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A Definitive Year In Our Country's History

1974 was the year of my birth and so I have compiled a short list of a few of the biggest events to occur during this tumultuous year. I could not possibly gather all the news of course, otherwise this lens would grow into a massive several hundred page monstrosity. Therefore, I have picked what I deemed to be the creme de la creme of the news which I think has withstood the passage of time and engendered a familiarity within history and our knowledge of it. I can safely say that most of these noteworthy pieces of historical news, although more than three decades old have permeated society enough to sneak themselves into subjects of discussion, analysis, nostalgia, and entertainment to this very day.





Richard Nixon Is Going..Going..Gone! - Tricky Dick Sacks Himself







Nixon Resigns

NIXON

Richard Nixon announces

his resignation in 1974.

AP File Photo

By Carroll Kilpatrick

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, August 9, 1974; Page A01

Richard Milhous Nixon announced last night that he will resign as the 37th President of the United States at noon today.

Vice President Gerald R. Ford of Michigan will take the oath as the new President at noon to complete the remaining 2 1/2 years of Mr. Nixon's term.

After two years of bitter public debate over the Watergate scandals, President Nixon bowed to pressures from the public and leaders of his party to become the first President in American history to resign.

"By taking this action," he said in a subdued yet dramatic television address from the Oval Office, "I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America."

Vice President Ford, who spoke a short time later in front of his Alexandria home, announced that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger will remain in his Cabinet.

The President-to-be praised Mr. Nixon's sacrifice for the country and called it "one of the vary saddest incidents that I've every witnessed."

Mr. Nixon said he decided he must resign when he concluded that he no longer had "a strong enough political base in the Congress" to make it possible for him to complete his term of office.

Declaring that he has never been a quitter, Mr. Nixon said that to leave office before the end of his term " is abhorrent to every instinct in my body."

But "as President, I must put the interests of America first," he said.

While the President acknowledged that some of his judgments "were wrong," he made no confession of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" with which the House Judiciary Committee charged him in its bill of impeachment.

Specifically, he did not refer to Judiciary Committee charges that in the cover-up of Watergate crimes he misused government agencies such as the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Internal Revenue Service.

After the President's address, Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski issued a statement declaring that "there has been no agreement or understanding of any sort between the President or his representatives and the special prosecutor relating in any way to the President's resignation."

Jaworski said that his office "was not asked for any such agreement or understanding and offered none."

His office was informed yesterday afternoon of the President's decision, Jaworski said, but "my office did not participate in any way in the President's decision to resign."

Mr. Nixon's brief speech was delivered in firm tones and he appeared to be complete control of his emotions. The absence of rancor contrasted sharply with the "farewell" he delivered in 1962 after being defeated for the governorship of California.

An hour before the speech, however, the President broke down during a meeting with old congressional friends and had to leave the room.

He had invited 20 senators and 26 representatives for a farewell meeting in the Cabinet room. Later, Sen. Barry M. Goldwater (R-Ariz.), one of those present, said Mr. Nixon said to them very much what he said in his speech.

"He just told us that the country couldn't operate with a half-time President," Goldwater reported. "Then he broke down and cried and he had to leave the room. Then the rest of us broke down and cried."

In his televised resignation, after thanking his friends for their support, the President concluded by saying he was leaving office "with this prayer: may God's grace be with you in all the days ahead."

As for his sharpest critics, the President said, "I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me." He called on all Americans to "join together . . . in helping our new President succeed."

The President said he had thought it was his duty to persevere in office in face of the Watergate charges and to complete his term.

"In the past days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort," Mr. Nixon said.

His family "unanimously urged" him to stay in office and fight the charges against him, he said. But he came to realize that he would not have the support needed to carry out the duties of his office in difficult times.

"America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress," Mr. Nixon said. The resignation came with "a great sadness that I will not be here in this office" to complete work on the programs started, he said.

