JRo Author

1970s Gadgets & Inventions

Home VCR, 1970
Big bulky plastic tapes that held our favorite movies and cartoons. A step behind the CD but, still truly a great invention in it’s time. Family movies were brought from the reels and stored onto VCR tapes. These tapes were more durable and took up less space than the reels of film.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), 1971
LCD used for Televisions, Computers, Calculators, Video Game Monitors, Cockpit Displays, Digital Signs, Clocks and Telephones. Invented by James Fergason

Scientific Calculator, 1971
Initially designed for internal use by HP employees, co-founder Bill Hewlett issues a challenge to his engineers in 1971: fit all of the features of their desktop scientific calculator into a package small enough for his shirt pocket. They did. Marketed as “a fast, extremely accurate electronic slide rule” with a solid-state memory similar to that of a computer, the HP-35 distinguished itself from its competitors by its ability to perform a broad variety of logarithmic and trigonometric functions, to store more intermediate solutions for later use, and to accept and display entries in a form similar to standard scientific notation. The HP-35 helped HP become one of the most dominant companies in the handheld calculator market for more than two decades.

Floppy disk, 1971
Before the days of cloud storage, thumb drives and even CDs, floppy disks were the best solution for storing electronic data. Unsurprisingly, IBM was at the forefront of this. A team of engineers began developing this early method of data storage in 1967, but it wasn’t until 1971 that IBM put the floppy disks on the market, and 1972 when it received patents for the floppy disk and the drive. In 1977, Apple released its first mass-produced computer, the Apple II, which came with two floppy disk drives.

Email, 1971
Ray Tomlinson, a computer programmer at research and design company Bolt Beranek and Newman (today BBN Technologies), created text-based messaging between company computers through the network ARPANET In 1971 by using the “@” symbol to route messages.

Digital Watch, 1972
In 1966, Stanley Kubrick hired Hamilton Watch Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to make a futuristic clock for his upcoming movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The resulting clock was shaped like a squashed sphere and displayed time using digits from small Nixie tubes. The clock never made it into the movie but it inspired its makers, John M. Bergey and Richard S. Walton, to work on a digital watch. They’d also worked together in Hamilton’s Military Division on an electronically timed fuse, technology which they’d thought about applying to watches and clocks. The watch they’d come up with was called Pulsar, named for the type of star which sweeps a beam of electromagnetic radiation across space at a precise rate of rotation. By April 4th, 1972 they had a limited edition of 400 18-carat gold Pulsar watches selling for $2,100 — $12,500 in 2018 dollars. The watch used a quartz crystal for counting time and red LED’s for the display. To save power, the time was not always displayed. Instead, you’d press a button which would show the time for just over a second.

Pong, 1972
California entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell hires young engineer Al Alcorn to design a car-driving game, but when it becomes apparent that this is too ambitious for the time, he has Alcorn design a version of Ping Pong instead. The game was tested in bars in Grass Valley and Sunnyvale, California, where it proved very popular. Pong would revolutionize the arcade industry and launch the modern video game era.

Mobile phone, 1973
Although it sure didn’t look mobile, the first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Motorola. How exactly was this day marked? Martin Cooper, a senior engineer at the company, called rival telecommunications company Bell Laboratories to tell them he was speaking through a mobile phone. The phone, which was a prototype of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, is nothing like the smartphone you own today. It weighed nearly two and a half pounds, was over a foot in length, offered 30 minutes of talk-time and took 10 hours to charge. Worst of all, it didn’t even connect to wifi.

Bar code, 1974
While sitting on a Miami beach in 1949, a spurt of inspiration hit inventor Norman Joseph Woodland. He drew in the sand an outline of what would today become one of the most effective retail inventions of all time — the UPC, otherwise known as the barcode. Inspired by Morse Code, which he learned in the Boy Scouts, Woodland patented his idea in 1952. After numerous designs, awareness of Woodland’s idea grew and eventually the retail and tech industries got involved in trying to create a successful UPC. However, it wasn’t until decades later that Woodland’s idea finally came to fruition. On the night of June 25, 1974, a team from the National Cash Register installed new scanners and computers at the Marsh Supermarket in the small town of Troy, Ohio. Finally, at 8 a.m. on June 26, 1974, the first item with a UPC was scanned — a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum (now preserved at the Smithsonian Museum).

