1977 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

• 20th Century Fox heavily promoted the film, The Other Side of Midnight, thinking Star Wars would be a flop.
• The Top Song was You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone
• The Big Movies included Star Wars (Ep. IV: A New Hope), Smokey and the Bandit and Saturday Night Fever
• The US Population was officially 220,239,425 people.
• The World Population was ~ 4,156,000,000
• The 'High Five' was created by Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker..
• 1 once of gold value: $161.10
• And... In 1977's Star Wars, Han Solo did shoot Greedo first, although some updated history states otherwise.

Prior to Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977), summers were considered the "graveyard season" for movie releases.

The original Star Wars premiered on just 32 screens across the U.S. when it opened on May 25, 1977.

James Cameron decided to enter the film industry and quit his job as a truck driver after seeing Star Wars.

The best-selling instrumental single of all time is Meco's Star Wars Theme and Cantina Band cover of the Star Wars soundtrack.

James Earl Jones declined to have his name appear on the credits of both Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), claiming that he felt his contribution wasn't significant enough to warrant a credit.

The sound of Darth Vader mask's respirator function is trademarked in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under Trademark #77419252 and is officially described in the documentation as "The sound of rhythmic mechanical human breathing created by breathing through a scuba tank regulator." It was filed in 2008, and official in 2015.

The first "High Five" that is widely acknowledged as such occurred on October 2, 1977 between two members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker.

The progressive rock band Pink Floyd tied a giant inflatable pig to a power station as a publicity stunt. The pig broke free, and floated over Heathrow airport, where all flights had to be grounded to avoid collisions with the pig. #pigs

The first openly gay doll, Gay Bob, was launched in 1977. He had a pierced ear, was anatomically correct, and his box was shaped like a closet.

The Big Ear radio telescope heard what many may consider a radio transmission from outer space from an intelligent extra-terrestrial source. It lasted 72 seconds, and has not been heard since. The 'Wow! Signal', a strong narrowband radio signal detected on Aug 15, 1977 that originated from near Chi Sagittarii. Its frequency is very close to the Hydrogen Line, which scientists believe intelligent races might use to send a strong signal.

A group of scientist discovered that any radioactive particle does not decay when being observed. This is called Quantum Zeno Effect.

The first documented occurrence of the high five wasn't until this year, between Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodger Stadium on October 2, 1977. There were other claims, as early as just after WW2. The low five was referrred to by Cab Calloway in the 1920s.

Slim-Fast began selling in 1977 and, after initial hesitation by the FDA, was approved and came on strong in 1979 as a weight-loss product.

Nike's "Just Do It" slogan was inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore, said right before being executed by firing squad.

NBC broadcast an animated musical film called The Hobbit, which was an adaptation of the fictional novel written by J.R.R Tolkien.

Maureen Weston, while in a rocking chair marathon, didn't sleep for 18 days and 17 hours. Don't try this at home, or even with friends.

A boundary dispute between the US states of New Hampshire and Maine was resolved by the US Supreme Court, which determined that the boundary was fixed by the 1740 decree of King George II of Great Britain.

An audio signal for a TV broadcast was hijacked in the UK for 6 minutes. The person claimed to be "Vrillon" from the "Ashtar Galactic Command," and proceeded with a warning to the people of Earth.

The 1924 novel Beau Geste was last adapted to film as a 1977 comedy starring Marty Feldman. That film, titled The Last Remake Of Beau Geste, is to this day the last remake of Beau Geste.

Kenner Toys was unable to manufacture Star Wars action figures in time for the 1977 holidays, so many kids were left unwrapping an "early bird certificate".

The Chia Pet® is the registered trademark belonging to Joseph Enterprises, Inc., the manufacturers and originators of the Chia Pet. The name was first used on September 8, but the idea of growing plants aroung clay and other materials has been around forever.

The e.p.t. pregnancy test was available over the counter. Previously, there was an ancient Egyptian test that was right about 2 out of 3 times, involving peeing on barley and wheat, that could even tell the sex of the children.

Cost of a Superbowl ad in 1977: $125,000.

Contrary to what you may have heard, Howard Cosell never said 'The Bronx Is Burning' during the 1977 World Series.

Maureen Weston of the U.K. voluntarily stayed up for 449 hours (18 days), and made it into the 1978 Guinness Book of World Records. But because staying awake for such long stretches poses so many health risks, Guinness chose to no longer acknowledge sleep deprivation records.

Saturday Night Live had an "Anyone Can Host" contest and the winner was an 80-year old woman named Miskel Spillman.

When Australian driver Alan Jones won the 1977 Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, the race organisers didn't have a copy of his national anthem to play at the podium ceremony (unaware that it was God Save The Queen). Instead, a drunk person played "Happy Birthday" on a trumpet.

Some Say... During the New York blackout, a number of looters stole DJ equipment from electronics stores and as a result, the hip hop genre, barely known outside of the Bronx at the time, grew at an astounding rate from 1977 onward.

Atari 2600 Console, Studio II Game Console, Bally Professional Arcade, Star Wars Toys, Chai Pets, Slime, Skateboards, Coleco released the Telstar Alpha, Telstar Colormatic and Telstar Ranger

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