But praising Vice President Ford, Mr. Nixon said that "the leadership of America will be in good hands."

In his admission of error, the outgoing President said: "I deeply regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision."

He emphasized that world peace had been the overriding concern of his years in the White House.

When he first took the oath, he said, he made a "sacred commitment" to "consecrate my office and wisdom to the cause of peace among nations."

"I have done my very best in all the days since to be true to that pledge," he said, adding that he is now confident that the world is a safer place for all peoples.

"This more than anything is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the presidency," Mr. Nixon said. "This more than anything is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the presidency."

Noting that he had lived through a turbulent period, he recalled a statement of Theodore Roosevelt about the man "in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood" and who, if he fails "at least fails while daring greatly."

Mr. Nixon placed great emphasis on his successes in foreign affairs. He said his administration had "unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People's Republic of China."

In the mideast, he said, the United States must begin to build on the peace in that area. And with the Soviet Union, he said, the administration had begun the process of ending the nuclear arms race. The goal now, he said, is to reduce and finally destroy those arms "so that the threat of nuclear war will no longer hang over the world." The two countries, he added, "must live together in cooperation rather than in confrontation."

Mr. Nixon has served 2,026 days as the 37th President of the United States. He leaves office with 2 1/2 years of his second term remaining to be carried out by the man he nominated to be Vice President last year.

Yesterday morning, the President conferred with his successor. He spent much of the day in his Executive Office Building hideaway working on his speech and attending to last-minute business.

At 7:30 p.m., Mr. Nixon again left the White House for the short walk to the Executive Office Building. The crowd outside the gates waved U.S. flags and sang "America" as he walked slowly up the steps, his head bowed, alone.

At the EOB, Mr. Nixon met for a little over 20 minutes with the leaders of Congress -- James O. Eastland (D-Miss.), president pro tem to the Senate; Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.), Senate majority leader; Hugh Scott (R-Pa.), Senate minority leader; Carl Albert (D-Okla.), speaker of the House; and John Rhodes (R-Ariz.), House minority leader.

It was exactly six years ago yesterday that the 55-year-old Californian accepted the Republican nomination for President for the second time and went on to a narrow victory in November over Democrat Hubert H. Humphrey.

"I was ready. I was willing. And events were such that this seemed to be the time the party was willing for me to carry the standard," Nixon said after winning first-ballot nomination in the convention at Miami Beach.

In his acceptance speech on Aug. 8, 1968, the nominee appealed for victory to "make the American dream come true for millions of Americans."

"To the leaders of the Communist world we say, after an era of confrontation, the time has come for an era of negotiation," Nixon said.

The theme was repeated in his first inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1969, and became the basis for the foreign policy of his first administration.

Largely because of his breakthroughs in negotiations with China and the Soviet Union, and partly because of divisions in the Democratic Party, Mr. Nixon won a mammoth election victory in 1972, only to be brought down by scandals that grew out of an excessive zeal to make certain he would win re-election.

Mr. Nixon and his family are expected to fly to their home in San Clemente, Calif. early today. Press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler and Rose Mary Woods, Mr. Nixon's devoted personal secretary for more than two decades, will accompany the Nixons.

Alexander M. Haig Jr., the former Army vice chief of staff who was brought into the White House as staff chief following the resignation of H.R. (Bob) Haldeman on April 30, 1973, has been asked by Mr. Ford to remain in his present position.

It is expected that Haig will continue in the position as staff chief to assure an orderly transfer of responsibilities but not stay indefinitely.

The first firm indication yesterday that the President had reached a decision came when deputy press secretary Gerald L. Warren announced at 10:55 a.m. that the President was about to begin a meeting in the Oval Office with the Vice President.

"The President asked the Vice President to come over this morning for a private meeting -- and that is all the information I have at this moment," Warren said.

He promised to post "some routine information, bill actions and appointments" and to return with additional information" in an hour or so."