Post-It Note, 1974
One of the simplest-yet-most-ingenius invention was actually invented by accident. 3M research scientist Dr. Spencer Silver created a strange adhesive in 1968, which he found different and interesting, but for the most part, useless. However, six years later, another 3M researcher named Arthur Fry tried using the adhesive material to hold his papers together after he got frustrated when the bookmarks in his hymn book started flying around.

Toasted Sandwich maker, 1974
Thomas Edison invented lots of stuff, including an early sandwich grill, but it didn’t get much attention from home cooks and was discontinued in the early 1930s. It was entirely forgotten by the time Breville — which claims to have invented the world’s first toasted sandwich machine — came out with its panini press in 1974.

Digital camera, 1975
The first digital camera was invented by Kodak engineer Steven Sasson in December 1975, even though it wasn’t the type of camera you’d take to document a family vacation. It weighed eight pounds, took 0.01 megapixel black-and-white photographs that were recorded onto a cassette tape. One image took nearly 23 seconds to take and could only be seen when the camera was connected to a television set.

Queen’s first email, 1976
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom sends out an e-mail on March 26 from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern as a part of a demonstration of networking technology.

Inkjet Printer, 1976
A type of computer printer that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Commodore Pet, 1977
In 1977, Commodore introduced the PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) home/personal computer. Appearing before either the Apple II or the Radio Shack TRS80, it was among the first personal computers. The PET 2001, Commodore’s first model, included 4 kilobytes of memory, cost $495, and was fully functional out the box.

Apple II, 1977
Sold complete with a main logic board, switching power supply, keyboard, case, manual, game paddles, and cassette tape containing the game Breakout, the Apple-II finds popularity far beyond the hobbyist community which made up Apple’s user community until then. When connected to a color television set, the Apple II produced brilliant color graphics for the time. Millions of Apple IIs were sold between 1977 and 1993, making it one of the longest-lived lines of personal computers. Apple gave away thousands of Apple IIs to school, giving a new generation their first access to personal computers.

Atari Games Console, 1977
Atari releases its Video Computer System (VCS) later renamed the Atari 2600. The VCS was the first widely successful video game system, selling more than twenty million units throughout the 1980s. The VCS used the 8-bit MOS 6507 microprocessor and was designed to be connected to a home television set. When the last of Atari’s 8-bit game consoles were made in 1990, more than 900 game titles had been released.

Commodore 1530 Datasette, 1977
The built-in Commodore 1530 Datasette (data+cassette) is the primary storage device for the newly released Commodore PET. The device converted digital information from the computer into analog sound signals which were stored on compact cassettes. The method was cost-effective and reliable, but also very slow.

Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80, 1977
Performing far better than the company projections of 3,000 units for the first year, in the first month after its release Tandy Radio Shack´s first desktop computer — the TRS-80 — sells 10,000 units. The TRS-80 was priced at $599.95, included a Z80 microprocessor, video display, 4 KB of memory, a built-in BASIC programming language interpreter, cassette storage, and easy-to-understand manuals that assumed no prior knowledge on the part of the user. The TRS-80 proved popular with schools, as well as for home use.

Laser Disc, 1978
The LaserDisc is introduced as “Discovision” by MCA and Philips. The first LaserDisc sold in North America was the film Jaws. It offered better audio and video quality than its competitors, but LaserDisc players were prohibitively expensive for many consumers. Now obsolete, it was the direct forerunner of the CD and DVD.

Atari 400/800 microcomputers, 1979
Shortly after delivery of the Atari VCS game console, Atari designs two microcomputers with game capabilities: the Model 400 and Model 800. The 400 served primarily as a game console, while the 800 was more of a home computer. Both faced strong competition from the Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80 computers. Atari’s 8-bit computers were influential in the arts, especially in the emerging DemoScene culture of the 1980s and ’90s.

Multi-User Domain, 1979
The first Multi-User Domain (or Dungeon), MUD1, goes on-line. Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, two students at the University of Essex, write a program that allows many people to play against each other on-line. MUDs become popular with college students as a means of adventure gaming and for socializing. By 1984, there will be more than 100 active MUDs and variants around the world.

