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Floppy Disks
In the middle of 1970, floppy disks were announced to the general public, but weren’t released until 1971. Floppy disks were removable storage devices that were covered in a hard plastic cover. Floppy disks were anywhere between three and a half and eight inches in diameter. Floppy disks are now considered obsolete by everyone. The originals, released in 1971, could only hold up to 360 kilobytes, which is about a third of a megabyte. -
Bar Codes
1970 was the turning point for barcodes, as it was when the first scanners were manufactured, although the scanners weren’t used for another four years. Barcodes are the main reason why supermarket checkouts are so fast and efficient, as they allow quick and easy pricing of products. The original barcodes were not widely used, as they required expensive equipment, but now they are used worldwide. Every day, about five billion barcodes are scanned. -
The World Trade Center
On December 23, 1970, the first of the Twin Towers, the North Tower, was completed. The Twin Towers were the heart of the World Trade Center’s seven buildings. The Twin Towers, unfortunately in all the glory, have been destroyed. The Twin towers, along with the rest of the World Trade Center were destroyed in the 2001 September 11th attacks. -
Pentagon Papers
On June 13, 1971, the New York Times started releasing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers to the public. The Pentagon Papers were the result of a study that was created to write an “encyclopedic history of the Vietnam War.” The Pentagon Papers caused outrage among U. S. citizens, as it revealed to the general public how four presidents lied to the American people as to what was really happening in Vietnam. -
Opening of Disney World
Walt Disney World Resort, known by most as Disney World, opens on October 1, 1971. Disney World is the most visited resort in the world, and is located about 20 miles southwest of Orlando, Florida. Disney World is still a very popular vacation spot today, and is constantly growing. There are numerous hotels on the resort, and there are many theme parks, such as the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. -
Introduction of Microprocessors
The company Intel advertises the first microprocessor on November 15, 1971, in the issue of Electronic News. This microprocessor was known as the Intel 4004 microprocessor, and is the granddaddy of all the microprocessors today. It is also the reason that our computers today only need one computer chip instead of twelve. -
Pocket Calculators
During February of 1972, the very first pocket calculator, the Hewlett Packard HP-35, was released. The Hewlett Packard HP-35 was very popular, and was named because of its 35 keys. The HP-35 sold for about $400, and sold over 300,000 units within three years of it being released. -
Release of Pong
The first successful video game was released in late 1972 by Atari Inc. This game was Pong, or as it was originally known as, Paddle Battles. Pong was so successful, that it inspired numerous imitators and inspired others to start in the video game business. -
The Last Man on the Moon
On December 11, 1972, the last man on the moon, Gene Cernan, left the moon. Very few people actually acknowledged the mission to the moon because of Vietnam, and Watergate. Apollo 17 was the sixth and final mission to the moon, and the astronauts brought back 253 pounds of moon rocks. -
Kidnapping of Paul Getty
On July 10, 1973, John Paul Getty III was kidnapped and held for ransom. Paul Getty's grandfather was the oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty's grandson. At first Jean Paul didn't pay the ransom, but after the kidnappers sent him Paul Getty's ear, he started to comply. In the end Paul Getty was safely returned for $2.9 million dollars. Most of the ransom money was never found, and five of the kidnappers were eventually kidnapped. -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Act, also known as the War Powers Resolution, was passed on November 7, 1973. This act was created to limit the amount of the president has in starting an armed conflict. All presidents since 1973 have called this act unconstitutional, and has been disregarded twice since 1973. -
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, and was a combination of Endangered Species Preservation Act and the Endangered Species Conservation Act. The Endangered Species Act was put in place to protect all plants and animals except for pests that were close to extinction. The goal of the Endangered Species Act was to bring endangered species back to their natural numbers, although it allowed for people to petition to remove or add a species from the endangered species list. -
National Maximum Speed Limit of 55
On January 2, 1974, President Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which set the national speed limit at 55 mph. This law was passed in response to the 1973 oil crisis as a way to save gas. It was estimated that there would be a saving of 2.2% of gas, but the actual savings were closer to 1%. This law was ineffective, as most states disregarded the law, as they had to sign the law in order to get federal funding for highway repair. -
Patty Hearst Kidnapped
Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) on February 4th, 1974. Patty was then put through two months of psychological torture, until she was a different person. The SLA did this to show that they were serious, and even got Patty Hearst, an innocent woman, to take part in and enjoy a bank robbery. -
Freedom of Information Act
On November 21st, 1974 the Freedom of Information Act was amended, even though President Ford tried to veto it. The Freedom of Information Act made amendments to the Security Act because of the Watergate scandal. President Ford originally wanted to pass the bill, but was persuaded by his chief of staff and deputy. -
Foundation of Microsoft
On April 4th 1975, Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Microsoft affects our lives with its many products, such as Microsoft Office and XBOX. -
Computerized Supermarket checkouts begin to appear