Warren's manner and the news he had to impart made it clear at last that resignation was a certainty. Reports already were circulating on Capitol Hill that the President would hold a reception for friends and staff members late in the day and a meeting with congressional leaders.

Shortly after noon, Warren announced over the louds







































Ford Pardons Nixon - I'ts Good To Have Friends In High Places







President Ford's Pardon of Richard Nixon

September 8, 1974

Source: Watergate.info

Note: The proclamation granted Nixon a pardon for all offenses from January 20, 1969, the day he was first inaugurated as president. In reading the proclamation on national television, Ford inadvertently said 'July 20'. The text of the proclamation takes precedence.

President Ford Announcing Nixon's Pardon Ladies and gentlemen:

I have come to a decision which I felt I should tell you and all of my fellow American citizens, as soon as I was certain in my own mind and in my own conscience that it is the right thing to do.

I have learned already in this office that the difficult decisions always come to this desk. I must admit that many of them do not look at all the same as the hypothetical questions that I have answered freely and perhaps too fast on previous occasions.

My customary policy is to try to get all the facts and to consider the opinions of my countrymen and to take counsel with my most valued friends. But these seldom agree, and in the end, the decision is mine. To procrastinate, to agonize, and to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a President to follow.

I have promised to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America.

I have asked your help and your prayers, not only when I became President but many times since. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizens. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it.

As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to my predecessor in this place, Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family.

Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.

There are no historic or legal precedents to which I can turn in this matter, none that precisely fit the circumstances of a private citizen who has resigned the Presidency of the United States. But it is common knowledge that serious allegations and accusations hang like a sword over our former President's head, threatening his health as he tries to reshape his life, a great part of which was spent in the service of this country and by the mandate of its people.

After years of bitter controversy and divisive national debate, I have been advised, and I am compelled to conclude that many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court.

I deeply believe in equal justice for all Americans, whatever their station or former station. The law, whether human or divine, is no respecter of persons; but the law is a respecter of reality.

The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society.

During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad.

In the end, the courts might well hold that Richard Nixon had been denied due process, and the verdict of history would even more be inconclusive with respect to those charges arising out of the period of his Presidency, of which I am presently aware.

But it is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent:and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of this great country.

In this, I dare not depend upon my personal sympathy as a long-time friend of the former President, nor my professional judgment as a lawyer, and I do not.

As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am. As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience.

My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquillity but to use every means that I have to insure it. I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy.

Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true.

Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July (January) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-ninth.

Nixon's Response

I have been informed that President Ford has granted me a full and absolute pardon for any charges which might be brought against me for actions taken during the time I was president of the United States.

In accepting this pardon, I hope that his compassionate act will contribute to lifting the burden of Watergate from our country.

Here in California, my perspective on Watergate is quite different than it was while I was embattled in the midst of the controversy, and while I was still subject to the unrelenting daily demands of the presidency itself.

Looking back on what is still in my mind a complex and confusing maze of events, decisions, pressures and personalities, one thing I can see clearly now is that I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy.

No words can describe the depths of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency -- a nation I so deeply love and an institution I so greatly respect.

I know many fair-minded people believe that my motivations and action in the Watergate affair were intentionally self-serving and illegal. I now understand how my own mistakes and misjudgments have contributed to that belief and seemed to support it. This burden is the heaviest one of all to bear.

That the way I tried to deal with Watergate was the wrong way is a burden I shall bear for every day of the life that is left to me.













Nixon / Ford
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Patricia "Patty" Hearst Is Abducted - Brainwashed or Not? That Was The Question...















Hearst Abduction Riveted the Nation

The Associated Press/February 4, 1999

By William Schiffmann

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Police inspector Dan Wolke still vividly remembers being called into the chief's office 25 years ago. He thought he was in trouble.

``They told me Patty Hearst had been kidnapped,'' he recalled this week. ``I said, 'Who's Patty Hearst?'''