Texas Instruments TI99/4, 1979
Based around the Texas Instruments TMS 9900 microprocessor running at 3 MHz, the TI 99/4 has one of the fastest CPUs available in a home computer. The TI99/4 had a wide variety of expansion boards, with an especially popular speech synthesis system that could also be used with TI’s Speak & Spell educational game. The TI 99/4 sold well and led to a series of TI follow-on machines.

Sony Walkman, 1979
Before your smartphone, the Sony Walkman was the most popular personal music device on the market. Sony introduced the Walkman TPS-L2 on July 1, 1979. It was a blue and silver, 14-ounce cassette player that ran off two AA batteries. Initially released in Japan, Sony predicted only 5,000 would sell. Instead, its popularity skyrocketed and within the first two months, Sony sold more than 50,000 Walkmans.

Portable Cell Phones, 1979
Portable phone using radio links to make and receive calls, most commonly used today, with many alterations.

1979 Top Thirteen

1) Billy Joel – My Life – 02-1979
2) Sad Café – Every Day Hurts – 10-1979
3) The Crusaders – Street Life – 09-1979
4) Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing – 04-1979
5) Sister Sledge – We Are Family – 06-1979
6) Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions – Boogie Wonderland – 06-1979
7) The Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays – 07-1979
8) Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive – 02-1979
9) Nick Lowe – Cruel To Be Kind – 10-1979
10) The Police – Roxanne – 05-1979
11) The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket – 12-1979 12) Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now – 03-1979
13) Supertramp – Breakfast In America – 07-1979

The Bee Gees – Tragedy – 02-1979
Earth, Wind & Fire – September – 01-1979
Dave Edmunds – Girls Talk – 07-1979
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough – 10-1979
Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways – 05-1979
Barry White – Just The Way You Are – 02-1979
Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman – 01-1979
Rainbow – Since You’ve Been Gone – 10-1979
Squeeze – Up The Junction – 06-1979
Thin Lizzy – Waiting For An Alibi – 03-1979
Toto – Hold The Line – 02-1979

1970s Holidays

Holidays as a child in England invariably meant the seaside. Actually, it was more clearly defined than that – for those of us lucky enough to be living in the very centre of England (a couple of hours’ drive to the sea in any direction), a day-trip to the beach invariably meant either Skegness, or Western-Super-Mud – where no matter what time you got there, the sea was at its most distant, leaving a trek through filthy, muddy sand.

Week-long holidays meant you could go a wee bit further afield: north to Blackpool or the magnificent, moody Northumbrian coast (where me Da was born, so it was a favourite). East was Great Yarmouth, and we went as far as Dorset to the south, but for some reason never went west to my beloved Wet, Windy Wales (there’s a clue there somewhere!) Been making up for it in the last couple of decades as a static caravan in mid-Wales (ten minutes from the foot of my favourite mountain, Cadair Idris) has allowed us to explore our Celtic heritage.

Several changes occurred in the leisure industry during the early twentieth century, when holidays and travel were no longer an exclusive prerogative of the rich. Thanks to the likes of Harry Warner and funfair entrepreneur Billy Butlin, there were around 200 holiday camps at different seaside locations in the UK by the outbreak of war in 1939. Post-war and into the affluent 1950s and early 1960s the holiday camp industry thrived with knobbly knees contests, human pyramids, tombola and three-legged races at the top of the agenda – inexpensive, harmless fun for a more innocent age.

This was further helped by the introduction of two weeks paid holiday and a level of prosperity that gave the young, free and single spare cash for clothes, luxuries and holidays. Where trains made travel within land masses easy, the aeroplane put foreign holidays within the reach of the general public.

Thomas Cook promoted foreign holidays from the UK in the early 1950s with charter flights marking the first mass holiday packages to the likes of Corsica, Palma, Sardinia and of course the Costa Brava. Foreign travel for the masses was still rare in the mid-60s when Britannia Airways focussed on flying holiday-makers to destinations like Spain, the Canary Islands, Malta and North Africa, and Freddie Laker set up his cut-price tours business in 1966. Global travel took off in 1970 when the first Pan Am Boeing 747 jet landed at London’s Heathrow Airport – complete with a restaurant in the upstairs lounge for those who could afford first class.
By then, holiday camps were deemed a relic of the past and were shunned in favour of the package holiday – new, exciting and above all, cheap, with the promise of strong lager, wine at nine pence a bottle and “meat-filled meals” tempting people to save up for their fortnight in the Mediterranean sun.

