The Year 1978
Does anyone remember anything from the early age of three? I do not. If I shut my eyes and squint really, really hard, I cannot come up with any sort of event or memory. Not one. It wouldn't be until a year later that my brain, for whatever reason, would begin logging memories. 1978 was my third year on the planet. Definitely walking, and possibly potty trained, I was on the move for sure. Enjoying solid foods even. I don't recall if I was a picky eater or not, I'll have to ask my mother about that. Later on in life I do know that I absolutely despised green beans! Not the garden-fresh variety, the kind that came in a can, they squeaked in your teeth when you'd chew em,' and they had a big green guy on the label. My sisters were a few years older than I. I bet they have some memories from 78. Simply researching events for the year will come to an end with this post. From here on forward, I have true accounts of yearly life events. Here are some things I found interesting about nineteen hundred and seventy-eight.
Let's start out with costs. This is one of the subjects I'm most interested in when looking back in time. We all know prices really never come down on anything. Sure, interest rates go up and down, and home prices can fluctuate one decade to the next. But once something has become more expensive, it generally remains that way. Federal interest rates were quite high @ 11.75 percent. Average cost of a home was $54,800.00. That's $15,500.00 more than 1975. Not every state is the same when it comes to home prices. In Ohio for instance, you could buy a three bedroom, one and a half bath home for $24,500.00. What were the wages you may be wondering. Average income per year was just $17,000.00! In April of 78, minimum wages went up to $2.65 per hour. If you were making just minimum wages, your monthly income was a meager $424.00! Rent on average was $250 a month. That doesn't appear to have changed since 1977. Gas priced out at .63 cents per gallon. In today's grocery store, you will pay around eight dollars for a pound of bacon. In 78, that same pound of delicious pork goodness cost you $1.20. Eggs were 48 cents a dozen. Your state of the art 8 track player ran you $169.00. Keep in mind Americans were averaging just $1307.00 a month! Thank goodness food and gas were still relatively cheap. In 2023, it's ALL expensive! Personal computers were becoming common place. You could buy a Tandy TRS80 for $399.00.
NASA would hire their first group of women astronauts. Thirteen women had been selected for the training process in 1960. It wasn't until 1978 however, that they were elected to begin that process. Sally Ride became the first woman in space. Kathryn Sullivan was the first female to perform a spacewalk. Shannon Lucid was the first woman to visit the Mir space station.
An American cult leader would kill 900 followers by making them drink a poisoned punch. He himself did not drink the poison. His life would end in suicide by use of a firearm. Many of those forced/coerced in to drinking the deadly punch were sadly, children. His cult would begin in the city of Indianapolis. Later he migrated to Ukiah, Ca. After being accused of financial fraud, he would take his followers to Jonestown, Guyana in South America. A congressman, Leo Ryan, was summoned to the compound in Guyana on behalf of concerned relatives. He, and five of his staff, would be killed by a handful of cult followers, for fears he was sparking defection amongst the cult leaders' group. This took place on Nov.17th, 1978. The very next day the cult leader would take his own life and the lives of 900 of his followers.
The Camp David Peace Accords took place in September of 78. This meeting of leaders would be the foundation for ending the war between Egypt and Israel that had gone on for thirty-one years. Carter would be the President signing on to this peace treaty representing the United States.
A Hot air balloon would complete the first transatlantic flight for said craft. This manned balloon would travel over 3000 miles in just 137 hours. The four-man crew was housed in a gondola that was just 15x7x4.5 feet. Another interesting exploration was the first solo North Pole expedition. Carried out by a Japanese explorer, Naomi Uemura. He would use a team of Malamutes to carry his supplies although he did have some help from the Canadian Government who delivered some of his supplies via helicopter. Some of his hardships during his exploration included being stranded on cracking ice flow, and having his supplies eaten by polar bears. Mr. Uemura would disappear, never to be seen again, in 1984 while climbing Mount Denali. Who here, reading this post, can attest to being a Test Tube Baby? 1978 was the year the United Kingdom saw its first baby born via the process. A little girl by the name of Louise Brown.
Garfield was born in 78. Created by cartoonist Jim Davis who would be placed in the Guiness Book of World Records in 2002 for creating the most widely syndicated comic strip, having been featured in over 2500 newspapers worldwide. Movies in the theaters included Grease, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2(not nearly as good as the original), and The Deer Hunter, which oddly, I just watched two nights ago. What were Americans watching nightly, on their Zenith, big screens, in a wood
Musicians of the time were groups like, The Bee Gees, with their songs "Night Fever", and "Stayin Alive". The Rolling Stones, the Commodores who sang "Three Times a Lady". A group by the name Boomtown Rats, were also popular. I have no clue what songs they debuted in 78. That might be a fun artist to ask Alexa to play.......... Yep! Now I know why I've never heard of them. "Up All Night" isn't making me tap my toes.
Worldwide unemployment would begin to rise after decades of near full employment. Interesting. Volkswagen would end production of the ever-famous Beetle. Twenty million of the little 'Bugs' were manufactured. U.S. teachers were on strike, extending summer break for many school age children. The U.S. dollar would plunge against many European currencies. Gold sold for $200.00 an ounce. Japanese car imports would account for half the U.S. import market following the energy crisis and increase in fuel prices that fueled demand for economy cars. Remember Carters comment about oil dependency? Was this the beginning of the end for the American made "boat"? Sweden would ban aerosol sprays in concern of the earth's ozone layer. "Son of Sam, whom I mentioned before, was sentenced 25 years to life in prison. The U.S. stopped making Neutron Bombs. I guess they stopped caring about leaving buildings standing after bombing them. The first ever Susan B Anthony coin was minted.
Mother nature would decide to give India its worst monsoon season in modern times, leaving two million homeless. An earthquake in Tabas, Iran would kill nearly 20,000 people while the tip of an umbrella would kill one person in Bulgaria (this was a homicide btw). Greece would also experience a large quake at 6.5. No deaths were mentioned.
World Population, estimated at 4.4 billion.
After reading all of these facts for 1978, I'm beginning to notice some bad trends being set in place. Par for the course, costs on just about everything were continually increasing. Inflation was on the rise. Unemployment was a 'thing'. The human population was multiplying rapidly! While some countries were issuing peace proclamations, others were in a cold war. And of course, there's always North Korea up there in its rogue state. My little world revolved around a residence on Drown Street. The location of one of my first memories! You'll read about that in the next post.
"I have always preferred the contemplative to the active life. I prefer the freedom to see matters from several viewpoints, to appreciate ironies, and indeed to change my opinion as I learn something new. To be politically active means to surrender this freedom. I say nothing against activism for others. It is only through the committed that necessary changes come. But each to his own path".
A Cautious Case for Socialism, Dissent Magazine,1978
- Kenneth J. Arrow
I would have been 5. I remember the green beans, they'd wind up stuffed into the Pepsi can or inside my napkin to throw away (until our folks caught onto it lol)!
ReplyDeleteI also remember Garfield, the music, TV shows and the movies, but nothing else going on in the outside world as our parents gave us the opportunity to just be innocent kids and play and enjoy life.
Ha Ha. There was a night at an older age, maybe eight or nine, that I was sent to my room without my dinner. All due to the hiding of the beans! The soda can was genius.
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