Wolke quickly found out, along with the rest of a fascinated nation.

Today, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst Shaw is a married mother living in Connecticut, still trying to clear her name. But on Feb. 4, 1974, she was a 19-year-old college student abducted in a barrage of gunfire.

A band of radicals calling themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army announced that they had made her a prisoner of war to avenge ``the crimes her mother and father have committed against the American people and the people of the world.''

The SLA was born in neighboring Berkeley, a hotbed of opposition to the Vietnam War. Its symbol was a seven-headed snake, and its rallying cry was ``Death to the fascist insect that preys upon the life of the people.''

The group demanded that Randolph and Catherine Hearst distribute $2 million worth of food to the needy before they would discuss freedom for their daughter. The demand later climbed to $6 million.

Meanwhile, Hearst Shaw was held for weeks in a closet. The SLA, led by the grandly named Field Marshall Cinque, indoctrinated her with radical rhetoric.

Cinque, who took his name from a famous rebel slave, was actually an escaped convict -- Donald DeFreeze, a father of six who was obsessed with weapons and was a lifelong loser in battles with the law.

Hearst Shaw metamorphosed into Tania, a member of the very group that took her prisoner. She named herself for a Bolivian woman who had died with Che Guevara.

Two months after the kidnapping, she was photographed carrying a carbine during a SLA holdup of a San Francisco bank -- the robbery for which she eventually was tried, convicted and sent to prison.

``It was overwhelming to start out with,'' Wolke said. ``One surprise after the next.''

The SLA appeared for the first time three months before the kidnapping when they ambushed and murdered Oakland schools Supt. Marcus Foster. Two SLA members -- Joseph Remiro and Russell Little -- were arrested after a gunfight with police and sent to prison for that crime, although Little was later retried and acquitted.

The group was basically destroyed in May of 1974 when six members, including Cinque, were trapped by police in a Los Angeles house. As the nation watched the action live on television, officers riddled the place with bullets and it finally caught fire. All six died.

Hearst Shaw went underground. There were scores of sightings, but she didn't reemerge until Sept. 18, 1975, when she was arrested in San Francisco.

Although she claimed she was the victim of brainwashing, she was sentenced to seven years for the bank robbery. She served about two years before President Carter commuted her sentence.

Since her release from prison, Hearst Shaw has become a celebrity. She has appeared in two movies directed by John Waters, in several television sitcoms, and even written novels. She declined to be interviewed for this story, but her husband, Bernard Shaw, said by telephone from New York that the family doesn't discuss the SLA days.

``Actually, to be truthful, most people who meet her today think of her as an actress and author,'' he said. ``Most have seen her in the movies or on TV or have read one of her two books.''

She also does charitable work for Alzheimer's and AIDS groups and for Meals on Wheels.

Although many people thought her brainwashing defense was far-fetched, Wolke said he is a believer.

``I never forgot that she was a kidnap victim, a young woman, impressionable,'' he said. ``I never talked to her, but I believe most of what I've read.''

And, he added, ``It could have been my kids.''





















Blast From The Past - Part 1
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Hank Aaron Passes Babe Ruths Record - Number 715 Was Hit On April 9, 1974







Source: Baseball Almanac

On Thursday April 4th, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off of Jack Billingham as the Atlanta Braves lost to the Reds 7-6, at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. The eleven inning game itself took a backseat to "Hammerin'" Hank, who had finally tied Babe Ruth with home run number 714. Both Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Vice-president Gerald Ford were on hand to congratulate the slugger who had persevered over racial prejudice and death threats from several fans who did not want to see the Bambino's record fall to a black man. Four days later, back home at Fulton County Stadium, Aaron hit number 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers' lefty, Al Downing. Lost in the celebration was Aaron's tying of Willie Mays' National League record of 2,063 runs as well as his team's 7-4 victory.





The Heimlich Maneuver is Developed - Choking Anyone?