What started out as trips to idyllic fishing villages with half a dozen tiny hotels and a couple of bars turned into a full-blown industry in its own right. Whole new cities emerged across the Spanish mainland, complete with skyscrapers, swimming pools, tennis courts and endless bars and nightclubs. Not to mention the en-suite bathroom, shower and bidet.

By 1972 Spain had established itself as the favourite destination of the British abroad, and the once beautiful Benidorm was named the “Manhattan of Spain,” with the highest number of skyscrapers per capita in the world. Over the next decade or so these package holidays began attracting more specific audiences – from honeymooners and families to the fun-loving Club 18-30 crowd. But the high demand inevitably led to band-wagon jumping and cut corners, with Clarkson’s package tours collapsing in 1974, leaving hundreds of British holidaymakers stranded. Skytrain undercut the big airlines from 1977 but collapsed in 1982.

My first foreign summer holiday involved a ferry crossing to France and a week in Brittany – like Cornwall with even more sun. My family were completely enamoured with Crepe Suzettes – our standard order always began with deux bananes for my brother and I. We were genuinely shocked to meet a couple on the ferry back who hated them, calling them “creepies.” Nowt as queer as folk!

1978 Top Thirteen

1) Kate Bush – Man With The Child In His Eyes – 07-1978
2) Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are – 03-1978
3) The Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky 02-1978
4) Earth, Wind & Fire – Fantasy – 03-1978
5) The Patti Smith Group – Because The Night – 05-1978
6) Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Davy’s On The Road Again – 06-1978
7) Abba – Take A Chance On Me – 02-1978
8) The Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive – 03-1978
9) Blue Oyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – 07-1978
10) City Boy – 5-7-0-5 – 08-1978
11) Andrew Gold – Never Let Her Slip Away – 04-1978
12) The Motors – Airport – 06-1978
13) Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street – 03-1978

And the nearly made its:
Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good – 08-1978
Julie Covington – Only Women Bleed – 01-1978
Dean Friedman – Lucky Stars – 10-1978
Elkie Brooks – Lilac Wine – 03-1978
The Commodores – Three Times A Lady – 08-1978
The Jacksons – Blame It On The Boogie – 10-1978
The Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love – 10-1978
Raydio – Jack And Jill – 05-1978
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – You’re The One That I Want – 06-1978
Rose Royce – Love Don’t Live Here Anymore – 10-1978
Donna Summer – MacArthur Park – 10-1978
The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap – 10-1978
Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue – 01-1978
Chic – Le Freak – 12-1978
Clout – Substitute – 07-1978
Yvonne Elliman – If I can’t Have You -05-1978
Eruption – I Can’t Stand The Rain – 03-1978
Exile – Kiss You All Over – 09-1978
Genesis – Follow You Follow Me – 04-1978
Marshall Hain – Dancin’ In The City – 06-1978
Heatwave – Mind Blowing Decisions – 07-1978
Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit – I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass – 03-1978
Odyssey – Native New Yorker – 01-1978
Frankie Valli – Grease – 09-1978
Bill Withers – Lovely Day – 01-1978
John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air – 05-1978

1970s TV Shows

The Morecambe & Wise Show was a comedy sketch show starring English comedy double-act Morecambe and Wise. It began airing in 1968 on BBC2, specifically because it was then the only channel broadcasting in colour.
The Two Ronnies was a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett bbroadcast on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales, many of which had our dynamic duo dressing as women. This willingness to dress up as women was rife in 70’s comedy, mady particularly famous by Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough’s incorrigible Cissy and Ada – a couple of northern ex-mill workers.

Here are some of the popular British Sitcoms – I’ve bolded my abolute faves:
Are You Being Served? (’73-’85), Bless This House (’71-’76), Butterflies (’78-’83),
Citizen Smith (’77-’80), Dad’s Army (’68-’77), Doctor in the House (’69-’70),
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (’76-’79), Father Dear Father (‘68-’73),
Fawlty Towers, George and Mildred (’76-’79), The Good Life (’75-’78),
The Goodies (’72-’76), It Ain’t Half Hot Mum (’74-’81),
Last of the Summer Wine (’73-’01), The Liver Birds (’74-’81),
Love Thy Neighbour (’74-’81), Man About the House (’77-’80), On the Buses (’69 -’73),
Please Sir! (’68-’72), Porridge (’74-’77), Rising Damp (’74-’78), Robin’s Nest (’77-’81), Steptoe and Son (’70-’74), Till Death Us Do Part(’65-’75), To the Manor Born (’79-’81),
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (’73-’74), Up Pompeii (’75-’91)

