 70's. Acid rock and hard rock music took hold in the 70's. Hard rocker Janis Joplin died of a drug overdose in 1970. But where she left off, there were dozens more to take her place.
MTV was born in the 70's. In the 60's, rock musicians composed music to be heard, to be sung. But in the 70's, they composed it to be seen. Elton John is indeed a talented songwriter. But in the 70's he gained his fame by his outrageous clothing and jewelry as much as his music. The words mattered less, sometimes not at all. Beer was the popular stimulant in the early 60's. Some people claim that marijuana use in the '60's was actually much more rare than many of us had been led to believe. But by the 70's, there were many illegal drugs available to boomers. And the fact that they were illegal somehow made them more appealing. Twenty years later, mainstream politicians admit that they used illegal drugs in the 70's - not in the 60's. It is not true that "everybody did it"; but a heck of a lot of boomers did.
America decided it had had enough of Vietnam in the 70's. Richard Nixon's "Vietnamization" strategy was a military failure, but it did give him a diplomatic way to withdraw American troops from southeast Asia. After the death of 40,000 Americans, the war ended, the prisoners came home, and South Vietnam fell to the communists. But the wounds of that war have yet to heal, a quarter of a century later. There are 76 million boomers who will remember the Vietnam War disaster until the day they die.
Popular movies in the 60's were "The Sound of Music," "Mary Poppins," and "West Side Story." There was nary a single 4-letter word in "West Side Story," a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. The 70's gave us "The Godfather," "Dirty Harry," "Death Wish" and "Deep Throat." Death, blood and guts, and sex were the selling points at the box office.
President Nixon imposed wage and price controls in the early 70's when the inflation rate soared to an outrageous annual rate of three percent. The federal budget was balanced in 1971, though. That would not happen again for another 25 years. By the end of the 70's, double-digit inflation had clobbered Jerry Ford's WIN (Wip Inflation Now) program, and sealed the fate of President Jimmy Carter, lust and all. President Carter was defeated, in part, because the federal deficit had gotten out of control.
This, then, defines the 70's. It appears that 76 million teenagers coming of age was too strong a force to resist. We represented 40% of the population, and we were used to getting what we wanted. So our parents saw that they could not keep things as they were. There were just too many of us. And television spread the word too quickly. Life and society would not stay as it had been. We had too much leisure time, too much money, and there were simply too many of us. So we did what we wanted. The result - was the 70's.
The unemployment rate in the U.S.
reaches 5.5%, the highest rate since
1965.
UAW workers strike General Motors; the
strike lasts 67 days.
Six years after they first came to the
U.S., the Beatles call it quits and go
solo.
The Carnegie Corporation reports that
U.S. public schools are "grim,"
"joyless," and "oppressive." (Wonder
what they'd say today?)
The Clean Air Act forces auto makers to
build engines that are 90%
emission-free.
February: Alabama Governor George
Wallace urges Southern governors to defy
federal integration orders. He says he
may run for president to "send them a
message."
Radio announcer Casey Kasem
begins
hosting a show called "American Top 40."
April 21: The first "Earth
Day" is
celebrated.
Capt. Ernest L. Medina and five other
soldiers are charged with murder and
rape at the South Vietnamese village of
My Lai in 1968.
Peace talks in Paris to end the Vietnam
war continue for a second year without
progress, but Washington reduces U.S.
troop strength in Vietnam below 400,000
in response to mounting public pressure
as casualties rise.
Speaking against the war... and the
country, actress Jane Fonda says, "It's
my fondest wish, that some day, every
American will get down on their knees
and pray to God that some day they will
have the opportunity to live in a
Communist Society."
Several colleges are forced to close
down in the face of demonstrations
against the war.
April 30:
President Nixon announces that
he has ordered U.S. combat troops into
part of Cambodia to destroy North
Vietnamese headquarters and sanctuaries.
May
4: Students at Kent State
University
protest the war. National Guardsmen open
fire on the 1,000 students and four are
killed; eight others are injured.
May
9: 75,000 students
demonstrate
against the war in Washington. President
Nixon meets with several of them at the
Lincoln Memorial.
July: The most
liberal
abortion law in
the country goes into effect in New
York.
The Baltimore Orioles win the World
Series.
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" debuts on
television.
Adults are giving up cigarettes, but
many boomers are starting to
smoke.
The Academy award for Best Picture goes
to "Patton."
December: The EPA is born. Within five
years, it will be spending $2 million
dollars a day.
The number 1 song of 1970 was "Bridge
Over Troubled Water," by Simon &
Garfunkel.
"All Things Considered" debuts on public
radio.