Source: Answers.com

Heimlich maneuver

Heimlich first published his findings about the maneuver in a June 1974 informal article in Emergency Medicine entitled, "Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary". On 19 June 1974, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that retired restaurant-owner Isaac Piha used the procedure to rescue choking victim Irene Bogachus in Bellevue, Washington.





1974 Super Bowl - Back When The Dolphins Could Actually Win THe Big One







Source: Superbowl History.us

1974 Super Bowl VIII

Date Played: January 13, 1974

Teams: Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings

Winner: DOLPHINS

Final Score: 24-7

Location: Houston, Texas

About Houston, Texas: Rice Stadium in Houston was built specifically for Rice University College Football, but this year would be hosting a much bigger game, Super Bowl 8. Football fans of Houston, Texas were busy preparing to host the big game as thousands of people would be coming to their city to see the Miami Dolphins take on the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII.

Ticket Sales / Attendance: There were 71882 people in attendance at the game in and it is estimated that another 51.7 million more excited football fans tuned in from their homes or other football parties around the world while tuning into CBS. Ray Scott, Pat Summerall, and Bart Starr would call the game and the ratings for the game on this network were 41.6.

Team Pre-Season Stats: Don Shula was back as the head coach for the Miami Dolphins once again and they were hoping to win again after last years undefeated championship season. Bob Griese would be leading the Dolphins offence this season and they were odds on favourites to repeat last year's performance.

After missing the playoffs the previous season Minnesota head coach Bud Grant was hoping that his team could make a serious playoff run this season. QB Fran Tarkenton would need to regain his Pro Bowl form in order to lead the Vikings offence once again and to lead them to the playoffs during the 1973-74 NFL season.

Team Roster: Key players on the Dolphins roster included QB Bob Griese, DB Nick Anderson, OL Jim Langer, OL Larry Little, OL Wayne Moore, DB Jake Scott, RB Larry Csonka, and WR Paul Warfield.

The notable players for the Vikings included QB Fran Tarkenton, RB Chuck Foreman, WR John Gilliam, DL Carl Eller, DB Paul Krause, DL Alan Page, OL Ron Yary, and LB Jeff Siemon.

Game Highlights: The Miami Dolphins scored on their first two possessions of the game to take an early 14-0 lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter. Larry Csonka scored to complete a 10 play 62 yard drive and Jim Kiick added the other touchdown capping a 56 yard Miami drive. Midway through the second quarter Miami added a field goal to take a commanding 17-0 lead into halftime. Minnesota came close to scoring before the half ended, but the Miami defence stepped up preventing a score.

The Dolphins opened the scoring again in the second half as Larry Csonka ran for another touchdown to increase the Miami lead to 24-0 after 3 quarters. This was more than enough for the Dolphins as the Vikings could only add 7 points in the 4th quarter. Miami won their second straight Super Bowl title and established themselves as an NFL dynasty.

Game MVP: The Most Valuable Player of the 8th Super Bowl was Miami running back Larry Csonka. He carried the ball 33 times for a record 145 yards and added two touchdowns. The Dolphins running game featuring Csonka controlled most of the game and Griese only needed to attempt a total of 7 passes on route to a Miami victory.

Half Time Show: The halftime show was presented by Jim Skinner and the theme was "A Musical America" featuring a performance by the University of Texas Band.

Commercials:The average cost for a 30 second commercial during the 8th Superbowl was $103000. The Superbowl became a key show for advertisements as it was one of the most watched events in TV history.





Blast From The Past - Part 2
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Beverly Johnson on Voque Cover







In 1974, black model Beverly Johnson gained fame and and her own little niche in fashion history. Although she had already gained success as a quickly rising Nubian beauty, who had already graced the cover Glamour and other leading magazines, her true notoriety emerged when she became the first African-American model to land the cover of the iconic Vogue magazine.