And some of the UK Crime Series
Hazell (’78-’79), The New Avengers (’76-’77), New Scotland Yard (’78-’79), The Persuaders! (’71-’79), The Professionals (’78-’79), The Protectors (’72-’74), Raffles (’78-’79), Return of the Saint (’78-’79), Shoestring (’79), The Sweeney (’78-’79), Target (’78-’79), Randall and Hopkirk (deceased ’69-’70) , Van der Valk (’78-’79), The XYY Man (’78-’79), Z Cars (’62-’78).

Popular US Crime Series
Baretta (’75-’78), Cannon (’71-’76), Charlie’s Angels (’76-’81),
Chips (’77-’83), Columbo (’71-’03), Hart to Hart (’79-’84), Hawaii Five-O (’68-’80),
Ironside (’67-’75), Kojak (’73-’78), Longstreet (’71-’72), McCloud (’70-’77),
Policewoman (’74-’78), Quincy(’76-’83), Rockford Files (’74-’80), Shaft (’73-’74),
Streets of San Francisco (’72-’77), Starsky & Hutch (’75-’79)

In 2004, over a million people voted for Britain’s best sitcom, and half of these were broadcast in the 70s. Here’s the top 10:

	Title	Broadcast	Votes
1	Only Fools and Horses	1981–2003	342,426
2	Blackadder	1983–1989	3282,106
3	The Vicar of Dibley	1994–2007	212,927
4	Dad’s Army	1968–1977	174,138
5	Fawlty Towers	1975–1979	172,066
6	Yes Minister	1980–1984	123,502
7	Porridge	1974–1977	93,902
8	Open All Hours	1976–1985	67,237
9	The Good Life	1975–1978	40,803
10	One Foot in the Grave	1989–2000	31,410

1977 Top Thirteen

1) The Eagles – Hotel California – 05-1977
2) The Emotions – Best Of My Love – 09-1977
3) The Rods – Do Anything You Wanna Do – 09-1977
4) The Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love – 11-1977
5) Heatwave – Boogie Nights – 02-1977
6) Andrew Gold – Lonely Boy – 05-1977
7) Carly Simon – Nobody Does It Better – 08-1977
8) Santana – She’s Not There – 11-1977
9) Queen – We Are The Champions – 11-1977
10) Abba – The Name Of The Game – 11-1977
11) Elkie Brooks – Pearl ‘s A Singer – 04-1977
12) Leo Sayer – When I Need You – 02-1977
13) Yes – Wonderous Stories – 09-1977

And bubbling under – so many good ones this year – even a couple of novelty ones!

Fleetwood Mac – Don’t Stop – 1977
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Fanfare For The Common Man – 06-1977
The Commodores – Easy – 08-1977 (Motown)
Elvis Costello – Watching The Detectives – 12-1977 (Stif)
Carole Bayer Sager – You’re Moving Out Today – 06-1977 (Elektra)
Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke – 04-1977 (Motown)
Alessi – Oh Lori – 07-1977 (A&M)
Deniece Williams – That’s What Friends Are For – 08-1977 (CBS)
The Jacksons – Show You The Way To Go – 06-1977 (Epic)
David Soul – Don’t Give Up On Us – 01-1977 (Private Stock)
Meri Wilson – Telephone Man – 09-1977 (Pye International)
Thin Lizzy – Dancin’ In The Moonlight – 09-1977 (Vertigo)
The Stranglers – No More Heroes – 10-1977 (UA)
Candi Staton – Nights On Broadway – 08-1977 (Warner)
Status Quo – Rockin’ All Over The World – 10-1977 (Vertigo)
Roxy Music – Virginia Plain – 11-1977 (Polydor)
Billy Ocean – Red Light Spells Danger – 04-1977 (GTO)
The Moments – Jack In The Box – 02-1977 (All Platinum)
Mr. Big – Romeo – 02-1977 (EMI)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Don’t Leave Me This Way – 02-1977
The Floaters – Float On – 08-1977 (ABC)
Patsy Gallant – From New York To L.A. – 10-1977 (EMI)