During 1975, Supermarkets were computerized. This means that you could use barcodes to price products easily. This made checking out faster and more efficient. -
President Ford Assassination Attempts
On September 5th and September 22nd, President Gerald Ford was nearly assassinated. The two assassins were Lynette From and Sara Jane Moore. Both assassins were later released after Ford's death. -
Red Dye #2 Banned
Red Dye #2 was banned by the FDA on February 13th, 1976, because it caused tumors and cancer in rats. Red Dye #2 had been used for years before it was found to be causing cancer. -
Apple Computer Launched
Apple Computers were created on April 1st, 1976, and was released later that year. Apple was created by Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs. Apple has revolutionized computing for the rest of the world. -
Nadia Comaneci Given Seven Perfect Tens
Nadia Comaneci was a Romanian gymnast, who got seven perfect tens during the course of the 1976 Montreal summer Olympics for gymnastics. Nadia was the first gymnast to get a perfect ten, and continued to set new gymnastic records over the years. -
Release of Star Wars
On May 25th, 1977, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released. This launched a new wave of sci-fi fans, and is referred to as one of the best films of all time. Star Wars grossed more money than Jaws, and was the top grossing film until E.T. -
Neutron Bomb Funding
During June of 1977 the Washington Post released an expose on the United States government's plan to purchase Nuetron Bomb plans. A Neutron Bomb was designed specifically to kill with radiation, yet not destroy property, and was referred to as a "capatalist bomb." -
New York City Blackout
Around 9 P.M. on July 13, 1977 lightning struck the Con Ed substation, causing a city wide blackout. The blackout caused city wide looting and mob fires. The blackout lasted about 24 hours. -
Alantic City Permits Gambling
On May 26, 1978, the Resorts casino opens up, the first legal casino outside of Las Vegas. There are few dealers that day, and the first bet was by Steve Lawrence, who lost $10 on craps. -
First Test-Tube Baby Born
Louise Joy Brown was born on July 25, 1978, and is the first baby to be born using the process in vitro. Many were concerned that Louise would not be healthy, but she came out perfectly healthy. -
Jonestown Massacre
On November 18, 1978, 918 people died in Jonestown, otherwise known as the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. Most died from cyanide poisoning in what was called a revolutionary suicide. -
Nuclear Accident at Three Mile Island
On March 28th, 1979, there was a minor malfunction on the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plants new reactor, which caused a meltdown, destroying the reactor. Thankfully, nobody was injured from the accident. -
Sony Introduces the Walkman
On July 1st, 1979, Sony introduces the Walkman. The Walkman revolutionized how people listened to music, as it allowed them to listen to music on the go, but be able to use lightweight headphones. -
Greensboro Massacre
On November 3rd, 1979, the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis killed five members of the Death of the Klan March. Surprisingly, police would normally be at this type of event, but none were there, and this allowed the murderers to escape. -
Citations
cws.gtc.edu, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-floppy-disks.htm, http://www.allied-is.com/barcode-trivia/, http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/Bar-Codes.htm, judaismvschristianity.com, http://www.skyscraper.org/TALLEST_TOWERS/t_wtc.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center, http://www.intel.com/about/companyinfo/museum/exhibits/4004/index.htm, forum.xcitefun.net, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Resort, packages.orlandovacation.com, -
Citations 5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope, studentsoftheworld.info, http://gothamist.com/2007/07/13/the_new_york_ci.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_bomb, onpublicspeaking.com, http://history1900s.about.com/od/medicaladvancesissues/a/testtubebaby.htm, bonjourplanetearth.blogspot.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown, hauntednorthamerica.com, http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/history/30-and-counting-legalized-gambling.html, nj.com, -
Citations 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers, governmentinfo.wordpress.com, http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/hewlett_packard_hp-35.html, en.wikipedia.org, http://www.pong-story.com/arcade.htm, wiki.answers.com, http://articles.cnn.com/2002-12-11/tech/apollo17.anniversary_1_lunar-orbit-lunar-rock-and-soil-taurus-littrow-valley?_s=PM:TECH, aerospaceguide.net, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Powers_Resolution, docstoc.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Getty_III, annenbergtvnews.com -
Citations 3
http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Politics/endangered_species_act.html, en.wikipedia.org, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law, en.wikipedia.org, http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/terrorists/hearst/1.html, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/01/27/Patty_Hearst.DTL, http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/november21st.html, wikispaces.psu.edu, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft, cev.washington.edu, -
Citations 4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_assassination_attempts_and_plots#Gerald_Ford, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_supermarket_checkout_system#ixzz1rnJY79SG, alibaba.com, http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa121598.htm, applegazette.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Com%C4%83neci, infoplease.com, bellesouthblogs.com, http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/FoodDye.html -
Citations 6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_massacre, greensboro.world-guides.com, http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf36.html, en.wikipedia.org, time.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman,
