Let us imagine an avocado green and harvest gold-colored time machine (with an air-brushed image of prancing horses upon its side) has whisked us back in time to August 11th, 1978.
What sort of news events and fantastical entertainment would we be confronted with 34 years ago?
Movies
Want to take in a flick? Movies released on this day in 1978 include:
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke
Cheech finds love, ‘Up in Smoke,’ August, 1978
Up in Smoke Wiki, IMDb. Starred Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Strother Martin, Edie Adams and Stacy Keach. The film was very successful and ended up the 15th highest-grossing film of 1978.
and Who’ll Stop the Rain
Nick Nolte enjoys the sunshine in ‘Who’ll Stop the Rain,’ August, 1978
Who’ll Stop the Rain Wiki, IMDb. Starred Nick Nolte, Tuesday Weld, Michael Moriarty and Anthony Zerbe. Movie tagline: “A week ago they were strangers. An hour ago they were lovers. Now they are targets.”
Music
In the music world:
Bon Scott and Angus Young of AC/DC backstage, August 11th, 1978 Atlanta, Georgia
Cheap Trick and AC/DC played the Symphony Hall in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chicago played the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Barry Manilow played the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of the “Even Now” tour.
Peter, Paul & Mary played the Mississippi River Festival in Edwardsville, Illinois.
and Chic released their C’est Chic L.P. which included the top 10 songs “Le Freak” and “I Want Your Love”.
Sports
In the sports world:
Catfish Hunter and the New York Yankees (2) beat the Baltimore Orioles (1) at Memorial Stadium.
Dennis Leonard and the Kansas City Royals (9) beat the Toronto Blue Jays (8) at Exhibition Stadium.
And Rick Langford and the Oakland Athletics (2) beat the Minnesota Twins (0).
News and Events
In the news:
President Jimmy Carter’s day at the White House included meetings with Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, Assistant for National Security Zbigniew Brzezinski and Assistant Hamilton Jordan. The President also attended a Pontifical Requiem Mass in honor of Pope Paul VI and phoned his wife who was in Rome, Italy because…
A funeral Mass was held for Pope Paul VI at St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Paul VI had died August, 6th.
The first Atlantic Balloon Crossing took off from Presque Isle, Maine (later landing in Miserey, France on Aug. 16th).
1960s White House photographer Robert Knudsen testified before The John F. Kennedy Subcommittee of the Select Committee on Assassinations, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. regarding autopsy photos of the slain president.
and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act became law.