70s Men’s Fashions

The 70s saw a plethora of different styles for both women and men, the latter including such gems as Double Denim, leather Jackets, curly perms and the ubiquitous platform shoes. Status Quo were avid exponents of the double (and even triple) denim.
The so-called “Peacock Revolution” which started in the 1950s had made it acceptable for men to wear brighter colours, bolder prints and wear their hair long. While the suit continued to be a staple for many men, new, inventive styles were popularized. It started with a hippie 60s hangover – baggie tie-dye shirts and psychedelic prints, then a host of “wash and wear” synthetic materials led to many casual leisure clothes like tracksuits being worn outside of sports.

Bell-bottom trousers, characterized by a high waist, a tight fit through the thighs, and a flare beginning at the knees and extending outward, were paired with suits and wide collar shirts in varying patterns from loud florals to polka dot to checks and everything in between.

In the early 1970s, men’s fashion tried to emphasize a tall, lean figure. Turtlenecks, slim-fitting shirts, and tight-fitting flared pants all worked to popularize the silhouette. The safari suit, popularized by Roger Moore as James Bond, was a popular option in the summer: the light-coloured suit was worn belted and had large patch-pockets and came many variations of long- or short-sleeves and trousers or shorts.

Chunky cable knit turtleneck sweaters (often with matching belts or hats) preceded three-piece disco suits circa 1977’s hit flick Saturday Night Fever. As the decade progressed, the dominant menswear silhouette widened as double-breasted suits with wider shoulders and narrower legs and lapels came into fashion.

Right at the end, punk styles, as popularised by the Sex Pistols, emerged. Clothes were slashed and ripped, embellished with safety pins, zips and studs and T-shirts were printed with aggressive anarchistic slogans.

1976 Top Thirteen

Hmmm. At this point I can’t decide if the large bias toward the rockier tracks is is more to do with my present-day tastes than 17-year-old me.
But my criteria when ordering the top 13 involves putting myself back in my sixth form shoes and visualising which records I actually bought (or taped from the top 20 run-down on Sunday – come on, we all did it!) and listened to while doing my homework.
Or the ones I danced around the kitchen to while making the evening meal for the family. And of course the ones I danced to in discos.

1) Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Blinded By The Light – 09-1976
2) John Miles – Music – 04-1976
3) Chicago – If You Leave Me Now – 10-1976
4) Abba – Dancing Queen – 09-1976
5) Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town – 07-1976
6) Dolly Parton – Jolene – 06-1976
7) Fleetwood Mac – Rhiannon – 02-1976
8) The Four Seasons – December ’63 (Oh What A Night) – 02-1976
9) Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – 07-1976
10) Gladys Knight & The Pips – Midnight Train To Georgia – 06-1976
11) Queen – Somebody To Love – 11-1976
12) The Bee Gees – You Should Be Dancing – 08-1976
13) 10cc – I’m Mandy Fly Me – 04-1976

And the ones I couldn’t bear to leave out:
The Shangri-Las – Leader Of The Pack – 07-1976
Leo Sayer – You Make Me Feel Like Dancing – 11-1976
Steve Harley – Here Comes The Sun – 08-1976
The Isley Brothers – Harvest For The World – 08-1976
The Climax Blues Band – Couldn’t Get It Right – 11-1976
Bonnie Tyler – Lost In France – 11-1976
Neil Diamond – Beautiful Noise – 11-1976
Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free – 06-1976
Sailor – Glass Of Champagne – 01-1976
The Real Thing – You To Me Are Everything – 06-1976
Robin Sarstedt – My Resistance Is Low – 05-1976
Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music – 11-1976
David Dundas – Jeans On – 08-1976
Tina Charles – I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance) – 02-1976
Andrea True Connection – More, More, More – 05-1976
Yvonne Fair – It Should Have Been Me – 02-1976
The Kursaal Flyers – Little Does She Know – 12-1976
Manuel & His Music Of The Mountains – Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto De Aranjuez – 02-1976
Paul Nicholas – Dancing With The Captain – 11-1976
Sherbet – Howzat – 10-1976

1970s Sports & Leisure

Sporting Highlights

Obviously, this can’t include every sporting event, so I’ve tried to give a flavour of the ones which seemed to dominate the media – at least in my house, especially on a Saturday!