A List Of The Major Headlines







Alabama Tornado "Super Outbreak," April 3-4, 1974

National speed limit of 55mph is enacted

Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Gerald Ford is sworn in as President.

The "streaking" fad hits U.S. campuses

Nixon rejects Ervin subpoena.

Heir Patty Hearst is Kidnapped By Symbionese Liberation Army.

House votes 410-4 to Investigate The President

Solzhenitsyn Is deported From Russia

Grand Jury indicts Presidential Aids Halderman, Erlichman, and Colson

India Announces It Has A-bomb

Juan Peron dies and Wife Isabel Takes Over

President Gerald Ford gives Nixon absolute pardon.

President Ford grants limited amnesty to draft dodgers

Hank Aaron hits 715 home runs to break Babe Ruth's record

The Oakland Athletics win the World Series

Gillette introduces the disposable razor

The first U.S. self-adhesive postage stamp is introduced

Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny, Momma Cass and Chet Huntley die

Happy Days, Good Times and That's My Mama debut on U.S. TV

Godfather II, The Great Gatsby and Sugarland Express debut in theaters

The first pocket calculators become widespread

The first word processing machines are used

First black model on cover of a major fashion magazine

Heimlich maneuver developed

Girls allowed to play in Little League baseball

Famous People who died in 1974:

Jack Benny, Dizzy Dean, Duke Ellington, Chet Huntley, Ed Sullivan

Boxer Muhammad Ali uses the "Rope a Dope" tactic to knock out George Foreman in 8th round.

OPEC oil embargo ends.

Nixon agrees to pay $432,000 in back taxes.

Nelson Rockefeller is appointed Vice President as Ford becomes President.

The "String" Bikini is in fashion.

Because of gasoline shortage, daylight savings time is observed all year to save fuel.

Lt. William Calley convicted of his part in My Lai massacre is paroled.

The Economy in 1974

President: Richard M. Nixon

Vice-President: Gerald R. Ford

Population: 213,853,928

Life Expectancy: 72.0 years

Dow-Jones High: 950 Low: 590

Federal Spending: $269.36 billion

Federal Debt: $483.9 billion

Inflation: 13.9%

Consumer Price Index: 49.3

Unemployment: 4.9%

Prices in 1974

Cost of a new home: $38,900.00

Cost of a new car: $4,440.00

Median Household Income: $11,197.00

Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.10

Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $0.53

Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.78

Cost of a gallon of milk: $1.57

Fiction Best Sellers

Centennial by James A. Michener

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

Something Happened by Joseph Heller

The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth

The Pirate by Harold J. Robbins

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by John H. Watson, M.D.

The Fan Club by Irving Wallace

Nonfiction Best Sellers

The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan

All The Presidents Men by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward

Plain Speaking: An Oral History of Harry S. Truman by Merle Miller

More Joy: A Lovemaking Companion To the Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort ed.

Alistair Cooke's America by Alistair Cooke

Tales of Power by Carlos A. Castaneda

You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis by Harry Browne

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

The Bermuda Triangle by Charles Berlitz, with J. Manson Valentine

The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne & Jerry Lucas





Tornado Super Outbreak - April 3, 1974. 148 Twisters Wreaked Havoc







The forecast for Wednesday April 3, 1974 was for showers on the East coast and for thunderstorms across the Midwest. In the heavens, a storm of an overwhelming magnitude was forming. Children went to school, people went to work and lives went on as normal until the second worst storm of the 1900s struck. Tornadoes broke across the heartland with such an intensity and frequency never seen before in the United States. Homes and schools destroyed. Loved ones lost. This site looks at the events of that day .This site is dedicated to the 315 people who lost their lives in this storm and to the over 5,000 people who were injured.

Number of Tornadoes by Intensity

F5 6

F4 23

F3 35

F2 30

F1 31

F0 23

F5 Tornado Locations

Xenia, Ohio

Depauw, In

Sayler Park,OH

Brandenburg, Ky

Tanner, Al #1

Guin, Ms-AL





Obituary







This is simply a short list of the celebrity death in 1974.