First class postal rates for a
one-ounce, first class letter increase
to 8 cents.
April: The
Supreme Court upholds bussing
of school children to achieve a racial
balance.
Daniel Ellsburg provides detailed,
classified papers on the U.S.
involvement in Vietnam to "The New York
Times." Ellsberg is indicted in
December, but the "cat is out of the
bag."
August:
President Nixon imposes a 90-day
freeze on wages and prices in order to
combat runaway inflation (which is just
over 3% per year). The stock market
responds enthusiastically, but the
AFL-CIO refuses to go along.
Boomers can now vote in federal
elections as the 26th amendment lowers
the voting age from 21 to 18.
September: A
bloody riot at Attica
prison in New York kills 43.
President Nixon declares a war on
cancer, authorizing $1.5 billion per
year to fight cancer.
The approval of soft contact lenses by
the FDA marks a huge step forward in eye
care.
October:
"Jesus Christ Superstar" opens
on Broadway.
U.S. troop strength in Vietnam is down
to 200,000 as President Nixon's
"Vietnamization program"
continues.
The Peoples' Republic of China becomes a
member of the United Nations.
The Pittsburgh Pirates win the
World
Series.
Cigarette advertising is now banned on
television and radio; but tobacco sales
continue to be strong.
Walt Disney's vision of a theme park
with endless land comes true after his
death with the opening of Disney World
outside of Orlando, Florida.
The Academy award for Best Picture goes
to "The French Connection."
The World Trade Center in New York and
the pyramid-shaped Transamerica building
in San Francisco open.
February: President Nixon shocks the
world by visiting communist China.
Despite his reputation with the press,
President Nixon is endorsed by 753
newspapers; only 56 endorse Senator
McGovern.
"Life Magazine" ceases weekly
publication.
Nearly 30% of oil used in the U.S. is
imported. This will cause big problems
in 1973.
June:
Tropical storm Agnes slams across
the east coast, killing 134 persons from
Florida to New York.
June: The
U.S. Supreme Court rules that
the death penalty is "cruel and unusual"
punishment. But the court will reverse
its decision in 1976.
"Grease" debuts on Broadway.
U.S. planes bomb Hanoi (Vietnam) for the
first time since 1968.
Governor Wallace is shot while
campaigning for president in Laurel,
Maryland.
June 17:
Five men are arrested for
breaking into Democratic National
Headquarters at the Watergate complex.
Their connection to the Nixon campaign
is not immediately known.
Senator George McGovern wins the
nomination of the Democratic Party to
run for president. He selects Senator
Thomas Eagleton as his runningmate.
Stories of Senator Eagleton's treatment
for depression hurt the Democratic
ticket; but candidate McGovern says he
backs his runningmate 1000%.
Senator McGovern replaces Senator
Eagleton with Sargent Shriver, former
director of the Peace Corps.
August: Bob
Woodward and Carl Bernstein
begin their investigative journalism
reports on the break-in at the
Watergate.
Jane Fonda visits North Vietnam and
serves as a propaganda tool of the North
Vietnamese.
November:
President Nixon wins
re-election by the largest margin since
1936.
"The Waltons" and "M*A*S*H" premier on
television.
The Oakland Athletics win the World
Series.
San Francisco's new rapid transit
system, BART, goes into operation. It is
three years behind schedule, and costs
over 12 times the projected $120
million.
The Academy award for Best Picture goes
to "The Godfather." Liza Minnelli and
Joel Grey wins for their performances in
"Cabaret." Other films include
"Deliverance."
The "Sears Tower" in Chicago
opens; it
is 1,455 feet tall.
January 28:
A ceasefire ends
U.S. ground
troop involvement in Vietnam. The war
has claimed the lives of over 45,000
Americans.
OPEC cuts production of oil; the
shortage of gasoline affects everyone.
U.S. oil processing cannot meet the
demands of Americans. But critics claim
the shortage is contrived by the oil
companies.
April:
Presidential aides Haldeman,
Erlichman, and Dean resign as the
Watergate scandal edges closer to the
White House.
George Foreman defeats Joe Frazier to
become the heavyweight champion of the
world.
June:
President Nixon orders a freeze on
all retail food prices.
September:
In a tennis "battle of the
sexes" contest, the women win big-time.
Billy Jean King defeats 55 year-old
Bobby Riggs.
October:
Vice President Spiro Agnew
resigns; Agnew pleaded no contest to
charges of income tax evasion.
President Nixon fires Watergate
prosecutor Archibold Cox when Cox
demands White House tape recordings.
Nixon appoints Leon Jaworski to replace
Cox.