You couldn’t get away from the all-day, incessant round-up of wrestling and the pools results in “World of Sport” and “Grandstand.”

1970
Wimbledon singles winners were John Newcombe (AUS) and Margaret Court (AUS).
Nijinsky II won the Triple Crown of British Thoroughbred Racing.
14 June, FIFA World cup: After defeat in 1966 championship, West Germany take revenge on England, putting them out in quarter finals. Brazil beat Italy 4-1 in Final.
Henry Cooper (Boxer) won his second BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, beating Tony Jacklin (Golfer).
Commonwealth games – won by Australia with 36 gold, 82 overall. GB 2nd with 27 gold, 84 overall.
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL)

1971
Wimbledon singles winners were John Newcombe (AUS) and Evonne Goolagong (AUS).
Princess Anne (Eventing) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating George Best (Footballer).
British and Irish Lions defeat All Blacks for the first time in a series.
World Snooker champion was John Spencer (ENG).

1972
Wimbledon singles winners were Stan Smith (USA) and Billie Jean King (USA).
The Great Britain rugby league team won the World Cup, led by the late Clive Sullivan the first black player to captain a British team at any sport.
Olympic games – Munich: Soviet Union top in medals table with 49 Gold, 125 overall GB 12th in medals table with 4 Gold, 18 overall
Among the 1972 Summer Olympic highlights was the performance of swimmer Mark Spitz, who set 7 World Records to win a record 7 gold medals in one Olympics, bringing his total to nine. Other notable athletes at the 1972 games were 16-year-old Olga Korbut, whose success in women’s gymnastics earned 3 gold medals for the Soviet Union, and British athlete Mary Peters, who took home the gold in the women’s pentathlon, going on to be the Sports Personality of the Year beating Gordon Banks (Footballer).
During the games, Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and took nine hostages. After a failed rescue attempt, all hostages and all but three of terrorists were killed.
Winter Olympic games Sapporo, Japan – Soviet Union top medals table with 8 gold, 16 overall.
World Snooker champion was Alex Higgins (NIR).

1973
Wimbledon singles winners were Jan Kodes (CZE) and Billie Jean King (USA).
“Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Jackie Stewart (F1 driver) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Roger Taylor (Tennis).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).
Ajax (NL) win third consecutive European Cup.

1974

Wimbledon singles winners were Jimmy Connors (USA) and Chris Evert (USA).
Gerd “der Bomber” Müller scored his 14th World Cup goal, a then record, as West Germany won the FIFA World Cup, beating Netherlands 2-1.

Commonwealth games – GB were 2nd in medals table with 28 gold, 80 overall, just 2 behind winners Australia.
The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match; Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s career home run record.
Brendan Foster (Athletics) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating John Conteh (Boxer).

World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).

1975

Wimbledon singles winners were Arthur Ashe (USA) and Billie Jean King (USA).
First Cricket World Cup organised in England – West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs.
Muhammad Ali beat Joe Frazier in the Thrilla In Manila. Pele came out of retirement to play for the New York Cosmos and brought U.S. Soccer into American mainstream.
David Steele (Cricketer) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Alan Pascoe (Athletics).

World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).

1976
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Chris Evert (USA).
Olympic games – Montreal Soviet Union top in medals table with 50 Gold, 99 overall. GB 13th in medals table with 3 gold, 12 overall. Highlights included the legendary performance of 14-year-old Romanian female gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who scored 7 perfect 10s and won 3 gold medals, including the prestigious All Around in women’s gymnastics. Also featured the strong U.S. boxing team, which consisted of Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Leo Randolph and Howard Davis Jr. The team won five gold medals and was arguably the greatest Olympic boxing team ever. Lorna Johnstone became the oldest British athlete to ever compete in the Games when she made the equestrian team, aged 69, and HRH The Princess Royal became the first member of the Royal Family to compete at an Olympics when she rode the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the three-day event.
Winter Olympic games – Innsbruck, Austria. Soviet Union top in medals table with 13 Gold, 27 overall. GB 12th with 1 gold, 1 overall.
John Curry wins Gold in figure skating to become European, Olympic and World champion and Sports Personality of the Year, beating James Hunt (F1 driver).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).
Bayern Munich (GER) win third consecutive European Cup.