*Charles Lindbergh

*Buddy Abbott

*Dizzy Dean

*Duke Ellington

*Ed Sullivan





Sports of 1974







1974 Sports Champions

Stanley Cup - Philadelphia Flyers defeats the Boston Bruins 4 games to 2, Conn Smythe (MVP) is Bernie Parent of the Flyers

NBA Champions - Boston Celtics defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 4 games to 3, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Milwaukee Bucks is the MVP

Kentucky Derby - Cannonade, 2:04, Angel Cordero (jockey), John M. Olin (owner), Woody Stephens, trainer

Football

Super Bowl IX - Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6, Franco Harris of Pittsburgh is the MVP

Pro Football MVP's:

Offense - Ken Stabler, 벳이스트축구 Oakland, QB

Defense - Merlin Olsen, L.A. Rams, DT

College Football - Oklahoma

Heisman Trophy - Archie Griffin, Ohio St., RB

Rose Bowl USC 18 - Ohio St. 17

Orange Bowl Notre Dame 13 - Alabama 11

Cotton Bowl Penn St. 41 - Baylor 20

Sugar Bowl Nebraska 13 - Florida 10

Basketball

NBA Championship - Boston (in 7 games) vs. Milwaukee

NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee, Center, Scoring Average: 27 pts. per game

NCAA Champions - N.C. State 76 - Marquette 64 (N.C. State final record 31-1)

Baseball

World Series - Oakland Athletics defeats the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 1, Rollie Fingers of Oakland is the MVP - Oakland A's (in 5 games) vs. L.A. Dodgers

National League MVP - Steve Garvey, L.A. - 1B

National League Rookie of the Year - Blake McBride, St. Louis - CF

American League MVP - Jeff Burroughs, Texas - LF

American League Rookie of the Year - Mike Hargrove, Texas - 1B

Hank Aaron breaks Ruth's home-run record

April 8, 1974: At 9:07 p.m., the unthinkable happened in Major League Baseball. Hank Aaron broke the revered record of 714 career home runs held for decades by Babe Ruth. It came off Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in the fourth inning with the Braves trailing, 4-1, and two runners on base. The ball sailed over the left-center field fence at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, just across the street from the current stadium, as the crowd of 53,775 roared. Braves reliever Tom House caught the ball in the bullpen, and a couple of fans joined Aaron on his trot around the bases. Baseball had a new home run king, and for Aaron, "the nightmare" was over.





1974...What A Year!



1974 Back In The Day - 24-page Greeting Card / Booklet with Envelope

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JesseHelton

6 years ago


Nice lens, I was interested to find out that the Hemlich maneuver was developed so recently.






kimmie1967

8 years ago


Nice lens. I remember most of these events which makes me kinda sad, hate to be reminded of how old I am lol. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. And it's a great idea for a lens.






anonymous

10 years ago


Great lens! 5 Stars :)






Evelyn Saenz

11 years ago from Royalton


1974 was certainly a big year for news. I remember Nixon leaving and Ford pardoning him. Patty Hearst's kidnapping was an intriguing mystery. Though I was never into baseball I do remember Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth's record. As a junior in high school Ed Sullivan's dieing meant to me that one more opportunity for the Beetles to get together was lost. I remember being taught the Heimlich Maneuver but didn't realize how new it was at the time.

What a wonderful job you have done highlighting the events of 1974. Amazing for someone so young at the time. :)






Nancy Tate Hellams

11 years ago from Pendleton, SC


Wow this was a lot of work and a great read. Let me see. I was 26 yrs old the year you were born. Oh, me! I sure remember 1974 very well and you did a super job covering the major events. Neat idea for a lens.






Spook LM

11 years ago


Great lens. I liked Ford's speech pardoning Nixon.