1977
Voyager space probes launch
NASA launched the twin Voyager probes to the outer planets carrying gold records with greetings in fifty-five languages and sounds of Earth. Over the next decade they sent back close-up pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Decades later they left the solar system, humanity's first interstellar objects, carrying our greetings into the silence.
Steve Biko killed in custody
The young South African activist and founder of the Black Consciousness Movement was beaten to death by security police in Port Elizabeth, then driven naked in the back of a Land Rover to Pretoria, where he died on the floor of a cell. The minister of justice said his death left him cold. It did not leave the world cold.
Apple II and Star Wars
The Apple II, the first mass-market personal computer, went on sale at thirteen hundred dollars. Meanwhile, a space opera written by a young California filmmaker opened in a handful of theaters. Both computers and blockbusters would reshape American culture. The twin revolutions of the late twentieth century had quietly punched in.
Elvis dies at Graceland
A forty-two-year-old man in a bathroom at his Memphis mansion collapsed and was found dead by his girlfriend. His heart, surrounded by a body made sick by pills and cheeseburgers, had given out. Seventy-five thousand fans gathered outside the gates. The king of rock and roll, who had sold a billion records, was gone.
New York blackout
Lightning strikes on power lines cascaded into a blackout across New York City on a hot July night. Thirty-six hours of darkness followed. In the South Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem, looting and arson ran through the streets. Sixteen hundred stores were damaged. A new music called hip-hop gained some free equipment that night.
Want 1977 in context? Print the whole 20th century as a one-sheet timeline chart.
Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1977?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1977. The most significant is Voyager space probes launch: NASA launched the twin Voyager probes to the outer planets carrying gold records with greetings in fifty-five languages and sounds of Earth.
What era was 1977 part of?
1977 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1977?
The curated events from 1977 span North America and Africa.