The Oakland Athletics win the World
Series. Secretariat wins the Triple Crown of horse racing and is regarded as the thoroughbred horse of the century.
The Academy award for Best Picture goes
to "The Sting." Actress Glenda Jackson
wins for her performance in "A Touch of
Class."
The first word processing machines begin
to replace typewriters. Wide use of
personal computers is still a decade
away.
January:
Israel and Egypt
sign a
"disengagement" agreement. This proves
to be a first step toward piece between
Egypt and Israel.
The price of a first class postage stamp
goes up to 10 cents.
February:
Black militants
calling
themselves the Symbionese Liberation
Army kidnap Patricia Hearst.
The Dow Jones average bottoms out at
570.
April 8:
Hank Aaron hits home run number
715, breaking Babe Ruth's record.
The "streaking" fad hits U.S.
college
campuses as students show what they've
got.
July: The
U.S. Supreme Court rules 9-0
that the White House must turn over
audio tapes to the special prosecutor.
August 9:
Richard Nixon
resigns;
President Ford declares, "Our long,
national nightmare is over."
October:
Muhammad Ali defeats George
Foreman in Zaire to regain the world's
heavyweight title.
The Oakland Athletics win the World
Series.
The Academy award for Best Picture goes
to "The Godfather, Part II." Other
pictures include "Chinatown," and
"Blazing Saddles."
Pittsburgh defeats Minnesota in
Superbowl IX.
April: South
Vietnam's President Thieu
resigns, marking the end of the struggle
for Vietnam. U.S. helicopters evacuate
the last of U.S. personnel from Saigon.
The war is finally over.
July:
July 18: The
U.S. and the Soviets meet
in space.
July 30:
Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa
disappears as he is trying to regain
control of the union. Some say he is
buried at sea; others claim he lies deep
in the cement of Giants stadium. Either
way... he is gone!
The oil shortage takes its toll on
Japan, where the GNP drops for the first
time since WWII.
"The Wiz" opens on Broadway.
Two women take shots at President Ford -
both miss. (Squeaky Fromm, a member of
the Manson family, and Sarah Jane
Moore.)
Watergate prison sentences begin. Former
Attorney General John Mitchell, H.R.
Haldeman, John Erlichman, and Robert
Mardian will all serve time in prison.
September
18: Patty Hearst,
who had been
kidnapped by the SLA a year earlier, and
later joined in their activities, is
captured by the FBI. She will later
serve jail time for bank robbery.
September: In the
"Thrilla' in
Manila,"
Muhammad Ali retains his title by
defeating Smokin' Joe Frazier.
The Boston Red Sox are denied
another
World Series, by losing to Cincinnati in
the final game of the World Series.
October: The
Soviet Union is
beginning
to crumble: the U.S. agrees to sell the
U.S.S.R. 8 million tons of wheat and
corn per year.
October 30:
"FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD" -
headline in the NY Daily News,
criticizing President's Fords statement
on the city's precarious financial
situation. Nonetheless, the city gets a
$2 billion loan to stave off bankruptcy.
After scoring a perfect 800 on
the math
portion of the SAT, William Henry Gates,
III drops out of Harvard to write
software for itty-bitty computers. He
calls his company... Microsoft.
November: 36 years
of rule by
Spain's
dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco
ends with his death at age 82.
A federal law pushes the U.S.
toward
conversion to the metric system. But
like platform shoes and leisure suits,
the idea sinks in the U.S. like a lead
balloon.
"Saturday Night Live" premiers
on NBC
television.
1970
U.S. Post Office Department workers go
on strike; the army is called out to
deliver the mail.
Casey Kasem, rock radio
DJ
Jane Fonda seated at anti-aircraft gun in North Vietnam, 1972.
Helen Hayes wins Best
Supporting Actress for her delightful
role in "Airport." Other movies include
"Five Easy Pieces," and
"M*A*S*H."1971
January: CBS television introduces "All
in the Family."
1972
January: The U.S. Surgeon General
reports for the first time on the
dangers of "sidestream" (or secondhand)
smoke.
1973
January: The
U.S. Supreme Court
rules
that abortion is legal... at least
during the first 6 months of pregnancy.
1974
January: In
an effort to save
fuel and
lives, President Nixon signs a bill
which will create a national speed limit
of 55 mph.
1975
Miller Lite beer is born; 76 million
boomer applaud vigorously. "Tastes
Great!" "Less Filling!"
Arthur Ashe
wins the
men's
championship at Wimbledon; Billy Jean
King wins for the women.
"Jaws" scares the heck out of us, but is
ignored by the Oscars. "The Godfather,
Part II" wins for best film. Other films
include "Dog Day Afternoon," and
"Chinatown."