1977
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Virginia Wade (GBR).
After a long wait for an English Wimbledon champion, this was most fitting in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year, and Virginia Wade was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Geoffrey Boycott (Cricketer).
Pelé plays the last game of his professional career in a friendly between the New York Cosmos and Santos FC.
Red Rum wins third Grand National.
World Snooker champion was John Spencer (ENG)

1978
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Martina Navratilova (USA).
Many controversies surround “The Dirtiest World Cup of All Time” in Argentina, Johan Cruyff pulled out for personal reasons. In the final, Argentina beat Netherlands 3 – 1 after extra time.
First Ironman Triathlon. Affirmed becomes the 11th thoroughbred to win the U.S. Triple Crown.
Commonwealth games – won by Canada with 45 gold, 109 overall. GB 2nd with 27 gold, 87 overall
Steve Ovett, unbeaten over 1500m since 1977, was the Sports Personality of the Year, beating Daley Thompson (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL) and World Darts Champion was Leighton Rees (WAL).
Liverpool (GBR) win second consecutive European Cup.

1979
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Martina Navratilova (USA).
Second Cricket World Cup – West Indies beat England by 92 runs.
Sugar Ray Leonard wins his first world boxing title.
Sebastian Coe, an 800m specialist, broke three world records in 1979 and was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Ian Botham (Cricketer).
World Snooker champion was Terry Griffiths (WAL) and World Darts Champion was John Lowe (GBR).
Nottingham Forrest (GBR) win European Cup.

Leisure

So what, you may ask, did the women do while their menfolk were down the city every Saturday, or glued to the TV for hours (days) on end? There didn’t seem to be much concept of the “girls night out” back then, so some bright spark invented party selling. A simple concept, it saw groups of (female) family members, friends and neighbours gathering in someone’s home, often with teas and coffees or alcohol on hand, to enjoy a drink, a bite to eat and a few hours of conversation. More than buying and selling the kitchen containers, it was a chance for women to get together with friends and neighbours to catch up on family life, and enjoy some time away from the daily grind.
I believe Tupperware parties were the first – held in 1949 by a single mom in Detroit. They’d certainly hit UK by the mid 70s, and it went on to spawn other sales: pottery, makeup and eventually in the early 80s Ann Summers products.

1975 Top Thirteen

Some real big hitters this year, with Queen and 10CC, but the Glam Rockers are defo giving way and the epic Jive Talkin’ foreshadows the Bee Gees chart takeover a couple of years down the line.

1) Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – 11-1975
2) Helen Reddy – Angie Baby – 02-1975
3) 10CC – I’m Not In Love – 06-1975
4) Minnie Riperton – Loving You – 04-1975
5) Slade – How Does it Feel – 02-1975
6) Billy Swan – I Can Help – 01-1975
7) The Average White Band – Pick Up The Pieces – 03-1975
8) The Bee Gees – Jive Talkin’ – 06-1975
9) Gloria Gaynor – Never Can Say Goodbye – 01-1975
10) Supertramp – Dreamer – 03-1975
11) Leo Sayer – Moonlighting – 09-1975
12) The Chi-Lites – Have You Seen Her/Oh Girl – 07-1975
13) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me) – 02-1975

And, as ever, the ones bubbling under – still the odd novelty song creeping up on my blind side.
David Bowie – Space Oddity – 10-1975
The Eagles –Lyin’ Eyes – 06-1975
Pilot – January – 02-1975
Greg Lake – I Believe In Father Christmas – 12-1975
Slade – In For A Penny – 12 -1975
The Four Seasons – Who Loves You? – 10-1975
Hot Chocolate – You Sexy Thing – 11-1975
Andy Fairweather-Low – Wide Eyed And Legless – 12-1975
Roxy Music – Love Is The Drug – 11-1975
David Essex – Hold Me Close – 09-1975
Stevie Wonder – Boogie On Reggae Woman – 02-1975
John Lennon – Imagine – 11-1975
Linda Lewis – It’s In His Kiss – 08-1975
The Stylistics – Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love) – 08-1975
Shirley & Company – Shame, Shame, Shame – 02-1975
Peter Wingfield – Eighteen With A Bullet – 07-1975
Moments & Whatnauts – Girls – 03-1975
The Bay City Rollers – Bye Bye Baby – 03-1975
Peter Shelley – Love Me Love My Dog – 04-1975
Typically Tropical – Barbados – 07-1975