1977: Death Penalty, Alaska Pipeline, Disco

By Patrick Mondout

The re-institution of the death penalty, so visible due to the execution of Gary Gilmore, along with incredible rise of popularity of disco, the death of Elvis Presley, the worst air-disaster of all-time, and the completion of the Alaska Pipeline were the major stories of 1977.

Major Stories

January 9: The Oakland Raiders defeat the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI.

January 17: Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore becomes the first person executed in the United States since 1967.

January 19: Gerald Ford pardons "Tokyo Rose" on the final complete day of his presidency.

January 20: Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as president of the U.S.

January 21: In his first major act as president, Jimmy Carter signs an unconditional pardon covering more Vietnam draft evaders.

January 23-30: ABC televises the Roots miniseries over eight days. Over 100 million watched the concluding episode.

January 28: Freddie Prinze, who starred as Chico on NBC's Chico and The Man with Jack Albertson, takes his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot.

March 24: Moraji Desai succeeds Indira Gandhi as prime minister of India.

March 27: A Dutch KLM 747 collides on takeoff with a Pan Am 747 at the Tenerife airport in the Canary Islands leaving 581 dead in what remains the worst aviation accident in history.

May 28: The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky was engulfed in fire, killing 165 inside.

June 15: The first free elections since 1936 are held in Spain.

June 20: The Alaska Pipeline opens.

July 13: An electricity blackout in New York lasts 25 hours creating chaos, looting and disorder.

August 4: The Department of Energy is created by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Carter.

August 10: New York postal employee David Berkowitz is arrested and later charges with the "Son of Sam" serial killings.

August 16: Elvis Presley dies at age 42 of a heart attack at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. 

October 4: Watergate Judge John J. Sirica reduces the prison sentences of Nixon henchmen H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and John Mitchell.

November 19-21: Egypt's Anwar Sadat upset many in the Arab world by becoming the first Arab leader to visit Israel.

December 5: Five Arab nations end diplomatic relations with Egypt over Sadat's Israel visit.