The year 1977 is one I hold near and dear to my heart.
It’s the year I was born!
It’s also the year Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady was born. We are 210 days apart. (I’m older)
Combined, we have seven Super Bowl rings. (See what I did there?)
Brady has thrown for more than 100,000 yards combined between regular season and postseason.
We were born during the Year of the Snake on the Chinese zodiac.
Among the most historic events from that year are: “Star Wars: A New Hope” debuted, Elvis Presley died at age 42, three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in a plane crash and “Saturday Night Fever” debuted both the movie and the soundtrack, both smashing all-time records.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest things that happened in 1977.
Brady the wide receiver?:Tom Brspandy hspans how mspanny receptions in his cspanreer? You might be surprised he hspans spanny
Bucs need more:Cspann spanverspange Buccspanneers get orgspannized spannd mspanke deep plspanyoff run? Find out
Watch the documentary:‘The People of Apollo’ tells the story of those who sent humspanns to the moon
Big sports moments
Jan. 9: The Raiders defeated the Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Oakland wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who had 4 catches for 79 yards that set up three Raider touchdowns, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
May 29: A. J. Foyt becomes the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times.
June 5: The Portland Trailblazers win the NBA championship over the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2. The lovable Bill Walton won the series MVP.
Oct. 7: Soccer legend Pelé plays his final professional game, as a member of the New York Cosmos.
Oct. 18: In the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hits three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers. This Yankees won the game and World Series and led to Jackson’s famous nickname, “Mr. October.”
Big moments in space
Feb. 18: The Space Shuttle program holds the first test flight of the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise mated to the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. This became a familiar sight during the shuttle era, with the orbiter placed atop the plane and flown back to Florida from California.
March 10: The rings of Uranus are discovered. I’d assume they were always there, but someone finally noticed it. If you’re wondering, Sir William Herschel “discovered” Uranus in 1791.
Aug. 12: Space Shuttle Enterprise makes its first test free-flight from the back of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It glided toward earth sans engines and landed like an airplane on a runway.
Aug. 20: The United States launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
Sept. 5: The United States launches Voyager 1 after a brief delay.
NOTE: Both Voyagers are roaming around the universe outside the bounds of our solar system in what is called “interstellar space.” Voyager was also referenced in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” released in 1979, as V’Ger, which is later revealed to be the fictional Voyager 6.
Big moments in technology
June 10: The first Apple II series computers go on sale.
Aug. 3: The Tandy Corporation TRS-80 Model I computer is announced at a press conference.
Sept. 8: Interpol issues a resolution against the copyright infringement of video tapes and other material, which is still cited in warnings on opening pre-credits of videocassettes and DVDs. We’ve all seen the screen prior to a movie.
Sept. 11: Atari, Inc. releases its Video Computer System in North America.
Big moments in world history
Jan. 20: Jimmy Carter is sworn in as the 39th President of the United States.
Aug. 4: President Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy.
Sept. 10: Hamida Djandoubi’s is the last guillotine execution in France (at Marseille) and the last legal beheading in the western world. Can you believe this still occurred just 45 years ago??
Big moments in music
Oc. 20: Three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a charter plane crash outside Gillsburg, Mississippi, three days after the release of their fifth studio album Street Survivors.
Oct. 27: British punk band Sex Pistols release “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” on the Virgin Records label. Despite refusal by major retailers in the UK to stock it, it enters the UK Album Charts at No. 1 the week after its release.
Nov. 10: The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever is released. Featuring five new Bee Gees compositions, it will go on to become the then best-selling album of all-time. Then, on Dec. 16, Saturday Night Fever is released in theaters and becomes the biggest dancing movie of all time. The movie launches the career of its star John Travolta and catapults the Bee Gees to newfound success.
Famous birthdays
Jan. 5: Tim Walters, award-winning Gannett journalist who is typing this story. Check out his documentspanry “The People of Apollo” on Amazon Prime.
Jan. 13: Orlando Bloom, British actor known for “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” movies.
Jan. 26: Vince Carter, American basketball player and slam dunk champion from Daytona Beach.
Feb. 2: Shakira, multi-talented Colombian singer-songwriter and musician. Also great in Disney’s “Zootopia.”
Feb. 3: Daddy Yankee, singer/musician from Puerto Rica known as the “King of Reggaetón.”
Feb. 24: Floyd Mayweather Jr., undefeated boxing champion.
March 8: James Van Der Beek, American actor from the TV show “Dawson’s Creek” and the movie “Varsity Blues.”
April 23: John Cena, American professional wrestler, actor and rapper. He’s great in Will Ferrell and MArk Wahlberg’s “Daddy’s Home 2.”
June 8: Kanye West, controversial American rapper and record producer.
July 12: Brock Lesnar, American professional wrestling champion and former mixed martial artist.
Aug. 3: Tom Brady, the GOAT, is born in San Mateo, California. His given name is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.
Sept. 11: Ludacris, American rapper and actor, is born Christopher Bridges.
Oct. 12: Bode Miller, American skier and Olympic hero.
Oct. 13: Paul Pierce, American basketball player, NBA champion and Boston Celtics legend.
Dec 8: Ryan Newman, American race car driver and 2008 Daytona 500 winner.
Dec 31: Donald Trump Jr., American businessman and son of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Notable deaths
June 16: Wernher von Braun, American-German aerospace engineer who helped put humans on the moon. (b. 1912)
Aug. 16: Elvis Presley, American actor, musician and singer-songwriter (b. 1935).
Aug. 19: Groucho Marx, American actor and comedian (b. 1890).
Oct. 14: Bing Crosby, American singer and actor (b. 1903).
Oct. 20: Three members of American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, killed in plane crash: Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer (b. 1948); Cassie Gaines, lead singer (b. 1948); Steve Gaines, lead singer and guitarist (b. 1949).
Dec. 25: Sir Charlie Chaplin, British actor, producer and director (b. 1889).
Movie premieres
Feb. 25: Slap Shot, arguably the best hockey movie ever.
May 25: Star Wars: A New Hope, begins a cultural phenomenon now owned by Disney.
May 27: Smokey and the Bandit, which transforms Burt Reynolds from former Florida State football player to Hollywood legend.
July 13: The Spy Who Loved Me, the 10th in the James Bond series and third starring Roger Moore.
Dec. 16: Saturday Night Fever, where John Travolta went from being a “Sweat Hog” to a disco legend.
Album debuts
Jan. 20: Jimmy Buffett’s “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” is released, featuring the biggest single of his career, “Margaritaville”
Feb 4: Fleetwood Mac’s widely anticipated Rumours is released; it goes on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.
May 28: Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” cements Nugent as one of the greatest guitarists of his generation.
June 3: Bob Marley and the Wailers: “Exodus.” Features several transcendent tracks, including the title track Exodus, Jamming, Three Little Birds and One Love.
June 30: Kiss: Love Gun, the sixth studio album by one of the most recognizable rock bands of all-time.
Aug 21: Motorhead: Motorhead. Debut album by legendary metal band fronted by Lemmy Kilmister.
Oct. 21: Meatloaf: Bat Out of Hell, the biggest selling album debut in UK history, a surprising fact given all of the legendary music from the UK.
Oct. 27: Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, controversial album mentioned above.
Oct. 28: Queen: News of the World, features two of the most recognizable songs ever in “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”
Oct 29: Dolly Parton: Here You Come Again, it was Parton’s first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a million copies.
Nov 15: Bee Geez: Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.