Defining Moments of the 1970s

By Edayy88

  • Civil Rights Spills into Sports

    With racial barriers broken by athletes like Jackie Robinson, the '70s represented the first full decade in which African-Americans regularly reached sports superstardom.
  • Period: to

    The 1970s

  • Earth Day and the Environmental Movement

    The first Earth Day was held in order to combat Earth's rapid depletion in the face of nuclear proliferation and resource shortages.

  • Opening the Door to China

    With Cold War tensions down, President Nixon attempted to establish relations with China. The treaty with China led the Soviet Union to increase relations with the US, including a series of weapons treaties.

  • Roe vs. Wade

    In the early '70s, abortion was illegal or greatly restricted. However, with the Roe vs. Wade case, the Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional to consider an abortion in the first 3 months of a woman's pregnancy.

  • The Energy Crisis

    Between 1973 and 1979, America faced its greatest economic challenge of its time with the energy crisis. With the US support of Isreal, Arab states ruled an embargo on oil, causing the US economy to inflate and prices to shoot up.

  • The Watergate Scandal and Nixon's Resignation

    On June 17th, 1972, 5 men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, setting off one of the country's most embarrassing scandals. Investigators discovered that the men had close connections to President Nixon, who had ordered his staff to participate in illegal surveillance and break-ins to monitor his enemies. When Nixon's involvement became clear, he resigned.

  • The Computer Revolution

    Apple and Microsoft were both founded around 1975-1976, which led to a revolution of computers. Apple and Microsoft served as figureheads for the PC explosion and became responsible for America's most innovative and most popular technology.

  • Pentagon Papers and the Fall of Saigon

    At the decade's start, the United States was still haunted by the spector of Vietnam. Nixon secretly approved further military action in Vietnam which was revealed in the Pentagon Papers. Political pressure led Nixon to withdraw from Vietnam, and Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese shortly after.

  • "Star Wars" Takes Us to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

    While there were other amazing movies made in the 1970s, it was undoubtedly "Star Wars" that had the greatest impact on Americans. Not only did it become one of the highest grossing films of all time, it also changed cinema.

  • Disco Peaks: "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack

    These disco tunes are more associated to the '70s than any others; this soundtrack quickly became America's top selling.