Mood:
"Raw rebellion explodes culturally."
Events: "Punk movement rises in the UK and US."
Events: "Punk movement rises in the UK and US."
- Jan 20: Jimmy Carter Inaugurated – Jimmy Carter is sworn in as the 39th President of the United States, famously breaking tradition by walking down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House alongside his family.
- May 25: Star Wars Released – George Lucas releases his groundbreaking space opera "Star Wars" (later subtitled *Episode IV: A New Hope*). It completely shatters box office records and revolutionizes cinematic special effects and merchandising.
- Jun 5: Apple II Released – Apple Computer begins shipping the Apple II, one of the first highly successful and widely mass-produced personal computers featuring built-in color graphics and an open architecture.
- Jun 16: Death of Elvis Presley (Cultural Impact / Legacy) – *Note: See 1976 entry for his passing.* Meanwhile, Leonid Brezhnev becomes President of the Soviet Union, further consolidating his political power amidst intensifying Cold War competition.
- Aug 12: Enterprise Approach and Landing Test – The NASA space shuttle Enterprise successfully completes its very first unpowered atmospheric glide flight after being launched from a modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft.
- Aug 16: Death of Elvis Presley Commemoration – First anniversary tributes draw hundreds of thousands of devoted fans to Graceland, solidifying his enduring legacy as a cultural icon.
- Sep 5: Voyager 1 Launched – NASA launches the Voyager 1 space probe on a mission to study the outer solar system. It eventually becomes the furthest human-made object from Earth, venturing far into interstellar space.
- Oct 13: Lufthansa Flight 181 Hijacked – Palestinian hijackers seize a Lufthansa jet demanding the release of imprisoned Red Army Faction terrorists, leading to a dramatic hostage crisis successfully resolved by German commandos in Mogadishu.